Lisa Vebber
Lisa Vebber is pursuing a dual-title PhD in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management and Transdisciplinary Research on Environment and Society. She received her master’s degree in biology from Miami University, where her thesis examined wildlife reintroduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to her career switch to conservation, Lisa spent 20 years working as a programming executive in the television industry for NBC, Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony. She holds a double bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Pepperdine University, and a Master of Arts in Communication Management from University of Southern California, where she also served as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism for eight years. Lisa has assisted in wildlife conservation field work in nine African countries, including an internship at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, and as a veterinary intern in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Lisa’s research interests center on the social psychology of responsible and sustainable tourism in protected areas, and how media influences tourism perception and behavior in wildlife viewing environments in Africa.