Will Medina Spirit Awards
DWHSA's new annual awards program
honors Will's "giving back" example
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DWHSA is pleased to announce three new 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 Playbook training program. These new awards will recognize travel advisors who embody Will's spirit that inspired the entire romance travel community. Nominations have now closed for the 2025 awards. They'll reopen next fall for the 2026 honors. Thanks so much! |
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Janelle Grissinger
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Dillon Guyer
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Lori Gold
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Kristi Zalesky
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We're pleased to thank these esteemed travel industry colleagues who served as our judging panel for the 2025 Will Medina Spirit Awards:
Eric Bowman is the executive editor 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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Nadia "Sparkle" Henry, the owner and lead travel designer of Travel with Sparkle, specializes in luxury, entertainment, and international group travel. She also founded 6-Figure Travel Academy for travel brand owners. Nadia was awarded the 2022 TravelAge West Trendsetter Award for Best Group Booking Effort and serves as a contributing editor for Travel Weekly. She is also an advisory board member for Apple Leisure Group.
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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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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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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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