Built by agents, for agents. No games, no gimmicks.
Atlas Coast exists because we spent years in this industry watching it get done wrong... and decided to do it differently. Learn about us and why we're the radically transparent agency.
Join Atlas Coast
Founder & CEO
Melissa Newman, PhD
Most people know me as Professor Melissa: the travel influencer with an admittedly unhealthy obsession with cruises and a platform that somehow grew to over 30 million views a month. Several years ago, I was sitting in the same seat you might be sitting in right now: a travel agent trying to figure out how to build a real business in an industry that didn't always make that easy.
I've been a travel agent for several years, across different host agencies. I've seen what the good ones get right... and I've seen what the industry as a whole gets consistently wrong. And I spent a long time thinking about what a host agency would look like if it were actually built around the agent's success instead of its own.
That's Atlas Coast Travel Group. Outside of travel, I'm an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Cincinnati's Lindner College of Business, where I've taught for over a decade. I published my first textbook, Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations, in 2024. I've been featured in Bloomberg, Barron's, MarketWatch, and the Wall Street Journal as an expert voice on the travel and hospitality industry. I hold a BBA in Marketing, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Leadership, and a PhD.
My job at Atlas Coast is simple: bring the academic rigor, the industry experience, and the platform together to build something agents can actually trust. Transparent by design, built by agents, for agents.
Atlas Coast Travel Group
Meet the Team
Bati Altan
Co-Chief Operating Officer
Bati didn't take the traditional path into travel. He built a career as a police officer before deciding he wanted something different: the freedom to see the world on his own terms. He left law enforcement, became a travel agent, and built a social media brand around exactly that life. If you've seen Bati on a Boat, you already know he takes the travel part seriously.
That pivot gave him something most COOs don't have: a firsthand understanding of what it actually feels like to start over in a new industry, figure out how it works, and build a business from scratch. He knows what agents need because he is one. Bati holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Loyola University.
Kelley White
Co-Chief Operating Officer
Kelley spent over two decades in management, running retail operations and working in the healthcare sector, before deciding the corporate grind had run its course. She became a travel agent while still working full-time, built her business, and eventually reached the point where she could walk away from corporate entirely to run her own agency full-time.
That agency is KellTravelled, and she still runs it today. She knows what it takes to build a travel business from nothing while juggling a full-time job, because she did exactly that.
Kelley oversees day-to-day operations, bringing her two decades of systems thinking to the agent experience.
Betsy Retyi-Gazda
Chief Financial Officer
Betsy Retyi-Gazda brings analytical expertise, business leadership, and operational precision to Atlas Coast Travel. She comes from a career in healthcare finance, and teaches business at the college level, helping students connect classroom concepts to real-world decisions. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an MBA, and brings that foundation to every part of Atlas Coast's financial operations.
At Atlas Coast, Betsy runs the financial side, from commission reconciliation and bookkeeping to financial reporting and operational support. A natural problem solver, she builds systems that keep the business running efficiently. Off the clock, she writes fantasy novels, cheers on Cincinnati sports (Go Reds and Who Dey!), and dives into gaming, the spooky, and true crime.
Jennifer Koster, ACC, PhD
Chief Learning Officer
Dr. Jennifer Koster didn't come into learning through theory alone. She built her career in classrooms, coaching conversations, and leadership spaces, designing experiences that helped people think differently and engage more deeply with the world around them. As Chief Learning Officer for Atlas Coast Travel, she turns travel into something bigger than a vacation.
That background gives Jennifer something rare in this space: the ability to turn travel planning into a genuine learning experience. Her approach blends education, storytelling, and shared experience to create moments that stay with people. Jennifer holds a BS in Public Administration, an MA in English, and a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition, plus the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential.
Susan Noel
DIRECTOR OF CLIENT RELATIONS
For more than eight years, Susan has worked in recruiting and retention, mostly inside the fast-moving worlds of transportation, logistics, and staffing. She learned how to find the right people, keep them, and build relationships that hold up under pressure.
That experience gave Susan a real talent for the relationship side of business: she listens closely, follows through, and makes people feel genuinely looked after. As Director of Client Relations, she brings that same care to Atlas Coast, making sure the people who count on us never feel like just another name on a list.
Donna Respeto
support supervisor
Donna keeps the support operation running smoothly, overseeing the team and making sure every agent question gets the attention it deserves. The team often refers to Donna as "the glue" because she's the one making sure nothing falls through the cracks. She works with the team to ensure every matter is resolved fully.
Outside of her day-to-day role, Donna also manages the full-time operation of motherhood, and when she's not helping keep things running at Atlas Coast Travel Group, you'll find her hiking, heading to the beach, or spending time with her family.
Shiela Bolanos
SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Shiela brings warmth and professionalism to every agent interaction, making sure no question goes unanswered. With years of support and service experience behind her, she thrives on organization and on turning ideas into action.
First and foremost, Shiela's a devoted mom of three. When she's not working, you'll find her chasing spontaneous adventures with her kids, savoring the little things in life, and making memories with friends and family. Travel runs in her blood, too. Her brother works for a cruise line, so a love of exploring has been part of her story for as long as she can remember.
Nicole Verdejo
SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Nicole is a dedicated support specialist who goes above and beyond to help agents navigate questions, bookings, and supplier relationships with care and precision. Friendly and approachable by nature, she loves connecting with people and brings real enthusiasm to everything she does, all while keeping agents organized and on track.
Nicole's also a devoted mom of three who balances family life with a genuine commitment to the people she supports. Outside of work, she enjoys relaxing walks, time at the beach, and tracking down newly opened restaurants to try.
Atlas Coast Travel Group
Meet our Coaches
Melissa Mack
AGENT SUCCESS COACH
Melissa spent 25 years in hospitality, working both hotel sales and operations. She has a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management and a habit of chasing down the why behind every problem, which turned into a talent for research and, eventually, for training other people to get there faster.
She became a travel agent while still working full-time and built her own agency, Sea & Sun Escapes by Mel, which she still runs today. She knows what it takes to grow a travel business around a full-time job, because she's doing it right now. That's also why she's good at coaching new agents through the early months, when the learning curve is steepest.
Lisa Smith
AGENT SUCCESS COACH
Lisa spent over 15 years in oil and gas, where her whole job came down to one thing: keeping people safe. Two years ago she and her husband, James, turned a shared love of travel into a business and launched Celestial Escapes, which they still run together today. She's been in the industry long enough to know what actually moves a booking and what just looks busy.
She pairs her travel expertise with a background in training, and she puts both to work mentoring new advisors at Atlas Coast as they build their businesses from the ground up. She's big on sharing what she knows, because confidence is what gets a new advisor moving.
Jaime Ryter
AGENT SUCCESS COACH
Jaime is an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) with bachelor's degrees in Applied Leadership and English and master's degrees in Healthcare Administration and Leadership & Ethics in Higher Education. She's a lifelong lover of travel and the ocean, and she specializes in cruises, Caribbean all-inclusive resorts, and guided group travel. She also plans trips for families with special needs and travelers using mobility devices, so accessibility is a real part of her practice.
She owns her own agency, The Vacation Game Plan, and coaching is the part of the work she loves most: giving new advisors the confidence and practical skills to build a real business while taking good care of their clients. Her take on all of it is that every great journey starts with the right game plan.
Our Mission
Atlas Coast Travel Group is committed to radical transparency, genuine agent support, and building a host agency where independent travel agents can grow sustainable businesses without recruiting pressure, hidden fees, or confusing commission structures.
Ready to build something real?
If you've been waiting for a host agency that actually makes sense, one that's honest about what you'll earn, and what you'll get, Atlas Coast might be exactly what you're looking for.
Not ready to decide yet? Watch the free session first. No payment, no pressure, just an honest look at how it all works.