GEORGE DOOLEY joins Travel Agent after a 20-year stint with Travel Trade. He began his travel career as manager of press relations for ASTA and was a vice president of Doremus & Company (now OmniComGroup) handling travel and insurance accounts. He has also worked with Airbus industries, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, the National Air Carriers Association and World Airways. In 2001, ASTA named him Travel Journalist of the Year. "What continues to amaze me," he says, "is the pace of change in the industry—in technology, marketing, promotion and the number of new initiatives. Travel is truly a dynamic industry."

JERRY SOVERINSKY is a Chicago-based journalist. He worked as a European tour guide for nearly 20 years, living in more than a dozen countries. His writing credits are as diverse as his interests: The Boston Globe, National Lampoon, Chicago Tribune/RedEye, American Greetings, Frommer's Budget Travel, Toronto Globe & Mail, among dozens of others. In this issue he writes about the Dominican Republic, however, adventure travel is a notable passion; he's pictured here during a solo cross-country bicycle tour. PHOTO BY EVAN KAFKA

LOIS FRIEDLAND writes about Denver-based host agency The Travel Society in this issue. While attending the company's annual meeting, she was intrigued by the number of independent travel agents and consultants who make a healthy living focusing on specific market niches. Friedland, who lives in the Rockies, 35 minutes from downtown Denver, loves to travel and looks for any excuse to write about skiing, golf, luxury travel or adventure travel. She is About.com's adventure travel guide (www.adventuretravel.about.com).

JOE PIKE is Travel Agent's associate editor covering the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and Central and South America. Whether at his office in New York City or island hopping in the Caribbean, Pike is always rubbing elbows with top tourism officials, looking to get the latest scoops to help agents sell. In this issue, he highlights several of Latin America's latest properties. Most recently, Pike wrote a cover story on the Cayman Islands and took a tour of Barbados. His next stop will be the Dominican Republic for the grand opening of Maxim Bungalows. Also, look out for Pike's new casino column, which debuted in this past issue and will focus on casino news and openings in the Caribbean.

MARK ROGERS, senior editor, recently sat down with Hunter Wang, CEO of Panda Travel USA, a tour operator with numerous programs to China. In this issue, Rogers previews Panda's plans to increase its share of the U.S. market on page 80. Rogers covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. In this issue, he recaps news from ASEAN Tourism Forum 2008.