J. Mara DelliPriscoli, President, Travel Learning Connections, Inc., is the founder and architect of the Educational Travel Conference (formerly Nonprofits in Travel Conference). With this conference platform she has facilitated the growth of strategic business partnerships and business-to-business networking of those in the field of alumni, museum, conservation and affinity group travel. With over 30 years experience in the tourism industry, Ms. DelliPriscoli has directly worked within most sectors of the travel industry including marketing, sales, tour and hotel operations, and transportation, trade and government research firms. Mara lectures, writes and works with cultural, community and conservation tourism development projects in the US and abroad. She consults in the field of educational, community and special interest tourism development for a variety of US and international organizations. Mara has a passion for exploration, blue water sailing, language, ethnic music and dance. Mara holds an M. Ed in Tourism Development from the George Washington University, and a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University. A native New Englander having spent a great deal of her professional life in the Washington, D.C. area, and then at sea for three years, Mara has been based in St. Ignatius, Montana for several years.

Carole Erickson has served as the ETC Conference Manager and ETC Partner Liaison since 2005. She has enjoyed a 40-year career as a meeting planner, healthcare administrator, customer service consultant, and professional marketing/development director in Missoula, Montana, and Los Angeles, California. Since 1995, Carole has been responsible for developing and implementing all aspects of domestic and international symposiums. After retiring from full-time administration management in 2003, she now has her own consulting business providing customer service training and on-site conference/travel management. Carole is a native Montanan, from Livingston, now based in Missoula, Montana.

Sherry Schwarz joined the ETC team in 2008 as the Content Manager of ETC's community website and as Editor of Experiences, ETC's quarterly webzine. Previously, Sherry served as Editor and Publisher of Transitions Abroad magazine (2003-2007), during which time she assisted in organizing sessions for ETC’s Responsible Tourism Forum (2006 and 2007) and producing the “Responsible Travel Handbook.” In addition to her role with ETC, Sherry is founder and director of the non-profit Abroad View Foundation, which publishes Abroad View, the global education magazine for students. Sherry graduated from Middlebury College, in 1999, with a B.A. in English literature and concentrations in creative writing and sociology/ anthropology. Sherry works from Bennington, Vermont, and can be reached at sherry@travelearning.com.

Lisa Douma has been with ETC since 2003 and serves as the Conference Registrar and Office Manager. If you have attended the ETC conference in the past few years you have met and talked with Lisa! She handles all the registration and payment questions developed on the website and questions directed to registrar@travelearning.com. She is also a full time mother of four very active children, ages 11 to 17, who take up the rest of her time. Once in a while she does find time for hiking in the beautiful Mission Mountains which are just outside the backdoor of the TLC main offices. A native Montanan, Lisa is based in Charlo, MT.