Title of Paper

Bridging the gap: Building brave spaces for Academic/Industry Collaborations

Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Alana Dillette, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. Originally from the islands of The Bahamas, she is always trying to maintain her connection to home through research on sustainable tourism initiatives for small island states. Her other research interests include issues around diversity and inclusion, more specifically looking at the intersection between tourism, race, gender & ethnicity. Currently, she is working on research to gain a better understanding of the African-American travel experience.

Stefanie Benjamin, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests include social equity in tourism around the intersectionality of race, gender, sexual orientation, and people with disabilities. She also researches film-induced tourism, implements improvisational theater games as innovative pedagogy, and is a certified qualitative researcher exploring collective storytelling, duo-ethnography, visual methodology, and social media analysis. Lastly, she serves as a Faculty Advisor on the Equity and Diversity Board for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Engagement at UTK.

Abstract (150 Words)

No matter the field, there is an age-old adage that research and publications produced in academic spaces often “miss the mark” for industry advancements. As scholars who strive to publish “real world” research, we have worked to close this gap (Wassler & Fan, 2021). More specifically we have spent the past several years building relationships with key industry players within the BIPOC travel movement. This sector of the industry is particularly sensitive due to the historical nature of race relations in the United States (Benjamin & Dillette, 2021). Therefore, the process has included significant relationship and trust building steps. The purpose of this presentation is to share our journey and lessons of building partnerships with industry professionals specifically within the BIPOC travel movement. Taking a methodological approach, we will share our process, outcomes and goals for the future as we continuously strive to bridge the gap with this important work.

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Bridging the gap: Building brave spaces for Academic/Industry Collaborations

No matter the field, there is an age-old adage that research and publications produced in academic spaces often “miss the mark” for industry advancements. As scholars who strive to publish “real world” research, we have worked to close this gap (Wassler & Fan, 2021). More specifically we have spent the past several years building relationships with key industry players within the BIPOC travel movement. This sector of the industry is particularly sensitive due to the historical nature of race relations in the United States (Benjamin & Dillette, 2021). Therefore, the process has included significant relationship and trust building steps. The purpose of this presentation is to share our journey and lessons of building partnerships with industry professionals specifically within the BIPOC travel movement. Taking a methodological approach, we will share our process, outcomes and goals for the future as we continuously strive to bridge the gap with this important work.