NBTA Brings Government Travel Buyers Into Its Fold
The National Business Travel Association today announced it is expanding its scope to provide government travel managers and suppliers with a new platform for networking, education, information and research within the greater travel management community. The NBTA Government Travel Group, which will comprise a new subset of NBTA membership, will be represented within the association by an advisory board of government travel managers and industry partners.
"I'm excited to play a role in establishing a new resource for government travel professionals," said GTG advisory board chair Becky Rhodes, deputy associate administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration. "Government travel management has seen significant advancement in recent years, pioneering new best practices and establishing government-wide standards. Membership in NBTA gives government travel managers access to industry best practices that will position the government to continuously deliver world-class travel management."
The other members of the advisory board are Marc Stec, president, Society of Government Travel Professionals; Bill Tirrell, chief, travel and transportation branch of the per diem, travel and transportation allowance committee, U.S. Department of Defense; Tim Burke, director, the travel transformation office (eTravel Solution), U.S. General Services Administration; and Kevin Maher, vice president of governmental affairs, American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Carol Devine, NBTA president and CEO, added that, with both constituencies in the same organization for the first time, "NBTA can capitalize on synergies between both groups to provide better education, networking, research, news and information to all travel management professionals."