Kathy Misunas

Kathy Misunas currently serves as an advisor and Board Director to various public and private businesses, and acts as a principal of Essential Ideas, a consultancy specializing in the global travel and tourism, technology and on-line retailing fields. She has led various businesses in executive roles, most notably as CEO of SABRE, the global travel distribution company, CIO of American Airlines, and CEO of Reed Travel Group, the global publishing enterprise.Since previously co-authoring a publication titled Multi-Channel Distribution: The Essential Guide she has supported various other publications. Her current interests include progressing travel distribution opportunities in Asia, as well as other global business initiatives. Additional advisory focuses include e-commerce, business strategy, organizational behavior, governance, distribution, marketing and executive leadership.

Currently she is a Board Director at Tech Data Corporation (TECD/ NASDAQ ) where she chairs the Cybersecurity Committee and previously Chaired the Compensation Committee. Previous Director roles include Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC/Toronto), Travelocity, ezRez Software (currently SwitchFly), and others.

Complementing her business initiatives, Ms. Misunas participates on various councils such as the Technology Advisory for the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management at the Pennsylvania State University, is a speaker at travel and technology industry events, and has participated as guest lecturer at academic institutions such as MIT, Harvard, Cornell, and New York University.

Misunas volunteers her time with various charities and New York Cares programs. For pleasure, she enjoys trekking, marathon running, traveling, gardening and the arts.

Misunas grew up in the Lehigh Valley, PA. While attending Moravian College, she studied French at the Alliance Francaise in Paris, France. Her academic background includes advanced business curricula at American University, and executive courses at the University of Virginia’s Darden School, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She is an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors as Leadership Fellow.

She resides in New York City.