Pauline Sheldon
University of Hawaiʻi

Executive / Advisory

Pauline J. Sheldon, PhD is Professor Emerita, University of Hawai’i, School of Travel Industry Management where she also served as Dean.  She holds a PhD in Economics, an MBA, and a BS in Mathematics. Her research areas include sustainable and regenerative tourism, social entrepreneurship in tourism, and transformative and wellness tourism. She has published seven books, and over 70 peer-reviewed research articles. Her most recent book is titled Social Entrepreneurship and Tourism, and her most recent published research is Designing Tourism Experiences for Inner Transformation.  She is currently researching how indigenous knowledge informs regenerative tourism. She is the first woman recipient of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ulysses Prize for excellence in the creation and dissemination of knowledge in tourism and was the first woman President of the prestigious International Academy for the Study of Tourism.  Pauline is a regular keynote speaker at tourism conferences around the world, and has consulted with the World Bank, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and UNWTO.  She founded the Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) and the Tourism Research Information Network (TRINET). She teaches personal development with the Art of Living Foundation and is passionate about blending her study of tourism with her interest in the transformation of consciousness. She serves on the Advisory Board of Hawai’i Green Growth and is incoming President of the Hawai’i Handweavers Hui.