Meet the Team Engineering Exceptional Travel, Crafted With Care
Travel that’s inspired by you, and powered by pros. Meet our team of dedicated, award-winning travel professionals who will fill your travels with more Awestruck moments.
The Awestruck Experts
a note from our founder
JENENE MEALEY
At Travel with Awestruck, first-class service is at the heart of everything we do. That’s why I have cultivated a team that will always put our clients first. With combined expertise that spans decades and multiple continents, our team can help you design nearly any travel experience you dream up—and encourage you to dream bigger. Discover your next partner for exceptional travel.
Colleen is a top travel advisor and our Vice President of Sales. A dedicated planner and “visual” learner, Colleen works hard to visit as many properties in person as possible—more than 70 to date!—to vet them for her clients and discover each property’s distinguishing characteristics. Colleen’s agility as an experienced advisor means she’s able to respond quickly to clients’ needs, no matter how unexpected. She’s had a knee scooter delivered to her client’s resort door when he injured his foot early in his vacation, and secured a VIP meet-and-greet airport service for three young siblings whose airline delay had them traveling without their parents for their very first international trip. While she is a great problem solver, her exceptional eye for detail and impeccable planning are unmatched.
Colleen Cunningham
work with me
+ Mexico & the Caribbean
+ EUROPE
+ cruises
Brian has been planning travel professionally for 8+ years and prides himself on giving his clients the “inside scoop” on destinations—he’s visited many of the places he sends his clients to in person to scout out the best experiences, properties, and excursions. His detail-oriented nature means he can turn even complex, multi-country itineraries into effortless journeys for his clients. One of his favorite client trips to date was a whirlwind vacation to Italy including stops in Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa, and the Amalfi Coast. Pitch-perfect logistics allowed Brian’s clients to make the most of their time in each stop, truly soaking up la dolce vita.
Brian Gibbons
work with me
+ Mexico & the Caribbean
+ Hawaii
+ Europe
Leslie’s “happy place” is on the water, so it’s no surprise her clients return to her again and again to design trips to island paradises around the world. Her extensive personal travel experience means she knows exactly which destinations and properties to pair her clients with—Leslie has traveled to Mexico more than 20 times, frequently visits Turks & Caicos, Aruba, Punta Cana, and the Bahamas, and has explored Hawaii on multiple trips as well. She is an AM Resorts Master Agent and a Sandals & Beaches Specialist. Outside of the office, you can often find Leslie at Beaches Turks & Caicos, a personal favorite, with her husband and high school sweetheart Sean and their two teens.
Leslie Stetler
work with me
+ Mexico & the Caribbean
+ Hawaii
Donna has been designing honeymoons, family and couples’ getaways, and destination weddings to spellbinding regions around the globe since 2015. In the age of online travel bookings, Donna feels honored when clients new and old come to her for a personal touch to vacation planning. Her biggest travel “save” involved her daughter’s trip to the Greek isles; when a storm left her daughter stranded on Mykonos without a hotel room or ferry ticket, Donna worked with her favorite suppliers to quickly secure a room at a “sold out” hotel and a ferry ride to Santorini the next morning.
DONNA NARDUZZI
work with me
+ MEXICO & THE CARIBBEAN
+ EUROPE
+ ROMANCE TRAVEL
Nikki works with families and couples to design bond-building journeys to Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond. Before planning travel professionally, Nikki earned a Masters in Education and worked as a programmer and recruiter in IT, where she developed her excellent listening skills that she utilizes with her travel clients today to curate deeply personalized travel experiences. She currently serves on her local school board and has a special passion for family travel; as the mother of four kids, Nikki knows that travel has the incredible ability to foster curiosity in young minds.
NIKKI TREFZGER
work with me
+ MEXICO & THE CARIBBEAN
Organizational ace Tara helps couples and families take sun-filled escapes, whether that’s to Mexico and the Caribbean or Italy’s Amalfi Coast. While now planning travel professionally, Tara has also been a Registered Nurse for 20+ years. She sees a strong link between travel and health; her years working closely with cardiac patients showed her all too clearly how important it is to slow down and de-stress—and perfectly planned travel allows you to do just that. Outside of Travel with Awestruck, Tara is often cheering on her three kids at their sporting events or working with her husband on sticking to their “3 Month Rule”—every three months, they take a trip, large or small, together!
TARA CARCIOPPOLO
work with me
+ MEXICO & THE CARIBBEAN
+ EUROPE
Liz is Awestruck’s theme park aficionado; she designs Disney and Universal Studios escapes for families who want to experience the parks like an “insider.” You can trust Liz to imbue your magical vacation with all her in-the-know tips and tricks that she’s gleaned from over 60 visits to the parks. To keep her intel fresh, she returns to Orlando monthly and California annually to visit the Disney properties. She may be from Cleveland, but Walt Disney World feels like her hometown! When she’s not whipping up vacation magic, you can find Liz in her kitchen whipping up Sunday dinner for her husband and two daughters.
LIZ WEINMANN
work with me
+ DISNEY & UNIVERSAL
With countless visits under her belt and the College of Disney Knowledge training completed, Nicki offers invaluable tips on dining, activities, and navigating the parks with children for our Travel With Awestruck families. Her personal touch shines through in each itinerary she designs, using her in-depth knowledge to create the magical moments her clients seek. Outside of work, Nicki cherishes time with her two daughters, three stepkids, and husband, enjoying spontaneous adventures together.
NICKI RUTKOWSKY
work with me
+ DISNEY & UNIVERSAL
Melissa loves bringing together all the details for group trips to beautiful destinations. Her exceptional organizational skills, optimistic attitude, and calm demeanor when things don’t go as planned set our clients at ease from start to finish. With over 20 years of experience in event and travel management, including sales meetings, incentive programs, product launches, celebrity appearances, and destination weddings, Melissa ensures a seamless and stress-free planning process.
Her career began as a management intern at New England Dragway, and she quickly built on her event experience at Verizon Wireless. There, she managed corporate events, sponsorships, and C-level briefings, and later oversaw retail operations strategy for the Northeast. For the past decade, Melissa has combined her event planning expertise with her love of travel, organizing trips from theme parks to all-inclusive resorts and cruises, always focusing on personalized attention and continuous improvement.
In her spare time, Melissa enjoys life with her husband and their two Siberian Huskies, living the lake life and drag racing.
Melissa merrit
As a reservations concierge, Erin meticulously crafts custom trip itineraries, books dining reservations, organizes tour excursions and transfers, and coordinates special amenities for VIP clients. Her 11 years in healthcare IT and five years as a business manager have equipped her with exceptional communication and organizational skills, which she now channels into flawlessly executed travel experiences. Erin also leverages her tech expertise to enhance business processes, contributing to the company’s growth and ensuring smooth travel for clients.
Recently transplanted to New England, Erin loves exploring charming seaside towns with her husband and discovering the best gluten-free eateries. Their travels often take them to visit family across the Midwest, West Coast, and desert Southwest, fueling her passion for uncovering hidden gems in any destination.
ERIN SEEL
