MEet Our Speakers

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Andrew will take you through the outcome of our strategic planning process. 

 As Principal and lead of Coraggio’s Travel and Tourism Practice, Andrew is passionate about the intersections of development, sustainability, inclusion, accessibility, and community resiliency. Andrew’s innovative approach to strategic processes and applications supports engaged clients who are empowered to affect change in their destinations. 

Prior to his time with Coraggio, Andrew served as Director of Sustainable Tourism at the Leave No Trace organization, establishing the destination stewardship practice for the most well-known responsible visitor education organization in the United States. In just seven years—and with noted expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic—Leave No Trace grew to become one of the most recognized destination stewardship solutions in the U.S. travel industry and across the globe. In addition to working with a vibrant portfolio of international, state, county, and city DMOs, Andrew has developed meaningful and equitable relationships with Indigenous-led organizations, including the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, and many Tribal Nations across the lower 48 United States.

Andrew’s approach has been further shaped by 18 years as a professional expedition guide, delivering high levels of customer service while keeping a team pointed in the direction needed to reach our shared objective. Whether it’s an attempt to ski to the North Pole or developing a destination development strategy with tangible downstream utility, he approaches each opportunity with care, empathy, and forward progress. Andrew collaborates and leads industry-level change as an appointed U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member under the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Matt & Kwaku will lead the marketing workshop after lunch. 

As a proud Falmouth High School graduate (Go Navigators!) and UMaine Orono alum (Go Black Bears!), Matt joined Madden two years ago in the role of SVP, Brand Strategy. He brings a wealth of executive-level marketing communications experience to the agency, where he focuses on elevating their clients’ brands both strategically and creatively.

Matt has been involved in destination marketing for 20+ years, having worked with brands such as Travel Oregon, Visit California, Visit St Pete/Clearwater, Visit Estes Park, and the State of Washington. At Madden, he’s been intimately involved in the strategic work of building brands such as Visit Idaho, Visit Winston-Salem, and Alabama’s Beaches.

In addition, he was the first-ever Chief Marketing Officer for the San Francisco Travel Association, where he led the renaming and rebranding of the 100-year-old organization, re-imagined and transformed the visitor information center/experience, oversaw the redesign of the outdated website, and drove explosive growth in social media engagement. He also drove significant growth in private revenue associated with strategic alliances and led the development of a wholly new membership structure.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Madden and to Visit Portland. Plus, every trip back allows him to see his father and stepbrothers (and their families), all of whom now reside in Yarmouth.

P.S. You’re welcome to challenge him to sing the “Stein Song,” but he’s pretty sure he still knows every word.