Meet the First™ team

Between last-minute airline cancellations, oversold hotels and complicated car bookings, executive travel can be incredibly involved. And we agree. It's often not a job for just one person, but it's definitely a personal job.

That's why First™ is supported by a team of travel professionals who make business trips their business. Each team member is a specialist with passion and expertise for a particular area of travel. Combined they make a complete comprehensive concierge, safety net, go-to team — whatever it is travelers need to plan a seamless trip.

An expert team behind you. A personalized service that works for you. Now that's travel, handled.

Karen O'Neil

Karen O'Neil

Service Performance Leader

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Karen brings 30+ years of travel experience with American Express Global Business Travel.  Most recent role as Client Specialists for Private Equity, Pharmaceutical and Entertainment portfolio of 70+ customers.

Karen has received several awards during her career at American Express.  The top AMEX award, Pacesetter for 2018, 2017 and 2011!   Pacesetters recognize the top 5% performers!  The Chairman’s Award for Quality 1998, Centurion Club Award 1998, Star Performer 2000, 2007, 2008.

Karen and her husband Peter have enjoyed 30 years of marriage and live in the quiet little village of Lanesville on the north coast of Gloucester, MA.  Karen has two children, Peter Jr, graduated from Bryant University and working with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.  Daughter Moriah graduated with BSW in medical social work from Gordon College currently working on Master’s degree, is married to Brian, the Head Coach for Lacrosse at their Alma Mata! 

A few of her favorite things:  cooking, enjoying the seasons in their little home in the woods and to be surrounded by family and friends.  Karen has been a consistent contributor to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society and frequently prepares meals and serves at a local food pantry near her home.

Beverley Field

Beverley Field

Performance Coach

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Bev was born in London and moved to the US in 1995. For as long as she can remember,she wanted to work in travel. Her first job was for a car rental company, followed by reservations for a leading UK-based Tour Operator. From there it was Leisure Travel and Membership Travel, taking care of the travel requests for Amex Gold Card members. When she moved to the US she crossed over to Business Travel,where she has worked ever since. Over the course of her time with American Express, she’s worked in all market segments, first as a VIP/International travel counselor and then in variuos leadership roles. She is proud to have been on the First Team since it was lauched in 2014. During her career with American Express she has been awarded the Pacesetter, Trendsetter and Star Performer awards. She has a passion for customer service and strives to coach her agents to exceed client expectations in each and every interaction. She is blessed to live in Southern California with her husband of 35 years . She has an adults son and daughter  daughter, both now living in New York. Addicted to travel, she is lucky to have had the opportunity to discover the cultures and beauty of many countries throughout the world.

Beth Ann Healy

Beth Ann Healy

Travel Expert - First

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Beth Ann has been with American Express GBT since 1995 and in the industry since 1987.  She has always worked in the Corporate Travel industry.

Beth Ann always strives to offer an exemplary customer service experience and to ensure each one of her clients is well cared for.  Beth Ann has been the recipient of the  American Express GBT Pacesetter award, which recognizes the top 5% performers within the organization, along with multiple Star Performer awards.

Beth Ann lives in Michigan with her daughter Ashley, who is a college student, and her dog Birdie. Beth Ann also enjoys cooking, reading, and attending live theater. Her favorite travel destination is Salzburg, Austria.

Beth Hitchcock

Beth Hitchcock

Travel Expert/Lead Office Counselor - First Direct

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Beth has worked in the travel industry dating back to 1983. She began her career with the airlines.  Moving to the agency side of travel in 1995.  She has held many positions: from travel counselor, Team Leader, VIP agent, international VIP agent and now Travel Expert on the First™ team. Beth has been with American Express GBT for 22 years. She lives in Southern Illinois. She is married with two adult children and two dogs.  She enjoys camping and boating with friends. Beth is a huge sports fan and her favorite team is the St Louis Blues.

Carole Shakkour

Carole Shakkour

Travel Expert - First

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Carole has been with American Express GBT since 2017 and in the industry since 1990.  Carole started her career at United Airlines and has worked on all sides of the industry. She moved to the travel agency side as Floater/VIP Counselor and later to the client side working as Travel Manager for a government contractor. Carole has excellent customer service skills and is passionate about servicing her clients. In addition to being a great travel counselor, she loves to travel and has been to over 40 countries around the globe. Carole lives in the Washington, DC area and is always looking for an opportunity to visit new places and meet new people.

Christina Failing

Christina Failing

Travel Expert - First Direct

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Christina has 28 years of in-depth experience as a VIP Travel Expert.  Christina prides herself in demonstrating personal excellence in supporting her VIP customers.  Christina was previously awarded Pacesetter Award.   Pacesetter Award recognizes the top 5% performers within GBT!  She expertly consults with C-Level executives and travel arrangers for major corporations to support their travel needs.  Client satisfaction is of utmost importance, and each situation is expertly handled with a sense of urgency and confidence.  Christina takes pride in quickly developing rapport, and craft/maintain strong relationships with VIP’s.  She is proactive in problem solving and possesses strong analytical and communication skills.

Clint Etheridge

Clint Etheridge

Travel Expert - First

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Clint has been with American Express since 2017, and in the Travel Industry since 1995.  Clint has worked in many various aspects of the industry, including vacation and corporate travel, training, airline automation, account management, and customer service.  Clint found his true passion in Corporate travel.

Delivering a positive customer experience is what Clint enjoys most.  He has an empathetic, calming phone presence and enjoys his rapport with our valued clients.Clint lives in Atlanta, and enjoys hiking, world travel, going to movies, theatre and working out.  He especially loves Thai food, and anything spicy!  Clint looks forward to future trips to Iceland, as well as Switzerland

Darlene Tagtmeier

Darlene Tagtmeier

Travel Expert - First

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Darlene has been with American Express GBT since 1995 and in the industry since 1979.  Starting on the leisure side of the business, she found her calling in corporate travel. 

Delivering an exemplary customer experience is something Darlene is passionate about.   She strives to ensure her clients are well cared for.  Darlene has been honored with the American Express GBT Pacesetter award 3 times, recognizing the top 5% performers within the organization.  She has also received Amex GBT Trendsetter and Star Performer awards.

Darlene loves to travel and some of her favorite destinations include London, Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand.   She enjoys going to the theatre and whenever she has a free moment she will be reading.

Dawn English

Dawn English

Travel Expert - First

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Dawn has been with American Express/GBT for over 10 years and in the industry for over 30 years.   She started in the industry with American Airlines , retired and found her way to Corporate Travel. 

Dawn started in the Dearborn office and ended up on the General Motors Team where she assisted the VIP’s before coming to the First Team.Dawn is married with 2 children and lives outside of Detroit.  She enjoys spending time with her husband in their classic cars.  Both of her children live out of state, so she enjoys visiting her son in South Dakota and her daughter in Florida.  

Diane Krause

Diane Krause

Travel Expert - First

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Diane has been with American Express GBT since 2002 and in the industry since 1989. Prior to joining the FIRST team in 2014, she worked on our afterhours VIP desk.

If you call during the evenings or over the weekend, chances are good that you’ve spoken to Diane. She strives to deliver the seamless service expected by each of our clients, regardless of the hour.

Diane moved to the Tampa, Florida area with her husband David in 2013.One of her favorite methods of travel is via cruise ships. She would like to do another Scandinavian cruise in the future.

Diane is a member of the YMCA Pool Pals group for water aerobics. Her daughter, Kristen, received her PhD in Public Health at Rutgers last year during the Covid pandemic. She is now an assistant professor and is teaching current health trends to graduate students.

Elizabeth Torres

Elizabeth Torres

Travel Expert - First

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Elizabeth  has been with American Express GBT since 2019 and in the industry since 1990, starting as a Customer Service Representative with American Airlines at Boston Logan Airport.

Trusted to successfully coordinate VIP and board member itineraries, managing and maintaining high level accounts for longevity. Innately driven to provide exceptional service, with unyielding patience and dedication to providing optimal solutions and experiences.

Elizabeth lives in Hopkinton, MA with her husband and has 2 sons;  One at  Bryant University and the other a Senior at Hopkinton High School.   Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite destinations are Greece, Aruba and Cape Cod.

Francesca Criscuolo

Francesca Criscuolo

Travel Expert - First

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Francesca has worked in the Travel industry  for over 20 years. She started with Leisure Travel and soon after moved to Corporate Travel. Francesca started working for American Express in 2005, moved across various offices in Rome, Florence and London where she currently works and  lives with her husband and son.

Delivering an exemplary customer experience is  something Francesca is passionate about. She takes pride in her job and in her customer service skills.

Francesca has a real passion for food and books(paper ones not Kindle) and ballet classes. Her favorite travel destination is the Amalfi coast where she travels often to relax and see family.

Geoff Huxtable

Geoff Huxtable

Travel Expert - First

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Geoff first started with GBT in June 2018, however he has been in the industry for over 10 years.  In Geoff’s short time with GBT, he was a travel counselor in the Sabre Hub then eventually a Team Coach.  Within the Sabre Hub, Geoff worked on the NA Desk, Australia Desk, UK Desk and the Live Engage Chat Team.

Geoff was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada however moved just north of the city, to Barrie, in 2013.

On his off days, you will find Geoff enjoying time with his wife and 3 young children. He takes tremendous pride in being a father, and is heavily engaged in his children’s hobbies and activities. Geoff is an avid travel enthusiast, having been to over 35 countries worldwide and a major sports fan… often combining the two.

Geoff looks forward to passing along his passion for travel onto his kids and sharing the world with them as they grow.

Gloria Rivera

Gloria Rivera

Travel Expert - First

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Gloria Rivera has been with  American Express GBT since 1998 and in the industry since 1995. Starting on the leisure side of the industry, moving on to corporate travel and now servicing First.

Gloria has a passion to provide excellent customer service.  Gloria has been honored with American Express GBT Trendsetter and Star Performer awards.

Gloria lives in Sunny Tampa FL with her husband and adopted cats. Gloria has 2 sons Joel and Jonathan, daughter Jessica, and 10 grandchildren.  Gloria enjoys spending time with her extended family, drawing, gardening and cooking. Her favorite travel destination is Marion, MA.

Gretchen Tarby

Gretchen Tarby

Travel Expert

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Gretchen has been with American Express GBT since 1994 and in the industry since 1986. While still in school, she worked for a Charter Company, went on to leisure travel, and then found a home arranging corporate travel for VIP clients.  She graduated with a BS degree in Travel.

Gretchen prides herself in building rapport with her clients. She understands the importance of accurate and detailed work while doing her best to make the travel arranging process easy and pleasant.   She has been a 4-time recipient of our American Express GBT Pacesetter award and a 2- time Trendsetter award recipient.  She was honored to receive the American Express Customer Service Award which was given to selected associates on both the travel and card side of the company. 

 Gretchen lives in Fountain Hill, PA.  She enjoys time with her family which includes her dog and cats. She has a new-found passion for behavioral training with her dog, Rylie.

Jaiden Morales

Jaiden Morales

Travel Expert - First

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Jaiden has been with American Express GBT since 2021 and in the industry since 1992.  Her passion for travel started young and has been in love with it ever since.

Jaiden lives in Oakland, California with her 11-year-old son, Ryan and her 3 rescue dogs. Coco, Milo and Benji.   Jaiden is passionate about gardening and collecting exotic plants. She also also enjoys traveling, hiking and food. She has been to over 60 countries and counting.  Her favorite travel destinations are Greece and Thailand.

Additionally, Jaiden has lived in London, New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

Jennifer Greiss

Jennifer Greiss

Travel Expert - First Direct

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Jennifer has been with American Express GBT since 2011 and in the industry since 1995.  She started her career working on the College program at Walt Disney World and then on to the leisure side of the business before transitioning to corporate travel working on many different roles.

Attention to detail and great organizational skills have led to great client feedback Jennifer has received over the years. Jennifer’s expertise is working with VIP’s and providing a high level of support while working with in fast paced environments. Jennifer always strives to enhance the customer experience with emphasis on exceptional service to her travelers and arrangers.

 Jennifer lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband Robert. She has a daughter, Julia who is eight and a son, Miles who is six. They travel to the Cape every year and enjoys travelling to different places.

Leslie Chivers

Leslie Chivers

Travel Expert - First

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Leslie started in the travel industry in 1988 working for a major US airline in reservations and ticketing.  She moved to American Express Travel in 2006 with a single corporate account specializing in international travel.  She has been with First since August of 2020 and enjoys working with our VIP travelers.

Leslie lives in Everett Washington, not far from where she grew up and enjoys hiking and traveling when she gets the chance.  She is happily married for over 30 years and has 2 adult sons.

 

Linda Dogan

Linda Dogan

Travel Expert - First

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Linda has been with American Express GBT since 2006 and in the industry since 1983.  Starting in the hotel industry, she transitioned to working in leisure travel. Ultimately she found corporate travel to be a perfect fit. 

Linda strives to ensure each of her clients is well cared for. She prides herself on excellent customer service and building strong relationships within the organization.

Linda lives in Chicago with her husband Timothy. She has one stepdaughter, Abby, who started her junior year at University of Tennessee Knoxville where she is studying law. Linda enjoys cooking, wine tasting, sports (especially hockey) and spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite travel destination is Italy and she hopes to make it back there sometime in the near future.

Michael Barton

Michael Barton

Travel Expert - First

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Michael has been with American Express GBT since August 2016 and has worked in the travel industry since 1994. He has worked both on the airline, leisure and corporate sides of the business with the bulk of time spent on the corporate side. He has held several positions ranging from frontline agent up to and including Operations Manager. He prides himself in making sure his clients’ reservations are accurate and efficient.

Michael currently resides in Roswell, GA, a suburb of Atlanta.  He has 3 grown children who are all off into to world living their lives. Originally from the Caribbean island of Antigua which he doesn’t get to visit as often as he’d want to.

Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress

Travel Expert - First

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Nancy started her career with American Express GBT in 1997 as an afterhours emergency counselor.  She started her Career in Travel in 1993 with United airlines at their 1K International Desk.  Nancy has received a Star Performer Award twice.    

Nancy is from Detroit, Michigan.  Married 30 years, 2 children, 5 grandchildren. she loves the outdoors, traveling, camping, campfires.  Kayaking is high on her bucket list. 

Susan Yawn

Susan Yawn

Travel Expert - First

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Susan has been in the travel industry since 1977. After learning all aspects of the business, she soon found her calling was in corporate travel. Over the years her specialty became International travel while working with clients in the oil industry, onsite at tech companies, and those in Global law and finance. Susan strives to provide the highest level of customer service and to offer “efficiency with excellence”.

Traveling the world is Susan’s main passion (along with learning to cook and enjoy food from all over). Favorite destinations are Greece, Italy, London, Thailand, Mexico, and beaches all over the Caribbean.

A native of Houston, Susan has lived in several other cities in the US and even took a year off in the late 90’s to live on a Greek island. She now resides on a beautiful lake in East Texas.

Svetlana Obikhod

Svetlana Obikhod

Travel Expert - First

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Svetlana has been with American Express GBT since 2018 and in the industry since 2009.  Having started as a leisure travel consultant , she discovered her  vocation in corporate travel. 

With a focus on the individual needs of the client, Svetlana really enjoys providing great customer experience. She strives to exceed clients’ expectations.

 Svetlana lives in Montreal with her husband and has a daughter. Svetlana enjoys reading, travelling, taking long walks along the river, and spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite travel destination is Venice, and she hopes to return there next year.

 

Tracy Walton

Tracy Walton

Travel Expert - First

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Tracy has been in the industry since 1993, where her career began with NWA as a Reservation Agent, later transferring to DTW, where she worked as CSA. 

In 2010, she contracted with AMEX for a short period, before being offered a permanent position on the Sabre UK/IE desk in Dearborn MI. Tracy spent the last decade perfecting her craft of providing exemplary customer service to her clients and supporting, guiding and motivating her teammates. She was recognized by Global leaders for extraordinary customer service, earning the additional roles as Team Lead Agent, SME, CSAT Ambassador and Trainer for the SABRE HUB UK/IE team. 

Tracy’s top performing KPI’s coupled with great customer service earned her back-to-back American Express GBT Pacesetter awards in 2016 & 2017, recognizing the top 5% performers within the organization. 

Tracy lives in Romulus, MI, with her husband and has 2 boys. Matthew, a Sr in HS is a
4-Time Jr. Olympic gymnast, who earned the AP Scholars Academic Award. Payton, a Sr. at Michigan State Univ and will graduate with an Astrophysics degree in 2022. Tracy enjoys trying new recipes, traveling, beach reading, floating in any pool and conversing with her sons as much as possible!! Yearly vacations- Destin Oceanfront Condo and Las Vegas

Tureca Woods

Tureca Woods

Travel Expert - First

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Tureca has been with American Express GBT since 2019 and in the industry since 2016. Starting on the Travel & Leisure side of the business servicing Platinum Accounts, she continued her career in providing exemplary customer service in corporate travel. 

Tureca is passionate about helping people and has spent most of her career in philanthropy. She also has a background in marketing and human resources and uses project management as a catalyst to anchor all three areas to best service the customer. Her hybrid background has allowed her to understand the needs of various customers and deliver on expectations. She knows that the customer experience is a vital part of any job and what keeps us in business so she is always looking to learn how to do things the right way, and is not afraid to ask questions or speak up where needed. It is the team effort that is important to her. If she is not leading a team she is supporting and encouraging a team to help them reach their goals.

 Tureca lives in Atlanta with her family and 2 teenage boys. She enjoys cooking, the performing arts, peaceful scenery like the beach and spending time with her family and friends.

Wendy Stowell

Wendy Stowell

Travel Expert - First

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Wendy has been with American Express GBT since 2019 and in the industry since 1988.  She began her career with KLM Airlines in New York City on the International Rate Desk.  A few years later she moved back to her hometown in Pennsylvania working for Air Jamaica. 

Wanting to travel herself, in the early 1990’s she became a flight attendant for Gulf Air (International Charter) as well as American Airlines. Returning home after a few years she began a career in corporate travel.

She started working for Arm and Hammer in Princeton, New Jersey as an on-site manager and well as several other accounts.  Moving to the south 20 years ago she resides in Georgia with 3 boys and 1 daughter.  Since then she has been working for Google and IBM.  Wendy enjoys to travel to the beach and loves art.  Her favorite destinations include Europe, Caribbean, Hawaii and Africa. 

Yolanda Mestas

Yolanda Mestas

Travel Expert - First Direct

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With over thirty years of travel experience, and, twenty-two years at American Express Global Business Travel, Yolanda has mastered all aspects of travel. During her career, she has been awarded Pacesetter, Trendsetter and Star Performer. Yolanda prides herself in her work and customer servicing skills. She loves what she does and strives to ensure that her clients are well taken care of. Yolanda lives in beautiful San Diego with her husband of twenty years, her two daughters Emma, 14, and, Lili 12 and their two dogs, a tortoise, a hamster and some gold fish. Her girls keep them very busy with folkloric dance classes and performances, Girl Scouts, school and any additional activities that always seem to pop up. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks, watching the sunset, and, spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite travel destination is Maui.    

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