Meet our Team
The Owners
Our owners know travel and have global expertise. And they've been busy, having lived in, led travelers to, or personally visited up to 40 or more countries each, with a combined experience on 6 continents and in 46 countries.
Dan Dieckhaus, Co-Owner & Director of Operations, a certified international tour manager, has led, designed, and organized domestic and international tours for numerous travel companies. He is an experienced global operations professional, ensuring the travel plans for our guests are securely in place. Dan’s job is to oversee the process that makes stress-free journeys for guests.
He possesses a wealth of information and common sense. And on top of everything, he’s a storyteller, leader, problem-solver, and overall funny guy. Dan believes that when you travel with an open heart and mind, the possibilities are endless and the rewards are life changing. |
Caron Cassady, Co-Owner & Director of Travel Design, is a certified international tour manager, independent and group tour developer, and up-scale travel designer. She is a former expat (in Italy) and avid global explorer who has visited more than 40 countries, often solo. Caron listens to our guests and understands their discerning expectations, crafting distinctive itineraries that immerse the traveler in local culture. She draws upon her passion for discovery, traditional food and wine, history, and cultural immersion to create exclusive experiences that reflect the needs and interests of each traveler. She believes travel opens the heart, broadens the mind, and nourishes the soul.
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The Managers
Nicole Jennings, Operations Manager, is a seasoned tour operations, management, and marketing & public relations professional. She makes sure all components of our trips are accurately booked, establishing new supplier relationships, liaising with our local partners on a regular basis, and interfacing with our guests to be sure we and they have accurate information in a timely manner. With an impressive background in tour operations, business management, customer service, and print & digital communications, Nicole is trustworthy, creative, detail oriented, and discreet. Nicole, who studied abroad then lived in Italy for a time, is a globe-trotting rock climber, mountain biker, and outdoor enthusiast. She’s passionate about experiencing the world in authentic and meaningful ways. She brings heart and soul to her work, making her a valuable and exceptional contributor to the Soirée team.
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Monica Cesarato, Product Support Manager, is an experienced travel pro and consultant. Personable and professional, she helps source meaningful experiences, negotiates, and builds or enhances relationships with Soirée partners in Europe and beyond. A multilingual native and resident of Italy, in 2022 Monica launched the Venice Talks podcast. She is the author of Andar Per Bacari (a Venice guide and recipe book), and has been published or featured in numerous international food magazines and televised travel programs, cookbooks, and guidebooks. Catch her in AppleTV’s 2023 The Reluctant Traveler, Episode 3, with Eugene Levy. Monica knows that authenticity truly defines not only the destination, but the journey itself. She is an insightful researcher and connector, filling a critical role on the Soirée team.
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Jen Williams, Communications & Marketing Manager, is an experienced Creative Specialist passionate about travel, photography, social
media, and integrated marketing. Recognized for meticulous project planning, effective communication, and reliable execution, she excels in customer service, problem-solving, and team coordination. She comes to us with a strong background in travel education and design. You can usually find this Vancouver, British Columbia native by her laugh … it carries, but it comes from her soul. She has an outgoing personality and a passion for travel. In fact, she’s traveled to 84 countries and islands and lived in four different countries, often solo. Jen believes travel changes us for the better. That through travel we can find confidence, happiness, compassion, and the pure joy of life. We’re excited to have Jen on the Soirée Team, leading our small company in effective communication with our valued clients, travel agent partners, and new friends.
media, and integrated marketing. Recognized for meticulous project planning, effective communication, and reliable execution, she excels in customer service, problem-solving, and team coordination. She comes to us with a strong background in travel education and design. You can usually find this Vancouver, British Columbia native by her laugh … it carries, but it comes from her soul. She has an outgoing personality and a passion for travel. In fact, she’s traveled to 84 countries and islands and lived in four different countries, often solo. Jen believes travel changes us for the better. That through travel we can find confidence, happiness, compassion, and the pure joy of life. We’re excited to have Jen on the Soirée Team, leading our small company in effective communication with our valued clients, travel agent partners, and new friends.
Soirée Tour Directors
What does a Soirée Tour Director do?
Soirée Tour Directors (or Managers) make the difference between a trip and a memorable journey. They know the destination, the culture, the food, the hidden gems. They take the pressure off you, the traveler, by handling all the logistical details, so you can simply enjoy the moment. Plus they're fun to be with! Our Tour Directors make sure the trip goes smoothly on the ground, help guests with special requests along the way, offer travel tips and orientation in each city, recommend favorite restaurants, and help travelers arrange free time plans. No one knows everything, of course, so we hire expert, licensed local guides for in-depth site visits.
Soirée Tour Directors (or Managers) make the difference between a trip and a memorable journey. They know the destination, the culture, the food, the hidden gems. They take the pressure off you, the traveler, by handling all the logistical details, so you can simply enjoy the moment. Plus they're fun to be with! Our Tour Directors make sure the trip goes smoothly on the ground, help guests with special requests along the way, offer travel tips and orientation in each city, recommend favorite restaurants, and help travelers arrange free time plans. No one knows everything, of course, so we hire expert, licensed local guides for in-depth site visits.
Caron Cassady Caron is one of our Soirée owners, a Certified International Tour Manager, tour director trainer, travel designer, and travel writer. Caron has special affinities for Southern Europe, Iceland, and Southeast Asia. She draws upon her passion for discovery, great local food and wine, history, and cultural immersion to help travelers experience the destination through all the senses. She's worked closely with notable chefs, growers, and restaurant owners to add to her repertoire an exclusive list of chef-curated gastronomic experiences, out-of-the way restaurants, farm visits, wineries and distilleries, helping guests explore both the culinary and scenic heart of each destination. She believes in and promotes a way of travel that respects local communities and enriches the traveler through meaningful moments.
Janette Tepas A life-long traveler and Certified International Tour Manager for over a decade, Janette loves to help guests soak in and savor the culture, history, art and cuisine of any location she visits. Her insatiable eagerness for knowledge pairs well with her enthusiasm to share beautiful, authentic experiences with others. As a dedicated, hard working professional leading high-end travel experiences, she loves to put guests in the heart of the places they most want to be. With a degree in Art and Interior Design, Janette combines her interests in art, architecture, and now history, to share how the past and present relate around the world. A professional photographer, she enjoys highlighting photography locations and moments with guests. Janette knows that travel changes people and that each location will become a part of the traveler and their memories for the rest of their lives.
Chris Ansoff Chris has spent most of his life traveling around the globe with a focus on Europe, Australia, and South Africa, and has lived in Brussels, Belgium. A Certified International Tour Manager, he shares his love of travel by leading groups throughout the United States and in Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. Recent travel highlights include petting a cheetah in South Africa and a week-long sailing trip off the coast of St. Martin on a catamaran. Quick-witted, and fun to be around, Chris's diverse interests include his work as an actor, improviser, and voice-over talent, along with volunteering with Make-A-Wish and his local Humane Society.
Janet Kucks Janet, a Certified International Tour Manager, has been happily leading small group travel for about a decade. She enjoys sharing those in-depth, personal experiences that weave the local culture and food through the journey. Did someone say wine? Janet specializes in Italy, South America (Machu Picchu, Galapagos, Argentina), Switzerland and Austria, and Scandinavia. She has led travel in several other counties and keeps adding to her bucket list. There is a Zen phrase that Janet subscribes to: Leap and the net will appear. "Let us provide the net!" she says.
Karen Dion Karen is a Certified International Tour Manager, adventure seeker, and lover of all things travel! Some of her favorite destinations include the South Pacific, Central America, and Southern Europe. Her personal travel highlights include whitewater rafting deep in the jungles of Honduras, marveling over the view on a flight above the fjords of New Zealand, attending a mysterious plant medicine ceremony in Peru, and scuba diving in the crystal waters of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. A true adventurer at heart, Karen enjoys immersing herself in new cultures, stepping outside her comfort zone, and sharing her love of exploring new places.
Patrick Nixon Patrick discovered his wanderlust when he first stepped foot onto Italian soil at the young age of 17, and his life has never been the same. Over the past 20+ years he has traveled to nearly 30 countries, both solo and in groups, and has also spent time living in both Italy and Nicaragua. As a Certified International Tour Manager, Patrick loves sharing his knowledge of different destinations and cultures with travelers. He understands that no traveler or trip is the same, striving to provide each guest with a truly authentic experience they will never forget. One of his favorite moments is seeing peoples’ faces light up when they embark on a new city for the first time, eager to discover all that they have heard and read about, and then coming full circle when they realize this wasn’t just another vacation, but a journey of self-discovery that will leave them forever changed.
Interested in Tour Management?
We're not hiring right now, but we can recommend that you explore the exciting world of tour management by becoming a Certified International Tour Manager through our friends at the International Guide Academy (IGA). Both of our owners and all of our tour managers have certified through IGA. Please tell them Soirée sent you!