Our Graduate Students

Jessica Aquino

Advisor: Dr. Kathleen Andereck

I currently hold a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and a Master of Science in Recreation and Tourism Studies.  My research interests are in tourism experience from the perspective of residents and tourist; and the potential contribution that tourism has on community development and conservation of protected areas.  Currently I am working on a project on volunteer tourism.  The aim of this project is to discover community effects of volunteer tourism as perceived by residents of the host community.  This project will help advance research in the area of sustainable tourism and community development by working with the local community and local NGOs to find ways to improve the quality of volunteers to the community; enhance volunteer tourists' experiences; and enhance the positive and mitigate the negative community effects of volunteer tourism.  The objectives are to use a region in Mexico and Brazil to evaluate how the volunteer tourists are affecting the host community as perceived by residents.

Vern Biaett

Advisor: Dr. Rhonda Phillips

I am the "boomer" graduate student.  After a 35 year career in leisure services and festival management I decided a pension, the opportunity to teach part time as a faculty associate, and to finally get my PhD looked pretty good.  My research interests include a qualitative exploration of People at a Festival and an on going quantitative study of accurately estimating attendance at large festivals and events.  For 2010 I am the chair of the Arizona Parks & Recreation Association Annual Conference and the Arizona representative to the International Festivals & Events Association western region.  I have taught and taken classes as West, Downtown, and Tempe, but have to say I love the Downtown experience the best, influenced in part by the fact both of my grandparents lived in downtown Phoenix and I worked here for 13 years, but mostly because of the vibrant newness of the campus and the synergy of the SCRD program.  My plan is to graduate in spring 2011 and then ... who knows ... maybe become a professor and teach and do research for 20 years ... we'll see when the time comes.

Angela Farnsworth

Advisor: Dr. Rhonda Phillips

I am currently a doctoral student in the School of Community Resources and Development. It is an interdisciplinary department centered on sustainable, community development, and focused primarily on the social sector affiliated with leisure, tourism, and non-profit management. I received my Master in Public Health, and intend to explore, through my doctoral program, topics related to quality of life, community wellness, and sustainable, local community (economic and environmental) development. Practically speaking, I have always worked with indigenous communities, both rural and urban, of the Southwestern U.S. My professional development began as a social worker and community organizer for leisure activities in my rural hometown. It led me to pursue two, divergent careers; one as a social researcher, and the other as an outdoor recreation leader- each one lending insight toward social and environmental justice. A good deal of my academic interests incorporate wisdom gained from each role, and informs aspirations to advocate for indigenous communities still intimately defined- to varying degrees, by the natural environment.

Burcu Kaftanoglu

Advisor: Dr. Dallen Timothy

I was born and raised in Adana, Turkey, and have been living in Tempe since my family moved to Arizona in 2005. I have been working voluntarily at the Turkish-American Association of Arizona since my arrival and have been the president of Turkish Student Association at ASU for the last 2 years. After being involved with Turkish community I decided to focus on my community professionally and am now researching the travel behavior of Turkish-Americans in Arizona for my Master's thesis.

I am looking forward to graduation and continuing my graduate education in Community Resources and Development at ASU. I love the program at ASU and enjoy the time I spends at the Downtown Campus where the students and the faculty can connect better than any other campus.

Seung Hyun Lee

Advisor: Dr. Timothy Tyrrell

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Economics with emphasis on Mathematics at University of Wisconsin at Madison, and completed my Master's degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University. I served as a teaching assistant in Mathematics & Statistics at Florida International University.  Currently, I am a member of International Hospitality and Tourism Honors Society. My area of research lies in tourism economics, information technology & tourism, destination marketing, and information search and travel decision making. I am a certified trainer and squad leader for the U.S. Army and received the ARCOM award from Headquarters, Department of the Army in Washington, D.C. I also took the opportunity to work as an auditor at Grove Isle Hotel & Spa in Miami, FL.

Annie McVey

Advisor: 

I currently hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Administrations with an emphasis in Services Marketing and a Master of Science in Recreation Management.  I have spent many years working in natural resource and recreation planning.  Watching state and federal budgets substantially decrease for these areas and also seeing the public less engaged in nature prompted me to pursue a doctorate.  My research interests are in a different approach to public-private-nonprofit partnerships; and exploring new management approaches to engage a new generation to value outdoor experiences and nature.  Currently I am working on a project with the Bureau of Land Management to bring the corridor Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail into a multi-use recreational trail. 

Sara Mertel

Advisor:  Dr. Maria Allison

I earned my B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara where I double majored in Sociology and Global Studies and was a member of the Lady Gauchos Division I softball team.  After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked as the Volunteer Coordinator and then Executive Director of All-Star Kids Tutoring (ASKT), a 501(c)3 nonprofit literacy program which partners with Title I schools to provide free of charge one-on-one volunteer tutoring to students struggling to master basic reading skills.  As a result of directing ASKT, I wanted to get involved in education at a deeper level and I earned my Master's degree in Education from Arizona State University and subsequently taught middle school language arts in a Title I school.  In both nonprofit management and education, I was working on building and strengthening communities. In my effort to further this pursuit, I discovered the School of Community Resource Development for my PhD program.  My research interests include sport, social capital, community centers, marginalized populations, and LGBTQ studies.

Beth Murphey

Advisor:  Dr. Woojin Lee

I currently hold a Masters of Science in Exercise and Wellness from ASU. My interests are in sport tourism and the role that social media plays on relaying information about marathons, half marathons and recruiting participants. I am currently working on a project that will show how social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter recruit participants and provide information to past, present, and future participants. This research will be applied to help race organizers understand how to use social media and to assist event directors to effective reach their target demographic.  I chose the PhD program here because the faculty and staff really made me feel welcome during my school visit. They were genuinely interested in my research topics and open to letting me create a PhD that fit my career goals.

Ara Pachmayer

Advisor:  Dr. Victor Teye

I have a BS in Political Economics and International Business and a MS in Recreation Management and Tourism.  My interest areas include international education, impact of tourism development on perception of community life, sustainable tourism development, community-based tourism development and qualitative research methods.  I worked in the field of international education for more than 12 years and hope to fuse my interest in international education and tourism to examine the motivations of college students to study abroad.  The interdisciplinary approach to the coursework, overall academic goals in the program and the integration with community-based research gives students the opportunity to connect learning in the classroom to actual issues facing communities.

Dan Plunkett

Advisor: Dr. Megha Budruk

I hail from a small town (is there any other kind?) in Minnesoooota.  I came to Arizona State in pursuit of my Master of Science in Recreation and Tourism Studies after receiving a B.A. in Business from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.  In short, the suit and tie life was not for me.  After completing my Master's in Spring 2009 I enjoyed the program so much I decided to continue on for my Ph.D. here as well.  This was something I NEVER planned on doing!  I love the outdoors and traveling, and hence my research interests are primarily outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism.  I have worked on several projects with multiple faculty members since the start of my Master's, including: a visitor study at a Bureau of Reclamation site in California, a Maricopa County parks and recreation visitor study, a community assessment project done by the City of Glendale, AZ, a travel magazine gender study, and most recently I am a researcher for a visitor study being conducted by the US Forest Service.  Coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I have been exposed to opportunities I never would have had if I stuck with the career path I was on as an undergraduate Finance major.  P.s. The weather's great ;)

Surya Poudel

I was born and raised in Pokhara, an enchanting Nepalese city nestled in a serene valley known for its rich cultural and natural beauty.  I witnessed first-hand the impacts of tourism development in that region. The tourism industry has remained a significant source of revenue for both the national and local economy.  However, my and other communities and the environment have paid the cost of rampant tourism growth in the form of socio-cultural changes, economic disparity, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, destruction of precious farmlands, pressure on infrastructures, and more. These experiences led me to understand that tourism development has a profound effect on us, our community, and our planet. I concluded that development efforts must address two interdependent issues: ensuring environmental sustainability and improvement of local livelihoods.  I believe that ecotourism can be the vehicle to accomplish the dichotomous goals of environmental conservation and livelihood improvement. With this premise, as a Ph D student at Arizona State University, I am engaged in research involving the interrelationships of biodiversity conservation, tourism development and livelihood improvement, the effectiveness of environmental education on visitors, and ensuring ecotourism sustainability of environmental resources.

Ali Poulos

I attended Springfield College in Massachusetts where I received both my BS in Physical Education and MEd in Exercise Science from Springfield College (MA). After attaining those degrees, I began my career as a teacher. I taught physical education, health education, and outdoor adventure education to students ranging from kindergarten to high school in Massachusetts, California, and Arizona. I also love staying active myself and try to engage in as many sports and recreational activities as possible. The benefits of enjoying nature, participating in athletic and/or leisure activities, and being involved in the community have shaped my own life. These influences led me to the PhD program in Community Resources and Development here at ASU. My research interests include the availability of parks and recreational opportunities, physical activity, and community-based wellness programs.

Mikulas Pstross

Advisor: Dr. Richard Knopf

With a Master of Arts degree in Civil Sector studies from the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, I came to ASU to learn about the interactions between American non-profit organizations and other community stakeholders. I am interested in projects that empower young people to become active members of their communities.  Some of the questions I seek to understand are: how does a young person become a responsible community leader and what strategies do non-profit organizations use to draw young people to the discussion table? I have worked as an evaluator of non-profit programs, managed youth projects and was a secondary school teacher. I play guitar, collect stamps, and love swimming with my daughter.

Moren Tibabo Stone

Advisor: Dr. Gyan Nyaupane

I am currently pursuing my PhD in Community Resources and Development with a focus on sustainable tourism development. I have a BA in Environmental Sciences, Post Graduate Diploma in Education and MS in Tourism Studies, with an emphasis in Tourism Development & Management. My research interests are community-based tourism and the effect of wild-life based tourism on rural local communities in Botswana.  Botswana's wildlife resources form the mainstay of the country's tourism industry. Based on WTTC annual statistics, over one million international tourists visit Botswana to participate in wildlife safaris and other forms of nature-based tourism.  However, recent international tourism data indicate a decline.  My study will establish whether international tourists' expectations, perceptions and satisfaction are still being met by Botswana's wildlife-based tourism product, and will determine sustainability of the country's reliance on international tourists as the premier market for its tourism products.

Erika Heekyung Sung

Advisor:  Dr. Mark Hager

I have a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance and a Master's degree in Music Education.  My research interests are in non-profit arts organizations, from the perspective of community-based development. I believe arts and culture provide nourishments that the public needs, and that will affect a natural change in society.

Craig Talmage

Advisor: Dr. Richard Knopf

I'm an Arizona native from the west suburbs of Phoenix. I am a 2008 graduate of the University of Arizona, where I majored in Family Studies and Human Development and minored in Business. I just recently received my Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. I am now pursuing my PhD at ASU in Community Resources and Development. I am still undecided on my focus but leaning toward Non-Profit Leadership Management or Community Development. I have numerous interests and cannot wait to get more focused.  I'm enthusiastic about my future here at ASU's downtown campus. I am currently working with Professor Knopf, my advisor. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, watching movies, and playing my guitar. I work at University Lutheran Church in Tempe, AZ as one of their campus ministries associates, leading and directing programming for the church and  involved ASU students.

Yi-Te Yu

Advisor: Dr. Deepak Chhabra

I have a Bachelor's degree of Political Science and a Master's degree of Sport Science. My research interest is tourism from a marketing and stakeholder perspective. I would like to incorporate my research into building sustainable communities.  At present, I am focused on taking doctoral courses, and exploring academic research in my interest areas with  my colleagues and instructors.

Shengnan Zhao (Nancy)

Advisor:  Dr. Dallen Timothy

My name is Shengnan Zhao (Nancy) from China. I am currently pursing my PhD  in Community Resources & Development. My research interest is tourism, and includes sustainable tourism, ecotourism, culture tourism, tourism marketing and destination promotion. I received my Master's degree from Zhejiang University, China. During graduate study, I was involved in a longitudinal project with the National Foundation for Social Science and several other horizontal projects. Currently I am working on a China golf market analysis project for  the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, analyzing the Arizona and in particular Scottsdale market for Chinese tourists.  The reasons I chose ASU were to better understand tourism-related philosophy, theory and methodology from a western perspective, develop a greater understanding of international cultures, and  more effectively communicate with people from different countries and cultures.  Our ten classmates are from seven different countries and regions. It is my great honor to become part of the mini UN community which is sustainable forever!

Alastair Jack

Advisor: Dr. Gyan Nyaupane

As an international student from Bermuda, I am enrolled in the BS/MS program with a focus on island tourism, specifically scuba tourism.  I will be researching the economic and ecological impact of increasing scuba diving activity on small island destinations.  My study will focus on the development of additional diving infrastructures and their effects on the marine ecosystem.  I chose ASU because of the diverse expertise of the SCRD faculty.  With tourism being one of the largest industries in the world encompassing many different areas, the faculty here can ably prepare students to venture into any part of the industry.

Alexis Antoniou

Advisor: Dr. Deepak Chhabra

I am a native of the island of Cyprus. I arrived in the U.S in 2004 in order to pursue a B.S. in Tourism Development and Management at ASU and five years later, I was able to graduate with this degree and a minor in Business Administration. After graduation, I took a semester off to weigh my options of whether to find a job in the industry or continue my education. Finally, I decided on the latter, with a decision to pursue a M.S. in Recreation and Tourism Studies at ASU's downtown Phoenix campus.  I wanted to join this program not only because the downtown Phoenix campus is very beautiful and modernized but also because I had researched the program's information, requirements, and course descriptions, and I know many of the faculty staff involved in this program and felt confident that this would be the right step to further my education and career. I have now lived in Arizona for 6 years and for my senior internship as an undergraduate, I worked with the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau as the Travel Industry Sales Department Intern. My current research interests include the role of authenticity and how it is defined, perceived, and staged in a community and sports or mega events tourism and their economic, social, and cultural impacts on a community.

Cynthia Blankenship

Advisor: Dr. Kathleen Andereck

For the next two years, I will be working on my MS degree in Recreation and Tourism Studies at the downtown Phoenix campus. My research interest lies in the transformation of travel/tourist guidebooks (print to electronic media devices) and the impact on the individual, as well as the potential economic impact on tourist-driven communities. I could not be more pleased with my program selection because of the faculty's expertise and the challenging and engaging curriculum. Future aspirations include owning a tourism-based business and teaching tourism courses at the community college level.  As a lifelong learner, my educational background consists of a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, an Associate's degree in Natural Sciences, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and a Certificate of Accomplishment in Travel and Tourism. Currently, I am assisting Dr. Rhonda Phillips and her students with a Tourism Development project for the city of Maricopa. I also review grant proposals as a member of the Graduate and Professional Student Association. Living in downtown Phoenix is the best for me since it's a short walk to school, work, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Plus, the year-round sunny climate can't be beat!

Joey Casto

Advisor: Dr. Ariel Rodriguez

I have worked in Parks and Recreation for 10 years conducting various programs and events. Through my work I got the opportunity to work in therapeutic recreation. During my time in therapeutic recreation I worked with children and teens with emotional and behavioral disabilities. After that amazing experience I knew I found my calling. In order to further my understanding of therapeutic recreation and to provide better programs for people with disabilities I came to ASU. My emphasis is therapeutic recreation, taking all my elective credits in therapeutic recreation. The professors in the Recreation and Tourism program are great. They make each class fun and interesting. They help you understand each concept and push you to become better, even helping to make your research ideas into reality. For my thesis I am studying if personal control can predict life satisfaction in people with physical disabilities. In the future I hope to obtain a Ph.D. in Community Resources and Development in order to further research for people with disabilities in the subjects of quality of life, international transportation and accessibility, and adventure therapy.

Chien-Fen Chu (Ivy)

Advisor: Dr. Woojin Lee

As an international student from Taiwan, I am glad to be a new student in the MS Recreation and Tourism Studies program.  After completing my undergraduate degree in Hotel Management, I worked at a spa resort in Taiwan. During that period of working at the resort, I came to realize the importance of tourism marketing, which is now the focus of my research.  Over the next two years, I plan to incorporate tourism marketing and sustainability research.

Jordan Cox

Advisor:

I recently graduated from W.P. Carey at the Tempe campus with a B.A. of Business with a concentration in Tourism.  I am interested in cultural/heritage tourism, what motivates people to engage in it, and how to maintain heritage sites so future generations can experience them. My dream for the future is to purchase an historical buidling and turn it into a bed and breakfast.  I would like it to be located in a somewhat rural area that attracts nature based tourism with its natural beauty.  Also, since one of my favorite pasttimes is baking, I would like to open a bakery within the bed and breakfast.

Lance Ferrell

Advisor:

I have lived half of my life in Riverton, Wyoming and the other half in Phoenix, Arizona.  I graduated from ASU in 2001 with a BA in Geography.  Prior and after graduation I worked in the field of recreation for eight years, with different municipalities around the larger Phoenix metropolitan area.  Additionally, I worked as a planner for four years with the city of Surprise.  I am currently working on my MS in Recreation and Tourism Studies.  My current research interests are many, from quality of life for the GLBT community, to the influence of recreation on the quality of life.  My future is wide open but two of my goals include being the director of a municipality's parks and recreation department and working with a GLBT organization in a recreation management position.

Andrew Holloway

Advisor: Dr. Megha Budruk

I try to spend as much time as possible hiking, camping, and fishing. Outdoor recreation is a major part of my life. This love for the outdoors is what guided my decision to get my B.S. in Parks and Recreation Management from NAU.  For my B.S. internship I chose to work for ASU as a research assistant. This is where I discovered the fascinating world of social-science research.  Having an internal 'need to know' and being taught 'how to find out' drew me to graduate school at ASU. My current research interests are place-attachment, recreational-satisfaction, perceived-crowding, and personality-traits of natural resource recreational users.

Megan Murphy

Advisor:

I'm Megan Murphy, also known as Ranger Megatron, and I hail from Sierra Vista, AZ. I earned my bachelors degree in recreation, parks and tourism management from Pennsylvania State University. My interests are in summer camps, childhood obesity, and military recreation. When I'm not working, I reallly like hiking, funny talk shows, latch-hooking, football, and playing the piano. My career goal is to be a director of moral, welfare, and recreation for the military.

Kayla Payton

Advisor: Dr. Ariel Rodriguez

I am so excited to welcome you to Arizona State University's School of Community Resources and Development! Coming from the South, hospitality is important, so if there's anything you need to know, feel free to ask me. As a graduate of Clemson University, I moved across the country to live in Phoenix and attend this great program.  By either a trip on the light rail or bus system, or a few minute car drive, you can be shopping in great malls or hiking up mountains to take in city views.  I love the downtown lifestyle and the affordance of walking everywhere I need to go, which relates very closely to my research interests of bicycle and pedestrian safety. In the future, I look forward to a managerial position in a public or non-profit agency that truly believes in the community it serves. I don't want to be a pencil pusher; I'd rather make a difference.

Simon Rubin

Advisor: Dr. Victor Teye

My time as a graduate student has been focused on regional cuisines and the roles they take in attracting tourist, creating sustainable destinations and policies, and the cultural significance these cuisines have in marketing tourist destinations. I decided to focus on the aspects of food and cuisines because of my background having over 10 years of experience working in restaurants and hotels as well as having a Le Cordon Bleu degree and currently working as a Sous Chef.  These experiences have given me a strong understanding of what I truly enjoy and I apply that to my studies. Currently a PhD graduate student, and I are working on the operationalization of a Tourist Predictor Model of which we won best paper at the 15th Annual Graduate Conference for Hospitality and Tourism Research in Washington D.C. and we will be presenting our findings at the 5th World Conference for Graduate Research in Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure in Turkey.

Paul Seery

Advisor: Dr. Timothy Tyrrell

Studying at the Downtown Phoenix campus has been a completely unique experience from the traditional crowded and spread out classes at other campuses and has provided me the opportunities of interacting with my professors on a more personal level.

Jennifer Seffrood

Advisor: Dr. Dallen Timothy

I completed my undergraduate work at ASU receiving a BS in Tourism Development and Management in 2009 and chose ASU for graduate school after learning about the program through my advisor.  I chose this program because of the success I had my undergraduate work and  because the sense of community I feel within the school. I think the location of the program in downtown Phoenix is another added perk as the school is located within the heart of a busy metropolis that allows for so many opportunities. I enjoy my classes, knowing that I have knowledgeable and hard working professors who are supportive of me and my work.  I like the wide range of opportunities that are offered through the program. My  interests include Mexico and Medical tourism.

Yan-Yan Wang

Advisor: Dr. Deepak Chhabra

I come from Shanghai, China and am now pursuing my Master's degree in Recreation and Tourism Studies. I love the study of tourism.  My undergraduate degree from university is MICE, which is related to Tourism Management. From November 2009 to July 2010, I had an internship at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. As an intern, I had a wonderful experience and learned a great deal about hospitality in the Theme Pavilion, working in cooperation with other departments. I am interested in Incentive Tourism research, which covers a broad range of areas, including business, events, and travel.

Emis Cox

Advisor:

My current research interest is completing data about the low numbers of Hispanics completing High school and adventuring out to a higher education.  The reason I chose this program, I find it rewarding to know I will gain the tools needed to become an Ambassador for change in my community with my contributions to implement strategies to improve Arizona Educational Attainment and Career Development for Low-income ant at-risk population. My goal is to serve as an outstanding role model by  "planting the seed" of public service, and demonstrating compassion, empathy by providing extraordinary services to individuals within the community. My formal education is an Associate of Art in Social Services from Glendale Community College. Furthermore, a degree Bachelor of Art in Communication with a Minor Spanish from the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Currently, at College of Public Programs completing my Master in Nonprofit Studies.

Brintha Gardner

Advisor:

While working at Phoenix Children's Hospital, my curiosity grew to get the 'big picture' of nonprofit operations – the finances, volunteerism, ethics, it all excited me!  But my experience at the Downtown campus wasn't limited to academics; there were social, cultural, community and professional engagements galore. I participated in many and had a great time. When I inquired, my professor Dr. Hager came up with a research independent study program. We studied nonprofits in the state, did a comparative analysis and crunched numbers. The beneficial result besides educational, was a publication for the ASU Lodestar Center we authored called 'Arizona Nonprofits Scope of the Sector2010' which will be released shortly. Another valuable experience I had while in school was being a research intern with ATHGO International, a UN partner where I worked on 'Sustainability of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).'There are so many possibilities for the student eager to learn especially at ASU.