Meet the Team

Bill McKay is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Innisbrook, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort.  The 27-year hotel industry veteran directs all marketing and sales strategies overseeing all golf and group sales, as well as catering and revenue management.  Before joining Salamander Hotels and Resorts, Bill held various sales and marketing positions with Hyatt Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, KSL Resorts and with several convention and visitor bureaus in Charlotte, Little Rock and Savannah.  In addition, Bill spent six years in the initial start up, with the Nashville Predators and in the first five seasons securing corporate partnerships and sponsors for the NHL franchise. Bill spends his free time on his John Deere tractor or at a hockey rink watching his 15 year old “Goalie“ son play hockey.

Julie joined the Salamander team in September 2014 as the Director, Regional Sales for the Florida State Association market.  She brings with her 18 years of hotel sales experience in various Florida resorts.  Based in Jupiter, Fl she is responsible for selling Salamander's growing portfolio: Reunioin Resort in Orlando, Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, Hammock Beach in Palm Coast and The Henderson in Destin. Julie serves on the Associate Advisory Committee for the Florida Society of Association Executives.  She also has a Bachelor Science in Recreation & Hopsitality Managment from the University of Florida and Masters of Business Administration from Nova Southern University. 

Nancy Murphy joined the Salamander team in March 2015 as the Regional Sales Manager for the Southeast market. She started her career with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and has over 18 years of sales and marketing experience.  She recently served as the Director of Membership at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, and hosted the first ever back-to-back U.S. Open Championships. Her background also includes corporate sales, tournament operations, golf & leisure, fundraising, and real estate development.  Nancy prides herself on building genuine connections with each of her clients and has a reputation for “doing the ordinary extraordinarily well”.  

Emily joined the Salamander team in May 2016 as the Regional Sales Manager for the West Coast market.  She brings with her 15 years of sales experience and most recently was with the New York Palace Hotel.  She’s has also worked for InterContinental Hotels and Taj Hotels & Resorts.  Emily has a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Southern California. 

Heather is the Director of National Accounts for the Mid-Atlantic region and joins Salamander’s national sales team from Benchmark Hospitality, where she served as Associate Director of Sales at Villas of Grand Cypress resort in Orlando.  Based in Washington, D.C, she is responsible for selling Salamander’s growing portfolio, which includes the luxurious Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA,  Innisbrook in Tampa Bay, Reunion in Orlando and Hammock Beach in Palm Coast; and a fourth Florida resort, Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, scheduled to open in summer 2016. Heather is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.

Rachael join the Innisbrook team in July of 2008.  She has worked at the front desk and in the reservations department and has been instrumental leader on the operations team bringing over 10 years customer service experience.  Rachael spent majority of her tenure at Innisbrook as the Front Office Manager; however, she also spent five months as the Director of Housekeeping.  Rachael is a Regional Sales Manager for Florida and Canada territories. Rachael loves Innisbrook and all it has to offer and truly enjoys sharing with meeting planners all of the possibilities that can come to life for an event, meeting or exhibit. She loves helping meeting planners make their day.

John Harrison joined the Salamander Team in March 2016 as the Director of Regional Sales for the Northeast Market.

A hospitality sales professional and Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) with two decades of experience, John joins Salamander’s expanding national sales team in this newly created position from Pyramid Hotel Group, where he served for 14 years as Director of National Accounts for Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island.

John, who is based in New England, is responsible for selling Salamander’s growing portfolio, specifically the luxurious Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA, and the renowned golf resorts: Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL. He is also charged with developing the Northeast market for Salamander. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, Harrison has previously held senior sales leadership positions with Four Seasons in Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston and San Diego.   

Claudia joined the Salamander team in September of 2016 as the National Sales Manager for Florida and Canada. She started her career with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and has also worked with InterContinental Hotels.  Claudia’s outgoing personality and attention to detail makes Claudia a great addition to the Innisbrook team. She is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that your event at Innisbrook exceeds all expectations. Claudia has a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Event Management from the University of Central Florida. Her passions include attending concerts, playing and watching sports, and traveling. 

Kylie Ferguson joined the Salamander team at Innisbrook Golf Resort & Spa in October 2015 as Senior Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region. She spent 17 years in New York City working in Food and Beverage for boutique hotels and high end restaurants, working under several celebrity chefs.  She started her career in Sales with Starwood Hotels and Resorts in January 2014 at The Westin Hilton Head Island. Kylie has a Bachelor’s degree in The Thomas Hunter Honors Program from Hunter College in New York City. 

Drew serves as Golf Sales Manager for the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida where he books and coordinates golf outings for groups of 12 to 250. Drew is actively involved attending golf trade shows and marketing all three golf resorts as the top golf destinations of Florida. Drew brings great energy to Innisbrook where he continues to broaden his current knowledge on golf industry trends and marketing campaigns to increase sales and surpass his goals. Drew is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has been rewarded with outstanding customer service awards in his past positions over his last 10 years in hospitality. Besides playing golf in his spare time, Drew enjoys playing poker and attending various pro and college sport events.

With a focus on customer service Mr. Thompson joined the Salamander family in February 2007. Tim has been in the golf industry for over 20 years and in Hospitality for nearly 8 years. Tim's focus is ensuring the success of each and every group's program. Tim has the proven ability to create unique member, junior and guest experience using innovative and dynamic programs. Tim enjoys spending time with his kids swimming, barbequing and attending local sporting events.

Jessica Lowe serves as Golf Sales Manager for the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida; featuring Innisbrook Resort, Reunion Resort and Hammock Beach. She brings over 10 years of hospitality and resort experience. Jessica is very knowledgeable in many roles of the hospitality industry, from Front Desk to Director of Sales. Her love of Golf Sales began at Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa in Morgantown, WV from then, she knew she was on par! Jessica's territory includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.  

Rick has over 20 years of experience in hospitality event catering and joins Innisbrook from his most recent position as Director of Catering with Embassy Suites Hotels in Arkansas where he handled all major convention accounts, as well as high profile social events in addition to his management responsibilities. Galipault's responsibilities include booking and coordination of social catering events, business meetings/events and special events at the resort. He collaborates with community and non-profit organizations on a variety of annual fundraising events and works closely with Innisbrook's executive chef and banquet service team to ensure all catered events meet a high standard of quality and creativity. Rick states what he likes best about his position is the opportunity to help people through such a wide variety of what are often “milestone events” in their lives.

Melissa joined Innisbrook in February 2013 as Catering Manager and plays an instrumental role in the execution of an array of Catering events including weddings, social events and corporate meetings and dinners for up to 500 plus guests. Melissa's strong attention to detail and ability to build and maintain relationships with her clients makes Melissa a great asset to the Innisbrook Catering Team. Melissa brings many years of hospitality experience and great passion to exceed the guests' expectations. Melissa wants her clients to know that she has great attention to detail and a passion to exceed their expectations.

Molly joined the Salamander team in May 2016 as the Catering Coordinator and is now is the Executive Meeting Manager.  Molly graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida. She started her career with Ocean Properties Ltd. and has a strong background managing the front office of resorts. On her spare time, Molly enjoys spending time on the water and attending sporting events.