4/22/26: Dr. Thomas Gillman Keynote Address
“Using Your Travel for Good: How We Can Be Part of the First Sustainable Generation”
6:30pm, Emery Performance Space
Free and open to the public
The University of Maine at Farmington in partnership with the UMF Office of Global Education is excited to announce that Dr. Thomas Gilman, a New Zealand specialist in sustainable tourism, will be collaborating with the University in a series of campus and local presentations as a visiting UMF Libra Scholar during the month of April.
Gilman has worked in the sustainability field for more than 10 years and has academic and on-the-ground experience in sustainable development, tourism, community development and participatory philanthropy.
According to the UN World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is travel that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.
“Travel opens a new world to the visitor and provides us with the opportunity to meet new people and cultures, enjoy new learning experiences and explore new markets,” said Gilman. “It’s also important to remember that we are guests in people’s lands. Their lives might not be part of our daily experience, but they are part of our shared human experience, and we can learn from each other and ultimately create something that can have a positive impact on the world.”
The UMF open-to-the-public events will have Gilman sharing different ways to understand sustainable tourism and how we can think about it in a more constructive way. He will also be speaking with students in their classrooms and connecting with local employers operating in the tourism space, as well as sustainability efforts.
Events in Emery Arts Center will include:
Wednesday, April 22, 1 p.m.
UMF Alumni Panel on Leadership in Environmental Stewardship
UMF Emery Community Arts Center
Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.
Reception and Keynote Address: “Using Your Travel for Good: How We Can Be Part of the First Sustainable Generation”
UMF Emery Community Arts Center
More on Thomas Gilman
Dr. Thomas Gillman is a sustainable tourism specialist with academic and on-the-ground experience in sustainability, tourism, community development, and participatory philanthropy. Gilman’s work has largely been focused on the Pacific, and he has worked with many regional institutions, such as UNDP Samoa, the Asia-Pacific Network for Refugees and the Vanuatu Department of Tourism. He has also worked with various private sector actors and has co-founded a New Zealand based environmental NGO.
Gilman holds an MS in Development and International Relations from Aalborg University in Denmark, and a PhD from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His PhD. thesis, “The drive for sustainability: an exploration of the private sector’s role in assisting sustainable development in the Smaller Island States of the Pacific”, explored the role which the tourism industry can and does play in enabling sustainable development within the Smaller Island States of the Pacific.
The Libra Professorship Program brings scholars of national and international prominence to University of Maine System campuses to provide students and community members with outstanding models of teaching, research, and public service.
Comments are closed.