EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Brenda Rivers
President & CEO
Brenda Rivers acquired Corporate Travel Services, a $15 million agency in 1988,
and changed the name to Andavo Travel in 2000. She has been the president
and CEO since 1991. Today, Andavo Travel is the largest independent travel
management firm in Colorado and the sixth largest in the San Francisco Bay area.
Additionally, Andavo Travel is the second largest woman-owned business in Colorado
and Andavo’s San Francisco office ranks as the 14th largest woman-owned business
in the Bay Area.
In recognition of her accomplishments
as a successful, female business
owner, Brenda has been the recipient
of several awards, including: “Most
Influential CEO in Hospitality and
Tourism in North San Francisco Bay”;
“Business Woman of the Year” by Ernst & Young;
“Business Owner of the Year” for
the Rocky Mountain region by the
National Association of Women Business
Owners; “Outstanding Business Woman
of the Year” by the Denver Business
Journal; “Who’s Who in Travel & Tourism”
by the Denver Business Journal;
“Woman-Owned Business of the Year”
by the Colorado Federation of Business
and Professional Women; “Customer
Service” and “Social Responsibility”
by Working Woman; and “Exceptional
Diversity Supplier of the West” by
the national Women’s Business Enterprise
National Council (WBENC). Brenda’s
extraordinary corporate leadership
is featured in “The Transparency
Edge,” a book authored by Barbara
Pagano. She is also profiled in “How
She Does It,” by British author,
Margaret Heffernan.
She holds a B.A. degree from Florida
State University and M.A. and J.D.
degrees from the University of Denver. She
is active in the community, contributing
to breast cancer research, American
Research for Down’s syndrome, Marin
Woman’s Shelter, Juvenile Diabetes
Research, the Aid’s Walk and the
Max Fund. Brenda served as
a past chair and is a 13 year board
member of Big Brothers & Big
Sisters of Colorado. She is
also a member of the Colorado & Florida
Bar Associations, the WBENC, the
Zenith Group and the Denver Chamber
of Commerce.
Brenda is married
with two daughters and a golden retriever. She
enjoys snow skiing, kayaking, golf,
yoga and, of course, traveling.
Top 5 Destinations
Tuscany
South Africa
South America
Sydney, Australia
Bangkok, Thailand
Annette Scheihing
Vice President of Operations
Annette Scheihing serves as vice
president of operations. In
this role she is responsible for
overseeing corporate operations,
training, technology, client reporting
and account servicing. Prior
to joining Andavo Travel in 2002,
Annette was the operations manager
at American Express where she oversaw
the company’s corporate travel call
center in Denver. Annette also
spent six years as a corporate travel
counselor. She received a certificate
in travel and transportation from
Parks College in Denver.
Annette is married with two sons who
are very active in sports. The
boys have influenced her hobbies
to include being a chauffer, a cheerleader
and a tutor.
Top 5 Destinations
Grand Lake, Colorado
Caribbean
Hawaii
Washington D.C.
Florida
Britt Henderson
Vice President, Meetings & Incentives
Britt Henderson joined the Andavo
Meetings & Incentives (AMI) team
in 1998, from the Andavo Adventure
Travel division, Trax World Tours,
where her focus was in sales and
marketing. As vice president, Britt
is responsible for new business,
department procedures, marketing
strategies and technical training.
She has extensive hotel management
experience and leverages her keen
knowledge of hotel negotiations and
operations to benefit AMI clients.
She also oversees AMI’s technical
operations based on her comprehensive
knowledge of computer software and
programming. Britt, a Colorado native,
attended the University of the Pacific
in Northern California before returning
to her roots in the Rockies where
she worked as the revenue manager
at Denver’s historic Oxford Hotel.
Britt enjoys gourmet cooking and traveling
to far off destinations to taste
the local exotic cuisines.
Top 5 Destinations
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Siena, Italy
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Budapest, Hungary
Sydney, Australia
Lea Diele
Director of the Independent
Elite Leisure Network
Lea Diele is the director of the
Andavo Travel Elite Leisure Network. In
this position, Lea is accountable
for the development, marketing, recruitment
and supervision of the independent
and commission-only sales network
for both the Colorado and California
offices as well as the home-based
network. Prior to joining Andavo
Travel in 2001, Lea served as the
director of business development
for Travel Society and as the customer
service director for TG Worldwide.
She also spent eight years as a travel
agent. Lea attended the Denver
Business College in Denver.
Lea is recently married and enjoys
spending time with her two teenage
stepchildren and their family pets,
a loveable chocolate lab named Sage
and a feisty cat known as Annie.
She enjoys nature and wildlife photography,
gardening, running and camping with
her family.
Top 5 Destinations
Italy – Tuscany, Florence, Sicily
and Rome
St. Maarteen
Max Garcia
Director of National Corporate Sales
As director of national corporate sales for Andavo Travel, Max Garcia is responsible for Andavo Travel’s corporate sales efforts, including the development of policies, procedures and objectives related to sales goals and strategies. Max has more than 15 years of travel industry experience. Prior to joining Andavo Travel, Max served as director of national accounts for Cendant’s Galileo GDS division and regional automation sales manager for United Airlines. He attended the University of California Los Angeles.
Max is married with one daughter and is an avid bicyclist and skier.
Top 5 Destinations
Southern, France
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Bangkok, Thailand
San Francisco, CA
Vail, CO
Sheri Muilenburg
Business Development
Manager, Meetings & Incentives
As the business development manager
for Andavo Meetings & Incentives
(AMI), Sheri Muilenburg is responsible
for promoting AMI services to prospective
and current clients, as well as managing
the sales and client relations processes.
Prior to joining AMI in 2004, Sheri
was the sales and operations manager
for a destination management company
where she was responsible for client
development, marketing strategies
and program operations. She also
served in managerial roles for T.Y.
Lin International in Chicago and
ITAGroup, Inc. in both Iowa and Michigan. Sheri
earned a B.A. degree in public relations
and journalism from the University
of Northern Iowa and an M.A. degree
in integrated marketing communications
from Drake University.
Sheri is married and enjoys running,
skiing and hiking.
Top 5 Destinations
Italy
France
Germany
Mexico
Hungary
Samantha (Sam) Bond
National Account Manager
Sam Bond serves as a national account manager and brings 18 years of travel management experience, including positions with American Express, BCD Travel (located in Jakarta, Indonesia) and Navigant International. She has a broad knowledge of operations, implementing and overseeing companies with multi-office locations, local and international marketplace expertise, and aggressive negotiating skills. Sam attended Texas State University before pursing her travel career.
Sam is married and enjoys traveling, skiing and spending time with her daughter, Alexa.
Top 5 Destinations
Istanbul
Budapest
Southeast Asia
Bavarian Alps
French Alps
Sue Jeavons
National Account Manager
Sue Jeavons has been in the travel industry for more than 23 years and has spent the last seven years at Andavo Travel. She has also worked for Carlson Wagonlit Travel and American Express, and serviced such national companies as AT& T, Lucent Technologies, State Farm Insurance and Hewlett Packard. Sue has also worked as a sales manager for Hyatt Hotels. She has extensive knowledge with contract and vendor negotiations and has excellent contacts in the travel and hotel industry. Sue earned a degree in education from Bowling Green State University.
Sue enjoys the Colorado mountains by snow skiing in the winter and hiking, biking and camping in the summer. She has a beautiful daughter that keeps her busy with dancing and swimming.
Top 5 Destinations
Vail, Colorado
California
Caribbean
Hawaii
Hong Kong
Ezana Araya
National Account Manager
Ezana Araya has been working in the travel industry for 11 years and has spent the last seven years with Andavo Travel. Prior to joining Andavo Travel, he was a station manager and operations manager with Western Pacific Airlines and American Trans Air. Ezana attended the University of Washington and majored in English.
Ezana is married and has a husky named Athena. He enjoys traveling and searching the world for good food.
Top 5 Destinations
Cape Town
London
Seychelles
Hong Kong
Masai Mara, Kenya
