Michelle Peluso’s résumé would make some executives twice her age drool. After completing degrees at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and OxfordUniversity, she rose through the ranks of Boston Consulting Group. She then served as a White House fellow and senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman in 1998 and 1999.

Ms. Peluso then struck out on her own, founding last-minute online travel company Site59.com. Travelocity bought the company for $43 million two years later, and Ms. Peluso became Travelocity’s vice president of hotels, then COO. In December 2003, she was named president and CEO. Under her leadership, the online travel company’s revenue increased to $503 million in 2004 on $4.9 billion in gross bookings, up from $3.5 billion in bookings the year she joined.

Ms. Peluso splits her time between New York City and Dallas, which is near the headquarters of Travelocity parent Sabre Holdings. A third-generation entrepreneur from upstate New York, Ms. Peluso started a global nonprofit peace organization as a high schooler, and in college ran a mentoring program for middle school students in West Philadelphia.

DallasWest PhiladelphiaHer philanthropic streak has only increased with time—she just joined the board of TechnoServe, which helps entrepreneurs in developing countries build businesses. Ms. Peluso has said she’ll eventually re-enter politics, but for now, she’s a hot prospect for a company looking for a young, dynamic CEO.