Meet the Team

  • Jesse Neugarten

    CEO, FOUNDER

    Jesse is the Founder here at Dollar Flight Club, overseeing daily operations. Originally from South Africa, Jesse now calls rainy Seattle, Washington home. Over the years, he's accrued hundreds of thousands of airline miles traveling the globe. His favorite recent destinations of choice have been Greece, Mexico, France, and Sweden. He's addicted to airplanes, espresso, and dried mango. Last but not least, he's deeply in love with the Boeing 747.

  • Kyle Maltz

    COO, PARTNER

    Kyle oversees daily operations and growth strategy for all of the DFC brands. That includes connecting us with some of the best brands in the world, building new products, and working on new ways for DFC to be the best in the business for helping travelers explore more. Kyle's an adventure loving Seattleite who's busy skiing or traveling the world when he's not helping DFC move mountains. His favorite trips have been to Thailand, Turks and Caicos, Switzerland, and Costa Rica.

  • Kasandra Hadzima

    DIRECTOR

    Kasandra oversees the Dollar Flight Club Flight Alerts product. Kasandra first fell in love with travel while on an archaeological dig in Ireland. With degrees in history and archaeology she travels to immerse herself in new cultures and learn about history. She loves exploring new destinations and currently lives in Budapest, Hungary. A few of her favorite things include distant castles, new books, and planning her next adventure.

  • Hannah Huizenga

    DIRECTOR

    Hannah joined the Dollar Flight Club team in the summer of 2018. She helps manage the media publishing side of Dollar Flight Club, including all DFC newsletters. She helps manage and grow partnerships as well as audience growth. Although considered a “Southern Girl”, Hannah now lives in Stockholm, Sweden where she spends her time in different cafes searching for the perfect cappuccino. Her favorite destinations include: Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Costa Rica.

  • Libby Collett

    GIVEAWAYS & SWEEPSTAKES MANAGER

    Originally from Canada, Libby currently lives in Madrid, Spain. She has eaten her way through many European countries but her favorite food will always be Italian. If she could be anywhere in the world it would be sitting in a french vineyard drinking rosé with a beautiful cheese board and a side of macaroons. Her next adventure is summiting the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc. Wish her luck!

  • Melanie Grafton

    SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

    Melanie was born in Cuba but came to the US at 12 years old when her family decided to move to Spain and later on to the US. She's been living in the sunny city of Miami for 12 years now and loves it. Her dream is to travel the world and get to know as many countries as she can. Her favorite trips so far have been to Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Italy. Her dream destination is Bora Bora. She enjoys outdoor activities like running, hiking, kayaking, etc…

  • Lauren Kostuke

    PARTNERSHIP ACCOUNT MANGER

    Raised in the Midwest and educated in the South, Lauren is now based in sunny Southern California. From relaxing beach trips to exploring countries rich with history, nothing gets Lauren more excited than hopping on a plane to visit someplace new. Some of her favorite trips have been to Japan, Greece, and Vietnam. As an adventure seeker and major foodie, Lauren is always asking “where to next?

  • Steven Cruse

    WRITER

    Born and raised on the West coast of Scotland, Steven moved to the US for college and stuck around for the better part of a decade. After realizing the 9-5 was grinding his soul into oblivion, he packed his bags and buggered off around the world with his girlfriend. Three years and one pandemic into his travels, he has no intention of stopping anytime soon. Some of his favorite cities are Tbilisi, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai.

  • Emily Beene

    ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

    Born and raised in the South, Emily now lives in Memphis, TN but is always looking to explore somewhere new. Some of her favorite trips have been to Ireland, Copenhagen, & she can never pass up spending time in Amsterdam. When she's not traveling, you can most likely find Emily at her favorite local coffee shop or grabbing a glass of wine with friends and her favorite sidekick, her chocolate lab named Hank. Her next adventure is exploring Alaska!

    Instagram

  • Arijana Ramic

    WRITER

    Although Arijana was born and raised in rainy Seattle, her family has roots in Bosnia and she studied Spanish, making her a trilingual. She loves to solo travel and often does so on a whim to go see her favorite obscure bands. Arijana’s favorite cities include Dublin, Barcelona, and Chicago, but she dreams of one day visiting Medellin and Cartagena. She loves standup comedy, reggaeton, collecting pins and postcards, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of early 2000’s pop culture.

  • Taylor Hackbart

    FULL STACK DEVELOPER

    Taylor grew up in San Diego and is an oceanography fanatic. She lived in Quintana Roo, Mexico for most of 2017 to monitor the health of the coral reefs in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve while simultaneously becoming a PADI professional diver. When she isn’t coding, you can find her in warm, tropical waters geeking over various fishes and corals. Her favorite dives thus far have been off the coast of Cuba and Cozumel, and her top three bucket list destinations are The Maldives, The Great Barrier Reef and The Galapagos. Taylor loves the outdoors and dreams to explore as much as our world has to offer!

  • Bryant Curtiss

    CUSTOMER SUPPORT

    Bryant lives in the US and has traveled to multiple countries. When he is not traveling he loves spending time with his daughter as well as gaming with his wife. He hopes to continue traveling for many years to come so he can experience all kinds of new cultures. He loves being a part of the DFC team and helping people realize their own travel goals.

  • Kaylen Achong

    WRITER

    Born in New York (still my favorite city in the world) but moved to LA at 11 when my father started working for American Airlines. I’ve been fortunate to travel since before I could talk. My favorite destinations are Vietnam, Costa Rica, Tokyo, and Greece. In my free time I love taking walks with my two dogs (Bronx and scout), scouting new wine bars to go to with friends and recently have become obsessed with Pilates classes. My next dream travel destination is Prague!

  • Kenny Freeman

    Senior Account Executive

    Born in Oklahoma and raised in East Texas, Kenny now calls Tacoma Washington home. When he’s not building partnerships at DFC, he spends his time hiking through the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with his family, playing music, or chasing his kiddo around the house. His favorite destinations so far have been backpacking through Laos and driving the Stewart-Cassiar Highway in British Columbia. The next dream destination is New Zealand for a cross country van adventure.

  • Alexa Erickson

    WRITER

    A writer, editor, and content curator, Alexa has spent more than a decade at the intersection of

    lifestyle, culture, and media. Born and raised on the coast of Maine, she now resides beachside

    in Southern California. Traveling the world is equally as important and fulfilling to her as

    exploring her home city—a balance she strives to achieve. Her favorite activities include trying

    out a new restaurant, checking into a luxe hotel, swimming in the ocean, and befriending any

    animal that will let her.

  • Francisco Navarro

    ENGINEER

    Francisco loves long walks on beaches in Hawaii. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is excited about Bitcoin, Ethereum, monster trucks, and cheap flights.

    He works as an advisor for Dollar Flight Club and on all things development and infrastructure.

  • Benjamin Daschel

    ENGINEER

    Ben lives in the Pacific Northwest where he makes sure all the technology behind Dollar Flight Club is running smoothly. He enjoys spending his time exploring great hikes all around the cascades. His specialty is mobile applications and database systems.

  • Deja Bryant

    A dedicated member of the concierge team nestled in California. My global adventures, spanning every continent (except Antarctica), and residences in Chile, the Philippines, and Nigeria have inspired my mission to assist others in achieving their travel dreams affordably. Among my travels, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Kenya, and Indonesia hold a special place in my heart. Beyond curating remarkable experiences, I'm a lover of karaoke, musicals, Disney, and card games. Let's embark on a journey to make your travel dreams a reality!

  • Nathan Kessi

    MARKETING CORDINATOR

    This is Nathan. A recent graduate who is laying his roots in Seattle, Washington. Although young, he has traveled to 38 countries - his favorites of which include Japan, Iceland, and Vietnam. Outside of DFC, Nathan loves pickleball, trivia, watching sports, and hitting the weights.


Meet Our Advisors

  • Josh Payne

    ADVISOR

    Josh Payne is an entrepreneur, investor, and startup advisor. He is most recently was the Founder & CEO of StackCommerce (Acquired by TPG), the leading commerce & content platform.