Travis Anderson
Director of Tourism & Community Development, Tourism Sault Ste. Marie / City of Sault Ste. Marie

Travis is the Director of Tourism & Community Development for the City of Sault Ste. Marie and an avid mountain biker. Riding since the age of 13, Travis has had the opportunity to explore some of the best riding destinations in North America and has seen first-hand the impact of trails on the quality of life of residents and tourism. Travis is one of a few dedicated volunteers that helped develop the first mountain bike trails in Sault Ste. Marie, and in 1997 was the proud recipient of the Sault Cycling Club’s trail builder award. He remains an active trail builder and is responsible for Sault Ste. Marie’s mountain bike trail expansion.

Presentation: Developing and Marketing Mountain Biking and Fat Biking Trails

Website: www.saulttourism.com

Suzanne Caskie
Chair, Food and Tourism Studies – School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Centennial College

Suzanne is an experienced transformational leader and educator. She has spent the last 25 years working with some of Ontario’s leading Colleges as well as numerous clients on their professional journey. With a Masters in Gastronomic Tourism, Certificates in Leadership, Transformational Coaching, Mindfulness and Adult Education; Suzanne strives to enhance her community and is continuously motivated by local development.

As Chair of Food and Tourism Studies, Suzanne’s continues to shape her narrative as an empathetic ever-evolving leader in higher education and an advocate for the food and tourism industry. Suzanne is also a proud AWA Affiliate, a Professional Fromager and an accomplished writer.

Presentation: Opening Remarks

Website: www.centennialcollege.ca

Cain Chamberlin
Executive Director, Endless Mountains Heritage Region &

Cain Chamberlin is a Bradford County, Pennsylvania native who has served as Executive Director of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) since August 2018. Upon graduating from Wyalusing Valley High School in 2006, Chamberlin attended Lock Haven University where he earned a BA in Communication. After a fulfilling decade as a journalist in Cape May County, New Jersey and at his hometown newspaper, Chamberlin wished to pursue a new career that would better his community through the preservation of its historic assets, the advocacy of its environmental sustainability, and the promotion and creation of its outdoor recreation opportunities. The EMHR was the perfect fit. This non-profit, membership-based organization is dedicated to serving the counties of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming in northeastern Pennsylvania. One of 12 Heritage Areas across the commonwealth designated by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the EMHR is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023. 

Website: www.emheritage.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/endlessmountains.heritageregion
Instagram: @endlessmtnsheritageregion

Robyn Cummings
Executive Director, Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency, Pennsylvania, USA

Robyn Cummings has served as the inaugural director of the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency for the past seven and a half years. Robyn currently sits on the board of directors for the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, PA Route 6 Alliance, and Sayre Revitalization Initiative, all of which have a priority to continue the development and expansion of outdoor recreation – specifically bike route planning, route designation, and event promotion throughout the northern corridor of Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Penn State University and an MPA in Organizational Development from American University. The Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency has received the “Caring for our Communities” and “Helping Hands” awards for their contributions in the economic growth of Bradford County as not only a great place to live and work, but also as a destination for visitors.

Website: www.visitbradfordcounty.com

Presentation: Developing and Launching the Endless Mountains Gravel Bike Packing Route

MP Julie Dabrusin
Member of Parliament, Government of Canada

Julie Dabrusin is Toronto-Danforth’s federal champion and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Climate Change. She has been an effective, vocal environmental advocate since her election to Parliament in 2015. Before running to be the Member of Parliament Julie’s environmental work started at a community level with volunteering with parks, preventing food waste, and active transportation.

Presentation: Opening Remarks – Canada’s National Active Transportation Strategy

Website: www.juliedabrusin.libparl.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieDabrusinTorontoDanforth

Instagram: @julie_dabrusin

Twitter: @juliedabrusin

Julie Desmarais, Product Manager & Annie Langevin, General Manager at Véloroute Gourmande & Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est / Eastern Townships, Quebec

Julie as the Product Manager and Annie as General Manager, along with regional partners envisioned and developed the Véloroute Gourmande. Using the combined marketing expertise of the destination marketing organizations in the area this new product was launched in 2021, after several years of planning.

Julie Desmarais has worked in the field of tourism for nearly 25 years, including 15 years with Tourism Eastern Townships, and has led different mobilizing and innovative projects through various stages of the product’s development process, from the commercial launch, and marketing, to establishing partnerships and customer services. A graduate of UQAM in Cultural Research and Event Management, her involvement in the organization of several cultural events, forums and program reform have allowed her to carry out a number of major projects. The Véloroute Gourmande is among the most challenging projects she’s participated in, and she takes great pride in its success. 

Annie Langevin has been the General Manager of the Eastern Townships Tourism Association since 2021. As former Marketing Director for the organization, her career in media marketing has allowed her to develop an expertise in consistent brand management and multi-platform strategies to engage consumers. She has been working in the tourism industry for seven years and is known for her collaborative leadership and ability to bring people together around common goals.

Presentation: Véloroute Gourmande: the Little Story of a 235 km Cycling Path

Websites: www.veloroutegourmande.com & www.cantonsdelest.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/veloroutegourmande

Instagram: @veloroutegourmande

Peter Donato
Founder and Operations Manager, Niagara Cycling Tours

Peter brings 30 years of sports marketing and events background to his new role as Founder and Operations Manager of Niagara Cycling Tours. In prior roles Peter worked with large endurance sports properties such as marathons, triathlons, cycling fundraisers and Grand Fondos.  After eight months of extensive research the company started operations in early 2021, with 2022 being a breakthrough post covid season. As the owner of seven bikes, Peter is an avid cyclist. Along with his film producer wife, they have a feature film in development based around a true story of Peter’s Uncle who cycled across Italy during the end of World War II.  If anyone has two million dollars to invest let him know!

Presentation: Cycling Tour Operators and the View from the Front

Website: www.niagaracyclingtours.ca

Instagram: @niagaracyclingtours

Twitter: @CyclingNiagara

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peterdonato1

Brendan Ennis
Director of Corporate Partnerships, Ride to Conquer Cancer & Northern Pass to Conquer, The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation

Brendan joined the world of peer-to-peer fundraising in 2014 and for four+ years, he was fortunate to be a part of the amazing team behind the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer. Currently, as the Director of Corporate Partnerships, he leads the Northern Pass cycling event, Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, as well as Quest to Conquer Cancer, Canada’s largest gaming/livestream fundraiser. Working on these incredible events has provided Brendan the unique opportunity to see what these events mean to those who ride, play hockey, and donate, as well as see what the more than $78 million raised over his years with those brands has meant to the lives of cancer patients and their families.  

Presentation: The Successes and Challenges of Charity Cycling Events

Website: www.ride2conquer.ca & www.northernpass.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRide2Conquer & www.facebook.com/NorthernPassMuskoka

Instagram: @theride2conquer & @northernpassmuskoka

Twitter: @theride2conquer

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/showcase/ride-to-conquer-cancer

Alex Gay
Relationship Manager, RidewithGPS, Oregon, USA

Alex is Ride with GPS’ Relationship Manager. He has been part of the company since 2018 and has assisted partners from cycling tourism destinations, cycling clubs, tour operators, and events succeed in utilizing Ride with GPS’ tools. He is an avid bike rider and commuter in Portland, Oregon. 

Presentation: Route Promotion, Planning, and Navigating using Ride with GPS

Website: www.ridewithgps.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alexgay

Dr. John Hartig
Chair, The Great Lakes Way Advisory Committee, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Dr. John Hartig has been involved in greenways in Metropolitan Detroit for over 25 years. He currently serves as Chair of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan’s Great Lakes Way Advisory Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. He also serves as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research. John’s recent book titled Waterfront Porch – the story of the Detroit RiverWalk – won a 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the “nature/environment” category.

Presentation: Michigan Trails & Cross-Border Partnership for Expanding Cycle Tourism

Website: www.greatlakesway.org & www.johnhartig.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/drjohnhartig

LinkedIn: @john-hartig-23891026

Marlaine Koehler
Executive Director, Waterfront Regeneration Trust / Great Lakes Waterfront Trail

Marlaine Koehler is the Executive Director of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, a registered charity leading the work to protect, connect and celebrate the Great Lakes by creating the award-winning 3,600km Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. For three decades, she has led an innovative partnership of 155+ community and First Nation partners who share a commitment to this vision. She is recognized as one of Ontario’s cycling tourism leaders working to establish Ontario as an international cycling destination and the Trail as Ontario’s iconic cycling experience. Together with a talented team, she has secured over $40-million in public/ private investments in the waterfront. Marlaine is a recipient of the David Crombie Urban Leadership Award. The Waterfront Regeneration Trust and the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail have been recognized by many prestigious organizations including TIAO, Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, Transportation Options, Parks and Recreation Ontario.

Presentation: Building a Binational Trail Experience Around the Great Lakes

Website: www.waterfronttrail.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gwtadventure

Instagram: @Waterfront_RT

Twitter: @WaterfrontRT

Nathalie Lambert
Bike Travel Advisor, Voyager à Vélo / St Lawrence By Bike

For over 20 years, Nathalie’s passion for cycling tourism and the great outdoors has taken her around the world (North America, Europe notably in Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands). Her favourite bike route remains the one along the St.-Lawrence river. Her vision is to pass on her passion for biking and allow others to discover the pleasure of traveling by bike by making cycling tourism accessible to all in a safe environment. Her desire is that all bike trips go above and beyond the client’s expectations! From health to environmental reasons for biking, Nathalie understands the ins and outs of the activity and is always honoured to help others go on the cycling trip of their dreams!

Presentation: The Bicycle Touring Market and Voyager à Vélo

Website: www.voyageravelo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/voyageraveloaucanada

Instagram: @voyageravelo

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mariobelley

Sam Lau
Director, Business Development, Environics Analytics

Sam is a data and analytics professional with over ten years of experience in data analytics, sales, marketing, and consulting. He is sincerely interested in helping clients and peers with a combination of business and technical acumen, driving success through his passion for helping clients leverage cutting-edge analytics to better understand and serve citizens and customers. Sam holds a Bachelor of Mathematics Honours in Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Management Analytics degree from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.   

Presentation: Market Insights Through Data and Analytics

Website: www.environicsanalytics.com/en-ca

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samuellau0308

Rebecca Mackenzie
Incoming Chair, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) Board; Culinary Tourism Alliance

Rebecca is the current Vice-Chair and incoming Chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) Board and President of the Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA). She is an avid long-distance cyclist and is passionate about the interconnection between food, agriculture, tourism, arts, and culture. In her role at the Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), Rebecca manages highly participatory and asset-based community development projects at the local, regional, provincial, and national levels. Rebecca oversees programming, partnership development, and develop comprehensive marketing partnerships to increase awareness of Canada’s food tourism experiences. Rebecca has contributed her expertise to a variety of industry boards including the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Sustainable Development Goals Working Group.

Presentation: Opening Remarks

Website: www.tiaontario.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIAONTARIO

Instagram: @tiaogram

Twitter: @TIAOtweets

Christopher Mitchell
Travel Content Creator with Traveling Mitch, Cofounder of Toronto Blogger Collective,  Ultimate Ontario & We Explore Canada

Christopher Mitchell is an award-winning Canadian travel writer and content creator based in Toronto, and has lived on four continents, including the cities of Oslo, Seoul, Istanbul and others. Christopher has been writing about and documenting travels for ten years and has visited 80 countries along the way. He is no stranger to the worlds of cycling and cycle tourism, having created cycle tourism content for a variety of destination partnerships in North America and Europe. He’s the Founder of the travelingmitch brand, Cofounder of Ultimate Ontario and We Explore Canada, as well as the Toronto Blogger Collective.

Presentation: Marketing Cycle Tourism and Telling the Story

Facebook: www.facebook.com/travelingmitch

Instagram: @travelingmitch

Rob Plumley
Community Development Officer, Lennox & Addington County

Born and raised in Lennox & Addington, Rob Plumley knows his community well. Employed by the Lennox & Addington Economic Development Office for the last 17 years, Rob has been involved in the County’s cycling initiatives since their infancy way back in 2005. By managing a variety of road and off-road projects and events over the years, Rob and his team have grown L&A’s cycle tourism market into one of the premiere riding destinations in Eastern Ontario.

Presentation: Finding our Cycling Niche in Lennox & Addington

Websites: www.countytrails.com  and www.naturallyla.ca/explore

Facebook: www.facebook.com/naturallylennoxaddington

Instagram: @naturallylennoxaddington

 Dave Shellnutt
Managing Partner, The Biking Lawyer LLP

Dave Shellnutt is the managing partner and a lawyer at the Biking Lawyer LLP, Ontario’s cycling law specialists. Dave and the firm represent injured cyclists across Ontario, but they also take a proactive role in pushing for community safety, rights awareness, and safe streets. When not practicing law Dave rides his bike with the Toronto Bike Brigade and up in Collingwood with his dad.

Presentation: Remarks – Lunch Sponsor

Websites: www.thebikinglawyer.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebikinglawyer

Instagram: @naturallylennoxaddington

Twitter: @thebikinglawyer

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/david-shellnutt-34057126

MPP Sheref Sabawy
Member of Provincial Parliament, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport, Government of Ontario

Sheref Sabawy is the Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Mississauga – Erin Mills and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport.

He is the first Egyptian Coptic Canadian member to be elected to the legislature in the history of Ontario. For over 30 years MPP Sabawy has been a successful Computer Network and IT Technologies Professor at numerous colleges across Ontario.

In addition to this, MPP Sabawy has worked for some of Canada’s largest companies and a number of major financial institutions like Bell, HSBC, CIBC and Cisco. As a knowledgeable Computer Network & IT Technologies Professional he has productively managed a prosperous consultancy business. MPP Sabawy and his wife Dr. Mary, a family physician in Mississauga, are the proud parents of two sons, David and Christopher.

In addition to his professional experience, MPP Sabawy has been an active member of the Canadian community for more than 15 years and has participated in several community and comities’ events from multiple backgrounds and ethnicities, as a humans rights activist, both as a candidate and now as an elected official.

Presentation: Opening Remarks

Website: www.sabawy.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SherefSabawyPC

Instagram: @sherefsabawypc

Twitter: @SherefSabawyPC

Andrea Shillolo
Client Consultant, Eco-Counter

Andrea Shillolo is a Client Consultant with Eco-Counter. Since 2019 she has worked with public, private, and non-profit organizations across North America to improve cycling and walking in their communities. She helps trail organizations design, implement, and maintain count programs to quantify traffic on their trails. As a trained urban planner, she has a knack for helping clients leverage their data to make informed planning decisions and advocate for trail improvements. Outside of work, she can be found exploring Montreal and surrounding regions by foot and by bike.

Presentation: Making Trails Count: Understanding Usage and Trends

Website: www.eco-counter.com

Twitter: @Eco_Counter

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eco-counter

Jamie Stuckless
Owner & Principal Consultant, Stuckless Consulting Inc.

Jamie is a transportation consultant and policy advocate who has over a decade of experience working in the active transportation sector. During this time, she has collaborated on campaigns to fund hundreds of km of cycling infrastructure, increase walking and cycling to school, and engage thousands of community members in policy discussions. Jamie launched her independent consulting practice in 2020 where she supports organizations, municipalities, and companies across North America in their efforts to co-create sustainable, inclusive, and healthy communities. At Stuckless Consulting Inc. Jamie has developed a special focus on e-bike policy, and is an enthusiastic e-bike rider herself in Hamilton, Ontario. Prior to this, she worked for the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, EnviroCentre and Green Communities Canada. Jamie also holds a Master’s in Geography from McMaster University and is an alumnus of the Maytree Policy School.

Presentation: Understanding and Attracting the Growing E-bike Market

Website: www.jamiestuckless.ca

Instagram: @jamie.stuckless  

Camille Thomé
Director/Directrice, Velo & Territoires also France Vélo Tourisme

As a member of the EuroVelo Council and on the boards of both the European Cyclists’ Federation and France Vélo Tourisme, Camille has worked for Vélo & Territoires for over 20 years. Vélo & Territoires is a national network that gathers over 180 regional and local authorities willing to collectively make France a cycling nation by 2030. At the heart of their strategy is: complete the cycling plans in a balanced way across all French territories; develop an additional 100,000 km of the core national cycling network; make cycling a fully-fledged mode of transport; reach 12% modal split; quadruple investments in cycling; and bring France to the forefront of world cycling tourism destinations. 

Presentation: France: The Path & Partners to Becoming a World-Class Cycling Destination
*Presentation will be by live video available only at in-person conference, with Q&A to follow

Website: www.velo-territoires.org 

LinkedIn – Vélo & Territoires: www.linkedin.com/company/velo-territoires

LinkedIn – Camille Thomé: www.linkedin.com/in/camille-thom%C3%A9-820992a7

Liz Thorstensen
Vice President, Trail Development, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, USA

Liz leads a multidisciplinary team of planners, project managers and advocates towards implementing RTC’s TrailNation Program focused on catalyzing the rapid development of regional trail and active transportation networks, from concept to implementation, across nine regions and 21 states. Liz takes a holistic approach, applying RTC’s depth of expertise and collaborative strategies to reflect local realities while leveraging emerging opportunities. In 2020 and 2021 she served as the Chair of the Capital Trails Coalition where she collaboratively led the Coalition’s equitable trail development strategy.

Liz’s interest in trail connectivity began during her childhood in Chicagoland where she grew up exploring the trail corridors of Cook County’s Forest Preserve system, the country’s largest urban conservation preserve. Liz’s career spans over 16 years with a focus on active transportation systems, sustainable development, clean energy, and equitable economic-recovery strategies. She is passionate about linking the benefits of active transportation systems with equitable outcomes for people and planet.

Liz earned her bachelor’s degree in Geography and GIS from the University of Maryland and holds master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Local Economic Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the London School of Economics, respectively.

Presentation: National and Regional Trail Development with Rails-To-Trails Conservancy

*Presentation will be by live video available only at in-person conference, with Q&A to follow

Website: www.railstotrails.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/railstotrails

Instagram: @railstotrails

Twitter: @railstotrails

Jody Wilson
Gravel Cyclist, Co-Founder & past Event Coordinator – Growing Beaver, Photographer, Go Cycle Collingwood

Jody Wilson is a Collingwood local, a passionate cyclist, photographer and community ambassador. Most of the time he can be found riding and exploring the roads within a 100km distance of home. As part of the founding group of the Collingwood Cycling Club (President/Vice President), Jody brings first hand knowledge of the cycling culture in the southern Georgian Bay area. He was also part of the group that founded, built and operate the Growling Beaver Brevet, a gravel charity event now run by Parkinson’s Canada. Jody and his wife have called Collingwood home since 2005.

Presentation: Gravel Cycling Market – Events & Building the Gravel Community

Instagram: @jodydwilson & @jodywilsonphotos

2023 Bicycle Friendly Business Award Winners

• Meet the award recipients from each tourism region, thirteen in total.
• Each winning location will be showcased with lightening presentations by a business representative accepting the award.
• With over 1,620 bicycle friendly businesses certified by Ontario By Bike across Ontario, there are many tourism operators that recognize the value of servicing this growing market and taking it to the next level. Join us to celebrate their commitment and learn more about how they cater to cyclists. Special recognition for best regional bike store or bike tour operators will also be announced.
• Find out more information at: www.ontariobybike.ca/2023-awards

Louisa Mursell
Executive Director, Ontario By Bike/Transportation Options

As Executive Director at Transportation Options, Louisa has launched and manages a number of innovative programs including Ontario By Bike with a focus on developing and promoting cycle tourism across the province. Working with a wide array of partners, Ontario By Bike coordinates workshops, conferences, tours, marketing campaigns, a bicycle friendly certification program for tourism businesses and provides consulting services on regional and province wide projects.

Peter McMurtry
Project Coordinator, Ontario By Bike – Transportation Options
Peter coordinates and administers many core programs for Ontario By Bike, including the bicycle friendly business certification program, marketing and communications campaigns and coordinating rides and events. He is an experienced project manager and has a wealth of industry relations and communications experience managing stakeholder and public consultations, fostering positive relationships with a wide variety of industry partners.

Presentation: Opening Remarks

Website: www.ontariobybike.ca & www.transportationoptions.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ontariobybike

Instagram: @ontario_by_bike

Twitter: @ontariobybike

Michael Bertuzzi
Chair, Board of Directors, Transportation Options
Professor & Program Coordinator, Centennial College School of Hospitality,Tourism and Culinary Arts
Michael is passionate about tourism and nature. He has worked developing adventure travel companies in Asia, managing hospitality programs at multiple Olympic Games and leading the tourism portfolio for the City of Toronto. He is a Professor and Coordinator of Tourism at the Centennial College School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts and can often be found enjoying the outdoors throughout Ontario with his three young boys.

Jennifer Tracey
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Transportation Options
Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Guest Experience, Toronto Zoo
She has a proven track record in effective communications particularly in areas specific to marketing, media relations, public and member opinion research, community and external relations, strategic planning as well as government and stakeholder relations.  She has overall responsibility for all guest-facing aspects of the Toronto Zoo operations ranging from Guest Relations to Learning and Engagement and the Volunteer Program.  She is committed to wildlife conservation and furthering a greater understanding of our natural world and the urgent need to take actions today to preserve it for future generations.

Presentation: Opening Remarks

Additional Board members will be in attendance. 

Website:  www.transportationoptions.org

Conference program and speakers are being updated weekly, check back frequently for more information.
Programming and speakers subject to change.