AI Strategist

With 20 years of experience in digital marketing, communications, and government relations across diverse industries, Peter excels as a versatile strategist. His standout quality lies in an unwavering dedication to simplifying technology while embracing innovation. His mission is to demystify the AI landscape, enabling individuals and businesses to navigate it with confidence.

Professor

Dr. Rachel Dodds is a globally known expert in sustainable tourism and a passionate changemaker. She has worked for over 25 years and across four continents in the tourism industry and across four continents helping governments, businesses and consumers make more sustainable and responsible tourism choices. Dr. Dodds is a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Director of a boutique consultancy called Sustaining Tourism and a start-up called Klevr Places – a data management company. She has published hundreds of articles globally about destination planning and policy, overtourism, consumer motivations and recently cowrote a best selling book for the general public about how to travel more sustainability called: Are we there yet? Traveling more responsibly with your children. Rachel has lived and worked on four continents and travelled to over 80 countries.

Executive Director, Destination Silver Star / Silver Star Resort Association

Cassandra Zerebeski is redefining the role of a destination organization at Silver Star as she spearheads the development of the resort association as a vibrant, innovative, community-focused organization.

Cassandra has built exceptional teams globally, always exceeding the evolving needs of clients and partners with leadership roles at Tourism Whistler, Destination Canada, Pacific Destination Services, Whistler Blackcomb, and Accor Hotels in a tourism career that spans three decades.

A twenty-year resident of British Columbia originally from Minnesota, often deemed the most Canadian part of the US, Cassandra always puts her infectious enthusiasm to good use.

Principal, Larose Research & Strategy 

Peter is a research and planning consultant and university instructor based out of Tk'emlúps (Kamloops) British Columbia. As the Principal of Larose Research & Strategy since 2013, Peter has completed over 100 projects related to tourism planning and management, outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, Indigenous tourism, labour market analysis, and tourism transportation systems.

Peter specializes in quantitative and qualitative research methods to support policy, planning, and sustainable community development, and teaches courses in these areas at Thompson Rivers University.

Peter’s life mission is to use the levers of the tourism and recreation economy to maximize social and economic benefits, enhance environmental conservation practices, and radically promote Indigenous reconciliation. He is passionate about community philanthropy, as a long-time Select soccer coach in Kamloops, outspoken environmental advocate and member of the Kamloops Naturalist Club, and he sits on the board of directors for Mountain Biking BC and the Kamloops Bike Riders Association.

Corporate Services Manager, Indigenous Tourism BC

Chatman Shaw is from Prince Rupert BC, with ancestry rooted in the North as a member of the Nisga’a Nation community of Gitlaxt’aamiks branching all the way down south to the Tsleil Waututh Nation in North Vancouver, BC.

With over 15 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry & a degree in Business Management. Chatman joined Indigenous Tourism BC last summer as the Corporate Services Manager, bringing a diverse skillset in customer experience, digital innovation, and service design