Written by: Lindsay Cluckey 

The Adventure Tourism graduate certificate program at Colorado State University is excited to welcome two new instructors into its existing all-star team. 

“This benefits the Adventure Tourism program overall by providing a diversity of thought leadership. Just as we engage industry leaders in each course through recorded interviews, we benefit from having industry leaders facilitating courses,” stated Ethan Billingsley, the Adventure Tourism Program Lead. 

New instructor Beth Jensen currently works as the Climate+ Strategy Director for Textile Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the use of sustainable fibers and materials. Through this position, she oversees the implementation of the company’s Climate+ Strategy, which focuses on achieving positive outcomes in the areas of climate, biodiversity, soil health, and water. 

“I am really looking forward to teaching this course, which combines three of my passions: the outdoor industry, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.” said Jensen. “My focus will be on providing practical, real-world guidance, while also learning from the students in the course and the different perspectives and mindsets they bring.” 

 

Dr. Adam Beh, who is also new to the team, moved out west over 20 years ago and fell in love with long-distance trekking, mountain biking, and snowboarding. Dr. Beh has over 24 years of conservation leadership experience, including several years leading programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Beh is also an alumnus of Colorado State of University, where he previously earned his Ph.D. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. 

 “Dr. Adam Beh is a conservation leader with boots on the ground experience leading Adventure Tourism tours and trips with the Wildland Trekking Company. He is also a seasoned university educator who enjoys engaging folks at the intersection of travel and conservation,” said Billingsley. 

 

Beth Jensen and Dr. Adam Beh will be joining a well-seasoned team of Adventure Tourism professionals who are currently teaching the program at Colorado State University. For the past 20 years, Ethan Billingsley has led many different educational and guided trips, including whitewater rafting, paddleboarding, hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, sea-kayaking, and more. Before teaching at Colorado State University, he spent 7 years working at different summer camps and outdoor educational centers, where he gained valuable experience in group dynamics and leadership. 

These new instructors will also be joining Eva Mossberg, another leader in the Adventure Tourism field. In addition to teaching, she currently serves as the Partner Manager of North America and Global Gear Brands for the Adventure Travel Trade Association. Mossberg has more than 20 years of experience in sustainable tourism, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on hospitality, tourism, and travel. She specializes in domestic and international operations and logistics, program development, risk management procedures, and strategic partnerships in places all over the world. 

“Adventure Tourism is the future of tourism and a force for good in the world. It is a fast-growing, global industry that employs at least 1 in 4 people around the world and has the ability to build – or – destroy host destinations (the places we visit)”, stated Mossberg. “It is imperative that we purposefully, through education, make sure that we help build a sustainable tourism industry that is a force for good in the world.” 

With the addition of new instructors, the Adventure Tourism program only hopes to continue growing its relevant industry-informed curriculum by leaning on the skills, experiences, and knowledge of all its instructors. “These instructors continue our commitment to an industry informed education” said Billingsley. “We want folks who are experts in the Adventure Tourism industry to educate our students.”