IAOTP names Jill Chitwood Top Travel Consultant of the Decade

The International Association of Top Professionals will honor Jill Chitwood, co-owner of Sights Unseen Travel Agency, at its annual awards gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in December 2026. The recognition adds to a long list of business, community and travel-industry awards for Chitwood, who also leads the Marion K9 Project.

Why it matters: - IAOTP’s selection puts Jill Chitwood in a limited group of honorees recognized for professional achievement, leadership and community impact. - The award caps a year in which Chitwood is also set to receive the Empowered Woman Award. - The honor adds visibility to Sights Unseen Travel Agency and to Chitwood’s community work in Marion, Ohio.

What happened: - IAOTP selected Jill Chitwood as Top Travel Consultant of the Decade for 2026. - IAOTP will honor Chitwood at its annual awards gala in December 2026 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. - Chitwood is co-owner of Sights Unseen Travel Agency, a Cruise Brothers affiliate. - IAOTP President Stephanie Cirami said the organization is honored to have Chitwood in the IAOTP family and highlighted her leadership as a female entrepreneur. - IAOTP’s gala information is available at the annual awards gala page.

The details: - Chitwood has more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry. - Her work includes planning all-inclusive trips and cruises, booking hotels and rental cars, arranging itineraries, coordinating travel insurance and securing villas, cabins and group packages. - Chitwood and her husband, Wayne, run Sights Unseen Travel Agency together. - She earned an associate degree in business administration and management from Marion Technical College in 1982. - Her earlier career includes roles at Mannatech Incorporated from 2004 to 2007, Marion Mayem Professional Indoor Arena Football Team from 2006 to 2010, and the Northern Kentucky River Monsters from 2011 to 2014. - Chitwood and her husband also served as league representatives with the Continental Indoor Football League for three years. - Her honors include four straight Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio Torch Award for Ethics finalist nominations from 2022 through 2026, five consecutive Best Travel Agency in Marion County wins, the Angels Among Us Award, and induction into the Marion Technical College Hall of Fame in 2024. - She has also been recognized by Who’s Who of Professional Women and Continental Who’s Who, which featured her in its Inner Circle 2025 Winter Quarterly Magazine. - IAOTP named her Top Travel Consultant of the Year in 2024.

Between the lines: - IAOTP’s vetting process and limited membership are designed to make the recognition feel selective rather than mass-market. - Chitwood’s profile blends business leadership with local civic work, which appears to strengthen her public reputation beyond travel sales alone. - The repeated awards suggest a long-running emphasis on ethics, community service and small-business visibility.

What's next: - Chitwood will be honored in December 2026 at IAOTP’s gala in New York City. - She will also receive the Empowered Woman Award at the same event. - Chitwood says she hopes to inspire people entering the travel field. - More information is available at Sights Unseen Travel Agency.

The bottom line: - IAOTP is using its decade award to spotlight a travel consultant whose work extends from travel planning to local nonprofit fundraising and civic leadership.