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Paul Nelson
President, Global Media and Partner Marketing Travelocity Global

A 25-year veteran of the travel industry, Paul Nelson always has a story to tell. Some may say that the fish gets bigger every time a tale is told, but Nelson knows the truth behind his anecdotes. And although he has claimed to have been the travel agent of Christopher Columbus, his Rolodex currently reveals a who's who of the modern day travel industry.

As leader of Travelocity's Global Media and Partner Marketing teams, Paul's day-to-day focus is worldwide supplier relations and running Travelocity's fast growing media business, including media sales, product, strategy and execution. His team is responsible not only for negotiating high level agreements with a wide variety of travel suppliers, but also works closely with marketers interested in using Travelocity's global platform for a wide variety of advertising and merchandising opportunities.

Based in Travelocity's San Francisco office, Nelson has held a variety of executive positions at leading travel companies, including U.S. Travel, Paradise Marketing and Hawaiian Adventures. He joined Preview Travel in 1991, enlisting with the Travelocity team after the companies merged in 2000.

He earned his Master of Arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his Bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College. Nelson also served in Vietnam, becoming a decorated officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

His knowledge of the travel industry is paralleled only by his personal travel experiences. Among his many adventures, Nelson has watched the traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War, while hiding in the mountains of Laos; he also served as a tour leader for teenagers on a six-week camping tour of Scandinavia.

Favorite travel moment:
"I've experienced many things, but picking up our adopted son at an orphanage in Thailand is by far my greatest travel moment."