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Huna Totem hires Susan Bell, forms tourism advisory board

Huna Totem Corp. hired Susan Bell as VP strategic initiatives and named her and cruise leaders Howard Sherman, Craig Milan and Charlie Ball to its newly formed tourism advisory board.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

September 24, 2024

3 Min Read
From left, Susan Bell, Howard Sherman, Craig Milan and Charlie BallPHOTOS: HUNA TOTEM CORP.

They will help guide the Alaska Native village company’s tourism strategy and initiatives.

Susan Bell

In her VP role, Bell, a lifelong Alaskan with deep expertise in the state’s visitor industry, will be responsible for overseeing and executing high impact projects.

She has more than two decades of experience in tour operations and destination marketing, previously serving as president of McKinley Research Group, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, and VP of Goldbelt, Inc., Juneau's Alaska Native corporation. Currently, she is assisting the University of Alaska president in launching a new Arctic Leadership Initiative.

Given Bell's recent appointment to Huna Totem, she will be replaced on the advisory board in the coming months.

Veteran senior cruise leaders

The other board members are all veteran senior cruise line leaders with expertise across finance, policy and research, and business and travel consulting. Huna Totem said their expertise will be instrumental as the corporation grows its footprint across Alaska and beyond, leveraging the success of Icy Strait Point, its 20-year-old award-winning cruise destination.

The company is already extending this model to other locations in Alaska including Klawock and Whittier. Klawock began taking calls this year while the new Whittier cruise facility in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings had a test call by Regent Seven Seas Cruises in early September and is expected to be used regularly starting with the 2025 Alaska season.

A Juneau cruise development on land donated by NCLH is also in planning.

Howard Sherman

Sherman formerly served as president and CEO of Oceania Cruises. Before that, at NCLH he was VP onboard revenue and destination services, managing a wide range of departments including air/sea, casino operations, destination services, commercial development, government relations, itinerary planning and land-based construction projects.

Earlier, at Prestige Cruises International (parent of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises), roles included chief revenue officer and EVP revenue management.

Craig Milan

Craig Milan's travel industry leadership roles have been at Royal Caribbean Group, Virgin Voyages, Continental Airlines, Eastern Airlines and Brightline, where he was part of the start-up team at the country’s first privately owned railroad.

Milan’s expertise is in revenue management, tour operations and customer service across the airline, rail and cruise businesses.

Charlie Ball

A former long-time Holland America executive, Charlie Ball served as president of Holland America - Princess Alaska as well as EVP land operations and customer service at Holland America Group.

Ball has overseen worldwide port and shore operations, cruise tour operations and community and government relations. He also has served as senior advisor to Holland America.

Support and insights

'I’m so proud of the work we do at Huna Totem Corporation to not only enrich the lives of our shareholders but also deliver incredible and authentic Alaska experiences to our visitors,' said Russell Dick, Huna Totem Corp. president and CEO. 'As we continue to build our business, we are honored to have the support and insights of these respected and accomplished industry leaders.'

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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