Jannelle Wilkins, B.A., M.P.A, the Executive Director of the Monteverde INstitute, Wilkins has over thirty years of experience working with NGO's on community development. As one of the founding directors of Mi Casa Resource Center in Colorado, Wilkins helped build a model micro enterprise center for minority women. Wilkins also acted as Regional Director of Mi Carrera, a career program for adolescent girls whose participants achieved an unprecedented 85% graduation rate when the average dropout rate for Hispanics was over 50%. She later coauthored the book "Diminishing Sex-Bias in Youth Employment and Education Programs". As an educator, Wilkins has a wealth of expertise in language acquisition and brain-based learning.
Martha Honey, Co-Founder and Co-Director, CREST
Martha Honey has written and lectured widely on ecotourism, Travelers' Philanthropy, and certification issues. Her books include Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who owns Paradise? (Island Press, 1999 and 2008) and Ecotourism and Certification: Setting Standards in Practice (Island Press, 2002). She worked for 20 years as a journalist based in East Africa and Central America and holds a Ph.D. in African History. She was Executive Director of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) from 2003 to 2006.
Carlos Hernandez, President and Director, Pellas Development Group
Carlos Herandez's firm is committed to socially and environmentally responsible resorts, hotels, and housing. Trained as a civil engineer in his native Mexico and in finance in the U.S., Hernandez has 18 years of tourism development experience in the Americas and Europe. He joined the Pellas Development Group in 2006 where he is overseeing development of the Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Panama, the guacalito de la Isla project on the coast of Nicaragua, and the Santa Elena Preserve Project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The Pellas Development Group is the official sponsor of the opening reception and dinner.
Gustavo Segura, General Manager, Ramada Herradura
The Ramada Herradura in San Jose is an urban hotel with a strong comitment to Travelers Philanthropy. In 2011, the Herradura, under Segura's direction, became Costa Rica's first large urban hotel to achieve top ranking (5 green leaves) under Costa Rica's Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program. Prior to joining the Herradura, Seguar was GM of Lapa Rios, the country's first ecolodge to earn 5 green leaves. Segura has kindly donated the free drinks for the opening reception and dinner.
Margarita Penon, former First Lady of Costa Rica (1986-1990)
Margarita Penon is active in a number of conservation, peace, human rights, and gender equity issues. As First Lady during the first administration of President Oscar Arias, Penon sponsored a law on women's equality (approved in 1990) and established a program to build parks in communities. When President Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize (1987), Penon became the first President of the Board of Directors of the Arias Foundation. In 2001, she left the Naitonal Liberation Party to help create a new green party, the Citizen Action Party and she was elected to Congress in 2002. Penon serves on many boards and as an advisor for CREST on specific projects in Costa Rica. She attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
"Travelers' Philanthropy as a Core Component of Responsible Travel"
Erika Harms, Executive Director, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Senior Advisor on Tourism at the United Nations Foundation Ms. Harms is a native of Costa Rica and graduate of the University of Costa Rica's Law School. As director of the GSTC, Ms. Harms is focusing on creating global standards for sustainable tourism and promoting certificaiton programs that measure the impacts of tourism businesses based on environmental, social and economic criteria. At the United Nations Foundation, she spearheaded initiatives such as the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism and the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. In 2008, CondeNast Traveler magazine recognized Ms. Harms as a "Trail Blazer" in Sustainable Tourism.
The Short Course: "How to Establish & Manage Travelers' Philanthropy Programs"
This Short Course, which was offered before the official conference opening, was designed to coer the basics - the "nuts and bolts" - of Travelers' Philanthropy. It is designed to help responsible tourism businesses, NGO's, and community organizations to prepare for, plan, implement, and manage Travelers' Philanthropy initiatives. The presenters include l eading experts from around the world.
Julie Klein, Director of Environmental Affairs, Rock Resorts International, Vail Resorts Hospitality
Prior to joining the Vail Resorts corporate team, Julie Klein was the Director of Environmental, Health and Safety for the Grand Teton Lodge Company, in magnificent, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Her international work supporting from ski slopes to the seas is focused on championing brand-wide environmental programs that enhance Vail Resorts long-standing commitment to offering extraordinary vacation experiences in iconic natural environments.
James Stewart, Managing Director, Eco-Touring Consortium
Prior to getting involved in this Proyecto Titi activity, James spent 30 years in the high tech industry on the west coast USA and in particular 28 years with HP where he ended his career as a vice president and general manager over a $400M business unit. Additional experience as a chief operating officer in a smaller $200M company has brought him business management skills that he is migrating to conservation and tourism. He is currently establishing four separate companies engaged in developing a concept around "conservation travel"
Seema's work is based in India and focuses on issues related to ecotourism, biodiversity and climate change across the Asia region. Seema is a graduate from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.In 2008, Seema was affiliated with the Centre for Responsible Travel (CREST) in Washington DC, USA as a Fulbright Scholar. The focus of her work there was to look at the viability of certification of ecotourism for India
Keith Dokho is a sustainable tourism specialist with expertise in tourism market research and strategic planning, SME and community based tourism development, destination branding, and tourism business planning. He has recently focused on collaborating with the impact investment community to develop a framework for investing with small growing businesses (SGBs) in the tourism sector in Rwanda. At DAI, Mr. Dokho has managed projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Mexico, and Timor-Leste for donor agencies and private sector clients.
Kevin Salwen, Author, Reporter, Columnist and Editor, Wall Street Journal
Kevin was a reporter, columnist and editor at the Wall Street Journal from 1981 to 2000. At the nations largest newspaper, Kevin helped cover two presidential administrations, wrote two columns and launched two publications. In 2006, at the urging of his then 14-year-old daughter Hannah, Kevin and his family embarked on a family philanthropic project to help villagers in Africa build a better future for themselves and their children. He is also the author of, "The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back", a book based on this project.
Jane Crouch, Responsible Travel Manager, Intrepid Travel, Australia
Jane is the Responsible Travel Manager for Intrepid Travel, based out of Melbourne, Australia. Intrepid Travel operates affordable small group adventures, currently in more than 100 countries around the globe. Jane works to foster best practise in responsible travel throughout Intrepid’s operations and helps steer Intrepid’s sustainability strategies, carbon reduction and neutrality program and community support. Prior to tourism, Jane has worked in outdoor education, energy conservation and has had 25 years involvement with several international NGOs. In 2002, Jane established The Intrepid Foundation, which has gone on to now support more than 50 organisations globally, and has distributed over US$2.2m.
William is the Bing Professor in Human Biology in the Department of Anthropology and the Yang and Yamazaki University Fellow. He has worked in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama, and together with students, conducted impact assessments of ecolodges in Costa Rica and Peru. He is currently involved in a multi-year project in the Osa Peninsula. Durham has particular interest in ecotourism as a means to promote conservation and development in Central America, Africa, and Galapagos.
No Powerpoint Presentation: "Four Secrets for Building Donations"
Judy-Kepher Gona, CEO, Basecamp Foundation, Kenya
Moderator
Judy served as an Advisory board member for the 2011 Travelers' Philanthropy Conference, a
speaker at the International conferences on ecotourism, and a planner for the 2002 year of ecotourism conference in Kenya.
She was the Host/organizer of the Ecotourism at a Crossroads Conference in Nairobi Kenya, 1998.
She was the
First CEO of the Ecotourism Society of Kenya &
among authors for the Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook as well as a
developer for the Eco- certification scheme for hotels, lodges & camps in Kenya.
Workshop #3: From Charity to Sustainable Development
Jimmy Pham, Founder and CEO of KOTO
KOTO is a vocational training centre for Vietnam’s street and disadvantaged youth. Jimmy Pham’s philosophy has always been that KOTO (Know One, Teach One) will teach hospitality, English and life skills, to empower trainees with the skills to live their lives as happy, well-rounded people. KOTO is now recognised as a leader in the social enterprise sector, for which Jimmy receives regular acclaim. In 2011: honoured by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a “Young Global Leader” for his professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.
Traveler, humanitarian, and teacher, Toni is the guiding spirit behind Myths and Mountains, and founder of READ Global, a nonprofit global organization that builds rural library community centers and seeds businesses to fully sustain and support the centers in Nepal, India and Bhutan. READ Nepal was selected as recipient of the 2006 Access to Learning Award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and READ Global was honored with a major replication grant from the foundation in 2007. Among other honors, Toni also has received the Walk the Talk Global Citizen Award, the International Visionary Award Award, and the Friends of Nepal Award.Myths and Mountains has been honored by Travel & Leisure as one of the "2010 Ultimate Adventure Outfitters from Around the Globe" and by National Geographic Adventure as one of the "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth." Toni is also the Conde Nast Magazine's 2010 Nepal Top Travel Specialist.
Marina Novelli, Principal Lecturer, Tourism Development & Management, Center for Tourism Policy Studies, Univeristy of Brighton
Marina Novelli has a background in economics and human geography, and an interest in development and management studies applied to tourism. Her most recent research is in the field of international tourism planning, tourism and regional development, rural diversification, sustainable business development and management, tourism product development, niche tourism, capacity building, community based and pro-poor tourism approaches in Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia. She has recently worked on assignments with the World Bank, UNIDO, UNESCO, the EU, National Ministries, Regional Development Agencies and NGOs.
Martha Honey has written and lectured widely on ecotourism, Travelers' Philanthropy, and certification issues. Her books include Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who owns Paradise? (Island Press, 1999 and 2008) and Ecotourism and Certification: Setting Standards in Practice (Island Press, 2002). She worked for 20 years as a journalist based in East Africa and Central America and holds a Ph.D. in African History. She was Executive Director of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) from 2003 to 2006.
Workshop#4: Serving Local Development Priorities Through Travelers' Philanthropy
Keith Dokho, Tourism Development Specialist, DAI
Keith Dokho is a sustainable tourism specialist with expertise in tourism market research and strategic planning, SME and community based tourism development, destination branding, and tourism business planning. He has recently focused on collaborating with the impact investment community to develop a framework for investing with small growing businesses (SGBs) in the tourism sector in Rwanda. At DAI, Mr. Dokho has managed projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Mexico, and Timor-Leste for donor agencies and private sector clients.
Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Magda came to the United States as National Sales Manager for a Spanish export company. She is the first woman from Spain to reach the summit of an 8,000 meter peak (Cho-Oyu 26,907 ft.). In appreciation for the help she received from the Nepali people during her expeditions, in 1999 Magda and her husband, Hugh, co-founded Namlo International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works in Nepal and Nicaragua. Since then, Namlo has built 7 schools reaching out to over 2000 children in Nepal and Nicaragua.
Justin Welch brings experience in water resource policy and management, tropical ecology and environmental conservation through public engagement. Welch has worked extensively with the local Biological Corridor initiative, environmental consultancy projects for multi-institutional stakeholder groups, and water education programs for high school and university students. Currently he oversees program development, fundraising and project management within the Monteverde Institute's Community Programs department.
Workshop #5: Integrating Social Media and New Technologies Into Travelers' Philanthropy
Keith Whittingham, Professor, Rollins College
Dr. Keith Whittingham is Associate Professor of Sustainable Enterprise and Management Science at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, USA. He also serves as Visiting Faculty in the Sustainability Seminar at INCAE, in Alajuela, Costa Rica. In addition to serving on the Rollins College Committee on Environmental and Sustainability Issues, Dr. Whittingham was a founder of the college’s Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Enterprise Initiative.
Christina Tunnah is the VP of Business Development, The Americas at Worldnomads.com. Before that, Christina worked as the director of marketing - the Americas at Lonely Planet Publications/BBC Worldwide. She was also Co-Owner & Director of Sales & Marketing at Counter Production LLC. Christina Tunnah graduated from Cornell University S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. She speaks Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French and basic Japanese.
Marco has always had a passion for telling stories through images. While studying Film and Literature at UCLA he began working his way through the media industry from MAD TV to eventually producing programming for LATV Spanish music television in Los Angeles. In 2003 he became the Director of Media for a then small internet startup company, Onestop Internet and helped grow them into the e-commerce giant they are today building an online image presence for their client roster including True Religion, 7 for All Mankind, Alpine Stars, J Brand, Dickies Girl, and many more.
David is CREST’s Washington Coordinator and is facilitating a variety of the center’s projects. David’s background includes work as an international trade paralegal, in hospitality management at a DC hotel, and over two years of experience in adventure and ecotourism in the developing world as he backpacked through South America, Eastern Europe, and Southern Africa. Prior to joining CREST, David coordinated environmental conservation initiatives in the tourism industry with Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. He holds a Masters of Tourism Administration from the George Washington University, where he focused on sustainable destination development.
Workshop #6: Travelers' Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): How to Build and Integrate Travelers' Philanthropy into the Tourism Business
Judy Kepher-Gona, CEO, Basecamp Foundation
Judy served as an Advisory board member for the 2011 Travelers' Philanthropy Conference, a
speaker at the International conferences on ecotourism, and a planner for the 2002 year of ecotourism conference in Kenya.
She was the Host/organizer of the Ecotourism at a Crossroads Conference in Nairobi Kenya, 1998.
She was the
First CEO of the Ecotourism Society of Kenya &
among authors for the Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook as well as a
developer for the Eco- certification scheme for hotels, lodges & camps in Kenya.
Ronald Sanabria, Sustainable Tourism Director, Rainforest Alliance
Ronald Sanabria has worked with the tourism industry on certification, productivity, quality assurance and sustainability since 1992. He joined the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture program in 1998, and two years later began developing the organization’s tourism program.
Sanabria led the creation of the Sustainable Tourism Network of the Americas, which today has more than a hundred members representing 25 countries in the Americas. Internationally, he is a Board member of the the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and represents the Rainforest Alliance at the UN Global Sustainable Tourism Partnership. Sanabria was the recipient of the 2008 EXPOTUR Friend of Nature Award in recognition of his efforts to promote sustainable tourism in Costa Rica.
Bruce Beckham, Executive Director, Tourism Cares, USA
Bruce is the Executive Director of Tourism Cares, a travel industry philanthropy that was formed in 2005 when the United States Tour Operators Association’s Travelers Conservation Foundation merged with the NTA’s National Tourism Foundation. He is a former tour operator and travel agency executive, a former President of the National Tour Association (NTA) and the National Tourism Foundation.
Mike Robbins, Partner, The Tourism Company, and TIDES Donor TIDES
Mike has been working as a professional tourism consultant for 30 years, mostly based in Canada. In 1994 he started his own boutique management consulting firm, the Tourism Company (www.tourismco.com), now recognized as one of the top tourism consulting firms in Canada. Working with Aboriginal peoples has been an area of interest during my career starting with involvement in some of the earliest community-based tourism planning work conducted in Canada's arctic in the early 1980's. Aboriginal cultural tourism and ecotourism development have become my personal passion.
William is the Bing Professor in Human Biology in the Department of Anthropology and the Yang and Yamazaki University Fellow. He has worked in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama, and together with students, conducted impact assessments of ecolodges in Costa Rica and Peru. He is currently involved in a multi-year project in the Osa Peninsula. Durham has particular interest in ecotourism as a means to promote conservation and development in Central America, Africa, and Galapagos.
Workshop #7: Ethical Issues: Protecting Children, Wildlife, and Fragile Ecosystems
Trysh Ashby-Rolls, Journalist/Author, Canada
Trysh-Ashby Rolls has been a journalist for over 30 years writing, producing documentaries (‘Canada’s Sex Trade’, ‘Canada’s Underbelly—Children in the Sex Trade’, ‘Pornography and Community Standards’) and speaking on challenging social issues. She is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Canadian Association of Journalists. She holds an M.A. (Distinction) in Women’s Studies and Education from the University of London, England, specializing in psycho education with traumatized populations.
Alfredo Figueroa has worked for the Fundacion para la conservacion y desarollo del sureste de Nicaragua/Fundacion since 2009. He is responsible for the environmental component of the Rio San Juan sustainable tourism project. Before that, Alfredo worked on the Proyecto Lapa Verde, with the Centro Cientifico Tropical, Costa Rica as an assistant investigator for the Lapa Verde conservation project. He has a masters degree in Biology from la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua.
Maximiliano Brandt, Member Society Development Manager, WSPLA Latin American/Caribbean Regional Office
Maximiliano Brandt was born in southern Chile, holds a B.A. in Engineering from UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE, a B.A. in Applied Behavioral Science from NATIONAL LOUIS UNIVERSITY and a Masters from CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY. Maximiliano worked during 15 years for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in its Headqueraters in Washington as well as in its regional office. Since leaving the IDB has worked for different NGOs, such as Apedela, Corporacion de Desarrollo, Peace Corps and IDRC in areas of organizational governance. Since 2006 is the Member Society Development Manager for the Regional Office of WSPA covering Latin America and the Caribbean.
Kyra Cruz has more than 14 years experience in the tour operation industry. In 2001 she first became aware of community-based rural tourism and since then dedicated all her previous experience to strengthen community-based rural tourism in Costa Rica. She first helped the Small Grants Program to edit the first and second Community-based rural tourism guidebook, and provided various workshops on marketing techniques to community-based rural tourism initiatives. Since the opening of ACTUAR, Kyra has been the Director of the association.
Workshop #8: Linking Community-Based Tourism Services to Travelers' Philanthropy
Maria Barquero, Outreach Manager, Grupo Islita
As Grupo Islita’s Outreach Manager, Maria acts as a communications liaison between the hotels’ management, marketing department, guests, press, and relevant NGO’s. She is actively involved in content creation to educate the average consumer about sustainable travel practices via in-property print material, press releases, and social media engagement. Before joining Grupo Islita, Maria worked as an investment services associate for a sustainability-focused private equity firm in Washington DC. Maria holds a BA in International Studies and a MA in International Transactions from George Mason University, Virginia.
Carlos Bolanos is a Costa Rican Hotel Management professional with an eleven-year track record in the administration and stewardship of premium destinations in Costa Rica. He has degrees in:
(2004) Psychology. Universidad UCACSIS; San Jose, Costa Rica & (2000) Business Administration. Universidad Fidelitas; San Jose, Costa Rica.
Andy Bystrom is a Masters Candidate, Natural Resource Management, UNED, San José, Costa Rica, 2011. He has 3 years of community outreach conservation and education experience as a Project Manager for PRETOMA, a Costa Rican NGO. Andy is the Designer/manager of the artisanal sustainable fisheries project, marine protected area and responsible tourism development, and market reform. The project was selected as a National Geographic Global Competition winner (2011).
Merlyn Oviedo is the founder of Danta Corcovado Lodge in the Osa Peninsula Costa Rica. He used only fallen wood to remodel and re-design his family home into a sustainable and incredibly beautiful lodge. He is a leader in sustainable tourism in the Osa Peninsula.
Andrea Holbrook, Executive Director, Holbrook Travel, USA
Andrea Holbrook is from Gainesville, FL. After graduating from Columbia University she lived in Sarapiquí, Costa Rica where her family had founded Selva Verde Lodge. There she became involved with the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center, an organization that connects local communities with conservation through educational opportunities and ecotourism. She now directs Holbrook Travel, a tour operation focused on educational and natural history travel and remains very involved with Selva Verde as well.
Margarita Penon, former First Lady of Costa Rica (1986-1990)
Moderator
Margarita Penon is active in a number of conservation, peace, human rights, and gender equity issues. As First Lady during the first administration of President Oscar Arias, Penon sponsored a law on women's equality (approved in 1990) and established a program to build parks in communities. When President Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize (1987), Penon became the first President of the Board of Directors of the Arias Foundation. In 2001, she left the Naitonal Liberation Party to help create a new green party, the Citizen Action Party and she was elected to Congress in 2002. Penon serves on many boards and as an advisor for CREST on specific projects in Costa Rica. She attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Paula Vlamings, Associate Director, Planeterra, USA
Paula Vlamings is an accomplished leader and collaborator with over 17 years in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She is currently the Associate Director of the Planeterra Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable community development and investment through tourism.
Jane Crouch, Responsible Travel Manager, Intrepid Travel, Australia
Jane Crouch is the Responsible Travel Manager for Intrepid Travel, based out of Melbourne, Australia. Intrepid Travel operates affordable small group adventures, currently in more than 100 countries around the globe. Jane works to foster best practise in responsible travel throughout Intrepid’s operations and helps steer Intrepid’s sustainability strategies, carbon reduction and neutrality program and community support. Prior to tourism, Jane has worked in outdoor education, energy conservation and has had 25 years involvement with several international NGOs. In 2002, Jane established The Intrepid Foundation, which has gone on to now support more than 50 organisations globally, and has distributed over US$2.2m.
Rosemarie Thomas, Regional Program Coordinator, The Travel Foundation
Rosemarie Thomas holds a
BA in International Relations, and has
15 years in the Tourism industry. Since 2005 Rosemarie has been responsible for leading the development of the Travel Foundation’s new regional Caribbean program strategy and co-coordinating its implementation in islands identified for projects – Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. She has also worked as a consultant for DFID (UK Department for International Development) in Montserrat for one year. Prior to that she worked for 8 years in marketing at the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Board.
Jannelle Wilkins, B.A., M.P.A, the Executive Director of the Monteverde INstitute, Wilkins has over thirty years of experience working with NGO's on community development. As one of the founding directors of Mi Casa Resource Center in Colorado, Wilkins helped build a model micro enterprise center for minority women. Wilkins also acted as Regional Director of Mi Carrera, a career program for adolescent girls whose participants achieved an unprecedented 85% graduation rate when the average dropout rate for Hispanics was over 50%. She later coauthored the book "Diminishing Sex-Bias in Youth Employment and Education Programs". As an educator, Wilkins has a wealth of expertise in language acquisition and brain-based learning.
Workshop #10: Community and NGO Views of Travelers' Philanthropy: Partnering with Travel Businesses
Alejandra Monge, Executive Director, Corcovado Foundation
Alejandra Monge is an undergraduate in Tourism and a Master in Business Administration with a Specialty in Marketing from the University of Costa Rica. She also participated in several training courses such as The Organization for Tropical Studies course of ecological principles for sustainable development in Latin America. Alejandra has been the executive director of the Corcovado Foundation, for the last 10 years, a non profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the natural resources in the Osa Peninsula, promoting sustainable tourism among hotels in Drake Bay and the Osa Peninsula
Rodrigo Pingaro, Director Ejecutivo de la Organizacion para la Conservacion de Cetaceos, Uruguay
Rodrigo Garcia leads the Organization for Cetacean Conservation (OCC), the first citizen organization to promote coastal and marine conservation in Uruguay. Rodrigo focuses on restructuring the socioeconomic forces that lead to environmental problems and on building a coalition of environmentalists, local citizens, tourists, businesses and government that co-develop solutions with both environmental and economic benefits.
Kyra Cruz has more than 14 years experience in the tour operation industry. In 2001 she first became aware of community-based rural tourism and since then dedicated all her previous experience to strengthen community-based rural tourism in Costa Rica. She first helped the Small Grants Program to edit the first and second Community-based rural tourism guidebook, and provided various workshops on marketing techniques to community-based rural tourism initiatives. Since the opening of ACTUAR, Kyra has been the Director of the association.
Robert Fletcher holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from UC Santa Barbara and is currently Assistant Professor at the United Nations-affiliated University for Peace in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica, where he researches, writes, and teaches about strategies for progressive personal, social, and environmental change. I am the editor of a recent volume addressing resistance studies (Beyond Resistance: The Future of Freedom, Nova Science Publishers, 2007). Rob recently published a novel, The Purpose of Life.
Workshop #11: Voluntourism: Case Studies & Key Issues
Janelle Wilkins, Monteverde Institute
Jannelle Wilkins, B.A., M.P.A, the Executive Director of the Monteverde INstitute, Wilkins has over thirty years of experience working with NGO's on community development. As one of the founding directors of Mi Casa Resource Center in Colorado, Wilkins helped build a model micro enterprise center for minority women. Wilkins also acted as Regional Director of Mi Carrera, a career program for adolescent girls whose participants achieved an unprecedented 85% graduation rate when the average dropout rate for Hispanics was over 50%. She later coauthored the book "Diminishing Sex-Bias in Youth Employment and Education Programs". As an educator, Wilkins has a wealth of expertise in language acquisition and brain-based learning.
Andrea Atkinson, Urgent Service Travel Director, Elevate Destinations
Andrea Atkinson is director of urgent service travel for Elevate Destinations, a boutique responsive travel boutique providing travel that gives back. A sustainability professional with a background in international relations, non-profit management and sustainable program development, Andrea grew up in Brazil, Bolivia and Niger and has travelled extensively, always with an eye for intercultural relationship-building and social and environmental perspectives.
Dr. Keith Whittingham is Associate Professor of Sustainable Enterprise and Management Science at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, USA. He also serves as Visiting Faculty in the Sustainability Seminar at INCAE, in Alajuela, Costa Rica. In addition to serving on the Rollins College Committee on Environmental and Sustainability Issues, Dr. Whittingham was a founder of the college’s Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Enterprise Initiative.
Richard Edwards has over 20 years of experience in marketing, ecotourism and community development in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, where he lived for many years. He is currently the Chair of Communications & Finance at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), serves on the Board of Directorsof The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), and is a founder at greenspot.travel.
Workshop #12: Latest Trends: Consumer and Industry Demand for Travelers' Philanthropy
Martha Honey, Co-Founder and Co-Director, CREST
Martha has written and lectured widely on ecotourism, Travelers' Philanthropy, and certification issues. Her books include Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who owns Paradise? (Island Press, 1999 and 2008) and Ecotourism and Certification: Setting Standards in Practice (Island Press, 2002). She worked for 20 years as a journalist based in East Africa and Central America and holds a Ph.D. in African History. She was Executive Director of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) from 2003 to 2006.
Dominique Callimanopulos is the founder of Elevate Destinations, a responsive travel boutique committed to making a difference in the places we visit. Dominique is a lifetime world traveler committed to combining singular journeys with social good.
Dinda Elliott, Deputy Editor, CondeNast Traveler, USA
Dorinda is the Global Affairs Editor at Condé Nast Traveler. Since joining the magazine in 2006, she has spearheaded the editorial coverage of corporate social responsibility in the travel industry, culminating in the yearly World Savers Awards. Before joining Traveler, Elliott lived overseas for 20 years, working for Newsweek as bureau chief in Beijing, Moscow and Hong Kong, and also as Hong Kong-based Asia Editor. In 2000-2001, she served as Editor in Chief of Asiaweek magazine.
Andy Bill is the CEO of Siera Marketing, a New York-based agency that develops creative marketing tools (web sites, customer relationship programs, Internet outreach programs, etc.) for the travel industry. Clients include leading publications, tourist boards, tour operations, travel sites and resorts. Deeply involved in the world of responsible travel, Andy has been a boardmember of CREST (the Center for Responsible Travel) since its inception and an active participant in its travelers' philanthropy program (travelersphilanthropy.org).
Workshop #13: Benefitting Community Projects: Successful Models for Large Resorts
Manuel Ardon, Operations Senior Director, Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Manuel Ardón has a degree in Civil Engineering with a major in Construction Administration from the University of Costa Rica. Mr. Ardón has had direct participation in the formulation of corporate strategies for multinational heavy construction companies with businesses over US$25 million per year, including financial, commercial and administrative policies. Actually he works as Operations Senior Director at Peninsula Papagayo, and serves as a Board Member of the Liberia Tourism Chamber and the Guanacaste Tourism Chamber.
Carlos Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer, Pellas Development Group
Carlos Hernandez is President and Director of the Pellas Development Group, a leading Central American firm committed to socially and environmentally responsible resorts, hotels, and housing. Trained as a civil engineer in his native Mexico and in finance in the U.S., Hernandez has 18 years of tourism development experience in the Americas and Europe. He joined the Pellas Development Group in 2006 where he is overseeing development of the Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Panama, the guacalito de la Isla project on the coast of Nicaragua, and the Santa Elena Preserve Project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The Pellas Development Group is the official sponsor of the opening reception and dinner.
Mark concurrently serves as the Executive Director of the St. Kitts Foundation and the Fundación Bahía de Loreto A.C. Both of these subsidiary foundations are the philanthropy arms of sustainable resort developments.He was a professor of international law and policy at UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies for 10 years before bringing his extensive experience with the legal and policy aspects of ocean conservation to The Ocean Foundation’s grantmaking strategy, evaluation process, and development of sustainability standards for coastal development.
Workshop #14: Material Donations: Pros, Cons, Best Practices
Rebecca Rothney, Founder, Pack for a Purpose
Rebecca Rothney is the founder and chairperson of Pack for a Purpose®. Rebecca took her first overseas trip at age 11 and never looked back. She has since visited over 40 countries and 7 continents. At 40 she started her second career as an entrepreneur with the founding of RHCreations Inc., a boutique manufacturer of cufflinks made from authentic postage stamps and images from her travels around the world. Her products have been sold at Nordstrom and cufflinksdepot.com, among others. As a member of the International Affairs Council in Raleigh, North Carolina, Rebecca has hosted over 400 visitors from around the world over the last 24 years. She has served on the board of directors for 12 years. Rebecca was the first woman president of the Cary Toastmasters Club and co-president of the Cary Women's Business Owners Network.
As managing director of Global Sojourns, Priscilla Macy provides customized travel experiences that help clients understand the places they visit and the people who live there. Priscilla’s 10 years of living, studying, and working outside of the U.S. and commitment to development, make her passionate about helping Americans experience Sub-Saharan Africa on a deeper level.
Jane Crouch, Responsible Travel Manager, Intrepid Travel, Australia
Jane Crouch is the Responsible Travel Manager for Intrepid Travel, based out of Melbourne, Australia. Intrepid Travel operates affordable small group adventures, currently in more than 100 countries around the globe. Jane works to foster best practise in responsible travel throughout Intrepid’s operations and helps steer Intrepid’s sustainability strategies, carbon reduction and neutrality program and community support. Prior to tourism, Jane has worked in outdoor education, energy conservation and has had 25 years involvement with several international NGOs. In 2002, Jane established The Intrepid Foundation, which has gone on to now support more than 50 organisations globally, and has distributed over US$2.2m.
Workshop #15: Successfully Managing Travelers' Philanthropy Programs: Legal and Administrative Issues, Managing the Ask, and Constant Contact
Joe Staino, Meaningful Travel Consulting, USA
Joe Staiano brings two decades of experience in sustainable / community-based / adventure tourism and has personal destination experience spanning 75 countries on 7 continents. Joe is skilled in tour development, trip operations, marketing, operator advocacy, emerging markets, tourism training and human resources. In 2009 he spent 8-months on sustainable tourism and volunteer / humanity work in Africa and SE Asia. And, in 2010/2011, spent 5 months Bolivia and Colombia doing the same. Accomplishments have included: Conducting multi-site assessment for Uganda Community Tourism Associaton; Recommending best practices improvements with Andaman Discoveries in Thailand; Conducting guide training and marketing consulting in Morocco and Colombia.
Judy served as an Advisory board member for the 2011 Travelers' Philanthropy Conference, a
speaker at the International conferences on ecotourism, and a planner for the 2002 year of ecotourism conference in Kenya.
She was the Host/organizer of the Ecotourism at a Crossroads Conference in Nairobi Kenya, 1998.
She was the
First CEO of the Ecotourism Society of Kenya &
among authors for the Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook as well as a
developer for the Eco- certification scheme for hotels, lodges & camps in Kenya.
Andy Bill, CEO, Siera Marketing, CREST Board of Directors
Andy Bill is the CEO of Siera Marketing, a New York-based agency that develops creative marketing tools (web sites, customer relationship programs, Internet outreach programs, etc.) for the travel industry. Clients include leading publications, tourist boards, tour operations, travel sites and resorts. Deeply involved in the world of responsible travel, Andy has been a boardmember of CREST (the Center for Responsible Travel) since its inception and an active participant in its travelers' philanthropy program (travelersphilanthropy.org).
Born and bred in New York City, Raquel specializes in the areas of arts, cultural heritage and preservation, consulting for corporate and non-profit organizations on grants management, community engagement, philanthropic initiatives and strategic planning. Recent clients include the American Express Foundation, Center for Responsible Travel and Tourism (CREST), Citigroup, Fund for the City of New York, International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), Servas and Tourism Cares. Raquel serves on the board of Asian Women Giving Circle, the Steering Committee of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and the Board Arts Committee of Children's Aid Society. She holds degrees from Columbia University (M.A.) and FordhamUniversity (B.A.).
As Grupo Islita’s Outreach Manager, Maria acts as a communications liaison between the hotels’ management, marketing department, guests, press, and relevant NGO’s. She is actively involved in content creation to educate the average consumer about sustainable travel practices via in-property print material, press releases, and social media engagement. Before joining Grupo Islita, Maria worked as an investment services associate for a sustainability-focused private equity firm in Washington DC. Maria holds a BA in International Studies and a MA in International Transactions from George Mason University, Virginia.
Mary-Elizabeth Gifford, Senior Adviser to Chris Blackwell's FieldSpa Project in Jamaica, Co-Chair of The Washington Spa Alliance, CREST Board of Directors
Deeply rooted in agriculture, Mary-Elizabeth serves on the Board of Directors of Demeter-USA, the biodynamic agriculture movement considered beyond organic, and on the Board of Directors of Steller, a U.S.D.A.-authorized certifier of Organic farmland. She is a past Director of the International Spa Association and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Washington National Spa Alliance. A native of New York City, she graduated from Brown University with honors and had a year of post-graduate study at Harvard University, where she was an Affiliate of Harvard’s Nieman Foundation of Journalism. She has presented at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, the Global Spa Summit, the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Forum, and elsewhere. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.
Bob Breech, CREST Board of Directors, Former Executive Producer and President of Development, David E. Kelly Productions
Moderator
Bob Breech works with David E. Kelley Productions, an Emmy Award winning producer on Picket Fences, L.A Law, Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal and The Practice. Bob met Kelley in 1986 when they came together to work on L.A. Law. Bob was a practicing attorney for many years, having earned his B.A. from Stanford and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, but had left his practice to obtain an MFA in producing at University of Southern California (USC). He worked briefly in documentaries, did a couple of features, and then moved into television. His main responsibilities deal with the creative execution, overseeing a team of writers, but he is involved with every aspect of production including editing the final version that is then screened by David E. Kelley. During his years working with Kelley, Bob has won seven Emmy Awards
Mike Robbins, Partner, The Tourism Company, and TIDES Donor TIDES
Mike has been working as a professional tourism consultant for 30 years, mostly based in Canada. In 1994 he started his own boutique management consulting firm, the Tourism Company (www.tourismco.com), now recognized as one of the top tourism consulting firms in Canada. Working with Aboriginal peoples has been an area of interest during my career starting with involvement in some of the earliest community-based tourism planning work conducted in Canada's arctic in the early 1980's. Aboriginal cultural tourism and ecotourism development have become my personal passion.
Mark concurrently serves as the Executive Director of the St. Kitts Foundation and the Fundación Bahía de Loreto A.C. Both of these subsidiary foundations are the philanthropy arms of sustainable resort developments.He was a professor of international law and policy at UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies for 10 years before bringing his extensive experience with the legal and policy aspects of ocean conservation to The Ocean Foundation’s grantmaking strategy, evaluation process, and development of sustainability standards for coastal development.
Dan Martin, Senior Associate, Arabella Philanthropic Advisors
Moderator
Dan Martin, Ph.D., is an experienced and innovative international grantmaker, educator, and conservationist. His work has included many years of engagement with nature conservation, sustainable economic development, public policy for education and development assistance Among his many non-profit board assignments, he is currently a trustee of Knox College, the Phelps Stokes Fund, the Costa Rica-United States Foundation, and a member of the governing Council and a Vice President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Switzerland. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in international politics and political theory from Princeton University.
"Linking Sustainable Tourism and Sustainble Agriculture: Creating Rural Livelihoods, Protecting the Land
Chris Blackwell, Island Records/ Island Outpost
Chris Blackwell, the acclaimed hotelier who founded Island Records and introduced the world to Bob Marley and U2, recently re-opened GoldenEye; built as the novelist Ian Flemings' Jamaican retreat, it is now an award-winning destination. Long before sustainability and stewardship became the bywords for responsible travel, Blackwell's Jamaica-based hotel portfolio, Island Outpost resrts, began setting the standard for socially and environmentally conscious travel. Recently, Island Outpost has partnered with EARTH University to promote sustainable agriculture. Although Island Outpost resorts have hosted Heads of State and Grammy winners alike, Blackwell himself often shuns the limelight, preferring to work behind the scene to create lasting cultural change. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and lives on a 2500 acre organic farm, Pantrepant.
Jose Zaglul, EARTH University
Jose Zaglul, Ph.D, is the President of EARTH University, a not-for-profit educational institution in Costa Rica, dedicated to nurturing organic and sustainable agriculture as a pathway to constructing a prosperous and just society. Zaglul has been President of EARTH university since its inception in 1989. Born and raised in Costa Rica to parents of Lebanese descent, Zaglul obtained his B.S. in Agricultural Economics and M.S. from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He also holds a second M.S. and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Moderated by:
Dinda Elliott, Deputy Editor, CondeNast Traveler, USA
Dorinda is the Global Affairs Editor at Condé Nast Traveler. Since joining the magazine in 2006, she has spearheaded the editorial coverage of corporate social responsibility in the travel industry, culminating in the yearly World Savers Awards. Before joining Traveler, Elliott lived overseas for 20 years, working for Newsweek as bureau chief in Beijing, Moscow and Hong Kong, and also as Hong Kong-based Asia Editor. In 2000-2001, she served as Editor in Chief of Asiaweek magazine.
Closing Speech:
"Linking Local Culture and Crafts to Sustainable Travel and Travelers' PHilanthropy"
Manuel Obregon, Costa Rica's Minister of Culture
Manuel Obregon, Costa Rica's Minister of Culture is a pianist, composer, producer, author of some 20 albulms as a soloist and as a guest musician and producer on many others. Since 1990 his work has focused on Central American music and its relationship to the natural environment. He has received several awards from the Costa Rican Association of Composers and Musical Authors as best composer, best album and best record label and DVD. At the film Festival in Cremona, Italy, he received the Award for Best Original score for the soundtrack for "Password, a look at the dark". Don Manuel has been a long time friend of Monteverde, recording some of his compositions from deep within our own Cloud Forest. Obregon performed his multi-media "Simbiosis" - an extraordinary composition born out of an experiment in 1999 when Obregon secluded himself in the Cloud Forest with his piano to compose music inspired by the songs of the birds and movements of the animals.
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