KEN SHAPIRO

VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, TRAVELAGE WEST, FAMILY GETAWAYS, EXPLORER

After Ken got his B.A. from UCLA, his plan was to teach high-school English or work for the post office while he wrote the great American novel. Fortunately, a Master’s from Columbia University and a career in publishing saved him from this future. Sure, Ken’s early publishing career included such mind-numbing gigs as editing the “Ultimate Doll Book” and the “Encyclopedia of Gardening,” but once he proved that he could stay awake through those assignments, eventually Karma rewarded him with a job at TravelAge West. Today, Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning travel-trade brands TravelAge West, Family Getaways and Explorer. He’s also the founder of the WAVE Awards, the premier travel industry award program in the Western U.S., and was one of the creators of the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat. Ken is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and has won writing awards from numerous organizations, including SATW and the North American Travel Journalists Association. He is also a recipient of the Diamond Award from the Southern California chapter of the American Society of Travel Agents. He’s been interviewed by NPR, the BBC and The New York Times, among other fancy-pants organizations. He lives with his wife and their two teenagers in Los Angeles as he waits for his media invite to Antarctica (his last continent) and Virgin Galactic (his first space adventure).