Meet Our Guest Speakers

Jeff Jenkins is an award-winning Travel/ Food Blogger, speaker, podcast host, and Influencer based out of Austin, Texas. Jeff most recently is proud to add travel documentarian to his list of adventures as he stars in a show that explores diverse cultures, locations and overcoming fears, backed by National Geographic. His new show is called "Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins."

Jordyn Taylor is the Executive Digital Editor at Men's Health magazine, and the award-winning author of The Paper Girl of Paris and other young adult novels. She is an adjunct professor at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, and she previously worked as a reporter and editor at Mic and the New York Observer.

Salvatore “The Grubfather” DiBenedetto hails from Long Island, New York, where he started as a dishwasher in Italian kitchens, and moved on to a wildly successful career as a food content creator, writer, and entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. His work has been published in Travel + Leisure, and his Instagram has amassed more than 324,000 dedicated fans.

Randie Schoenberg is the Corporate Director of Communications and Social Media for Montage International, which encompasses Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Montage Residences and Pendry Residences. She is responsible for driving the overall communication and social media strategies and strengthening Montage International's brand and market presence through communications, social media, integrated marketing, and special events. Prior to joining the corporate team at Montage International, Randie served as Public Relations Manager for Maybourne Beverly Hills and before that, Montage Beverly Hills.

Kyle Valenta is the Senior SEO Editor for Cruise Critic, a TripAdvisor company, and previously directed SEO strategy as Executive Editor of Oyster.com and Courier Newsroom. His travel writing and expertise have been featured in The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. He is currently based in Brooklyn, where he lives with his partner and their two dogs.

Based in Manhattan (but often wishing he was in San Miguel de Allende, his favorite place in the world), Brandon Berkson's main life passion is boutique hotels. His career path started as a bellboy at a premier San Francisco hotel and led him to work in travel PR in both London and New York, before taking the helm of boutique hotel- and travel-focused guide, Hotels Above Par.

Travel and pop culture journalist Rachel Chang is a magazine editor (Us Weekly senior editor, J-14 editor-in-chief, CosmoGIRL! entertainment editor) turned freelance writer and editor. She’s a regular contributor to Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure and editor-in-chief of Centennial Media’s special issues, including Most Amazing Places magazines. The solo travel advocate with a passion for uncovering untold Asian American stories also writes for Lonely Planet, New York Times for Kids, and Wall Street Journal. With more than two decades of editorial experience, Rachel, who started her career in television at The WB Television Network, has a journalism master's degree from Syracuse University and communications bachelor’s degree from UCLA.

Adriana Lacy is a journalist and freelance audience consultant in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the digital and audience engagement editor at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and a freelance audience consultant. She is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In addition, Adriana is the founder of Journalism Mentors, a website dedicated to advancing early-career journalists through mentoring and paid media opportunities. She also writes a newsletter called The Intersection, which focuses on the intersections of journalism, tech, and product. Previously, she worked as a senior associate for audience and growth at Axios, an audience engagement editor at the Los Angeles Times, and a senior news assistant at the New York Times.