Birger Bäckman has been associated with the United Federation of Travel Agent’s Associations since 1993 first as Board member and from 1997 as Secretary General and C.E.O. He now acts as Senior Advisor to the Board focusing on relationships to the airlines and IATA, and other international organizations including WTO, WTTC, and WHO, as well as spearheading new projects for UFTAA.

Mr. Bäckman began working in the travel industry in 1959, holding managerial positions at airlines, travel agencies, tour operators and cruise companies in Finland, Sweden and Germany, before joining UFTAA full-time in 1997.

Mr. Bäckman has served, and is still active, in numerous committees and working groups within the industry both nationally, regionally and internationally. In 1989-90 he was World President of AISC with 24,000 members in the tourism industry and 1988-1992 he was Chairman of the Helsinki International Travel Fair (MATKA) - the largest travel fair in the Nordic countries.

A Finnish national, he graduated from Helsinki University as Master of Political Science (M.Pol.Sc,) with degrees in Political science, Macro economy, Sociology and Social Politics as well as exams in International law.

Mr. Bäckman has received “Medalla al Merito Turistico” from Spain and is Cavaliere dell’Ordine “Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana”. In 1977 he received the “Premio della Solidarieta” from the Italian Centre of Art and Culture.

Robert E. Whitley, President, has served the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) since 1978 when he was selected by the board of directors to head the national nonprofit organization. His association with USTOA is the latest in a distinguished career that spans more than 35 years in tourism, including both private sector and government positions.

Before joining USTOA, Whitley held positions as director of the Florida Department of Tourism, director of the Pennsylvania Department of Tourism and director of the Virginia Beach Convention and Tourist Bureau. During his tenure at USTOA, the organization has grown to become the leading association of its kind in the travel industry.

Mr. Whitley is the recipient of numerous marketing awards for travel promotion, and has served on the Board of Directors of many travel industry associations. For seven consecutive years he was recognized by a leading trade magazine as one of the travel industry’s 25 most influential executives, and was named in 1996, 1997 and 1999 as Person of the Year for Travel Industry Associations by
Travel Agent Magazine. As an expert spokesperson for the travel industry, Mr. Whitley has appeared on television and radio stations throughout the U.S.

David Short has served as Senior Attorney, Regulatory & International Affairs for Federal Express Corporation since June 2003. In this capacity, he handles relations with governments in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Latin America, and Canada and has responsibility for a number of U.S. Government regulatory matters. Prior to joining Federal Express, Mr. Short was Director of the IATA Legal Department, based in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 1997. He played a prominent role in the development of IATA’s October 2000 application to ICANN to sponsor the “.travel” Internet Top Level Domain.

Before joining IATA, Mr. Short was with the Washington, D.C. office of the U.S. law firm Baker & Hostetler, and prior to that he was Director-Taxation for British Airways, based in New York. Mr. Short received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, summa cum laude, and went on to receive Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Southern California, where he was Editor of the Law Review. He is a Member of the District of Columbia Bar.

Geraldine Berkowitz

CPA, Corporate Secretary

Geraldine Berkowitz has worked for theglobe.com as controller for the past five years. Prior to theglobe.com, Geraldine worked in both the rental and accounting areas of Enterprise Rent A Car from 1990 to 2003, most recently as Accounting Manager.

Geraldine received a Bachelor of Business in Management from Florida International University and a Masters in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

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