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SPEAKERS' PROFILE
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Costas D. Christ
5802 Greentree Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
Telephone: 301-564-1553
E-mail: cosal@tamusafaris.com
Professional Experience
Senior Director
– Ecotourism, Conservation International,
Washington, D.C. March 2001 – Present. Responsible for managing and
supervising Conservation International’s Ecotourism Department,
including ecotourism development projects in more than 20 countries
worldwide; the establishment of ecotourism technical units within CI’s
new Centers for Biodiversity Conservation in Africa, Asia and South
America; supervising a Washington D.C.-based team of ecotourism
specialists; and direct coordination of ecotourism strategies and
activities with CI’s senior management team.
Country Director,
U.S. Peace Corps, Belize. August 1999 – February 2001. Program emphasis
in Belize is on environmental education, ecotourism and community
development. Coordinate with top government officials, non-governmental
organization leaders, and private sector business representatives in
Belize, oversee all Peace Corps operations in-country, including program
development and management, multimillion dollar budget, supervision of
14 full-time staff and 55 volunteers, monitoring and evaluation of all
field projects.
Country Director,
U.S. Peace Corps, Uganda. February 1998 – July 1999 (Program suspended
due to political instability). Responsible for managing one of Peace
Corps’ most important community-based conservation programs, including
key partnership in Mountain Gorilla conservation. Coordination with
high-ranking government officials, non-governmental organization
leaders, and private sector business representatives in the host
country, as well as in the East Africa region. Oversight of all Peace
Corps operations, including program development and management,
supervising 15 full-time Peace Corps staff and 47 volunteers,
multimillion dollar budget, and monitoring and evaluation of on-site
field projects. Coordinated orderly evacuation and closure of program
due to political instability.
Programme Director,
Conservation Corporation, Johannesburg, South Africa.
August 1996 – January 1998. Personally recruited by the president of
this pioneer African ecotourism company with responsibility for
coordinating community partnerships in the ecolodges and private game
reserves within the Conservation Corporation portfolio. Carried out a
highly successful campaign aimed at promoting Conservation Corporation’s
pioneer work in the field of ecotourism. Planned and implemented
successful international marketing and fundraising. Monitored the
company’s ecotourism standards to make sure that continuity existed
between the corporate vision to support nature conservation and the
actual running of the ecolodges. Managed large financial budget,
reporting directly to the president.
Program Director
for Africa, Overseas Adventure Travel, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
June 1995 – July 1996. Recruited to oversee the management and
operations of the Africa division of Overseas Adventure Travel,
representing over 50 percent of the company’s multimillion dollar annual
income, with specific emphasis on the complete restructuring and
reorganization of its Africa operation to promote ecotourism standards.
Oversaw all hiring, training and supervision of Africa operations
managers and staff. Negotiated and signed all contracts, trained U.S.-
based marketing and recruitment team. Reported directly to company
president.
Regional Director
for Africa, School for International Training, World Learning, Inc.,
Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. August 1989 - June 1995. Designed,
implemented and supervised thirteen programs in nine African countries,
including Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa,
Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana, with emphasis on African area studies,
community-based conservation and natural resource management. Recruited,
trained, and supervised country directors, monitored program
performance. Fiscal management of $3.5 million annual budget. Liaison
with government officials, NGO leaders and university representatives
throughout the U.S. and Africa. Traveled 3-4 months per year for on-site
program management and evaluation.
Regional Director for Asia,
School for International Training, Experiment in International Living,
Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. August 1989 - August 1991. Direct
responsibility for managing education programs in five Asian countries,
including Japan, India, Nepal, Thailand and Indonesia, with emphasis on
Asia area studies and community development. Trained, recruited, and
supervised country directors, monitored program performance. Oversaw
annual budget of $1 million. Liaison with Asia NGO and development
professionals. Traveled 2 months per year for on-site program management
and evaluation.
President,
Tamu Safaris, West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, USA. October 1987 – July
1989. Founder of small-scale, successful nature travel company dedicated
to ecotourism principles and practices, with private safaris and
educational tours to seven African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania,
Seychelles, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.
Responsibilities included overseeing company strategic planning and
development. Maintain 50 percent ownership of the company, which remains
in successful operation today as a recognized ecotourism operator.
Faculty,
Friends World College, Huntington, New York. May 1986 – January 1987.
Designed and taught required freshman and upper division courses on
global ecopolitics and rural community development. Advised students in
the design and implementation of international studies field projects in
Africa and Asia.
Co-Director,
Friends World College East African Program, Machakos, Kenya.
August 1980-September 1981. Designed and conducted study abroad programs
for U.S. college students. Taught cross-cultural and African Studies
seminars, with emphasis on wildlife conservation in East Africa.
Coordinated all program logistics. Advised students on the design and
implementation of study abroad field projects in natural resources
management and community development, evaluating final reports towards
BA degree. Administered program budget, managed local staff and
residential program.
Consultancies:
Projects in International Development
and Training, World Learning, Inc.,
Tanzania. January 1996. Researched status of Participatory Environmental
Resources Management Project in the planning stages for USAID.
Interviews and meetings with wide range of donor organizations, local
and international NGO partners, and Government of Tanzania
representatives on strategies and methodologies for the successful
implementation of ecotourism as a method of community-based natural
resource management.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature,
Windhoek, Namibia. April-May 1995. Facilitated two ecotourism training
workshops to strengthen the capacity of local communities, private tour
operators, NGOs and government to help promote the creation of a viable
and sustainable community-based tourism sector in Namibia. Final report
submitted to World Wildlife Fund, Washington D.C. and Namibia Ministry
of Environment and Tourism. Direct outcomes included the establishment
of the Namibia Community Based Tourism Association (NACOBTA).
Kodolanyi Janos College,
Szekesfehervar, Hungary. May 1994. Designed and implemented a two-week
ecotourism training workshop for the Department of Tourism, with
particular focus on ecotourism potential in Eastern Europe.
Zanzibar Commission for Tourism and
Environment, Zanzibar, Tanzania. March
1994. Coordinated and facilitated a five-day ecotourism training
workshop for government ministers, private tour operators,
non-governmental organization representatives, and village community
leaders on Zanzibar island. Focus on developing a national ecotourism
strategy for Zanzibar with emphasis on nature conservation and
community-based tourism development. Direct outcome was the
establishment of the Zanzibar Ecotourism Association.
Ministry of Tourism,
Seychelles. January-February 1994. Carried out a preliminary ecotourism
management plan for the remote Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles
Archipelago. Designed and implemented ecotourism training workshop for
Seychelles Ministry of Tourism.
Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi, Kenya. June-July 1993. Assessed
ecotourism potential and product development in Machakos District, Kenya
for the creation of local community-based tourism program. Final report
was accepted as a model district development plan for community-based
tourism in Kenya.
Acacia Films.
July 1993. Kenya field coordinator and production assistant for
TerraTrek documentary on ecotourism in Africa.
Association for Protected Areas of
Madagascar (ANGAP). February 1992.
Project Coordinator, Ecotourism Training Workshop. Assisted in the
design and organization of six-day ecotourism training workshop carried
out with The Ecotourism Society. The workshop resulted in a national
ecotourism development strategy (PLANGAP) for Madagascar.
ABC News Prime Time Live.
June 1990. Organized all on-ground production details for ABC news crew
to shoot Diane Sawyer interview segment, including official clearances
and government negotiations for film documentary in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Education
Master’s Degree in International Studies, University of Oregon, Eugene,
Oregon,
June 1985. Focus on environment and community development. High honors.
Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Ecology, Friends World College,
Huntington, New York,
June 1980.
Environmental science, Unity College, Unity, Maine. September 1975-June
1976.
Languages
English: Native speaker
Swahili: Fluent
Spanish: Fair
Greek: Basic conversational ability
Committees
Board of Directors,
The International Ecotourism Society, USA. January 1998 – Present.
Acting Chairman, of the Board, July 2001 – present. As a member of the
Executive Committee, directly involved with fundraising and strategic
planning for The International Ecotourism Society, a professional
organization dedicated to monitoring and evaluating ecotourism business
trends and developments worldwide. Served as Regional Coordinator,
1991-1997, designed and implemented ecotourism training programs and
workshops worldwide, including USA, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Thailand,
Malaysia, Venezuela, Belize and Tanzania. Designed and developed
International Ecotourism News and Information Service. Coordinated an
international resource network of community-based conservation and
tourism planners.
Board of Directors,
Good Life Center, Harborside, Maine. January 1996 – 2000. Board Member
of the Good Life Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to
promoting the principles of sustainable living. The center serves as a
resource and network for organic farmers and students of sustainable
living principles. Directly involved with fundraising and strategic
planning.
Academic Council,
School for International Training, Vermont. 1991-1994. The Academic
Council includes all senior academic staff, as well as the Dean and the
Vice President for Academic Affairs, and oversees college development
pertaining to international education, academic standards, and
curriculum review in graduate and undergraduate programs.
Advisory
Committee, Second World Congress on
Tourism for the Environment, Margarita, Venezuela, October 1993.
Responsible for advising Venezuelan and United States private and
governmental planners on design of a large international conference.
Advisory Committee,
International Conference on Adventure Travel and Ecotourism, Manaus,
Brazil, September 1993. Advisor to conference sponsors, including
private and governmental representatives on planning, design and plenary
focus relating to United Nations “Year of Indigenous Peoples” and the
role of indigenous communities in tourism development.
Publications
(partial listing only)
Always Face the Lion:
An Unexpected Journey through Africa, completed book manuscript
chronicling issues in ecotourism development, politics, and natural
resource management in Africa. Manuscript with established book agent in
New York.
“Far
From the Maddening Crowd: Tanzania’s Wildlife Conservation Strategy,”
Equinox Magazine, 1997.
“Taking Ecotourism to the Next Level,”
in Ecotourism: A Guide for Planners and Managers, Vol. II,
The Ecotourism Society, 1997.
“The Peoples of Madagascar,”
The Sunday Times (London), accepted for publication, 1997.
“Ecotourism as Education,” chapter, The
Ecolodge Sourcebook for Planners and Developers,
by Donald E. Hawkins, Megan Epler Wood, Sam Bittman, editors, The
Ecotourism Society, June 1995.
“The Last Sanctuary: Aldabra Atoll,”
The Sunday Times (London) October 1994.
“Kenya Makes Park Revenue Sharing Top
Priority,” The Ecotourism Society
Newsletter, Winter 1994, Volume 4, Number 1.
“Nature Tourism in Kenya,”
Guide to Ecotravel, Buzzworm Books, Boulder, Co., January 1993.
“A Day in the Death of Apartheid,”
Odyssey Magazine, World Learning, Inc., September 1992.
“A Limited World View,”
Odyssey Magazine, Experiment in International Living, September 1991.
“In Kenya They Wave Fists Now,”
International Herald Tribune, August 1990.
“The Boiling Point Nears in Kenya,”
guest editorial, New York Times, July 1990.
“Reflections on a Good Life,”
(cover story), East West Journal, November 1986.
“Americans: Hiding from the World?”
Baltimore Sun, May 1986.
“The Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand,”
Boston Globe, April 1986.
“The Andaman Islands: Lost World?”
Great Expeditions, February 1985.
Lectures
(partial listing only)
“Ecotourism in Africa Today,”
(2 lectures), University of Upsalla, Upsalla, Sweden, September 1997.
“Ecotourism and its Role in Africa’s
Development,” Africa Forum, ITB
Conference, Berlin, Germany, March 1997.
“The Impact of Nature Tourism on
Indigenous Cultures,” Keynote Address,
Pacific Asia Travel Association Annual Conference, Borneo, Malaysia,
January 1997.
“Ecotourism and its Role in Community
Development,” Sustainable Development
Workshop, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, September 1996.
“Sustainable Economic Development: Is
Ecotourism Viable?” Keynote address,
Second International Conference on Ecotourism in Asia, Srinakharinwirot
University, Bangkok, Thailand, July 1996.
“Ecotourism as a Business Opportunity,”
Agenda Workshop, Arusha, Tanzania,
January 1996.
“Ecotourism as Education,”
Plenary Speech, Conference on Ecotourism and Sustainable Design, Maho
Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands, October 1994.
“Ecotourism: A New Rural Development
Model?” Keynote address, Zanzibar
Workshop on Environmental Tourism and Conservation, March 1994.
“Community Involvement in Ecotourism
Development,” Plenary Speech, Second
World Congress on Tourism for the Environment, Margarita, Venezuela,
October 1993.
“Can Africa’s Villages Benefit
Economically from Grassroots Tourism?”
Plenary Speech, Africa Tourism Association Ecotourism Symposium, Saly,
Senegal, November 1992.
“Local People Involvement in Ecotourism
Planning,” Workshop seminar, First
World Congress on Tourism and the Environment, Belize City, Belize, May
1992.
“Ecotourism: The Road Ahead,”
Guest lecture, George Washington University, Washington D.C. June 1991.
“Wildlife Conservation and Rural
Development in East Africa,” Global
Objectives Conference, University of California-Davis, April 1990.
“New Political Trends in South Africa,”
University of Maine-Orono, October 1990.
“South Africa: A Country in Transition,”
University of Oregon, September 1989.
Professional Memberships
(past and present)
The International Ecotourism Society
African Studies Association
Society for Experiential Education
Association for Asian Studies
Recent Recognition
Earth Day Special, Grist Magazine, April 2000: “Costas Christ: Spreading
the Gospel of Ecotourism”
Distinguished Alumni Award, Central Regional High School, New Jersey,
1999
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