FORT MYERS, FL, December 8th, 2020 – Debra Lee Nashed, Founder of Debonair Concierge Travel Services, has been selected as a woman of influence and the sole travel professional included in the inaugural edition of the KNOW Fort Myers Book. This edition of the KNOW Book was launched December 1st and features 70 Fort Myers women at the top of their fields.
With more than 30 years of experience creating V.I.P. travel experiences, Debonair Concierge Travel delivers custom trips of a lifetime, focusing on luxury and adventure. Nashed earned her Bachelor of Arts at SUNY Albany in New York, is a graduate of the Travel School of America in Boston, and has earned certifications specific to Egypt, Africa, Mexico, Bermuda, river cruising, and adventure travel.
In addition to concierge and V.I.P. travel curation, cruises, and safaris, Debonair’s travel services include Passports for Singles and Debonair’s Travel for a Cause. Passports for Singles helps to connect solo travelers wishing to experience world travel in groups. Debonair’s Travel for a Cause, the agency’s philanthropy mission, assists nonprofits with fundraising. Most recently, Debonair’s Travel for a Cause raised funds for the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation, WGCU’s PBS and NPR stations, and Hope Hospice. Nashed also sits on the board and steering committee of the Lisa Foundation. She’s currently working on WGCU’s next adventure in Egypt, scheduled to launch in September of 2022.
Nashed is known in Southwest Florida business circles as a networking master, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a dedication to nonprofit causes. No stranger to women’s professional development groups, Nashed was a key player in the 2016 formation of the Imperial River Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association, and is the current Chapter Vice President.
ABOUT KNOW FORT MYERS BOOK, VOL. 1
KNOW was initially launched in Phoenix, AZ as a way to bring attention women who demonstrate outstanding impact on their community and in their professional accomplishments. The majority of the women featured in KNOW – over 90% – are between the ages of 30 and 75 and own their own businesses. KNOW has spread to more than a dozen cities since its 2017 inception. Fort Myers KNOW Ambassador, Erica Castner began in February of 2020 to assemble collection of professional women to include in the Book. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project persisted.
