Resume

• 2019

  Tourism RESET - Race

  Ethnicity and Social Equity in Tourism

  University of Tennessee

  https://www.tourismreset.com/\n\nRESET is a multi-university and interdisciplinary research and outreach initiative that seeks to identify

  study

  and challenge patterns of social inequity in the current tourism industry. Special attention is focused on enhancing the role of racial and ethnic minorities in development

  however the inequity and injustices highlighted through RESET can also include a broad swath of existing struggles such as human trafficking in hospitality

  animal welfare in tourism

  inclusion of people with disabilities

  and the continuing power issues related to gender in economically developing and developed contexts. Little sustained work has been done on the preferences

  characteristic

  and challenges of marginalized travelers and there is a need to incorporate the natural and cultural heritage of racial and ethnic populations into tourism products available to the consuming public. In addition to being a convenient acronym

  RESET captures the progressive nature of the initiative and the belief that tourism development

  if done in sustainable and responsible ways

  can be tools for racial reconciliation and empowerment - in effect pressing the “reset” button on the inequalities and insensitivity of the traditional tourism industry.

  Reseasrch Fellow

  Tourism RESET - Race

  Ethnicity and Social Equity in Tourism

• 2018

  School of Hospitality

  Sport & Tourism Management

  Troy University

• 2017

  The Harrington Graded School was built in the 1920s by skilled African American tradesmen for the education of their children and grandchildren. Our mission is to restore the original Harrington Graded School House

  SSI’s last remaining African American school house.

  Friends of the Harrington School

  Inc.

  This is a festival to fundraise in support of the Hospice of the Golden Isles.

  St. Simons Food & Spirits Festival

  GA Grown Highway 17 Agritourism Trail

  Peace Corps Volunteer

  Parks Planning and Environmental Consultant

  Peace Corps

  Student Affairs

  College Teaching

  Statistics

  Resilience

  Community Development

  Fundraising

  Higher Education

  Academic Advising

  Grant Writing

  Research

  Community Outreach

  Curriculum Development

  Sustainability

  Teaching

  Sustainable Tourism

  Tourism Management

  SPSS

  Ecology

  Hospitality Management

  Program Development

  Ecosystem Services. In C. Cater & B. Garrod (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism

  Ecosystem services. The role of biotic and abiotic components of the landscape in creating a healthy environment. An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals living in a particular environment

  such as a pond or a forest

  and includes physical and chemical components such as soil and water that support the organisms. A service is a process that provides something of value. These services provide positive benefits to human beings and may be large or small and direct or indirect. There are four major categories of ecosystem services: provisioning

  regulating

  cultural and supporting services (MEA

  2005). A provisioning service provides a benefit extracted from nature such as food and food security

  drinking water

  and medicines or pharmaceuticals. Regulating services include carbon sequestration

  climate regulation

  pollination

  and erosion control. Supporting services are nutrient cycling

  the water cycle

  soil formation

  photosynthesis and primary production. Cultural services are non-material benefits of the environment to people such as art

  spirituality

  well-being

  discovery

  recreation and tourism. Ecosystem services are negatively impacted by runoff

  pollution

  invasive species

  overharvest

  habitat destruction

  erosion

  deforestation and human development. Economists and others have attempted to value ecosystem services at various dollar amounts but the complexity of the services makes economic valuation difficult.

  Ecosystem Services. In C. Cater & B. Garrod (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism

  Biodiversity (biological diversity). The variation and variability of organisms in any given environment. The environment can be found anywhere on a continuum of scales from the smallest ecosystem

  to an ecoregion

  a biome

  to the entire planet. The variation and variability includes both the genetic variants within the same species and the array of genera

  families and higher taxonomic levels. The variety of ecosystems includes the communities of organisms within a habitat and the physical conditions therein. Biodiversity should not be confused with species richness

  which is simply a count of the number of species in an area nor with species evenness

  which is how close in numbers species are. Biodiversity is important for the health and productivity of *ecosystem services. The most biodiverse areas on the planet are in the tropical climates and the most biodiverse organism are invertebrates. Higher levels of biodiversity allow for ecosystems to have greater *resilience and to recover following disturbances such as floods or fires. The greatest threats to biodiversity include habitat destruction

  invasive species

  pollution

  human population growth

  overharvest and climate change. Genetic biodiversity helps with prevention of disease while ecological biodiversity builds a range of environments. Although the concept of biodiversity is well known

  science has not been able to catalogue the entirety of organismal biodiversity on the planet. There may be as many as 100 million species on Earth and a mere 2 million have been identified.

  Biodiversity. In C. Cater & B. Garrod (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism

  Over the last decade

  the coastal city of Da Nang

  Vietnam has experienced a considerable rate of growth in its domestic and international tourist visitation. Yet

  little is known about how to manage this growth into appropriate sustainable tourism for development. To better understand a way forward

  16 tourism\nstakeholders from the public and private sectors in Da Nang were interviewed. Specifically

  questions inquired about tourism assets and sustainability. The findings in this research help to establish\nbaseline perceptions of tourism stakeholders in Da Nang and represent a step forward in the city’s interest in sustainable tourism for development.

  Stakeholder perceptions of tourism assets and sustainable tourism development in Da Nang

  Vietnam.

  Despite major investments in community-based tourism to diversify economies

  reduce poverty and improve life quality in the Caribbean

  little is known about what conditions lead to resilience and sustainability. Sustainability from a resilience theory perspective is the likelihood an existing system of resource use will persist indefinitely without a decline in social and natural resource bases. Undertaking activities to enhance resilience and sustainability improves a system’s ability to persevere

  adapt and learn to meet challenges from unanticipated economic

  political or natural events. This study investigated six communities in the Commonwealth of Dominica

  all part of a seven-year community tourism program

  and examined residents’ perceptions of the social

  institutional

  economic and ecological resilience of their community

  and therefore the resilience\nand sustainability of community tourism development. It used a new scale using eight steps suggested by Devellis’ scale development methodology. Data indicated moderate to low resilience in all four domains across the communities. This suggests that communities should invest in strengthening social bonds

  developing capacity in local institutions

  in diversifying the tourism product and controlling infrastructure development. Indicators measuring trust

  networks

  local control

  flexible governance

  leakage prevention and controlled infrastructure development emerged as important in assessing social–ecological resilience and sustainability.

  Resident perceptions of social–ecological resilience and the sustainability of community-based tourism development in the Commonwealth of Dominica

  Measuring the resilience of a dynamic system is a difficult undertaking. This article is an effort\nto present intersecting theories between destination resilience and sustainable tourism. Traditional\ntourism management relies on a narrow focus based in scientific approaches that are often linear\nin concept. This type of thinking may lead to some limitations in planning and a full understanding\nof how the tourism industry operates on various scales. Resilience describes the capacity of a system\nto absorb change and continue to persist. Sustainability is the intersection of social

  economic

  \ninstitutional

  and ecological variables. In this article

  a heuristic model is presented that combines\nand adapts Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle and Holling’s Adaptive Cycle. This heuristic model is\nintended to stimulate theories on destination resilience within the context of sustainable tourism.

  Destination resilience and sustainable tourism development.

  Kate Price

  This study attempted to quantify intention to return to a vacation rental along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast. Compounding this was the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. We examined the intention to return to a vacation rental (nontraditional whole-ownership condominium resorts)

  as well as investigated marketing/retention efforts following the oil spill disaster and data on tourists’ trends over the summers of 2010 – 2013 via bed tax data. Data on tourists' trends since the oil spill provided inference on the resilience of resort tourism in the area. Qualitative interviews with key informants of property management companies allowed analysis of customer retention efforts. Bed tax data in the region indicated strong growth from 2010—2013. Customer intention to return was most strongly influenced by proximity and amenities. Retention efforts after the spill focused on targeted messaging that built social capital values of trust and networks

  thus improving resilience and moderating the customer perceptions of oil spill impacts in the region.

  Resorts

  resilience and retention after the BP Oil Spill Disaster of 2010

  Yoga tourism is a type of niche tourism. A tourist in the practice of yoga during travel or specifically travels to practice yoga is a yoga tourist. The ancient Sanskrit word yoga means union

  yoke or to connect. One who practices yoga seeks to connect with self

  with others and with surroundings. Yoga has deep roots in Indian culture and has been practiced there for millennia. Since the 2000s yoga has seen growth in popularity in Western cultures and particularly the United States (US). A study of yoga tourism in the US indicated that four motivations for yoga tourism were: seeking spirituality

  enhancing mental well-being

  enhancing physical condition and controlling negative emotions. Yoga tourism is a journey of self with transformative capacities on physical

  psychological

  spiritual and social awareness—these act to integrate mind

  body and spirit. Yoga tourism is considered part of special interest tourism but also wellness tourism. Research on yoga tourist typologies remains thin but has indicated that yoga tourists have high levels of education

  high household incomes and work in professional or technical fields. The small but growing research in yoga tourism is beginning to investigate the theoretical transformative properties of yoga tourism on community development and positive psychological

  emotional and spiritual community capitals. This model of transformative yoga tourism posits that as the influence of the creative yoga tourist gains momentum within a community

  a critical mass of positive change on community capitals will be realized.

  Yoga tourism. In J. Jafari & H. Xiao (Eds.). The Encyclopedia of Tourism

  In September

  2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico leaving catastrophic damage.\nThis research report addresses the mobilization of the Utuado communities in the wake of Hurricane\nMaria. Utilizing their own resources

  they are pursuing socio-economic development through farm\nrehabilitation

  agritourism and agrotherapy through a project known as ‘Tetuan Reborn’. This\ntype of self-organization enhances community resilience to disasters. Resilience has implications for\nsustainability

  public health

  and risk reduction through higher levels of community cohesiveness

  \nsocial capital and coordination. Finally

  the Utuado model of resilience could extend out to the region\nand the entire island.

  Utuado

  Puerto Rico and Community Resilience Post-Hurricane Maria: The Case of Tetuan Reborn

  Prince Frederik’s Battery was identified as significant to interpretation and preservation. In light of this

  the St. Thomas Historical Trust was the recipient of an American Battlefield Protection Program Grant to assist with the documentation and preservation of this 18th century fortification. This paper focuses on the virtual restoration of Prince Frederick's Battery. Researchers recorded extant ruins using a laser scanner and registration of the point clouds

  then reverse-engineered the scan data to create two-dimensional drawings. These were used to create a three-dimensional model of the site and a rendered animation. This project generated digital documentation for posterity and narratives that play an actual and virtual role for heritage tourism and a valuable connection to the local population—one that aligns with the unique heritage of the Virgin Islands.

  An intersection of digital historical preservation and heritage tourism: Prince Frederik's Battery

  Virgin Islands National Park

  This article examines a heuristic paradigm of a yoga-spirit-travel nexus and its agency on the identification-of-self. In the ancient Sanskrit yoga means union or yoke. Yoga practice may act as a yoking or linking element between self-identity and spiritual development such that yoga travel may lead to the enhancement of self-identity for the yogi traveler. Conceptually

  the practice of yoga acts as a catalyst for travel to partake in foreign yoga experiences. Both during travel and in the travel destination

  the engaged spiritual capital via yoga may act as an uplifiting transformative agent for identity formation. We conclude that by linking self-identification to a yoga-travel-spirit nexus a foundation of self-enlightenment may emerge.

  Identification-of-self through a yoga-spirit-travel nexus

  In 1984

  the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor was established as the first heritage area in the United States. In 2006

  the United States Congress designated the Canal Corridor\nAssociation as the coordinating entity for the corridor. In 2011

  the Canal Corridor Association finalized a master plan detailing six areas of concern: boundaries

  conservation

  education

  heritage

  recreation

  and tourism. To facilitate stakeholder coordination and plan implementation

  an exploratory social network analysis of stakeholder organizations within the corridor was employed. Social network analysis is used to detect and interpret patterns of social ties among actors in complex systems. Using Gephi for visualization

  and network metrics and modeling

  we identified the relationships among actors.\nThe Canal Corridor Association was the most highly connected organization and several other stakeholder organizations emerged as important in the network. These data are an important step for understanding information diffusion

  cooperation

  coordination efforts and social-ecological resilience for the Canal Corridor Association. Further research is needed to explore this network and its\nsocial dimensions.

  Exploratory social network analysis of stakeholder organizations along the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

  This chapter examines the transformative potential of yoga tourism on individuals and communities. The question asked is whether yoga tourism has the capacity to transform communities towards enlightenment and acceptance

  while building psychological

  emotional and spiritual capital.

  The transformative power of yoga tourism

  With the United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasting 2 billion international tourists by the 2030 there is something to consider. A volume of travel to such a scale means an opportunity to harness the tourism industry to bring people closer to Jesus. This exploratory paper begins an exploration of Christians travel experiences and transformative impacts of those experiences through interactions with other Christians. Using data from a group text messages and a personal journal

  this paper presents how one specific trip type - short-term mission - influences the ‘exchanged life’ first posited by the missionary Hudson Taylor in the 1800s. Further

  there is a discussion of the\ntheological connection between experiential tourism and transformation with foci on biblical passages - Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18. The paper concludes with consideration of how transformative outcomes

  for both individuals and those they interact with during these trips

  may draw them closer to God.

  Transformative potential of a short-term mission trip experience.

  Generally

  it is assumed that the well-being of rural communities is linked to their level of resilience. However

  despite the importance of community resilience

  and its potential to underpin long-term\neconomic development

  assessing community perspectives regarding local conditions necessary to support resilience are often ignored during the planning phases of tourism development projects in many areas of the world

  especially in countries such as Vietnam

  which generally employ top-down\nplanning processes. The purpose of this study is to address this oversight by using household survey techniques to investigate residents’ attitudes toward three components of community\nresilience

  environmental

  social

  and economic resilience

  in the context of a tourism development planning process in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark in northern Vietnam. The results of the\nstudy highlight how understanding community resilience can be used to inform future tourism development efforts including infrastructure development

  capacity building

  and environment\nresource management.

  Examining Community Resilience to Assist in Sustainable Tourism Development Planning in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark

  Vietnam

  Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST). A not-for-profit organization established in 1997 by the Caribbean Hotel Association focused on responsible tourism development in the Caribbean. The goals of CAST are based on Agenda 21 for the Travel & Tourism Industry. The efforts of the organization include tourism certification

  standards development

  best practices in environmental management

  advocacy and targeted fund raising. In addition this organization assists in regional capacity building through education and training related to sustainable tourism as well as promotes industry successes and acts as a linkage or focal point among the stakeholders with sustainable tourism interests in the region.

  Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism. In C. Cater & B. Garrod (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism

  Baseline. A quantity used for a basis of comparison against future measurements. A baseline is always the first empirical measure for a phenomenon and will act as a benchmark. This known value allows calculations to be made to examine increase

  stability or decrease of a variable in question. Thereafter

  rationale decision-making may be used to address factors and trends of concern. Baselines are easily depicted in graph form for visual information and data interpretation.

  Baseline. In C. Cater & B. Garrod (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism

  The Commonwealth of Dominica has one of the most depressed and volatile economies in the Eastern Caribbean due to perennial hurricane damage

  depressed agricultural exports

  the global recession

  and volatile fuel prices. The European Union attempted to fortify their economy with grants to diversify Dominica’s tourism market. Yet

  little is known about the conditions required to improve the resilience of community tourism in island nations such as Dominica. To fill this gap

  we interviewed 25 decision makers regarding the necessary conditions and characteristics of resilient tourism development in Dominica. Interviews focused on social

  institutional

  economic and ecological resilience dynamics as the island transitions into a tourism economy. In particular this research examined: sustainable tourism development practices; reactivity of communities to internal and external pressures; the importance of social capacities; institutional (governance) design; economic stability; and ecological security. The data created baseline information from community and individual standpoints that provided guidance to enhance tourism products and the resilience of tourism dependent populations. The findings from this study represent a step forward in applying resilience theory to understand community tourism development.

  Social-ecological resilience and stakeholders: a qualitative inquiry into community-based tourism in the Commonwealth of Dominica

  This field note seeks to answer the two following research questions: (1) What is needed to improve sustainability practices and competitiveness in ecotourism companies located in developing countries? and (2) What is needed to overcome the low prices paid by ecotourists due to inadequate business management and the adoption of inappropriate ecotourism practices

  which lead to externalities for ecotourism operations? Answering these questions provides fundamental information

  as it relates to better understanding how ecotourism operators and companies can better capture the economic benefits related to such experiences.

  Overcoming externalities: towards best ecotourism business practices in the Yacuma River Protected Area

  Bolivia

  The Golden Isles are home to a long and proud African American and Gullah Geechee heritage. Ibo Landing was the site of a mass suicide in protest of slavery

  the slave ship Wanderer landed on Jekyll Island and

  thanks to preservation efforts

  the Historic Harrington School still stands on St. Simons Island. From the Selden Normal and Industrial Institute to the tabby cabins of Hamilton Plantation

  authors Amy Roberts and Patrick Holladay explore the rich history of the region's islands and their people

  including such local notables as Deaconess Alexander

  Jim Brown

  Neptune Small

  Hazel Floyd and the Georgia Sea Island Singers.

  Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Golden Isles

  On September 18

  Hurricane Maria passed directly over Dominica

  resulting in 31 fatalities and 37 people missing (United Nations

  2017a). In about a day and a half

  it quickly intensified offshore from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane and then made landfall in Dominica. The island sustained extensive damage

  including ripped roofs and buildings

  destroyed crops

  disrupted power and water supplies

  landslides

  flooding

  and washed-out roads and bridges. Since the hurricane

  most schools have reopened and economic activities have resumed

  such as businesses and shops reopening and markets offering a wide selection of food products (United Nations

  2018). School attendance

  however

  has not returned to pre-hurricane levels

  80% of the population has not regained electricity

  the majority of housing has not regained adequate roofing

  and many people have lost their source of livelihood

  especially livelihoods within tourism and agriculture (United Nations

  2017b

  2018).\nThese factors are salient to the economic landscape of Dominica as more than a quarter of the island’s 70

  000 residents are in extreme poverty (Central Intelligence Agency

  2018). This poverty ties into vulnerabilities and related economic impact of natural disasters that are compounded in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Dominica. Of particular interest in this study is the connection of youth to livelihood opportunities—farming

  fishing

  and tourism—in the face of such difficulties. What are youth perceptions of employment alternatives

  the access of young people to the alternatives

  and the future of those livelihoods? This regional economic geography approach concerns itself with youth prospects

  sustainability

  resilience

  and the island’s future.

  Tourism in the coastal zone: livelihoods and opportunity for youth in Dominica

  Patrick

• 2015

  GCTA serves as the official tourism marketing entity for the region including Brantley

  Bryan

  Camden

  Charlton

  Chatham

  Effingham

  Glynn

  Liberty

  McIntosh

  Pierce and Ware counties in Georgia.

  Georgia Coast Travel Association

  Slow Food Coastal Georgia

• 2013

  International Seafarers Center

  Troy University

  Brunswick GA

  School of Hospitality

  Sport & Tourism Management

  Assistant Professor

  Troy University

• 2012

  Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau

• 2011

  University of St. Francis

  Department of Recreation

  Sport & Tourism Management

  University of St. Francis

  Peace Corps

  Parks Planning & Environmental Consultant Program

  Peace Corps Volunteer

  Slovak Republic

• 2009

  Tri-County Technical College

  Anderson

  SC

  Department of Arts & Sciences

  Adjunct Faculty

  Tri-County Technical College

• 2007

  Clemson University

  Department of Park

  Recreation & Tourism Management

  Clemson University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Parks. Recreation & Tourism Management

  Graduate Student Senator

  Clemson University

• 2006

  Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Carolina

  Francis Marion University

  Central Carolina Technical College

  Department of Science & Department of Natural Resources

  Adjunct Faculty

  Sumter

  South Carolina Area

  Central Carolina Technical College

  Department of Biology

  Adjunct Faculty

  Florence

  South Carolina Area

  Francis Marion University

• 2005

  ITS

  Fort Irwin (Mojave Desert)

  CA

  Desert Tortoise Research Assistant

  ITS

  \n\n

  Troy University

  Faculty supervisor for the 1st and 2nd place winners in the College of Health & Human Services undergraduate research competition

  Troy University

  Faculty supervisor for the 1st and 2nd place winners in the College of Health & Human Services undergraduate research competition

  \n

  Troy University

  Graduate Student Award for Excellence

  Clemson University

• 2002

  Eastern Kentucky University

  Peace Corps

  Richmond

  KY

  Biological Technician

  Eastern Kentucky University - Great Journeys Begin Here

  Richmond

  KY

  Department of Biological Sciences & Department of Geography & Geology

  Graduate Research Assistant

  Eastern Kentucky University

  Master of Science (M.S.)

  Concentration in Applied Ecology

  Biology/Biological Sciences

  General

  Eastern Kentucky University

• 1994

  Bachelor's degree

  concentration in Wildlife Biology

  Aquaculture

  Fisheries and Wildlife Biology

  Clemson University