Social Economic Development
decades OF ADVANCING THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY and community based tourism
Briefly, prior to my involvement with the USAID funded The Competitiveness Initiative (2000-03), I’ve been working in the tourism industry since my teenage years back in Alaska via a variety of roles. After USAID, I’ve continued my tourism development works via the establishment of GER to GER Mongolia – a community based tourism initiative that I designed and authored between 2003-04 and founded in 2005 with the generous assistance of the Swiss Agency for International Development and Cooperation as well as The United States Agency for International Development via Mercy Corps International. Since the founding of GER to GER Mongolia, it has become a powerhouse social enterprise that has generated countless international awareness via press and publications e.g. National Geographic Society, UNESCAP, New York Magazine, USA Today, Petit Fute, Lonely Planet, and so much more – such as being featured in both The Amazing Race USA (2006) and The Amazing Race Australia (2019)!
Today, GER to GER is 100% Mongolian owned and 100% operated by Mongolians themselves (national/rural management, nomadic families, guides, drivers, etc.) – as a development specialist its my duty to empower locals to take the lead roles of operations, etc… Nonetheless, my role continues as GER to GER’s founder and I support it via different technical capacities e.g. field development/monitor and evaluations, web development, digital media development, film/tv production support, etc.