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Paul Nelson
Senior Vice President, Partner Marketing

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. Although this senior vice president of partner marketing claims to have been the travel agent of Christopher Columbus, the Rolodex on his desk reveals a bit of a different story.

Nelson can thumb through his contacts, picking the who's who of the travel industry, but that's expected of a leader who negotiates with travel suppliers on a daily basis. The charge of running the partner marketing team is somewhat of a grab bag of responsibilities. Nelson's team sells all media on Travelocity, and he contracts, operationalizes and merchandizes the hotel products.

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 company acquisition in 1999.

He earned his Master of Art's 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. Now that's an adventure!

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."