Preston Epstein, Chairman & Founder
Preston is Chairman and founder of Celebrated Experiences. Preston lived in Italy during the 1950s while serving in the US Army. After a successful 30-year career in the fashion industry, he made a bold transition to the travel industry. With his wife Leni, he launched Celebrated Experiences in 1990. Now in his 80s, Preston keeps blazing a trail doing what he loves–personalizing itineraries. He works on Mary Beth’s Team, where clients leverage his extraordinary knowledge and relationships.
Jonathan Epstein, Chief Executive Officer
Jonathan is President and Owner of Celebrated Experiences. Jonathan lives for personalizing beautiful experiences in the UK, Ireland and Italy. When not at work, Jonathan can be found hiking or cooking for his family on his Big Green Egg. He is passionate about wine, beer, scotch whisky, football (both types) and photography.
Neelam Karani, Chief Administrative Officer
Neelam is our Chief Administrative Officer and has over 15 years of experience in all facets of accounting. She feels strongly about leaving a positive imprint on people's lives through professional and personal relationships. She lives with her significant other and 2 wonderful boys in Atlanta, GA. In her spare time, she loves to experiment with new recipes and spend time with extended family.
Ty Horn, Chief Operating Officer
Ty is Chief Operating Officer and works closely with our hotel and agency partners. He has over 15 years of experience in sales & marketing in luxury hotels. Ty is a big fan of his husband, dog, tennis, football, hiking, and full bodied red wine and peat whiskey.
Dana Welch, Chief Client Engagement Officer
Dana focuses on Celebrated’s mission to design meaningful itineraries and to help our travel advisor clients grow their businesses. She has over 15 years of strategic marketing experience in the luxury consumer space, most recently as Tourism Ireland’s Vice President of Marketing in the United States. Prior to this, Dana led Tourism Ireland’s operations in Canada. Before joining the travel industry, she worked at Cineplex Entertainment in Canada focusing on their premium experiences. Growing up as a competitive figure skater, sports play a big role in Dana’s life. She enjoys running and is learning how to surf on the beaches of Northern Ireland. She is passionate about time with family and friends, in particular at Charleston Lake near her hometown in Canada.
Michele Mella, Chief Partnership Officer and Director of European Operations
Michele is a member of our company’s senior leadership team. He works closely with our Hotel, Guide, and Experience Partners to implement marketing and operational strategies that lead to growth. He is based in the The Cotswolds and excelled for years as General Manager at the award-winning Barnsley House, part of the Calcot Collection. A natural hotelier, Michele grew up in Northern Italy and received early training there before experiencing opportunities in England at properties such as Claridges and The Dorchester. A testament to his pedigree, Michele was invited to become a member of the Master Innholders, a leading force within the hospitality Industry. When not on the clock, he focuses his time on food, wine, cycling, and a good laugh.
Olive Roberts, Vice President of Product Development
In addition to managing her own Travel Design Team, Olive works hard to develop new experiences for our clients. From unique farm visits to meeting local artisans in their workshops to culinary experiences and more, Olive is focused on showing off the best of our destinations to our clients. Olive’s own Travel Design Team primarily focuses on golf, special groups and other unique itineraries. She is based in Cork and worked previously at hotels in the UK & Ireland for over 20 years. She loves traveling, laughing, music and enjoying the outdoors with her husband and two children.
Jennifer Fenton, Vice President of Travel Design
For nearly a decade Jennifer has managed her own team as they have created brilliant personalized itineraries. As our Vice President, she also oversees our entire Travel Design Team structure and process. She is always focused on innovations and best practices that lead to even better itinerary planning and design. She has traveled to Ireland extensively and loves everything about Ireland, especially the many friends she has made there. Aside from traveling, Jennifer loves spending time with her wife, decorating, Alabama Football, baking and her two dogs (Teddy & Sadie).
Zoltan Berger, Director of Finance
With over 15 years experience in finance and accounting, playing key roles in the finance teams for companies such as Diageo, Zoltan has a passion for planning and analysis and is excited to be leading strategies for growth at Celebrated Experiences. Zoltan is based in Atlanta, having moved here in 2016 from Budapest. Zoltan spends his free time with his wife, son and dog, Rover, visiting new parts of Georgia and the U.S. He enjoys cooking and starting the day with an early morning run!
Lorri D’Amico, Director of Celebrated Italy
There has never been a time in Lorri’s life that she was not immersed in Italy! Her immigrant grandparents taught her to love their culture so at age 25 she moved to Central Italy, where for almost 2 decades she worked as a tour guide, at hotels and tourist offices and raised 2 amazing boys. Her deep passion for Italy has only grown stronger over the years and she is thrilled to be on year 16 of designing Italian itineraries. She is actively involved with her local Make-A-Wish chapter as a fundraiser and wish granter and has had the privilege of planning Make-A-Wish trips to Italy.
Frank Laino, Director of Concierge Services
While boasting proud Italian heritage, Frank is a born and bred Londoner. A key player on our London-based team, Frank has 35+ years of experience as a Les Clefs d'Or Concierge serving at some of the most prestigious hotels in the city. He has been named “Best Concierge in the World,” and his long-standing relationships enable our team to access the best event tickets at extremely competitive prices, including Wimbledon, Premier League Football, London Theatre, and other special events. Frank loves family – and notably has 35 first cousins! He is an avid Chelsea fan, a keen skier, and a passionate cyclist, raising funds each year for Le Cure, a breast cancer charity, by taking on some of the Tour de France’s challenging Alpine climbs.
Caitlin Wolfe, Director of Operations
Caitlin is our Director of Operations. She loves the little details, and most of her time is spent making sure each one is perfect, while also finding new, fun ways to keep the Celebrated team awesome. Caitlin enjoys traveling with her husband and has a passion for finding a unique story in an unexpected place. When not at work, you can find her at a local coffee shop or at home with her dog, Dez.
Simone Papiri, Director of Sales
Simone is based in London and supports our Celebrated Hotel partners with their sales activities. Simone is the key point of contact for our travel advisors clients, and he spends much of his time visiting them across North America. He is completely focused on ensuring they receive the support they need. Originally from Rome, Simone moved to the UK in 2005 when he joined the travel industry. He has worked for Virgin Atlantic, American Express Centurion member services, and one of Scotland’s most elite Celebrated Hotels. He loves cooking and entertaining his friends and family, while also being a bit obsessed with Cross Fit.
Ashleigh Kent Johnson, Senior Travel Design Director
Ashleigh enjoys all things British, from its rich history to the evolving food scene. As much as she wishes she was a Londoner, she can’t wait to throw on her wellies and get out into the countryside! Ashleigh has been with our team since 2008 and her first trip “across the pond” was to Ireland. She can’t wait to get back over and explore more of the Emerald Isle. She shares a similar passion for Scotland and has been celebrating Burns Night since she was wee bairn, thanks to her father’s love/obsession with his Clan Campbell roots. Originally from sunny San Diego, she now works from Memphis. Ashleigh loves speaking with Travel Advisors and coming up with imaginative trips, highlighting clients’ interests and really making sure visitors leave the country already planning their next trip back.
Ivana Tudic, Director of Partner Development & Support
Ivana lends key support to our incredible Celebrated Hotels, Homes, Guides, Drivers, and Experience Makers. She also works with our Chief Partnership Officer, Michele Mella, to curate the very best collection of partners, always on the hunt for the best new experiences, guides, and properties. Ivana has 20+ years of experience in the travel and tourism industry in Europe, climbing to elite management positions for respected travel companies. Ivana was born in Croatia, where she lived until she was 18. She then emigrated to Greece and spent ten tears there studying and working in travel and tourism before moving to the UK in 2011. Ivana loves England, and when not sourcing the best new experiences, she loves watching Manchester United, spending time with Fergie (her cat named after Sir Alex Ferguson!), and traveling.
Katy Henderson, Director of Client Engagement
Katy is based in Scotland and joined Celebrated Experiences in 2023. She brings 15 years of luxury hotel and travel experience to our team, and is an innovator in this space. Working alongside Dana, Katy loves to engage with our travel advisor clients and it gives her great satisfaction to support their businesses. When Katy is not working she can be found exploring new places, with her husband, two young boys and tiny dog!
Mary Beth Reed, Travel Design Director
Mary Beth loves a good challenge & thinking creatively about each itinerary. She has risen through the ranks, starting as an Assistant, and now she manages her own Travel Design Team. Outside of the office, she can be found exploring her new home of Chattanooga and taking her pride and joy, Hudson the Golden Retriever, to the dog park. If you are looking to bribe Mary Beth, she accepts bold red wines, Dalmore 15, and Irish gins.
Katie Stewart, Travel Design Director
Katie is based in New York City and joined Celebrated Experiences in 2021. Previously, Katie spent 8 years as a luxury travel advisor. Katie focuses on creative ways to ensure travelers enjoy authentic connection with a destination and its people. Her love for travel began at a young age when she visited Australia and New Zealand. With her camera in hand, Katie is always looking for the next adventure. She enjoys the outdoors and is most happy when immersing herself in a culture. Katie volunteers for a service dog program called Puppies Behind Bars, where she helps socialize dogs that become service dogs for wounded veterans and first responders.
Audrey Garrison, Travel Design Director
Audrey has been with Celebrated since June 2015 and has enjoyed expanding her knowledge of the U.K. & Ireland to help plan fun-filled trips for her clients. One of her personal favorite trips was exploring Northern Ireland with her now-husband, Trey, and seeing the Giant’s Causeway together. When not trying new restaurants and exploring Atlanta, she enjoys cooking, needlepoint, photography, speaking French, and wishing she could tag along on every trip she helps to plan.
Lisa DeRemer, Travel Design Director
Lisa DeRemer is one of our Travel Design Managers for Celebrated Italy. With over 7 years of Italian travel planning experience, we are more than thrilled to have her on the team. She began in the hospitality industry behind the front desk of a hotel and later became both a corporate and leisure travel agent, while also working with a private jet chartering company. When not working, she is usually found on a sports field cheering for her son during all of his high school football and baseball games.
Marianna Mazzuccato, Travel Design Director
Born in Venice, this is also where Marianna began her career in the luxury travel industry. For over 20 years she worked for a number of the finest hotels in Venice and other regions of Italy. She loves to share her knowledge of her home country, especially off-the-beaten-path destinations and experiences. From grape stomping in Tuscany to scuba diving in Ischia, she enjoys designing special itineraries. Marianna now lives in Chicago. She loves the Windy City and enjoys its restaurants, museums and beautiful Lake Michigan with her two active boys.
Sara Hosford, Travel Design Director
With a Master’s Degree in Tourism Management and years of experience working in both incentive and luxury travel, Sara knows the ins and outs of travel design! Based in her home county of Cork with her fiancé and daughter, Sara loves exploring Ireland and the U.K. and is passionate about getting visitors to go off-the-beaten-path with experiences that truly resonate and bring joy. In her down time, Sara enjoys the simple pleasures of a handwritten card and a pecan pastry. A big fan of outdoor activities, she loves team rugby, rock-climbing and snowboarding. She’s also an unashamed language nerd who relishes studying grammar and the nuances of meaning!
Margherita Biancucci, Travel Design Director
Born and raised in a small village near the beautiful Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany, Margherita has been travelling around Europe with her family since she was very young. This sparked her love for discovering unknown places, experiencing new cuisine, learning about different cultures, and sharing her knowledge with others. Margherita lives in London, where she has worked in various roles in the hospitality and travel design industry. She even has worked at our Celebrated Hotels! Her favorite part of the job is searching for authentic experiences and discovering unique destinations.
Kate Winslow, Travel Design Director
Kate joined the team after six years as a luxury travel advisor. With a background in forensic science, Kate worked as a federal law enforcement officer for NCIS and spent three years living in Japan. She now focuses on the UK and Ireland and loves helping people discover new destinations. An avid traveler herself, she enjoys learning about history and culture and has a particular fondness for ancient burial sites, old cemeteries, and castle ruins. She is married with two teenagers and is perpetually dreaming of her next trip across the pond.
Shawn Hendricks, Travel Director
Shawn is a key part of our Celebrated Italy Team, working alongside Marianna. He is a keen team player and immediately made an impact. Born in Sri Lanka, Shawn has lived in England for many years and now lives with his wife in the scenic countryside of Hampshire, England. A dedicated travel specialist with 20 years experience in the industry, Shawn is always looking for innovative ways to turn a great vacation into something truly unique and personalized! When not creating special itineraries, Shawn loves long coastal walks and epic road trips across the UK and Europe with his wife and dog, Cooper!
Sarah Wood, Operations Manager
Sarah joined our Operations team in 2021. She loves combining her love of travel and perfectionist tendencies as she pours over every last detail of each itinerary to ensure each trip is perfect as she creates client documents. She loves exploring new destinations, focusing on architecture, history, and local cuisine. When not at work, you can find Sarah horseback riding, reading, or sipping bourbon while planning her next trip.
Eneida Stripling, Finance Manager
Eneida is our Finance Manager and has been with us for 6 years, and has a wide range of accounting expertise. When not working to make sure our agents and hotels are paid on time, she spends a vast amount of energy being the best mom and wife for her family of three. She enjoys old school reading (non e-books), cooking Central American cuisine, and watching old Law and Order shows.
Meagan Howarth, Senior Travel Design Coordinator
Meagan is a Senior Travel Design Coordinator at Celebrated and has enjoyed every minute of her time planning travel. She specifically loves to plan driver and guide experiences. Meagan has loved her inspection tours to the UK and is so passionate about England that she married an Englishman!
Madie Sunberg, Senior Travel Design Coordinator
Madie is new to the travel world but loves to experience new places and things! She graduated from Florida State and moved to Atlanta from Orlando. In her free time she enjoys trying fun restaurants, spending time with friends, reading & cooking. After assisting the UK/Ireland Team for 2 years she is thrilled to join the Italy Team.
Norma Browne, Travel Design Coordinator
Norma works in our Cork office with Olive. Norma originally spent time working in both London & Irish hotels before then spending 20 + years both installing software & training in a range of four & five-star hotels in Ireland. She lives with her husband Tim on their farm, rearing a herd of Angus Beef Cattle.
Lexie LoGiudice, Travel Design Coordinator
Lexie discovered her love for travel after spending a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. Ever since then she has had a passion for travel and exploring new places. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, wine, reading and spending time with her dog Griffey and husband Daniel.
Claire Heard, Travel Design Coordinator
Claire’s love of travel began long ago in a 7th grade geography class and continued on as she majored in geography, studied abroad in London, and worked for one of the world’s top travel agencies, Brownell Travel. She feels like she’s won the lottery, as she absolutely loves that she has the opportunity to create itineraries for the UK & Ireland every day. Connecting to new cultures and landscapes through travel is one of her greatest joys, and she appreciates every opportunity to broaden global perspectives for herself and others. She spends her spare time making pottery, learning French, hiking, and learning as much as she can about wine.
Erica Wiethorn, Travel Design Coordinator
Moving back to her hometown of Detroit after living abroad in Australia and Spain, Erica transitioned to the travel industry. She learned the ropes as a luxury travel advisor for a top agency before joining Anna’s Italy travel design team. Her passion for travel stems from its inherent quality of cultivating personal growth, and she hopes each traveler returns home with a broadened mind and greater respect for the people and places they visited. Outside of the office, Erica is active in her local yoga community and ends each day with a good book and a cup of tea.
Amy Sapio, Operations Coordinator
Amy made the jump to travel after years of experience as a Visual Manager for one of North America’s leading bookstores. With a keen eye for detail, she plays a key role in our Operations Team working with Caitlin and Sarah, especially focuses on our confirmations and client documents. When not working, she loves to spend time with her husband John enjoying their cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Traveling has always been a great passion for Amy, and she also loves reading and cooking, and even occasionally tries her hand at quilting and painting.
Stephanie Tomayko, Operations Coordinator
Acutely detail oriented and quick to help, Stephanie is a key part of our Operations Team which she joined in 2022. She ensures all the details of the trip are perfect, leaving clients to enjoy a worry-free vacation. Prior to her time with Celebrated Experiences, Stephanie worked for one of the leading travel agencies in North America. Stephanie enjoys taking short and extended trips with her husband, son and sometimes her dog, Clifford (not the big red one). She believes that memories and experiences are more valuable than “things”. Stephanie resides in the Pittsburgh area and loves trying new restaurants, exploring local community events, and spending quality time with her family and friends.
Amanda Shelansky, Travel Design Coordinator
For Amanda, travel comes second nature having moved 25 times in 40-some years! She spent 17 years in Italy and has worked in both the airline industry and for a top luxury travel agency. During the pandemic, Amanda earned a Graduate Degree in Management from Wilmington University, and she is passionate about helping teams maximize their potential. Amanda plays an important role as Coordinator of Ty’s Travel Design Team, and she continues to grow her UK/Ireland knowledge. Every chance she gets, Amanda hikes, enjoys live music, and of course, nothing thrills her more than planning a new trip for her family of 6 (and sometimes Bruno, their family dog, even gets to tag along).
Molly Brennan, Travel Design Coordinator
Molly has always loved to travel and try new things, and her favorite place to visit is Europe. She graduated from Florida State in 2021, where she majored in Hospitality. She grew up in Florida and relocated to Atlanta, where she is based in Celebrated HQ. In her free time she enjoys health and fitness, finding unique restaurants, and trying new craft beers and wine with friends.
Cori Wells, Travel Design Coordinator
Cori joins Celebrated Experiences after spending the past seven years in wealth management and financial services. She has always made travel a personal priority, and is excited to turn this passion into profession assisting others build their dream itineraries. Outside of work, she likes to spend her time traveling, checking new restaurants off her list, cooking, listening to music (preferably live) and reading.
Emma Brandimarte, Travel Design Coordinator
Emma graduated from Drexel University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management. Before joining the Celebrated Italy team, and while a full time student, Emma played a leading role with an important New Jersey restaurant group and ascended to the position of restaurant manager at five of their locations. Upon accepting her role with Celebrated Experiences, Emma chose to work at Celebrated HQ in Atlanta rather than working remote which meant moving from her home on the Jersey Shore! While she misses New Jersey, she loves her Georgia home, especially Atlanta’s breweries and dining scene (including its epic holes-in-the-wall). She spends much of her time exploring the city with her pup, Jersey Lee, and sipping wine on her balcony.
Erin Shelley, Travel Design Coordinator
Erin was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. She now lives in Barcelona with her husband and three children. She has always been active in her local community, and that continues today in Spain. Prior to working in travel, Erin was in learning and development in higher education. An avid lifelong traveler, Erin has spent significant time in South and Central America, Asia, and all over Europe. She is passionate about food as well, and she feels it broadens one’s perspective and access to new cultures and lifestyles. Her favorite location in Italy is along the coast of Sorrento.
Avril McCarthy, Travel Design Assistant
After a short 16 year career break to focus on raising her three children Avril joined Celebrated Experiences in 2016 and works alongside Olive, Norma and Regina in our Cork Office. She loves designing personalised itineraries for our fabulous clients and in her spare time, Avril enjoys gardening, walking and weekends away with her family. She also loves reading and is a member of her local Book Club. This photo was taken when Avril walked resident Irish Wolfhounds Cronan & Garvan while staying at Ashford Castle.
Brittany Chambers, Travel Design Assistant
Brittany works on Jennifer Fenton’s Design Team, creating thoughtful, personalized itineraries for clients. She loves finding the best local spots for food & wine while traveling, often with her husband. Brittany is always ready for a new adventure and has had key roles in the travel industry for many years, including time with Brownell Travel. Based in Denver, Brittany enjoys skiing the Rockies with her daughter, and in warmer weather she plays golf with her son. She loves fashion, live music, and her three dogs; Drake, Rocky, and Vivien.
Brittany Burkhamer, Travel Design Assistant
Although new to the travel world, Brittany’s adventurous spirit thrives on the Italy Team. She works with Lorri and Madie to design beautiful and exciting itineraries. She graduated from the University of Florida and moved to Atlanta to pursue a career as an actor in the TV and Film industry. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching the newest shows on Netflix, playing video games, doing puzzles, and spending time with her girlfriend and their sweet corgi pup, Willow.
Jamie Rose, Travel Design Assistant
Jamie works with Ty and Claire designing once-in-a -lifetime itineraries in the U.K. & Ireland. Before joining the Celebrated team, Jamie worked as a luxury travel advisor. Traveling is one of her greatest passions, and she loves creating bespoke experiences that spark authentic connection to the people and destinations we love. When she’s not traveling, Jamie enjoys any activity that involves water. She likes to surf, scuba dive, snorkel, swim, kayak, and paddle board. Jamie is head over heels in love with her 13-year-old dog, Randi, who has accompanied her on many of her travel adventures.
Kimberly Budd, Travel Design Assistant
Prior to making the transition to the travel industry, Kimberly was a social worker. She has always had a passion for helping people and now assists our clients as part of Ashleigh’s Travel Design Team, where they create beautiful itineraries for the UK and Ireland. Born and raised in Georgia, and touting a Master’s Degree from the University of Georgia, she always looks forward to traveling and exploring new places. When not working, she enjoys binge watching the latest shows, reading, playing card games, camping, and spending time with her husband, Cody and their dog, Cypress.
Vanessa Hurley, Travel Design Assistant
Armed with a passion for travel, family and horses, Vanessa works on Mary Beth’s travel design team crafting stunning itineraries for the UK and Ireland. Based in Ireland, she spent most of her youth immersed in the world of everything horse related and after finishing school, she moved to Switzerland to work with horses. When she returned to Ireland, she worked as a front of house receptionist at the legendary Dromoland Castle. After a few years away from the Castle to focus on family, she returned to Dromoland for 8 years as part of their reservations team. In her spare time, she loves snorkelling, walking, reading, exploring off the beaten track parts of Ireland, and most of all - quality time with her family and two pups, Daisy & Lily.
Ali Mosshart, Travel Design Assistant
Ali is a Travel Design Assistant on the Celebrated Italy team working alongside Lisa and Emma. While she is newer to the travel industry, she is passionate about helping create amazing travel experiences in Italy. Studying abroad in England as a Theatre performer and touring the U.S. as a musician sparked a love for travel and a passion for discovering new places. Ali is based in Michigan and prior to her time with us she worked at impressive companies such as Shinola in Detroit. When not focused on a client trip or her own adventures, you can find her cozied up with her cat and dog or challenging her husband to a game of Gin.
Sharon Wolf, Travel Design Assistant
Sharon has turned a passion for travel into a career after many years as a leader in project management and IT Consulting. Having studied in the UK while pursuing a degree in International Relations from UCLA, she spent much of her time there exploring the whole of Britain and much of Europe. It really feels that Sharon was destined to end up on our UK & Ireland team! Fluent in Spanish and Russian, Karen is a key player on Jennifer’s travel design team. When not working, Sharon loves going to concerts, and traveling with her husband and two teenage boys (often to baseball games) and spending time with her beloved labradoodle, Frisco!
Jersey
Before starting in Travel Design, Jersey had a prolific career in New Jersey, ranging from Child Actor to College Professor. Upon receiving an offer from Celebrated Experiences, Jersey relocated to Atlanta to join the HQ Team. Though she is often seen sleeping on her desk (and occasionally under it), it is only because she exerts so much energy sharing her passion for Celebrated Hotels. When not educating clients on hot culinary experiences in Italy, Jersey can be found lavishing love on her coworkers, hanging in Jonathan’s office, listening to Springsteen, or waiting for someone to ring the doorbell.
Truman
Truman followed Jonathan to Celebrated in 2006. When not preparing sales and marketing plans, Truman lays around a lot, licks windows and patiently waits for guests to stop by the office. He is passionate about 19th century English literature, Scottish history, Italian sports cars and Guinness. Sadly, Truman passed away in November 2019 but we just can't remove him from this page as he always will be with us in spirit. RIP Truman.