Our Team

Ayako Ezaki, Director of Communications

As TIES Asia Pacific Coordinator (2005-2007), she managed TIES' outreach initiatives focusing on strengthening communication networks for the Asia Pacific region. As part of her work facilitating TIES' partnerships with national and regional ecotourism associations, she was the main organizer of the first Global Ecotourism Conference 2007 (Oslo, Norway, May 2007). Through her role as TIES Director of Communications, she currently leads TIES communications, marketing and media outreach initiatives, and is the editor of TIES newsletters and Your Travel Choice Blog. Ayako graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Social Studies. Through her academic career, she developed a keen interest in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement and non-fiction writing. She is originally from Japan and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia.

Ashley Moriarty, Program Coordinator

Ashley Moriarty graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Tourism Management and a minor in Urban Planning. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Recreation & Tourism Management at California State University East Bay where her research interests include volunteer tourism and sustainable tourism planning and development. Ashley has recently returned to the U.S. after traveling extensively for 18-months, visiting 14 countries across Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Aside from her passion to travel, she enjoys cooking and outdoor activities such as hiking and camping.

Ferdinand Weps, Director of Membership and Operations
 

From February to June 2007, Ferdinand worked as the Global Ecotourism Conference 2007 Assistant and played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operations of TIES conference team. As the Membership and Operations Director, he is responsible for TIES membership department, and overseeing general operational tasks at TIES. Originally from Germany, Ferdinand has a B.A. in Cultural Geography and Area Studies with concentrations on livelihood assurance in developing countries, sustainable tourism, urban studies, and migration research. Aside from his academic career, Ferdinand has a background in the hospitality management and acquired a breadth of travel and volunteering experience: assisting community development and education, conservation projects in Central America and South East Asia. Personal interests vary from ICT's for developing countries to photography.

Mercedes Hunt, Events Manager

Mercedes Hunt recently graduated from San Francisco State with her master’s in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism and an emphasis in sustainable tourism where she published her thesis titled, Addressing Climate Change: Conventional Resorts Tackle the Need to ‘Go Green’. Over the last year she worked with the California Travel and Tourism Commission and Dr. Pavlina Latkova to survey travelers who visited California Welcome Centers.