Meet Our Speakers

Natalie has a diverse background in real estate, hotel development, luxury property management and has worked with established hospitality companies such as Caesars Palace, lumiere, Telluride, Exceptional Stays and opened locations in Mexico, Spain and Switzerland. Her family has deep roots in Southwest Colorado and the mining era, so it was only natural she landed in Naturita, Colorado to create CampV.

CampV (originally named Vancorum) by the Vanadium Corporation of America was built in 1942 to house the engineers who worked in the nearby Uranium industry. The 120-acre desert oasis on the San Miguel River with 14 historic cabins was in need of restoration and has been transformed into a unique glamping and camping destination with emphasis on art and outdoor community. Beautiful with a tiny bit of dirt under the fingernails, travelers can sleep well in one of the newly reimagined historic cabins, glamping tents, Airstreams or camp spots. 

Vinny Cuneo heads up Group Sales, Revenue Management and Reservation Sales for AutoCamp. AutoCamp is a growing brand of outdoor hospitality properties focused on simplifying adventure by connecting its guests and visitors with the great outdoors. Prior to joining AutoCamp Vinny spent time in Senior Revenue Strategy related roles with Noble House Hotels and Resorts, Pacific Hospitality Group and the Oxford Hotel Group. Vinny started his career in Hospitality with what at the time was known as, Destination Hotels and Resorts, spending a few years in Operations and Group Sales before shifting over to the Revenue Strategy side of the Hospitality Business.

Steph is the editor and publisher of Glamping Business USA and a Director of Upgrade Publishing, whose other titles include; International Glamping Business and Glamping Business Americas. She also founded Eco Resort Network, which aims to bring people together from all over the world, in order to share best practice and inspire one another, Steph has organised a number of online and in person events, alongside World of Glamping and No Footprint Consulting for this audience. 

She is a regular  judge for the Rural Business Awards in the UK and is keen to promote alternative tourism as a way of boosting local economies and encouraging people to consider the environment in their travel and buying choices. 

Steph has been a magazine editor for 20 years in the trade press and also runs a small PR and marketing agency.

Taylor is AutoCamp's Senior Director of Marketing responsible for brand level and property marketing strategy, innovation, and execution. Under her leadership, AutoCamp has grown to a national brand and media favorite, with regular articles in Forbes, USA Today, and Conde Nast Traveler.

Before joining AutoCamp and venturing into hospitality, Taylor worked in community building and network effects, B2B technology marketing, and lifestyle journalism, with bylines in publications such as Santa Barbara Seasons, Edible Magazines, Montecito Magazine, The Bold Italic, and more. In fact, she wrote a piece covering the opening of the first AutoCamp property in 2013.

Taylor resides in San Francisco where she's always searching for the next best cup of coffee or next dozen oysters.

Virginia Thomas Gray is the VP of Portfolio Growth at Collective Retreats, where she defines strategy for achieving the group's brand and commercial objectives. Originally from the Southeast, she's been a brand developer in the luxury hospitality and lifestyle industries for a decade. Prior to joining Collective Retreats, she celebrated four years as the Director of Portfolio Development for Design Hotels in the Americas. Now, she's excited to build on Collective Retreats' learnings to create the first definitive community for nature-based hoteliers, thought leaders, environmentalists, and travelers.

Bruce Hurta is a small business lending specialist. For the last 25 years, Bruce has promoted the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) government-guaranteed loan program for several lenders including banks, licensed nonbank lenders, and a credit union. Bruce offers not only the SBA loan program for small businesses, but he also offers the USDA Business & Industry loan program for businesses in rural areas, and the USDA Community Facilities loan program for non-profits in rural locations.

Bruce has a Finance degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He started his banking career as a bank examiner for the State of Texas Banking Department. Bruce has a long career in Houston banking including two community banks where he served as president. Throughout his career, Bruce's focus always remained on small business lending.

Bruce served as past president of the Houston Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders. He is an Advisory Board Member of Houston SBA SCORE. He is a past board member of the Houston chapter of the Texas Association of Business Brokers, as well as the University of Houston Small Business Development Center. All of Bruce's marketing efforts are aimed at educating small business owners and their advisors about the SBA and USDA loan programs by blogging, public speaking and networking with small business advisors.

Bruce is married to wife, Susan, since 1986. Susan is a consultant and former special education administrator. Their son is an attorney in Houston, and their daughter is production coordinator for women's apparel in New York.

A lifelong hospitality executive, Josh Lesnick leads the sales, marketing, and retreat operations for Collective Retreats. Prior to joining Collective, Josh has served as the President & CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels, a leading global meetings and incentives sales force representing over 400 luxury hotels.  He has also served as the Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of Wyndham Hotels Group, President & CEO of Audience Rewards-the Official Rewards Program of Broadway, Vice President of Hotel Marketing and Customer Loyalty for Starwood Hotels, and Director of Product Development for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Josh has a passion for creating innovative customer experiences and has led the development of several award winning loyalty programs, including Starwood Preferred Guest, Wyndham Rewards, Hyatt Gold Passport, and Audience Rewards.  Earlier in his career, he was named a top 40 under 40 Marketer of the Next Generation by Fortune Magazine and is a graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Ruben is the Co-Founder of the American Glamping Association & GlampingHub.  The American Glamping Association is the only industry association in North America and it drives growth opportunities for new and existing glamping businesses through tools, resources and education to create a stronger glamping community. GlampingHub is the largest transactional glamping booking platform with properties listed worldwide. GlampingHub now offers over 35,000 listings with offices in Denver and Seville, Spain Ruben completed both his Undergraduate degree and his MBA with a focus in International Business at Regis University. He is an affiliate faculty member at Regis University teaching Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the MBA program. Ruben resides in Colorado with his wife and two daughters.

Ben is the editor of Woodall's Campground Magazine (WCM) and its affiliated website WOODALLSCM.com, which provides news and information on the outdoor hospitality industry. With a background in both TV and newspapers, he has experience working in a variety of mediums, including video and social media. He lives in Michigan with his wife, Ferron, and their four children, two cats, four rabbits, 6 chickens, a beehive, and a dog.

Reed is the Director of Property Development at Collective Retreats where he leads the search for extraordinary destinations to add to the brand's portfolio. Given the innovative spirit of Collective Retreats, and the relatively uncharted space of outdoor hospitality, Reed and the Development Team have remained flexible in expanding the portfolio, whether through leases, acquisitions, JVs, HMAs, or public RFP processes; both greenfield and developed. With his role comes a lot of experience in obtaining land entitlements for overnight accommodations.

Reed has always been on the hunt for beautiful places. Prior to joining Collective Retreats, he put together land deals for mass gathering events, so he humbly understands how best to approach a community with a new concept.

Reed and his family live in Denver and enjoy exploring the Mountain West.

Whitney oversees operations, business growth and development for Terramor Outdoor Resort, as well as all marketing efforts for Kampgrounds of America (KOA).  Whitney manages a multi-million-dollar budget while directing brand architecture, strategy and partnerships, as well as marketing technology, digital media, loyalty programs and international marketing. She also oversees the marketing and brand development for the KOA's Owned and Operated Campgrounds.

A Montana native, Whitney received a degree in PR from Boston University while concurrently earning a gemology technical degree from the Gemological Institute of America. She went on to receive an MBA from the University of Montana.

Whitney honed her marketing skills working for a variety of diverse businesses including The International Diamond Exchange and TerraEchos, a government contractor that developed big data solutions for security applications. In 2013, she joined KOA, quickly rising through the ranks and was named CMO of Marketing in early 2021 and COO of Terramor Outdoor Resort later that summer. Whitney was instrumental in the concept and launch of Terramor Outdoor Resorts.

As interest in outdoor experiences continue to accelerate, Whitney is excited about the future. "We're focused on honoring the traditions of camping while also reinvigorating the business with new technology, innovative ways to make the outdoors accessible for everyone and new thinking. It is wonderful to be a part of an organization that promotes an appreciation for the outdoors in individuals; it's an exciting time."

Greg Sheldon has more than 22 years of experience designing and executing corporate sales incentives and employee recognition programs. He has helped Fortune 100 companies such as Google, Cisco, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo, Pfizer, and Intel implement incentive travel programs, employee recognition solutions and experiential events at global scale.

Being an avid outdoors person and environmentally conscious, Greg has been intrigued by the opportunity to align the mega trends of glamping, eco-sustainability, and wellbeing with the $200 Billion corporate meetings & incentives industry. In 2021 Greg co-founded Regenr8 as the first company to pair corporate incentives, retreats and recognition programs with the glamping and eco-hospitality industry.

Regenr8's offerings include programs that feature glamping and eco-resort experiences include incentivizing improved corporate selling and service performance, booking corporate meetings and team retreats at glamping and eco-resorts that align with clients' sustainability mission and their business goals, larger scale bespoke glamping experiences for client's employees, partners, or customers and more.

The Regenr8 suite of technology and professional services are tailored for the technology, financial services, automotive, biopharma, and healthcare industries.

Blake Smith is founder and CEO of Walden Retreats, a luxury camping experience located along the Pedernales river in the Texas Hill Country. A Dallas native, Smith earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the Acton School of Business in Austin, TX. He co-founded Aokola Jewelry, a social enterprise providing education and income to women living in rural villages in eastern Uganda. There he met his wife, Sarah, and was inspired to create Walden Retreats in 2017. From design and construction to guest experiences and marketing, Smith aims to redefine the outdoor experience, and bring a unique, unforgettable getaway to Central Texas. Smith is a third generation Texan who resides in Austin with his wife Sarah and their two boys. He is an avid cyclist, skier, BBQ enthusiast and lover of the outdoors.


Rooted in a deep love for the great outdoors and providing environments for people to create memorable experiences in, Smith has created something that combines the two. Named after Henry David Thoreau's classic novel Walden, the property showcases Smith's love for the countryside and how he hopes Walden Retreats can be a place of solitude, relaxation, and comfort for guests. This is the first of Blake's anticipated portfolio of luxury camping properties, which will all have the common goal of providing a welcomed escape from the city.

Christine Taylor is a Partner at The Towne Law Firm, P.C. (headquartered in Albany, NY) who focuses her practice in the areas of Hospitality, Business, Labor and Employment, Real Estate Law, Estate Planning, and Litigation. Ms. Taylor grew up within the outdoor hospitality industry as her parents have owned three campgrounds, her experience within the industry gives her insight from both the legal and camping perspectives. Ms. Taylor has spoken at various outdoor hospitality conferences including KOA, CONY, NCA, ARVC, PCOA, as well as the Mid-Atlantic conference. She additionally authors a column that appears in Woodall's Campground Management.

Lauren Roth Venu is an ecopreneur, a TEDx speaker, a published author, who is passionate about developing strategic, innovative solutions to build water resiliency. She was named Top Emerging Designers by Pacific Edge Magazine (2014), Top Forty Under Forty Business Leaders by Pacific Business News (2014) as well as a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year for Clean Tech by HCVA.   In 2006, she formed Roth Ecological Design International that provides integrated water resource management planning, green infrastructure design and delivery of innovative solutions for onsite water management to build water security and resiliency for both public and private sectors.  Her continued passion in climate resiliency drove her to form 3Rwater, Inc that develops software and data platforms to help municipalities and private properties to adapt to climate change by increasing the accessibility and equity to green infrastructure solutions.

Lauren holds an MSc in Oceanography from University of Hawaii and a BA in Environmental Science - Water Resources from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is also a fellow of the Water Environmental Federation (WEF) Leadership Program and the United Nations University /East- West Center's ProSPER.net Leadership Program and is certified by WEF as a National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Trainer.  She has served on a variety of board of directors, committees and advisory groups over the last decade for non-profits, the state of Hawaii, and city and county of Honolulu to support water resiliency measures.

Kathleen Walsh, CEO and Founder of Advanced Outdoor Solutions, has been at the forefront of outdoor hospitality since 2003 when she developed her first multi-million dollar beachfront property. She has since developed and managed over $180 million in RV Park and Campground investments across the country. Kathleen served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer for a large RV development company before branching out on her own. Advanced Outdoor Solutions is a full service management company specifically focused on the outdoor hospitality industry. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader in the industry.

A seasoned leader in the hospitality industry, Todd has over 30 years of hotel development experience, having held senior leadership positions at several major hotel brands and most recently AutoCamp and Commune Hotels & Resorts which became Two Roads Hospitality. A dual-citizen of the US and Australia, Wynne-Parry has traveled to 54 countries and lived and worked in the U.S., Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. He was instrumental in the brand development efforts for IHG, Starwood and Marriott in the Asia Pacific region and for Commune and Two Roads Hospitality globally. He began his career as a hotel consultant in the San Diego office of Laventhol & Horwath, the predecessor to Horwath HTL.

Todd earned an MBA from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management and sits on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Development Trust for Scotland's University of Aberdeen, where he studied briefly as an undergraduate. He sits on the advisory council of the American Glamping Association and is a regular contributing article writer for the Glamping Business Americas magazine.

In his spare time, Todd enjoys sporting clays, fly fishing, woodworking and exploring the western US in his 1953 Airstream. He is a proud father to his three children, Tara, Conor and Ethan.

Jeff Wilson is an academic and startup entrepreneur based in San Francisco and Marfa. Wilson is currently Founder, CEO and Chief Designer at the housing technology startup Jupe, which is ultimately designing off-grid shelter and infrastructure for the 1.5 billion people on the planet who currently lack adequate housing. Wilson formerly founded modular housing startup Kasita and is known as 'Professor Dumpster' for the year he lived in a 33 sq. ft. modified trash dumpster as part of a sustainability education project. Wilson did his Postdoctoral work at Harvard and received his PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Traveling for the last 10 years across 63 countries, Mike & Anne Howard are travel experts with a glamping specialty. They launched HoneyTrek.com to chronicle their journey, and have since written National Geographic's bestselling book Ultimate Journeys for Two and the first guide to glamping in North America, Comfortably Wild. Earning a Lowell Thomas Journalism Award for their book and a seat on the American Glamping Association Board of Advisors, they are committed to the success of the glamping industry. Businesses from budding glampgrounds to established tent manufacturers have partnered with the Howards for their skills as photographers, writers, influencers, and consultants to improve their guest experience and share it with the world. For more info, visit www.HoneyTrek.com/GlampingExperts