A lover of oceans and mountains with a positive outlook on life, Ivory has a passion for preserving the environments and cultures of the iconic island destinations that we love. Ivory’s background includes tourism consulting and non-profit fundraising, event planning, member and donor relations, and environmental audits.
Ivory got her first experience in the travel industry at a membership organization, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok. Her role at PATA focused on sustainability and social responsibility, where she worked on impactful projects like environmental audits, a community-based tourism workshop, and a plastics toolkit.
Prior to joining Sustainable Travel International, Ivory worked as a sustainable tourism consultant in Palau for the Palau Visitors Authority, the Palau Chamber of Commerce, and the Bureau of Tourism. Besides working on COVID-related projects for Palau’s tourism industry, Ivory also worked with us and the Bureau of Tourism on a project to make Palau a carbon neutral tourism destination.
During her undergrad years, Ivory spent time in Rwanda, visiting refugee camps and interviewing youth in order to fundraise money to sponsor the education of several hundred of the students through her university’s global service program. She returned to Rwanda several times to assist in a vocational training school program, where she helped with permaculture classes and taught guitar.
This experience taught her about the complexities of poverty alleviation and how to positively impact someone’s life. Her drive for helping others and love of the environment, led her to further her studies and learn about how tourism could be used as a tool for sustainable development. Coming from the islands of Palau, Ivory saw the impacts of both climate change and tourism on people and the environment. She wrote her dissertation on the land and tourism nexus in Palau. She believes that tourism done right can be a tool for sustainable development, with the potential to create livelihoods, celebrate cultural heritage and conserve life on our planet.
Ivory brings her excitement and knowledge into managing Sustainable Travel International’s climate and resilience program, helping businesses and destinations measure, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint. Ivory holds a BA in International Communications from Walla Walla University and a MSc in Tourism, Environment and Development from King’s College London.