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 Financial Officer
Neelam is our Chief Financial 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.
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.
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.
Anna Longfellow, Director of Celebrated Italy
Anna joined the travel industry right out of college and never looked back. Originally from Russia, Anna has lived in six different countries, including an important stint in Italy! Travel is a huge part of her family’s life, and she speaks 4 languages, including Italian. Besides designing beautiful itineraries, Anna also focuses significant time on growing our Italy operation. She is passionate about sourcing new guides, hotels, and experiences. In her spare time, and when not planning her own travels, Anna is busy with her fun family, who love horseback riding, hiking, and visiting wineries.
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).
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, 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.
Margaret Baker, Travel Design Director
For 15+ years, Margaret has designed itineraries for clients traveling to Italy, and her personal friendships with hoteliers make all the difference for travelers. As a Navy wife, she has traveled the globe and moved more times than she can count. She collects watercolor paintings from every trip and is always looking forward to the next destination. Margaret was awarded the Navy Meritorious Public Service Award for her volunteer work, and Margaret considers herself fortunate to work for a company that is so focused on also giving back to the community.
Meagan Howarth, Travel Design Director
Meagan is a Travel Design Director 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!
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. In her spare time, she is a Foster Coordinator for the Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta. 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.
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, Product Development Manager, Italy
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.
Sarah Wood, Italy 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.
Susan Terry, Special Projects Coordinator
Sue has been in the travel business since 1983 and is a key member of the Celebrated Experiences team. She loves being surrounded by family, friends and her adorable dogs. Sue enjoys reading a good mystery, crocheting for charities, puttering in her garden, and traveling to find new yarn stores!
Madie Sunberg, 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.
Mary Windsor Cline, Travel Design Coordinator
Mary works on the Celebrated Italy Team. Prior to Celebrated Experiences, she worked in hospitality as an innkeeper/general manager for two historic B&Bs in Virginia. She has a passion for hospitality, customer service, and travel and loves helping clients make meaningful memories by sharing what various regions have to offer. In her spare time, she enjoys time with family, friends, dogs, and wine!
Sara Hosford, Travel Design Coordinator
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!
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.
Margherita Biancucci, Travel Design Coordinator
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.
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.
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.
Molly Brennan, Travel Design Assistant
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.
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.
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.
Cori Wells, Travel Design Assistant
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.
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.
Erin Shelley, Travel Design Assistant
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.
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.