Connecting Communities and Conservation Through Tourism

In this engaging webinar, Dr. Kelly Bricker and Dr. Gyan Nyaupane share applied lessons from their extensive work demonstrating how conservation outcomes and community relationships can be strengthened through thoughtfully designed tourism initiatives grounded in community-based research and sound operational frameworks.

Dr. Bricker will highlight her work with Rivers Fiji and the IVUM case studies, illustrating how measurable limits, shared monitoring systems, and reinvestment strategies can transform stewardship from a marketing promise into a governance practice that protects both place and people over time. Dr. Nyaupane will draw from his work with land management agencies to demonstrate how conservation and community livelihood goals can be maximized through strength-based research tools and collaborative planning approaches.

Participants will gain practical tools to assess and measure community capitals and linkages, and learn how to leverage these assets to develop, manage, and promote destination communities in ways that are culturally grounded, environmentally responsible, and economically sustainable. This session offers actionable insights for building conservation credibility and durable community partnerships through clear communication, accountability, and long-term reinvestment strategies.

Dr. Gyan Nyaupane, Professor and Interim Director of the Center for Sustainable Tourism

Dr. Gyan Nyaupane’s research focuses on sustainable tourism, ecotourism, heritage tourism, parks and protected areas, community resilience, indigeneity, and sustainable development. His research has been instrumental in envisioning and planning policies for federal, state, tribal, and local land management/tourism agencies in Asia, Africa, and the USA.

Dr. Kelly S. Bricker, Associate Dean and Director of the Hunan University–Arizona State University International College

Dr. Kelly S. Bricker is Associate Dean and Director of the Hunan University–Arizona State University International College and Director of the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University. A global leader in sustainable tourism, she advances destination stewardship, community partnerships, and conservation through research, policy, and practice worldwide, including work with Indigenous communities.

Dawnielle Tehama (Moderator), Education and Business Development Director, American Indigenous Tourism Association

Dawnielle Tehama is a Modoc tourism professional and an enrolled citizen of the Klamath Tribes with deep experience in stewardship, destination development, and Indigenous tourism. She serves as Education and Business Development Director for the American Indigenous Tourism Association, following her work as a senior associate principal at Coraggio Group, where she supported strategic planning and community engagement across the tourism sector. As a destination management organization (DMO) leader, she advanced regenerative travel efforts and diversity initiatives grounded in community priorities.

After law school, Tehama launched and operated multiple small businesses before discovering her passion for tourism. She helped establish a DMO in southern Oregon and served as a liaison to her tribe. Her career also includes overseeing global marketing for the Hualapai Tribe at Grand Canyon West, contributing to early economic development planning for the Hopi Tribe, and collaborating with the Grand Ronde, Siletz, and Klamath Tribes on a variety of tourism and economic growth initiatives.

She holds a Class III gaming license in three states and has presented on Indigenous tourism for global organizations, including The World Travel and Tourism Council. Her credentials include recognition as a Certified Diversity Tourism Professional, Certified Autism Specialist, graduate of the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy, and Woman of the Year from the National Tour Association. She chairs the National Tour Association’s DEI Advisory Council, is a member of the Tourism Cares Program Committee, and has served as a Climate Champion within the Expedia Sustainable Destination DMO program.

In all her work, Tehama remains dedicated to unifying stakeholder voices while promoting stewardship that sustains communities for generations.