Johnson State College
Professor and Chair of the business and economics department specializing in hospitality and tourism management but also teaching courses in human resource management, marketing, and small business management.
Additional teaching assignments at The University of Vermont in the Environmental Studies Program.
Managing Director, The Institute for Integrated Rural Tourism.
I provide tourism training and product development advice for business owners and others interested in weaving low impact tourism into the economic sector of rural communities.
Have been studying and teaching about ecotourism since 1997 and have practiced rural tourism since 1982 when developed a full service inn on a small farm in Northern California. Have engaged in ecotourism and rural tourism research for fifteen years and presented ideas on "integrated rural tourism", a concept I developed in 1999 which strives to connect small scale farmers with the tourism sector as well as integrate a variety of community members into delivering the tourism experience. Have worked with NGO's and government organizations as well as private entrepreneurs in developing business strategies, delivering training programs, and idenitfying market opportunities especially in Central Europe, Central America, and in rural Vermont.
I am seeking
I am interested in this community of professionals, scholars, and travelers as a way to learn more about ecotourism and how tourism might contribute to sustainalbe development at a variety of scales.
I am offering
Experience in owning and managing small scale lodge on a diversified farm as well as experience in developing and managing an agritourism attraction on 100 acre orchard and diversified vegetable farm.
Experience in designing and delivering training programs with emphasis on customer service, product development, and marketing.
Experience in teaching a variety of tourism and hospitality related courses at the undergraduate level and in working with graduate students.
Surfing, farming and gardening, forestry practices and non-timber forest products, cultural heritage especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and living off the land.
My main area of study currently is on the concept of multifunctionality and how to apply this concept to landscapes at the urban/rural interface in the USA.
Education
Qualifications
Ph.D candidate at The University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Hope to defend dissertation in fall 2012.
Masters in Hotel Administration from Cornell University 1989 with emphasis on organizational development, marketing, and quality management in hotels and resorts.
BS in Economics, Lewis and Clark College with emphasis in small developing economies especially in the South Pacific.
527 days ago
