Noel Irwin Hentschel is the Chairman, CEO and co-Founder of AmericanTours International (ATI), annually serving nearly one million visitors from more than 70 countries. ATI is the second largest woman owned business in Los Angeles County and the largest inbound tour operator in the nation. Founded in 1977 with $5,000 of her life savings, today ATI generates nearly $3 billion into the U.S. economy, the equivalent of selling 250,000 American made cars to the overseas market each year. ATI is headquartered in Los Angeles with regional offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Miami, Orlando, Honolulu, Maui and Beijing.

In 2001, ATI entered into a strategic alliance partnership with AAA and CAA to provide online travel services as a private label preferred partner for servicing their 50 million members. ATI created for AAA and CAA an exclusive member booking engine with a full range of travel products and competitive pricing to help AAA favorably compete with other online travel entities.

A prominent voice for public policy issues that affect the tourism industry, Ms. Hentschel was recently reappointed by the Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and continues as Chair of the Strategic Alliance Committee. She is active in strengthening America’s international relations by working with government leaders in establishing global strategic partnerships, traveling frequently to Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and South Korea.

Noel works with business and government to also respond to humanitarian needs. In 1988, Noel began working with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. She was inspired by Mother Teresa to establish The Noel Foundation to serve those less fortunate. Today, The Noel Foundation humbly serves the Missionaries of Charity and perpetuates Mother Teresa’s legacy by helping them build and establish missions in California and Mexico. These missions feed, clothe and care for the homeless, terminally ill, mentally ill and also provide care for abandoned children and after school programs. Inspired by the example of Mother Teresa, Noel and the ATI team actively serve and care for those who are in need and not able to help themselves.

Noel is an active member of the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and she serves on select boards including the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute, the L.A. World Affairs Council, the Board of Governors Cedar Sinai, the Patron of the Arts at the Vatican, and the Board of Regents at Loyola Marymount University. She has an honorary doctorate for humanities from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. Success Magazine named her as one of America’s leading entrepreneurs ranked with Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart. Time Magazine called her a ‘local hero’ for service in South Central Los Angeles where she accompanies Sheriff’s on ride-a-longs and provides Education Through Travel programs to help prevent youth from joining gangs. Her commitment to public service was expanded when she ran for Lieutenant Governor in California. She is a regular political panelist on television shows, Week In Review and Beyond the Beltway.

Noel attended Notre Dame Academy, before living in Israel, where she began her career in the service industry. She worked in every facet of travel and tourism including cargo, airline and hotel, before co-founding ATI with Michael Fitzpatrick. She was born in Fresno, California, grew up in South Los Angeles and is the eldest of ten children. Noel and her husband Gordon are the parents of seven children. They live in Los Angeles and Carmel Valley where they own and operate Stonepine Estate Resort.