Meet Chelsea Welter, our Senior Director of Board Governance at Destinations International. Chelsea is kind of like the mom of our organization - we can always go to her with any questions we may have and there may be the occasional venting session. She is always there to listen and offer kind advice and guidance (editors note: and in return, we remind her to not put a double space after each sentence, LOL). Chelsea started in the tourism industry as Don's Executive Assistant at Choose Chicago and made the move to Washington, D.C. when Don was hired to run Destinations International. She is an integral part of our team and as you will read, she has a passion for our industry and the people in it and her family. We are proud to have her on the Destinations International team! 

• Favorite Destination and why?
  Hard to choose, because there are so many amazing destinations to visit in this world, but I guess I have two. Orillia, Ontario where my Dad’s family lives and where I’ve spent almost every summer of my life. And also Santorini, Greece- amazing culture, history, people, food and music.
   
• In one sentence, what is your job at Destinations International?
  Cat herder- just kidding. I manage board, governance and executive relationships amongst our team and board members and partners, but like the rest of the team, everything we do and execute on a daily basis is to ensure our members are empowered to do what they need to do for their destination and community.
   
• How long have you been with Destinations International?
  I joined in May 2016 shortly after Don started at the organization when it was then DMAI.
   
• What was your first job in the tourism industry?
  Executive Assistant to President & CEO at Choose Chicago.

• What inspires you to keep doing the work you do for Destinations International on a daily basis?
  The people - from our team, to our members.  Everyone in this industry makes one feel welcomed, we have each other’s back and the support that is shared is a model more industries should and could learn from. Teddy Roosevelt’s quote truly captures this for me. “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
   
• When you were growing up, what was your dream job?
  Mom or veterinarian- until I realized I had to actually pass and excel in organic chemistry, and that wasn’t happening.

• What is your favorite thing about this industry?
  The people and the opportunity to learn from one another through travel. I ultimately found myself stumbling into a history degree with a focus on dance and anthropology, so I love to learn from others, and see how we are all different and also so much the same. Travel allows us to learn from one another, which increases awareness of who we are in the world and how very much we are the same too; and dance is a language, along with music that anyone can be fluent in. I see travel in the same way.

• What is your bucket list vacation?
  Prince Edward Island, Iceland, Sweden, Morocco, New Zealand amongst many other amazing places….
   
• What is one fact about you that surprises people?
  I do not like moving, but have lived in 10 different destinations over the past 20 years and in some cities twice- and sometimes in multiple homes in a destination.

• What is your favorite restaurant/meal in the world that you have tried when traveling?
  Well, as a vegetarian I’ve had a lot of “interesting” meals considering vegetarian doesn’t always translate well depending on where you are in the world. Like the “vegetarian” salad I was served in Paris with shrimp and anchovies (heads attached!). However, I really enjoyed the food in Greece- I was served the most simple and delicious salad in Santorini with block feta, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh oregano and olive oil.  I also had an amazing meal in Edinburgh, however, now I can’t even remember what the meal truly was (something akin to a spinach pie I think), but how much I enjoyed eating it has stayed with me almost 10 years later. Lastly, one of my all time favorite places to eat while traveling was a small restaurant called Risotteria in the West Village (NYC) which has since closed- you can't go wrong with multiple varieties of risotto and wine, especially on an autumn evening in NYC.
   
• What are two truths and a lie? (people will have to scroll all the way down to the end to find out). 
  I’m a vegetarian who can’t stand mushrooms and I am allergic to eggplant,  I am a classically trained violinist and pianist, and as a kid my parents dragged me and my siblings to Gettysburg to watch the movie Gettysburg at their local theatre.  I am not a classically trained musician in any right, although I started playing piano at age 6 and violin at age 8 and played through high school, but haven’t played either instrument consistently since I graduated.
   
• I am overly competitive about …..
  Almost everything…lol. But I’m probably most competitive with myself, and my inner drive. If you’re not moving forward, learning or growing you will become complacent and stagnant and then, what’s the point?

About Chelsea

Chelsea Welter is the organization's Senior Director of Board Governance & Operations managing both the Association and Foundation boards and committee activities. Welter also helps oversee the Advocacy Rapid Response Program by coordinating with the Advocacy & Research team and supporting the team in project management needs.

Prior to joining Jack Johnson’s team at Destinations International, she held the role of Senior Director of Operations and supported the executive office, as Don Welsh’s Executive Assistant.  Welter joined Destinations International (DMAI) in 2016, however, she worked previously with Don Welsh as his Executive Assistant at Choose Chicago before departing for Washington DC. Welter also held a previous career in commercial property management working for a large international real estate management company in both Chicago and New York City, and most recently served as the Assistant Property Manager in a Chicago high rise commercial property on Michigan Avenue for a regional real estate management firm.  In this role she was directly responsible for the daily operational management and oversight of a class A property with a focus on tenant and vendor relationship, contract compliance, financial reporting and conflict resolution. 

Welter is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA) and Florida State University (MA) with a major in History and American Dance Studies respectively.