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Gingerbread-making AEF Experience

Invest in the next generation of travelers and hospitality professionals.

The American Experience Foundation (AEF) enriches the lives of students through inspirational experiences and educational opportunities to cultivate the next generation of hospitality industry leaders. AEF invests in young people, connecting them with the travel and tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives to help ensure they can enter college and career with confidence.

  • INSPIRE - Free field trips to our nation’s capital for students from DC and across the country
  • TRAIN - Internships and educational opportunities to connect students with hospitality industry professionals
  • EDUCATE - Scholarships to qualified students and alumni from DC’s ten high school Academies of Hospitality & Tourism, Culinary Arts, and Mass Media

AEF is the official non-profit affiliate of Destination DC (DDC), the destination marketing organization for our nation’s capital. By leveraging the resources and networks of DDC and its 1,000 member businesses, AEF is uniquely positioned to open doors for students, filling a need for career exposure and paths to success.

Dijon July 4th
AEF Concord Share

Kelly Cantarero-Flores, AEF Intern Summer 2020 & 2021, Wilson High School Class of 2022

"I will be forever thankful to have the AEF team as mentors and for all the valuable things I have learned from and through this internship. I feel more confident in my abilities and skill sets to enter the workforce."

Learn More About AEF

2024 Annual Review

2023 Annual Review

2022 Annual Review

2021 Annual Review

2020 Annual Review

2019 Annual Review

2018 Annual Review

AEF Staff

Brittany Anderson

Brittany Anderson

Program Manager

202-789-7064

Email Brittany

 

Claire Carlin Headshot

Claire Carlin

Executive Director, American Experience Foundation

Senior VP, Partnerships & Alliances, Destination DC

202-789-7048

Email Claire

 

Christen Miller

Christen Miller

Partnership Manager

202-789-7009

Email Christen

 

Haleluya Demeke Headshot

 

​​​​​Haleluya Demeke

Partnership Manager

202-789-7052

Email Haleluya

Charlie Ross Headshot

Charlie Ross

Assistant

202-789-7050

Email Charlie

 

Lisa Waldschmitt

Associate Director

202-789-7065

Email Lisa

 

 

AEF 2024 Career Ready Interns

Asly Argueta Benitez

Asly Argueta Benitez

Senior, Coolidge High School

 

Nealia Williams

Nealia Williams

Senior, Coolidge High School

Christian Osbourne

Christian Osborne

Senior, Ballou High School

 

Valerie Benitez

Valerie Benitez

Senior, Jackson-Reed High School

*Valerie completed a co-hosted internship with the Washington Nationals

Mista Barnes

Mista Barnes

Graduated Senior, Maya Angelou PC High School

Freshman, Montclair State University

 

 

AEF 2024 College Intern

Mattison McDonald

Mattison McDonald

Sophomore, Washington & Jefferson College

Coolidge High School 2023

 

 

 

 

AEF 2023-24 Advanced Internship Program

John "JT" Thompson, a young Black man, stands in front of brick background. He is wearing a navy blazer with the crest of Ballou's Academy of Hospitality and Tourism.

John "JT" Thompson

Senior, Ballou High School

Melany Mendez Casas, a young Latina woman, stands in front of a brick wall. She wears glasses and a black polo shirt.

Melany Mendez-Casas

Senior, Coolidge High School

 

 

 

 

 

Mailing Address

 

American Experience Foundation

901 7th Street NW

Fourth Floor

Washington, DC 20001

 

AEF Board of Directors

 

Chair
John Snedden 

Owner, Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company

 

Vice Chair

Tanisha Lewis

Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

 

Secretary
Skye Curry

Manager, Global Quality, Marriott International 

 

Treasurer
Greg Casten

President, Oceanpro Industries

At-Large Members

 

Michael Akin 

President, LINK Strategic Partners

 

Michael Borris
Director of Global Accounts, Encore

 

Skye Curry
Manager, Global Quality, Marriott International

 

Stacy Eacho Smith General Manager, Hyatt Place DC/White House

 

Elliott L. Ferguson, II
President & CEO, Destination DC

 

David Grosso

Partner, ArentFox, Shiff, LLP 

 

Bill Heater

Vice President & General Manager, Big Bus Washington DC

 

Eric Kincaid
Vice President of Sales, Choose Chicago

 

Tanisha Lewis

Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

 

Destiny Kibalama

Director of Recruiting & Human Resources, Clyde's Restaurant Group

 

Elif Sen,
General Manager, Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Navy Yard Riverfront

 

Rauf Shakir
Chief Executive Officer, USA Guided Tours

 

Gail Smith-Howard

General Manager [Retired], Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill

 

Charles Williams II

Director of Sales and Marketing, Hotel Indigo Old Town Alexandra

 

Alex Wilson 
Director [Retired], Jackson- Reed High School Academy of Hospitality and Tourism

AEF Student Advisory Board

 

Chair

Zoe Roberts
George Mason University Class of 2022

 

Lauren Brown
Howard University Class of 2022

 

Kwame Brown

Full Sail University  Class of 2023

 

D'mani Harrison-Porter

Morehouse College Class of 2019

 

Diamond Hunter

Temple University Class of 2022

 

Cayla Lewis

Columbia Heights Educational Campus Class of 2019

 

Mattison McDonald

Washington & Jefferson College Class of 2027

 

Tadjanique Phillips

Columbia Heights Educational Campus Class of 2019

 

JP Roberts
Eastern Connecticut State University Class of 2026

 

Anura Sharma
Georgetown University Class of 2026

 

 

American Experience Foundation Diversity Equity & Inclusion Mission

The American Experience Foundation recognizes and celebrates personal and cultural differences within our organization and its work and is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all program participants, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders.

  • AEF strives to empower and support those from traditionally underrepresented communities, especially young people, in order to bring meaningful transformation across racial, cultural, and generational boundaries.

  • AEF believes in the value of every individual and that each of us is deserving of dignity and respect in the workplace. This commitment to this is not only about professional responsibilities. It is also about actively cultivating a supportive environment based on acknowledgment and appreciation for a diversity of experiences and beliefs.

  • AEF is committed to ensuring that our employees, as well as our partner educators, scholars, and other stakeholders, can work, learn and grow in an environment free from discrimination on the basis of a protected characteristic and free from any conduct, comment, gesture, graphic or contact that is likely to cause offense or humiliation.

 

American Experience Foundation Sustainability Mission

The American Experience Foundation (AEF) views sustainability through a lens of People, Purpose, and Place, encompassing a wide range of actions and policies that affect the long-term health of our natural and built environment, the communities where we live and work, and the people that we serve.

  • As AEF has close ties to the hospitality and tourism industry, the organization follows and promotes the United Nations Tourism’s definition of sustainable tourism, “that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

  • AEF’s mission is to connect students and young people with professionals and executives that look like them, sound like them, and come from similar backgrounds and lived experiences. It will actively seek out a variety of partnerships to best build opportunities to make these connections; AEF promotes authentic representation through its partners, scholars, educators, and other stakeholders telling their own stories in their own words when possible.

  • AEF encourages community capacity building and engagement by hosting programs, events and outings in all four quadrants of the city; AEF prioritizes local suppliers and businesses for all purchases and the use of reusable and sustainable materials at events and programs. AEF prioritizes the use of public transportation for programs and events, most especially for staff; however, the organization recognizes public transportation use is not always a safe or practical decision for educators, scholars, or program participants without immediate access in their neighborhoods.

  • AEF works with its office partner Destination DC to monitor energy, water, and other amenity usage in the office and future reduction goals, including compliance goals with DC Department of Energy and Environment’s Building Energy Performance Standards.

 

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