Speakers

Mikaela Groomes is the Marketing Coordinator for South Carolina State Parks. She spends her days inspiring the online community to "Come Out and Play!" Mikaela holds an Interdisciplinary Studies degree from Coastal Carolina University with a concentration in wildlife conservation. Before transitioning to marketing, she worked in the outdoor recreation and education.

Bria Barton is the tourism marketing coordinator for Discover South Carolina. She previously worked as a travel and tourism reporter for Forum Communications in Bemidji, Minnesota. While there, the Minnesota Newspaper Association awarded her the Dave Pyle New Journalist Award, as well as awards for her sports feature writing, investigative reporting and column writing. She holds a degree from the University of South Carolina in journalism with a concentration in hotel, restaurant and tourism management.

Devyn Whitmire is the Digital Engagement Manager for Discover South Carolina. She spends her days creating and sharing content to build an online community of travelers who aspire to discover her home state. Her favorite things include listening to audiobooks, trying new restaurants, and baking for her friends and family. Having grown up in the Upstate, vacationed each year on the coast, and currently residing in the midlands with her husband and children, Devyn is a true South Carolina local. But she’s a firm believer that there’s always something new to Discover in the Palmetto State, even for someone like herself.

Kerry Sanders has been NBC’s Miami-based correspondent since 1996, covering breaking news and feature stories. He contributes regularly to “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” “Today” and MSNBC. And most recently - the NBC Nightly News Kids edition. From plane crashes, like ValuJet that went down into the Everglades to swimming with bull sharks during a live report, he's usually on-the-scene of a breaking news story. He led NBC News coverage of the Surfside condo collapse and was a key reporter for the high schooling in Parkland. Kerry is perhaps best known for the moments after Hurricane Irma where he came upon two beached dolphins. In live reports that went viral, Kerry rescued a baby dolphin and then 20 minutes later, he enlisted 8 bystanders to rescue yet another full-grown dolphin that was also beached. Sanders has more than 40 years of experience providing in-the-field reports during hurricanes. He has covered more than 100 named storms including Andrew & Hugo. Kerry was a member of the NBC Nightly News reporting team awarded a Peabody, an Emmy and the RTNDA Edward R Murrow Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. And again, lead our Edward R Murrow award winning coverage during the 2017 attack at the airport in Fort Lauderdale. In 2011, he received the Society of Professional Journalists Bronze Medal for his weeks of reporting on the 33 Chileans trapped deep in a copper mine. A clip of his report was included in the Hollywood Movie "The 33." Sanders was part of the NBC News team awarded a 2011 first place National Headliner Award went for his reporting from Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. He was also part of the Emmy winning NBC News team honored for its 2009 national election meltdown coverage. In 2000, Sanders won the Overseas Press Club Award for his coverage in Kosovo. During the Iraq war, Sanders embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps and reported on various battles, including the harsh 11-day conflict in Nasiriyah. In 1994, Sanders was recognized with the Columbia DuPont award for his reporting from Haiti as a military coup rocked the country. Sanders shared another Columbia DuPont award for his coverage of the widespread devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He also received the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award and the George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Andrew and the aftermath of the storm. Sanders graduated cum laude from the University of South Florida with a Liberal Arts degree.

A successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Nataly found that after reaching the highest levels of corporate America, she still wasn’t happy. Chasing achievement left her proud but unfulfilled, so she became inspired to figure out how to live a fuller, happier life. In the process, she found the answers each person and organization needs to unlock their maximum potential, making them more productive and innovative.

Matt Meltzer is a freelance writer, former Miami Editor, and a travel staffer for Thrillist and Matador Network. He holds a Masters in Journalism from UF and a Bachelors in Business Administration from University of Miami. He's a past contributor to Cosmopolitan magazine, and currently teaches Writing for the Digital Age at the University of Miami. He's also won a Lowell Thomas award and TJA Gold award. Prior to all this, he ran the dorms for the Miami City Ballet School, served six years in the United States Marine Corps, and was a judge in the Miss Florida America system. He currently lives in Miami in an apartment he never sees.