Responsible for sustainability coaching and consulting with hospitality and tourism businesses on Sustainable Product Development, Authenticity & Gap Analyses, and Sustainable Destination Training... and much more. Astrapto was founded by Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton, recently recognized as the 2021 International Hospitality Institute Top 30 Environmental Sustainability Champion. At Astrapto, we provide practical, business-oriented solutions to workplace social and environmental/sustainability issues. We help clients move the needle through sustainability assessments, roadmaps, training, coaching, and reporting. Courses that are educational and, most importantly, practical: - Sustainability is a Team Sport: https://www.astrapto.com/team-sport Interested in starting a green team? Or trying to get sustainability initiatives going, but you feel stuck or alone? - Sustainable Procurement: https://www.astrapto.com/team-sport This course is perfect for anyone in any type or size of an organization who wants to learn more about how to improve environmental and social performance in daily operations. No expertise or experience in sustainability is required. It is ideal for general managers, small business owners, corporate procurement staff, sales teams, and anyone who wants better understand sustainability and take practical steps in the right direction.- IGNITE the Sustainability Leader Within! https://www.astrapto.com/ignite-impactIn this course, we look at the top 10 excuses most often encountered in our efforts to make sustainability a more integral part of operations. For each, you’ll learn about a leadership skill that will help you overcome that obstacle. These leadership principles are the same ones that apply to any critical change an organization must undergo!

Elected in May 2020 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024 to serve as a Town Councilmember. As Mayor, my role includes representing resident viewpoints to County officials, County Council members, and State Delegates, performing administrative duties including the setting of Town Council meeting agendas and the signing of permits, and enforcing the ordinances and regulations. As Vice Mayor, my focus was long-range planning and community relations. As the Community Liaison, my focus was to conduct listening sessions with 2,800 residents, address resident concerns, assist with land use issues, and interact with Montgomery County officials on behalf of Town residents. Previously as Chair of the Climate & Environment Committee, responsible for inspiring and facilitating energy conservation and environmental stewardship by the Town Council and Town residents through education, government policies, and incentives.

Founder / Entrepreneur, Green Travel & Tourism:Premier online marketplace that connects explorers with sustainable travel experiences. Greenloons.com received National Geographic 50 Trips of a Lifetime designation as well as print media attention from Travel + Leisure, USA Today, and Washingtonian. SDGs Return on Investment Model:Developed an ROI financial model that incorporates Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) benchmarking metrics, multiplier effects, and tax policies to calculate the economic value of sustainable investments; ROI model takes into account costs/savings/incremental revenues from operational, customer, employee, and community vantage points. Training Development:Developed and presented on topics as varied as the vision, criteria, challenges, quick-wins, long-term strategies, and action plans of sustainability to travel destination stakeholders worldwide. Regular guest lecturer for George Washington University, US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, and Adventure Travel Trade Association, among other organizations.Branding, Marketing, Customer Service:Built branding strategy and online marketing campaigns for Greenloons target market; negotiated contracts with tour operators located around the world; developed custom itineraries for eco-conscious travel clients.

Green Travel & Tourism:The Market Access Working Group promotes the development of broad market adoption and application of the GSTC Criteria. With the ultimate goal of increasing demand for sustainable travel and tourism offerings and building trust among travelers, the group works to identify opportunities and solutions for alignment greater market potential.Eco-Certification:The objectives of the group include: Increasing the number of sustainable tourism products by creating a realizable market incentive for businesses to pursue sustainable operations; increasing the number of sustainable tourism products that are easily accessed in the most utilized market points-of-sale; promoting procurement policies that demand sustainable travel options; building recognition and promotion of local sustainable product through Destination Management Organizations and Tourism Boards; and providing access to market opportunities for small enterprises and community based tourism.

Communication:Wrote articles about ecotourism, eco-certifications, travel tips, and destinations for the community of nature and wildlife enthusiasts interested in discovering more about ecotourism and volunteer conservation efforts available around the world.

Customer Relationship Management:Recruited to organize various IT Projects for eBay’s Customer Support teams; projects included the implementation of marketing/sales software for eBay.de and eBay.co.uk websites as well as customer relationship management pilot programs.Business Process Improvement:Managed the design and implementation of a major fraud detection program for the eBay.com site; global project required integrated approach utilizing various business strategy, research, communication, technical, and problem-solving techniques, as there were data and process parameters, budget constraints, and a large number of business and technical resources spanning different departments across the company.

Business & IT Consultant, Communication, Problem Solving:Responsible for multi-million dollar client enterprise sales and the delivery of services for private sector high-tech and federal government clients including the technical and business quality of all engagement deliverables (i.e. business requirements, design, test plans, training and change management documents); drawing and fulfilling contract terms; tracking and assessing project goals, plans, issues, timelines, action items, and budgets; identifying future business opportunities; assessing client satisfaction and ROI; mentoring team member skill development.Sales Manager, Change Management:Supervised teams of up to 10 individuals (including global teams) on various projects including activity-based cost (ABC) analyses, customer relationship management (CRM) software implementations, balanced scorecard approaches as well as marketing automation, email and knowledge management solutions