Lee Thomas  |  President

Lee is a 1990 graduate of Western Kentucky University, with BA in Finance and minor in Accounting. Immediately after graduation, Lee began working for a division of General Motors as a financial analyst and budget specialist. In 1993, he accepted a position with Columbia Sportswear Company as a manufacturer’s representative in territorial sales.  

In 1994, Lee joined The Travel Authority as an analyst, was promoted to Controller in 1997, in 2002 promoted again to Vice President of Finance & Technology, then in 2005 assumed the role as Executive Vice President, and in late 2009 he became the president of the Travel Authority. Some of his current responsibilities include overseeing the company’s accounting department, company finance, and information technology department. Lee possesses extensive experience evaluating and implementing technology to gain efficiency or reduce cost to maintain profit margins in today=s marketplace. In 2005, TTA acquired controlling interest in TravWell. The result of this acquisition established a new company called SwiftTrip. SwiftTrip is a software development company that specializes in building booking tools and web sites for the travel industry. SwiftTrip lists travel agencies, airports, universities, and trade associations as its customers. SwiftTrip currently has over 500,000 unique members and is approaching 7,500 tickets per month. Many of SwiftTrip’s customers are also some of TTA’s largest customers. Lee is President of SwiftTrip and plays a vital role in the business operations, financing, sales, and future development of the company. This business venture enables TTA to be an active participant in determining online booking development efforts. This system allows us to extend high touch full service reservations to the online community. TTA owns 70% of SwiftTrip and has 100% operational control.

During his years with The Travel Authority he has built financial models key to more than 35 acquisitions increasing sales from $75 million to $300 million. Lee provides a unique combination of business leadership, financial planning, sales experience, and technology implementation experience to be a valued and versatile member of TTA.

Other activities include being a member of the following organizations:

• American Express Travel Advisory Board
• American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Advisory Board
• ASTA Corporate Advisory Council, Treasurer
• Continental Airlines Advisory Board
• Cornerstone Information Systems Advisory Board
• Delta Air Lines Players of Distinction Advisory Board
• Conducted Carlson Leaders Group workshops on implementing service fees, developing fee strategies, and acquisition modeling