My research is broadly centered in human-environment interactions and the intersection of conservation and development. Within this, my focus is on ecotourism, community development and natural resource management, particularly in mountainous areas and developing countries. The pursuit of these investigations has taken me to a wide range of geographic locations where I have had the opportunity to study a diversity of topics. These include adventure tourism and economic crisis in Argentina, Women’s roles in ecotourism in India and population and development issues in Nepal. Since 2005 I have been conducting field courses with university students in the Indian Himalaya. This experience has been both challenging and immensely rewarding for me and my students. My experiences in India led my partner and I to start a small ecotourism venture called the Nature-Link Institute. We now run several courses a year to the Himalaya. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors and moving through the landscape. My passions include trail running, rock and ice climbing, snowboarding, high altitude mountaineering and teaching and learning with students in a field setting.
PhD., 2006 University of Georgia, Department of Geography, Dissertation: “The Local Effects of Global Conservation Policy: Political ecology, environmental justice and the production of scale in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India.”
M.A., 2000 Appalachian State University, Department of Geography. Thesis: “Developing a Low Impact Model for Tourism: A case study of the Garhwal Himalaya, India.”
B.S., 1998 Appalachian State University, Department of Geography. GIS concentration.
