TheBridge profile: Philip Minardi

Name: Philip Minardi

Current city: Washington, D.C.

Current job: Head of Public Affairs, Expedia Group

Past job: Vice President of Communications, The Travel Technology Association

Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting: Slipstream in Navy Yard

Q. Describe one skill you learned in a previous job that helped you in your current job: My first job out of college was in corporate sales. The further away I get from that gig, the more I've come to appreciate the interpersonal and communications skills developed in the sales profession.

Q. Job advice in three words? Find a mentor

Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between politics and tech? Travel is a powerful force for understanding in our world. With an extensive brand portfolio that includes some of the world’s most trusted online travel brands such as Expedia, HomeAway, Orbitz, Travelocity, and VRBO, Expedia Group takes pride in utilizing technology to help people understand the world around them. We work closely with policy stakeholders in the local, state and national arenas to explore the value travel technology brings to communities.

Q: What is your morning routine? As T.S. Eliot's poem aptly conveyed, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons." The only constant feature of my morning routine is a strong cappuccino (If interested, check out Breville's Barista Express Espresso Machine; Intelligentsia's Black Cat Espresso beans)  

Q: Most underrated virtue in an employee? Passion -- It can often triumph over gaps in education or skill and has the added benefit of being infectious for fellow team members. 

Q. Living person you admire? Walter Isaacson -- In the span of a few weeks I read his powerful new Leonardo da Vinci biography, caught him running around at SXSW, and saw him speak eloquently at a New Orleans Planning Commission meeting. Inspired by his seemingly insatiable appetite for knowledge. 

Q. Startup to watch? Noiseaware.io -- NoiseAware exemplifies the concept that the tech community can step in to effectively address concerns associated with new industries. Co-founders Dave Krauss and Andrew Schultz developed the "smoke detector for noise" to help solve nuisance issues in the short-term rental community.

Q. How do you unwind after work? A pair of Brooks running kicks + Audible. Washington D.C. is a dream city for runners!

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