The Keynote Panel
Yang Yang, Ph.D.Dr. Yang is currently an Associate Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Executive Director of the U.S.-Asia Center for Tourism & Hospitality Research at Temple University. He got Ph.D. in Geography, Master of Statistics, and M.A. in Economics from University of Florida, as well as an M.Phil in Hotel and Tourism Management from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr. Yang's major research interests lie in tourism demand analysis, big data analytics, as well as hotel financial and real estate analysis. With a solid education background in tourism, geography, economics, and statistics, Dr. Yang is able to throughly investigate research questions in the tourism and hospitality industry and offer unique insights and perspectives.
After ten years of research experience, Dr. Yang's academic papers have been published in top-tier tourism and hospitality journals. At the same time, he has been serving as associate editor of Annals of Tourism Research as well as editorial board member for many prestigious journals. |
Scott JohnsonScott Johnson is the President and CEO of the Travel Market Insights Inc. (TMII) and Co-Founder of XBorder Canada.
Using comprehensive metrics that are validated and actionable, Scott and the global team at TMII and XBorder Canada are experts at tracking and analyzing the international traveler's entire visit - from their entry point, destinations visited throughout the U.S., and their departure. XBorder Canada is the only tracking study to include both Air and Auto visitors from Canada, reporting travel data at both the sate and city level. TMII partners and collaborates with 35 plus U.S. destinations, businesses, and travel industry leaders throughout the United States. Scott has been at the forefront in expanding international visitor research for both traditional and emerging markets since 1990. Prior to TMII, Scott in his role at the National Tourism office, represented the U.S. at the UN/WTO and ushered in industry definitions and standards that legitimized travel and tourism as an industry. |
Donald LeadbetterDonald Leadbetter is the Tourism Program Manager for the National Park Service, where he coordinates engagement with the travel and tourism sector and facilitates collaboration in support of destination management and responsible tourism that benefits parks, visitors, and communities. In addition to providing external coordination and representation of the National Park Service at tourism industry forums, trade shows, and meetings, he collaborates with program areas throughout the agency to support tourism-related planning and management in alignment with the mission of the National Park Service.
Donald began his career in the National Park Service in 2011 as a Presidential Management Fellow and member of the Commercial Services Program. After spending time developing tourism management strategies for the Office of Policy, Management, and Budget at the Department of the Interior, he joined the National Park Service's Centennial Office in 2014, working with partners on a variety of programs and events for the agency's 2016 centennial. He moved into his current leadership position in 2017. |
Jennifer FosterJennifer Foster is a Business Development Executive for the Destinations team at STR. She joined STR in 2015 and is responsible for building and maintaining positive relationships with destination clients located in the Southeast, Midwest, and East Cost regions of the U.S, as well as Mexico and the Caribbean. She is often featured as a guest speaker at hotel industry meetings and conventions.
Prior to joining STR, Jennifer served as the Regional Sales Manager for Mayflower Tours and Vacation Express, where she worked on worldwide tour packages for groups and travel agencies. A graduate of Vanderbilt University with a bachelor's degree in European Studies, Jennifer resides in Nashville, TN with her husband Dave. STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. |
Dr. Lisa Chase
Lisa Chase is the Natural Resources Specialist for University of Vermont Extension and the Director of the Vermont Tourism Research Center. Her research and outreach focus on the intersection of tourism, food systems, community vitality, and working landscapes. During the past 20 years, she has worked with farmers, food entrepreneurs, and tourism businesses throughout Vermont and around the world. She co-authored the book Food, Farms and Community: Exploring Food Systems and is the conference chair of the International Workshop on Agritourism, which will be held in Burlington, Vermont in August 2022.
Before moving to Vermont, Lisa conducted research and outreach in New York, Colorado, Costa Rica and Ecuador, among other places. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, her M.S. in Resources Economics from Cornell University, and her Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management and Policy from Cornell University.
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Brandon Gill
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Roundtable Moderators
Data Analytics in Tourism Industry
Stephanie Brown, Executive Vice President, SMARInsights
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Erik Evjen, Director of Data Analytics and Insights, Tourism Economics
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Stephanie Pace Brown is an Executive VP with SMARInsights, a full-service custom research firm. During her most recent post as CEO of Explore Asheville, Stephanie led the development of Asheville as a national travel destination. She is a passionate advocate for the power of travel to benefit communities, and for the importance of research to guide tourism promotion investment.
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Erik Evjen is a Director of Data Analytics & Insights at Tourism Economics, a global tourism forecasting and quantitative analysis firm. At Tourism Economics, Erik is responsible for managing Symphony, a customized market intelligence platform that helps industry partners see and understand their data better. Prior to joining Tourism Economics, Erik developed Philadelphia Convention & Visitor Bureau’s research department, and currently serve on several tourism related boards and committees, including the TTRA International Board of Directors.
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Tourism Recovery for DMOs (sponsored by XBorder Canada)
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Scott Johnson, Co-founder and President/CEO of XBorder Canada, Travel Market Insights, Inc.
Scott Johnson is the President and CEO of Travel Market Insights Inc. (TMII) and Co-Founder of XBorder Research Group (XBorder Canada and XBorder Mexico).
Scott has been at the forefront of expanding international visitor research for both traditional and emerging markets since 1990. Prior to establishing TMII in 2000, as the senior trade specialist for tourism development at the national travel and tourism office, Scott expanded DMO access to markets throughout the world and forged critical visitor research used by DMO’s to advocate, educate, and promote international travel. |
Jonathan Tesser, Vice President of Research & Insights, NYC & Company
Jon Tesser is currently the Vice President of Research and Insights for NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism, marketing and partnership organization. He has over 15 years of experience in using data to provide strategic insights for businesses, including ABC Television, BET Networks, and New York Magazine. Additionally, he has provided product marketing and sales support for the analytics disciplines at technology companies such as Sprinklr and Sizmek. He received an MBA from Baruch and an undergraduate degree in psychology and music from Tufts University.
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Sustainability for Tourism Industry
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Donald Leadbetter, Tourism Program Manager, National Park Service
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Seleni Matus, Executive Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies, George Washington University
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Donald Leadbetter is the tourism program manager for the National Park Service, where he coordinates engagement with the travel and tourism sector and facilitates collaboration in support of destination management and responsible tourism that benefits parks, visitors, and communities.
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Seleni Matus is the Executive Director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies at the George Washington University. As a native of Belize, Seleni served as Belize's Director of Tourism. She has also worked in close collaboration with governments and private sector throughout the Americas to develop and implement sustainable management plans and programs that have enhanced the quality of tourism offerings and helped to ensure the long-term health of natural ecosystems.
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Tourism Academy in the Post-Pandemic Era
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Muzzo (Muzaffer) Uysal, Ph.D., Department Chair & Professor, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Ira L. Rosen, MA, CFEE, Associate Professor & Director of the Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management, Temple University
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Dr. Uysal has extensive experience in the tourism and hospitality field. He is a member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, the Academy of Leisure Sciences, and founding member of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Academy. His current research interests center on development and quality-of-life research in tourism and hospitality settings.
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Mr. Ira L. Rosen, MA, CFEE is an Associate Professor with Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. He teaches several event management courses and is the Program Director for the School’s award-winning Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program. He has almost forty years of professional event industry experience.
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Diversity and Inclusion in Tourism
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Pauline A. Milwood, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Engineering, Business, and Computing, Penn State University-Berks
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Georgette James, Founder, CTTC Global
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Dr. Milwood is a 2011 Fulbright Scholar and Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management at the Pennsylvania State University--Berks Campus. She received her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University, Philadelphia. Dr. Milwood’s research focuses on systems perspectives of entrepreneurship and innovation performance among DMOs and partners in tourism destination networks. She has presented at numerous international conferences, and is the recipient of the 2014 Best Paper Award for the Advances in Destination Management Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland. At Penn State, Dr. Milwood teaches courses in Entrepreneurship, Strategic Decision- making, and Operations Management. She serves as reviewer for several academic journals including the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and Tourism Review; and is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at Penn State Berks.
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Georgette James is an independent consultant who provides market research, data analysis, and reporting services. She also has 20 years of business experience in accounting, project management, and change process management from her prior career. Having travel to 40+ countries, she brings both a travel consumer and tourism industry specialist perspective to her clients. Published articles and research reports have appeared in Skift; Phocuswright, Mintel, Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) Publication, African Tourism Monitor, and European Travel Commission (ETC).
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Three-Minute Research Presenters
- Ayse Akyildiz, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, Penn State University
- Oluwatoyin Adebisi, Davis College of Agriculture, West Virginia University
- Oscar Hengxuan Chi, Carson College of Business, Washington State University
- Namrata Jain, Department of Tourism, Event, and Sport Management, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
- Dongoh Joo, Ph.D., Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Yun Liang, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, Pennsylvania State University
- Jihye Min, Ph.D., College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, University of North Texas
- Amy Spence, Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, New York University
- William Rice, Ph.D., WA Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana
- Luyu Wang, Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management, University of Florida