The program’s balance of business and hospitality management curriculum, tourism-specific coursework, and industry interaction provides students with an excellent foundation to achieve a successful career in tourism management.  Our instructors have both academic knowledge and real-world experience in the tourism industry.  In addition to their impeccable academic qualifications, most have direct industry experience.

Julia Branstrator, PhD
Instructor
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Julia Branstrator is a Ph.D. graduate in Dr. Cavaliere’s Tourism and Conservation Lab within the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. She brings a multidisciplinary approach to conservation social science spanning international sustainability studies in hospitality, tourism, and technology. Julia’s teaching philosophy is to creatively engage students in the classroom by incorporating students’ backgrounds, identities and knowledge to guide lessons while drawing from her own research and work experience. Her research within Dr. Cavaliere’s Tourism and Conservation Lab has focused on biocultural conservation of gateway communities, information communication technologies within tourism planning, and feminist methodologies for sustainable futures in tourism. Outside the classroom, you may find Julia biking, hiking with her dog (Aloy), or enjoying the communities of Fort Collins through volleyball, gaming, or concerts.

Sunshine Swetnam, PhD
Assistant Professor
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Dr. Sunshine Swetnam is a Colorado Native, long time skier, wilderness lover, and educator who believes in the empowerment of others. She is learner-centered, with the philosophy of stewardship at her core. She hopes to educate more people about the environment, the earth, and sustainability with the intent that they fall in love enough to want to take care of our home. She welcomes others and would love to connect if you see her on campus!

Alan Bright, PhD
Professor
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Al teaches courses in tourism marketing and strategic management in the Natural Resource Tourism undergraduate concentration and MTM. Al’s research has focused on a variety of human dimensions of natural resources issues, including social psychological aspects of recreation and tourism behavior as well as public values and attitudes toward natural resource management strategies such as wildland fire management and the creation of defensible space in the wildland-urban interface. Most recently, Al has worked extensively with the National Park Service on research regarding the wayshowing/wayfinding and visitor satisfaction on linear tourism assets such as the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the accompanying Auto Tour Route. In his spare time Al coaches the best youth baseball, hockey and football teams in Fort Collins, or so he claims.

Stuart Cottrell, PhD
Professor
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Stu is the coordinator of the undergraduate concentration in Global Tourism and contributes to MTM. At CSU, he teaches courses in ecotourism, sustainable tourism development, and tourism research. Prior to coming to CSU in 2004, Stu was an assistant professor in the Department of Leisure, Tourism and Environment at Wageningen University, The Netherlands teaching and conducting research in sustainable tourism development. In 1999, he received a grant on behalf of Wageningen University to direct a special training program in Eco/Rural Tourism Development for the Ministries of Tourism in Argentina and Uruguay. During his years in Wageningen, Stu was advisor to numerous international students from all over the world. He also taught tourism related courses for six years at Christopher Newport University, Virginia. His research focus includes sustainable tourism development, travel and tourism behavior, visitor impact management, and decision-making in travel and tourism. Present projects involve monitoring the socio-cultural impacts of sustainable tourism development in Europe’s protected areas in Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Romania, Poland, and Sweden. This research program aims to reveal the connection between tourism and nature conservation practices and to contribute to the future development of Protected Area Network sites. Within Colorado as a resident fellow with the School for Global and Environmental Sustainability, Cottrell is conducting a preliminary study of the impacts of mountain pine beetle infestation on recreation and tourism. One of the highlights of Dr. Cottrell’s teaching involves the monitoring of diseased corals and volunteer based conservation projects for an NGO in the Bahamas. Stu’s passion is sailing. Early in his career, Stu was Program Director of the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base, a marine aquatic program with the Boy Scouts of America in the Florida Keys. He has also run his own sailing charters as a business owner. Currently Stu is a proud owner of a 50-foot classic sailboat with many new waters he looks forward to crossing in the future.

Christina Cavaliere, PhD
Assistant Professor
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Dr. Cavaliere is as an environmental social scientist and international sustainable development specialist with a focus on linking tourism and conservation. Her areas of expertise involve the human dimensions of socio-ecological systems including tourism impacts. She is an Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources in the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Dr. Cavaliere has academic and applied experience in 38 countries on 6 continents working with universities, communities, businesses, non-governmental organizations and multilateral institutions. Dr. Cavaliere has published numerous multilateral science communication reports, academic books and in A-ranked academic peer-reviewed journals.

Tian Guo, PhD
Assistant Professor
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Tian is a quantitative social scientist who studies behavior changes and social processes in agricultural, recreation, and other natural resource management settings. She has proven skills in analytical techniques such as structural equation modeling, categorical data analyses, and multi-level modeling, along with an extensive method repertoire including social network analyses, social media harvesting, and variable selections for big data. She has worked extensively in interdisciplinary teams and is interested in developing novel socio-ecological solutions to wicked environmental programs. Tian’s teaching responsibilities include distance coursework for the MTM and MPPM program. She is interested in cross-cultural curriculum development and pedagogical strategies.

Sarah Walker, PhD
Assistant Professor
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Dr. Walker’s work is based on the idea that understanding human well-being is critical for designing environmental solutions that work for both people and nature. Further, Sarah research and teaching centers on the believe that environmental solutions should prioritize social justice in both process and outcome.  Broadly, Sarah conducts environmental social science – exploring and measuring the human well-being impacts of various environmental problems and interventions. Much of her work is focused on equitable climate adaptation, rural livelihoods and changing environments, and the health and well-being effects of nature immersion. Sarah’s work and teaching occurs all around the world – from East Africa to CSU’s Mountain Campus to Canada and rural New York. Sarah is an avid hiker and cyclist and loves working with students inside and outside the classroom.

Lina Xiong, PhD
Associate Professor
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Lina is also called “Dr. Bear” because her last name in Chinese means “bear”. Dr. Xiong came to the U.S. in 2006 from mainland China. She completed her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia. Her dissertation titled “Employee brand internalization: the central route to a brand aligned workforce” has received a Highly Commended Award of the 2014 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in the Hospitality Management category. Dr. Xiong teaches strategic management and marketing in tourism courses at CSU, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She also serves as the Director of Academics in the Master of Tourism Management program (MTM) in China. Dr. Xiong’s research areas include internal branding, service management and marketing, as well as destination brand marketing. These areas emphasize an internal stakeholder perspective in building a sustainable competitive advantage through internal branding among tourism employees at the micro-level as well as destination residents at the macro-level. She have published many articles in top tourism and hospitality journals including International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, etc.

Emily Schmieding
Conference and Event Manager, Instructor
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Emily Schmieding (LeBlanc) is the Conference and Events Manager and an Instructor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Emily serves on several CSU committees, including the Engagement Subcommittee of the President’s Sustainability Commission, HDNR’s DEI Committee, serves as Chair of HDNR’s Community Engagement Committee, and serves as Co-Chair of the APC’s Service & Engagement Committee. Prior to her work with CSU, Emily worked in association events, weddings, and academic events, as well as working in digital marketing. She received her B.A. in Public Relations with a minor in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. She loves learning new skills, and is currently obtaining a Master’s degree is Tourism Management. When she is not working or studying, Emily enjoys hiking, kayaking, spending time with her cat and her friends, and crocheting.

Tanner Health
Instructor
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Tanner brings over fifteen years of young adult leadership and teaching experience to Colorado State University. Throughout his career, Tanner has worked firsthand with young adults to develop their leadership capacity, cultural consideration, and global perspectives. Tanner has an immense passion for education, cultural linking, and historical awareness that has driven him to teach in various countries including; Korea, Thailand, Laos, Morocco, The US, and Cambodia. Through his unique cultural lens, Tanner has committed his life to the exchange of knowledge through cultural interaction and a communal perspective allowing him to bring an invaluable background to Colorado State University. Tanner graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a degree in History and completed his graduate program at the University of Idaho in Recreation, Sports, and Tourism Management. He is an avid voice for the lost art of chivalry, politeness, and gallantry.

Wen Zhang
Assistant Professor
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Wen Zhang, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Wen joined CSU in Spring 2023 after receiving her doctoral degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Her research centers on understanding the nature and structure of the tourism experience with a focus on the roles of emotions and storytelling in experience design and destination marketing. She has extensive experience working in interdisciplinary teams and actively collaborating with industry and local tourism organizations. Some of her research projects include Experience Mapping Project, Tourism Story Project, Narrative Immersion in Theme Park Experience, Ponte Vedra Tourism Planning Project, and Madden Media Destination Marketing Project. Wen is also a lead instructor of the Master of Tourism Management (MTM)-China program.

Dawson Metcalf
Director of Enterprise Programs
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Dawson works with a team to manage and facilitate the Master of Conservation Leadership, Master of Tourism Management, and Communications for Conservation Certificate programs at Colorado State University. Over the last decade, he has worked in the intersection of sustainability and leadership education in both domestic and international contexts. Additionally, he has been engaged in nonprofit management, policy advising, and DEI initiatives all within the scope conservation in Northern Colorado. Dawson’s areas of interest include conservation leadership, capacity development, environmental justice, agriculture, and outdoor recreation.

Kathryn Metzger
Program Manager for Tourism Enterprise Programs
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Kathryn Metzger is the Program Coordinator for the Tourism Enterprise Program. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Education with a concentration on College Student Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Louisville. After finishing graduate school, Kathryn lived in Nyack, New York, for nine years, where she gained professional experience in Tourism and Higher Education. In August 2021, Kathryn and her husband moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. She received a Career Coach Certification from the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches in February 2023. Kathryn is passionate about helping others succeed, discover their potential, find purpose, and broaden horizons to develop personally, academically, and professionally. In her free time, she likes to hike, travel, and explore Fort Collins with her husband, son, and dog.