Nicole Vaugeois, Ph.D., serves as a board member of the Canadian Chapter of TTRA. She is the Associate Vice-President of Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity at Vancouver Island University and held the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development from 2008-2017. Nicole's research interests focus on the ways that tourism is used to help diversify rural economies and protect heritage values. Her work has produced scholarly, applied, and policy-focused outcomes in rural development, the artisan economy, agri-tourism, amenity-based rural development, labor markets, cultural mapping, and visitor experience.