Travel is in Mike Schields' DNA. His mother emigrated from Italy to the US and his father was an executive at TransWorld Airlines. Together, they instilled in Schields a passion for travel with frequent trips to Europe as well as vacations throughout the US and Caribbean.

His career in travel began two decades ago when he joined a cruise line (the predecessor to Celebrity Cruises) and eventually became Celebrity Cruises' regional sales director for the Midwest and Canada.

In 1999, Schields entered the fast-paced world of startups when he joined Freeshop.com. There, he launched one of the first travel sites designed to link consumers to travel agents and suppliers. And following that, Schields joined a Chicago-based tour operator that was a part of the affinity group market. He later became the tour company's president.

In 2003, Schields joined the Globus family of brands. His accomplishments have included leading the introduction of the Avalon Waterways brand, developing the company's successful Religious travel division and opening new foreign markets for the award-winning tour operator. Now, as the company's managing director of groups and emerging markets, he is responsible for the continued growth of groups as well as ensuring Globus' expansion goals are met by developing new products, new markets, and fostering new partnership agreements.

An avid Cubs fan (he played baseball in college and also enjoys it in his free time), Schields lives in Chicago with his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Madeline and Olivia.