Sherry L. Rupert

Chief Executive Officer

Paiute/Washoe

Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe) is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Indigenous Tourism Association and has nearly 25 years of executive-level experience managing and promoting Indigenous Tourism. As CEO of the American Indigenous Tourism Association, the only national association dedicated to Indigenous tourism, she is the leading voice when it comes to advocating for travel and tourism as a significant economic driver in Native Nations and communities across the U.S. and its territories. She also holds leadership positions on various national boards including the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and the National Park Service Advisory Board Tourism Committee. She is a former member of the Business Advisory Council under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Travel Association Board, and a Co-Chair of the America250 Hospitality and Tourism Advisory Committee. In 2024, Sherry joined the inaugural board as a U.S. representative of the newly-formed global organization, Destination Original Indigenous Tourism, where she serves as one of three key architects in its creation. Indigenous Tourism Businesses, the first-ever ever study of its kind. She also curates a robust educational program for tribes and indigenous-owned hospitality enterprises around the country. In 2025, she led the charge for the landmark expansive and inclusive move from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association to the American Indigenous Tourism Association, ushering in a new era for Indigenous tourism across the U.S. and its territories. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she served as President of the American Indigenous Tourism Association’s Board of Directors since 2012. During that time, she was instrumental in working with Congress to pass the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act. Sherry previously served as the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, reporting directly to the Governor of Nevada to serve as a liaison to the state’s 28 tribes, bands and colonies and served as the Chairperson on Nevada’s Indian Territory, Nevada Commission on Tourism. She has won numerous awards and accolades for her work, including for her work in preserving the site of the Stewart Indian School as a museum and cultural center and coordination of the popular Stewart Father’s Day Powwow, the largest three-day Powwow in Northern Nevada. She successfully raised $5.7 million in state appropriations to establish a museum and cultural center at the historic site. She led the development and implementation of the Stewart Indian School Master Plan (Interpretive Plan, Market Study, and Business Strategic Plan) for the State of Nevada. Sherry also created and implemented the award-winning Stewart Indian School Trail, a self-guided cell phone walking tour of the Stewart Indian School campus in 2008. As CEO of the American Indigenous Tourism Association, the organization has received industry recognition to include the Clyde Warrior Civil Rights Recognition presented by the Native Professional Advancement Center in 2024 and was awarded by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Bright Ideas in Travel list for its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service Community Navigator program. Sherry was also recognized in 2024 by Leisure Group Travel’s Women in Tourism Leadership Spotlight, highlighting her contributions to Indigenous and cultural tourism across the U.S. In 2025, the American Indigenous Tourism Association was recognized by Wanderful’s Bessie Awards as 2025 Collaboration of the Year for its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Community Navigator Initiative. Sherry holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Finance Major from the University of Nevada, Reno and has completed professional training courses and programs to support her work in advancing cultural tourism in the United States.

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