About Landmark
Join us on a journey of discovery, as we explore the world’s most iconic landmarks together. Let’s unlock the secrets of the past, unravel the mysteries of the present, and create unforgettable memories that will inspire and educate for years to come. Come, join us at Landmark Educational Tours, and let’s embark on an extraordinary adventure!
Our passion for travel is indescribable
At Landmark Educational Tours, we strive to deliver exceptional group tours with the highest quality educational services. As an employee-owned and operated company, our team of avid travelers is dedicated to sharing their passion for exploring the world’s most iconic landmarks. Our values, vision, and mission are firmly grounded in the hospitality industry, and we welcome travelers of all ages to join us on unforgettable journeys to landmarks across the globe.
Michaela Ruffino
Creating affordable travel for all
Leading the industry with exceptional service for all.
We are a group of young, dynamic travel enthusiasts that customize engaging, educational, and thrilling travel adventures for students of all ages. Experiential education is powerful. We are privileged to provide such an experience to all of our customers and our incredible team. Our trip organizers are empowered to take advantage of the opportunity to travel the world while providing excellent service to clients.
Meet Our Team
Michaela Ruffino
Managing Director
Currently residing in Rhode Island, Michaela is an accomplished leader in the hospitality industry. With a rich background and experience, she has honed her expertise in the field and possesses an impressive portfolio of travel knowledge. Michaela holds a bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University, which has equipped her with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in her career.
In her spare time, Michaela likes to spend time with her beloved dogs and indulges in baking. She also has an insatiable appetite for travel and has set her sights on visiting some of the most breathtaking countries in the world. Her current bucket list includes Japan, Greece, Maldives, and many more. Michaela is passionate about exploring new cultures and experiencing everything the world has to offer.
Gerardo Barrera
Finance Director
Gerardo Barrera began his journey in the travel Industry 20+ years ago when he joined as a Finance Director for StudentCity.com. He gradually became the Chief Financial Officer of the parent company, TUI Education North America which portfolio includes Brightspark, Educational Tours, Jumpstreet, Educatours, Travel Adventures, and New Horizons. Now, Gerardo lives in Boston with his wife and two sons. He also is the Co-Founder of Go Blue Tours, Juniper Tours, and Landmark Educational Tours.
Ericka Montano
Operations Director
Ericka is our Director of Operations at Landmark Educational Tours. She has never stopped learning and is about to graduate from Tourism Business Administration. Ericka is fully bilingual and has more than 20 years of experience working in operations activities such as group management, financial management, contract management, logistics, and customer service. Her experience working with large corporations such as TUI and First Choice has given her the knowledge and skills to help improve our product.
Ericka’s signature is her strong service philosophy and focuses on achieving all aspects of our elite service.
Abbey Gibson
Accounting/Office Coordinator
Currently, in South Boston, Abbey is experienced in administrative management. She is very excited to begin her journey, as an accounting coordinator, with Landmark Educational Tours. Abbey enjoys spending her summers on Cape Cod with her family and friends.
Dream Travel Destinations: Greece, Fiji, Amsterdam, & London
Tara Marcucci
Landmark Specialist & Leader
Tara is one of our Landmark Specialists and Trip Leader. Currently living in Rhode Island, Tara shares her passion for travel and experience in trip management with every trip.
Boasting her U.S. National Parks pass, Tara hopes to one day visit every U.S. National Park with her dogs.
Stephanie LaForce
Sales Success Specialist
Currently residing in New Hampshire, Stephanie has spent the last 10+ years providing excellent customer service in a wide range of roles throughout the hospitality industry. With a background in travel operations and logistics, she possesses an impressive network within the tourism industry. Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University, which has equipped her with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in her career.
In her spare time, Stephanie runs a small macrame craft store making various items such as handbags and home decor. She cares for her two small parrots, Hades and Xerxes, who enjoy perching on her shoulder during virtual meetings. When the weather is nice, Stephanie enjoys exploring the breathtaking landscape the New Hampshire mountains have to offer and finding a quiet spot to stick her nose in a good book.
Martha Montano
Operations Specialist
Martha, hailing all the way from Cancún, México, is a true globetrotter with a passion for travel and a thirst for cultural exploration. Over the past 16 years, she has embarked on extraordinary adventures, living on the ocean and visiting over 48 countries and counting.
With a dream of completing the seven wonders of the world, Martha has already checked off five and eagerly anticipates visiting Petra and The Taj Mahal to fulfill her goal. Her experiences working for a cruise line have honed her skills in understanding diverse customer needs and providing unique and unforgettable experiences. Martha is known for her dedication, organization, trustworthiness, and ability to work efficiently under pressure.
Thriving in a culture of positive customer service, Martha enjoys engaging with customers and delivering exceptional experiences. Her passion for travel, coupled with her customer-centric approach, makes her a valuable asset at Landmark.
Savannah
Rucker
Client Success Specialist
Savannah is a seasoned adventurer with a heart for travel and a passion for helping others. Having proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2013-2017, she went on to earn her BA in psychology and a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Illinois, Savannah is dedicated to providing compassionate psychotherapy to adolescents, adults, and couples.
Savannah’s adventurous spirit extends to her personal life as well. She has welcomed three incredible children, two of whom were born in Okinawa, Japan.
Savannah dreams of taking family trips to Hawaii, Italy, and Australia!
Briana Kotchen
Marketing Coordinator
Currently, in Minneapolis Minnesota, Briana is a new addition to our marketing team! She is passionate about marketing, social media, and traveling. Briana is a creative individual, she enjoys sharing her ideas with others and being able to come together as a team to achieve different goals. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports, baking, and spending time with her family and friends.
Dream Destinations: Greece, Australia, London, and Puerto Rico!
Edwin Yip
IT Specialist
Edwin Yip has decades of commerce system experience. Most recent is his 15 years of building systems for the travel industry. This experience began with First Choice in the United Kingdom which merged with TUI Travel PLC which became the largest tour operator in the world with over 60 thousand employees. While as the Director of Application Development at TUI Student Travel he worked with Brightspark , Jumpstreet, Education Tours, and other student brands of the company in building out their commerce platforms.
Maya
Slavkin
Landmark Specialist
Originally from Los Angeles CA, Maya has a profound passion for travel and has spent the past three years working in international education, holding teaching positions in Spain and New Zealand. She has various hospitality and sales experience that she is excited to bring to Landmark Educational Tours. She graduated from George Washington University in 2020 with a B.A. in Sociology. Maya‘s love of travel has taken her to 28 countries and some of her dream destinations include Iceland, Brazil, and Colombia! In her free time, Maya enjoys reading, spending time at the beach, cycling, and of course, traveling!
Angela
Gallagher
Client Success Specialist
Hi my name is Angela and I am so excited to be apart of the Landmark team. I currently live in Phoenix, AZ with my husband and golden doodle puppy named Stella! I graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Elementary Education. During my time at Arizona I was able to study Art History abroad in Prague, Czech Republic where my love for travel and history began. I have been to 25 different states and 12 countries. In my free time I love to go for walks, go to Orangetheory, and be with friends and family.
Diana Wielgus
Landmark Leader
Iliana Arista
Operations Specialist
From Cancun, Mexico to the world! Iliana is a Passionate of traveling since she can remember.
With nineteen years of experience in the Tourism field is able to identify the best options for an unforgettable lifetime trip. In her professional background we can find restaurants, hotels and cruise ships.
She likes to spend time with friends and family, enjoys to explore new destinations and to go back to her favorite spots such as Mexico City, Disney parks, NY, Las Vegas, Madrid and London just to mention few.
Bucket List: Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and the list goes on!
Emily Wilson
Client Success Specialist
Currently residing in Atlanta, GA, Emily brings years of experience as an elementary educator and community engagement leader. She is deeply passionate about travel, education, and enhancing client experiences. Emily excels in sharing ideas and fostering collaboration to achieve common goals. Outside of work, Emily enjoys live music, teaching Pure Barre classes, and spending quality time with her husband, son, and two dogs.
Dream Destinations: Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and Tanzania!
Bernard Mallette
Canada Sales Specialist
Bernard brings a wealth of experience in the student travel industry, with a particular passion for crafting unforgettable adventures in Canada. Whether you’re dreaming of exploring the vibrant streets of Montreal or its underground network with your students. Or immersing them in the rich history of Quebec City, or maybe marveling at the breathtaking Niagara Falls and CN tower in Toronto, Bernard is here to help you design the perfect school trip to Canada.
Bernard worked in the bus industry in the late 1990’s as a dispatcher, spare driver. He was also the Operations Manager at Educatours in the early 2000s where he oversaw the logistics for more than 24,000 passengers and 475 buses. He was an operations coordinator with Global Tourisme in Quebec City and Operations guru at Jonview Canada, the largest tour operator in the country.
Bernard is passionate about ensuring every trip is well crafted to provide a seamless and enriching experience when traveling to our Canadian programs.
Christine MacAllister
Landmark Specialist
During her senior year of high school, Christine embarked on an educational group tour to Italy that ignited her lifelong passion for exploration and adventure. Since then, travel has become a cornerstone of her life, leading her to visit 39 countries and Antarctica. When she isn’t traveling abroad, she enjoys exploring America’s National Parks, attending live music events, and spending time at the Delaware Beaches.
Driven by a desire to inspire students to step outside their comfort zones and foster greater cultural understanding, Christine is thrilled to be a part of Landmark Educational Tours and is dedicated to helping students embark on unforgettable educational experiences, uncovering some of the most beautiful and enriching destinations across the United States and beyond!
Carly Rodgers
Client Success Specialist
Currently residing in Chicago, Carly brings years of hospitality experience to our team. She is passionate about building meaningful relationships and helping customers reach their goals. Carly is dedicated to understanding each customer’s needs and ensuring they feel supported at every step. Outside of work, she enjoys the simple joys in life—music, food, laughter, travel, and quality time with friends and family.
Lupita Ramirez
Operations Specialist
45 years
Married
Tourist profession
28 years of experience as a travel consultant, sales, supervision, coordination, group logistics and operations of a receptive travel company.
I think that tourism in general has the most magical vibe, people as tourists, travelers, look for the best and safest option to go out to see the world and one receives all that positive emotion that keeps us giving our best every day.
Our people are your people.
Traveling is hard, and planning and executing a trip of dozens of students is even harder. We at Landmark love to help, throughout the booking process and on the trip we go above and beyond to ensure that you can truly travel with ease. Click below to learn about our amazing team.
Michaela was very thorough, responsive and knowledgeable! It was a pleasure to work with her. The trip went very well and the parents and students enjoyed every minute!
Washington D.C. Trip
We work with only the best.
Building a community that works with you and your group in mind.
