GW & AIANTA Professional Certificate in Cultural Heritage Tourism: Information Session & Indigenous Marketing Spotlight

​GW & AIANTA Professional Certificate in Cultural Heritage Tourism: Information Session & Indigenous Marketing Spotlight

​GW & AIANTA Professional Certificate in Cultural Heritage Tourism: Information Session & Indigenous Marketing Spotlight

Tuesday, March 8

Join AIANTA for an information session about the Professional Certificate in Cultural Heritage Tourism offered by the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW) in partnership with AIANTA. The seven-week online certificate program provides tourism entrepreneurs and community leaders with tools to identify and develop tourism assets.

During this information session, GW Program Manager, Matthew Ozuna, will provide an overview of program content, structure and time commitment. Next, session participants will have the opportunity to hear from one of the program instructors, Judy Walden, who teaches the Intro to Cultural Heritage Tourism course. Ms. Walden will discuss examples of cultural heritage tourism and its importance to tribal communities. She will include a highlight of recent trends and statistics associated with cultural heritage tourism.

The information session will also include an alumnus of the program, Kate Anderson. Kate is the Director of Public Relations for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. She will share her learning experience with the program and how the Professional Certificate in Cultural Heritage Tourism applies to her work.

There will be an opportunity for Q&A near the end of the information session.

Matthew Ozuna, Program Manager, George Washington University
Matthew holds a Master of Tourism Administration with a concentration in Sustainable Tourism Management from George Washington University. He worked with Destinations International, Simpleview and many consulting teams on a variety of tourism projects, ranging from digital marketing and professional development to industry research and destination management. Before graduate school and tourism advocacy work in DC, he worked with political campaigns, cultural heritage organizations and educational institutions in Walla Walla, WA. In his current role with the State of Washington Tourism, Matthew supports destination stewardship and economic prosperity for tourism stakeholders across the Evergreen State.

Judy Walden
Judy Walden fosters lively public engagement that helps communities achieve a balance between the economic benefits of tourism and the ongoing protection of historical, cultural and natural civic treasures. She brings a rich collection of community success stories, rooted in her broad on-the-ground tourism experience. Judy has designed specialized cultural experiences for international travelers, facilitated Share Your Heritage workshops in Alaska for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and helped Washington state regions capitalize on their rich culinary tourism. She teaches cultural heritage tourism online for George Washington University, with a national reach that includes tribal members who are developing cultural travel. She currently is working with five communities to fold cultural heritage experiences into an 82-mile, high-elevation bicycle ride.

Kate Anderson, Director of Public Relations, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
Kate Anderson is the Director of Public Relations for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. She is an enrolled tribal member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a federally recognized tribe with a Reservation in Shawnee, OK. She has three decades of experience in journalism, photography, public relations, marketing and film.

As the Director of Public Relations, Ms. Anderson leads a team responsible for developing communication, educational and outreach programs to help advance community knowledge and understanding of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and its efforts. Her work includes public relations, marketing and promotions, publications, social media, media outreach and special events, among other activities.

Her work has included developing a cultural tourism plan for the Tribe and working with partners across the Coachella Valley region in Southern California to put Palm Springs on the map around the world for cultural heritage tourism.

Ms. Anderson also operates the Agua Caliente Film Office and serves as the liaison to all filmmakers and photographers working on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation.

The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation covers about 31,500 acres across four jurisdictions including the cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage and unincorporated areas of Riverside County. The Tribe operates two casino resorts, two golf courses, the Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon recreational area. The Tribe is also under construction of its new Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza in downtown Palm Springs that will feature the new Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, a new spa that celebrates the Tribe’s ancient hot mineral spring healings waters, an oasis trail and a gathering plaza.

Moderator

Bianca Mitchell (Pueblo of Acoma), Education Manager, AIANTA