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The individuals are what makes Travel With Barb what it is today. Learn about our amazing team members below.
Barb is a highly regarded professional in student travel, holding a CTA certification from Travel Careers Institute and earning an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Torch Awards for Ethics and is recognized by the Empire Registry of Executives and Professionals for her business excellence. In 2016, she was named one of the Top 10 Influential Women in Student Travel, followed by the Groups Today Tenacity in Travel Award in 2020. She became a Certified Student Tour Planner in 2021, with her company achieving the CSTO distinction in 2022. Barb was honored with the Youth First Award in 2024, chosen by her industry peers. Most recently, Barb was awarded the Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense for supporting her employees who are members of the military when they are called to service.
With 11 years of experience as a high school band director, Barb led her ensembles on numerous trips, bringing a deep appreciation for the unique value educators bring to these journeys. She is dedicated to making logistics seamless for teachers so they can focus on their students. Her contributions to education include service as a former Nebraska Music Educators Association board member, the conference coordinator for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, and an ongoing volunteer role with a large high school band program. She is an active member of SYTA (Student Youth Travel Association) and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Student Youth Foundation, supporting youth travel access for underserved students.
Barb’s true passion lies in fostering teamwork and empowerment—whether with her Travel With Barb team or in her volunteer roles. She is driven by a commitment to help others grow and thrive, creating opportunities for people to come together and reach their full potential.
Jen started her career in the vocal music classroom, where she saw firsthand the way travel opened the eyes and the minds of young people. Her passion for merging student travelers and inspirational destinations only increased when she began working as a Tour Director for Travel With Barb in 2004.
She is proud to serve as Director of Sales for TWB. Jen knows that travel can change lives and this fuels her passion for delivering incredible service to our clients.
Groups Today, the Community for Group Travel Professionals, featured Jen as one of the ‘Top 10 Next Gens’ and wrote a feature profile showcasing her passion about the student travel industry. As of 2023, Jen is a Certified Student Tour Planner.
Lisa joined Travel With Barb in 2016 to work in the operations department. She began developing a network of relationships with vendors, hotel staff, and sales managers to ensure that student groups have a perfectly organized and worry-free trip. Now, as TWB’s Director of Operations, she is putting her passion to work bringing your group access to the best events and activities to create an educational and memorable travel experience. With years of experience in the banking world, you can be sure that Lisa is used to checking everything twice and will not overlook a single detail of your trip. In March 2020, Lisa’s enthusiasm and dedication to student travel was profiled by Groups Today magazine as she became the second TWB team member to be named one of the “Top 10 Next Gens”. In her free time Lisa enjoys going on walks with her husband Mike, their son Calvin, daughter Madeline, and dog Murphy. Lisa and Mike also can’t wait to teach Calvin and Madeline all about the fun outdoor activities they enjoy such as fishing, golfing, and kayaking.
SALES ASSOCIATE/CLIENT EXPERIENCE MANAGER, CSTP
Email: gus@travelwithbarb.com
Phone: 402.614.9793
Fax: 402.614.9743
Gus earned his Business Management degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2022. He started at TWB as an intern in early 2022 and after graduation landed a role in the sales department. Gus finds great joy in helping educators deliver an amazing travel experience to their students.
While at UNL, Gus participated in Symphonic Band and Varsity Choir, and served as a Section Leader for the Cornhusker Marching Band. His coursework in leadership and grant writing resulted in two grants being awarded to non-profit organizations. Gus is an incredible musician and plays Euphonium in the 43rd Army National Guard Band. If you get a chance to hear them, do it, as they are a high caliber ensemble. Gus enjoys travel and music and is an avid sports fan. You could find him biking, running, or walking his dogs in his spare time. Gus is a chef and prides himself in pairing food and drink quite well! (that’s great news for the TWB team!).
Gus was raised in Omaha but has enjoyed traveling the world (literally) through music. He knows firsthand that travel can change lives. In 2023, Gus was awarded the “Next Gen” award from Groups Today for making an impact in his position and the student travel industry as a whole.
Frank Stroup is a Lincoln native who graduated from UNL with his bachelor’s degree in music education and music Technology in 2014. Frank then moved to the Washington DC area where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Maryland’s Athletic Bands while working to earn his master’s degree in music and Trumpet Performance. He completed his master’s degree in 2017, studying trumpet under Chris Gekker and Steve Hendrickson.
In the fall of 2017, Frank moved back to Nebraska and began his career teaching instrumental music in Omaha Public Schools and later in Lincoln Public Schools. In November of 2017, he joined the Nebraska Army National Guard as a trumpet/cornet player in the 43rd Army Band and is currently a non-commissioned officer. He was recognized by the Nebraska Music Education Association as the “Young Music Educator of the Year” in 2021. After 6 years of teaching 5-12 instrumental music, he joined TWB and enjoys serving students and teachers in his role of Account Manager. Frank has recently been named by Groups Today as a “Next Gen” award winner. The award recognizes individuals aged 40 and under who have made an impact within their position and the group travel market as a whole by approaching the industry with a fresh and progressive perspective. Frank loves performing on his trumpet and spending time with his wife, Megan, two daughters, Scarlett and Eva, and two kitties, Harper and Bebe.
Tina Schwahn, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, has 30+ years of experience directing choirs in Nebraska. She is a retired teacher who taught vocal music and directed choirs and show choirs in the Millard and Elkhorn school districts in the Omaha area. She holds degrees (BME and MME) in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also serves women as a personal stylist and wardrobe consultant as well as through her website and lifestyle blog at tinafayeschwahn.com. Tina is overjoyed to be serving you as part of the TWB Team.
Maddie was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska where she began her 6-year career
as a music educator in Lincoln Public Schools. She received her degree in music
education at Doane University. She is also Orff certified and was honored with the
Lincoln Public Schools “Inspire Award” in 2019. She has always been passionate about students and knows how much travel can impact students’ lives. The trips she attended, as a student, in high school are still some of the highlights of her time at LSE: a band trip to San Diego and a choir trip to New York City. The TWB team organized both trips and they were unforgettable! In her spare time, Maddie enjoys spending time with her husband, Will, and their two dogs, Arlo and Liam. She loves reading, traveling, gardening, and all things plants. She is excited to be part of the TWB team and to help make dream destinations a reality for educators and their students!
Tyler earned his degree in Business Management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While at Nebraska, Tyler was a member of the Big Red Express and served as a Rank Leader for the Cornhusker Marching Band. He started his career working with Law Firms supporting the use of their day-to-day software among other items which
provided great experience with attention to detail.
Tyler is from Omaha and enjoys staying active by playing Sand Volleyball, Golf, Officiating Basketball, and Umpiring Slow Pitch Softball. He also enjoys watching sports and traveling to watch his favorite teams play. This includes watching Nebraska football play in 10 different Big 10 Stadiums and watching a baseball game at 17 different MLB stadiums.
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