Will Medina Spirit Awards
DWHSA's annual awards program
honors Will's "giving back" example
DWHSA has named the 2026 winners of these annual awards named in honor of our longtime member, the late Will Medina. Will founded the Destination Wedding Experts romance travel agency (now operated by his husband Mario) and created the popular Destination Wedding University training program. These awards will recognize travel advisors who embody Will's spirit that inspired the entire romance travel community.
Denise Ambrusko-Maida (Travel Brilliant – Buffalo, N.Y.) won the Charity/Philanthropy Award for her sustained support of the GWK Academy (GWKAcademy.org), a nonprofit organization that believes every LGTBQ+ person deserves the chance to turn their dreams of parenthood into reality.
Mary Beth Lynn (Your Vacation Plan – Overland Park, Kans.) won the Pioneer Award for founding Assistants That Work (MaryBethLynn.com), a service that helps travel and wedding professionals leverage the power of life-changing virtual assistants in their businesses so they can grow with the best systems and processes while working less and having time for what's most important.
Denise Ambrusko-Maida (Travel Brilliant – Buffalo, N.Y.) won the Charity/Philanthropy Award for her sustained support of the GWK Academy (GWKAcademy.org), a nonprofit organization that believes every LGTBQ+ person deserves the chance to turn their dreams of parenthood into reality.
Mary Beth Lynn (Your Vacation Plan – Overland Park, Kans.) won the Pioneer Award for founding Assistants That Work (MaryBethLynn.com), a service that helps travel and wedding professionals leverage the power of life-changing virtual assistants in their businesses so they can grow with the best systems and processes while working less and having time for what's most important.
The Charity/Philanthropy Award
For the travel advisor who has created or grown nonprofit activities that benefit fellow advisors, travelers, their local communities, and the world of travel as a whole
Nominees must document their charitable and philanthropic efforts such as:
The Pioneer Award
For the travel advisor who creates the most unique, innovative romance travel niche, business idea, or model
Nominees must describe their niche or business idea in clear, practical terms and demonstrate that it is viable (e.g., a working web site, a track record of sales, media recognition of their achievements). Weight will be given to niches/ideas that are truly established (not simply concepts that have not yet been put into practice).
The Community Over Competition Award
For the travel advisor who provides the best example of mentoring, encouraging, and lifting up other advisors to help them grow their businesses, create the lives they want to live, and celebrate the fun in helping travelers experience the world
Nominees must show a verifiable track record of mentoring and encouraging fellow advisors:
Preference will be given strongly to nominees who are not offering their services as primarily a paid mentorship/coaching business relationship.
(Note: The judges did not select a 2026 winner for this category.)
We're pleased to thank these esteemed travel industry colleagues who served as our judging panel for the 2026 Will Medina Spirit Awards:
For the travel advisor who has created or grown nonprofit activities that benefit fellow advisors, travelers, their local communities, and the world of travel as a whole
Nominees must document their charitable and philanthropic efforts such as:
- Organizing a fundraising drive for a school or animal shelter in a travel destination or in their own community
- Creating scholarships to enable newer advisors to earn basic certifications
- Generating awareness for hurricane relief efforts in a hard-hit destination or in their own backyards
The Pioneer Award
For the travel advisor who creates the most unique, innovative romance travel niche, business idea, or model
Nominees must describe their niche or business idea in clear, practical terms and demonstrate that it is viable (e.g., a working web site, a track record of sales, media recognition of their achievements). Weight will be given to niches/ideas that are truly established (not simply concepts that have not yet been put into practice).
The Community Over Competition Award
For the travel advisor who provides the best example of mentoring, encouraging, and lifting up other advisors to help them grow their businesses, create the lives they want to live, and celebrate the fun in helping travelers experience the world
Nominees must show a verifiable track record of mentoring and encouraging fellow advisors:
- Evidence of a program, class, or organization they have created to help advisors
- Testimonials from advisors who have benefited from the nominee's mentoring efforts
- Inspiration/communication tools that lift up fellow advisors such as a blog, podcast, or speaking engagements
Preference will be given strongly to nominees who are not offering their services as primarily a paid mentorship/coaching business relationship.
(Note: The judges did not select a 2026 winner for this category.)
We're pleased to thank these esteemed travel industry colleagues who served as our judging panel for the 2026 Will Medina Spirit Awards:
Eric Bowman is the editor-in-chief of TravelPulse and host of the TravelPulse Podcast. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Eric has worked in online media, radio, and TV for 15 years.
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Cheryl Rosen has served as editor in chief of Travel Market Report, executive editor of Business Travel News, and a contributor and columnist for many travel and financial publications. She produces Cheryl Rosen's Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group for travel advisors on Facebook.
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Mario M. Lopez carries on the legacy of his late husband Will as president of Destination Weddings Expert and Destination Wedding University. He co-hosts the Flights podcast with Ashley Morris of Alpaca Your Bags Travel.
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Suzanne Haire owns TravelAgentSuz, LLC, her romance travel agency that is a top producer for many all-inclusive resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean each year.
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