Goals
Tourism in South Carolina is responsible for more than $17 billion in spending annually and employs approximately 10 percent of the state's workforce. The Center's vision is to be the leading center for innovative, relevant, and interdisciplinary research in tourism and destination management throughout the world.
- Become a one-stop resource of relevant data and research related to tourism and hospitality for the South Carolina tourism industry.
- Help guide public and private sector policies through academic consulting that will lead to improved tourism planning and development in South Carolina.
- Disseminate research via speaking engagements, conferences, research seminars, the website, newsletters, social networking, and marketing.
- Provide training and education for domestic and international leaders and scholars in various areas of excellence in the tourism industry.
- Act as a think tank for both applied and academic tourism-related research.
SmartState Tourism Team
Lori Pennington-Gray, Ph.D.
Director, Richardson Family SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism and
Economic Development
Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of South Carolina
Strategic Advisor, Tourism Crisis Management Initiative (TCMI)
Dr. Lori Pennington-Gray is a globally recognized expert in tourism crisis management and destination resilience. As the founding architect of the Tourism Crisis Management Initiative (TCMI), she has led multidisciplinary efforts to equip destinations and tourism businesses with data-driven frameworks that enhance preparedness, ensure visitor safety, and accelerate recovery in times of crisis.
Currently serving as the Director of the Richardson Family SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development, Dr. Pennington-Gray brings over two decades of leadership in applied tourism research and policy engagement. Her academic career is grounded in a commitment to translating theory into practical tools, such as the widely adopted Tourism Crisis Management Plan (TCMP) framework and the Domestic Travel Anxiety Index (DTAI).
Her scholarship and technical assistance span a wide range of topics including disaster readiness, public-private partnerships, tourism health communication, and resilience building. Dr. Pennington-Gray has advised organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Bank, and various tourism boards and ministries around the globe.
She earned her Ph.D. in Tourism and Commercial Recreation from the University of Florida and has served in leadership roles at multiple academic institutions. A prolific author and sought-after speaker, she has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and technical reports, and frequently contributes to international summits on tourism resilience and destination competitiveness.
Patrick Holladay, Ph.D.
Executive Lead, Social and Behavioral Working Group
Center for Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems
Dr. Patrick J. Holladay is a Visiting Research Lead with the SmartState Tourism Center. His interdisciplinary research focuses on sustainability science, social-ecological resilience, and community development, often through the lens of tourism. Dr. Holladay's work encompasses areas such as food security, natural resource management, social justice, and the integration of faith and spirituality in community practices.
With over two decades of experience, Dr. Holladay has conducted research and led projects across the United States and internationally, including in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. His academic background includes a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Clemson University, an M.S. in Biological Sciences from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from Clemson University.
As the Executive Lead of the Social and Behavioral Working Group within SmartState Tourism a division of the Center for Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems, Dr. Holladay applies his expertise to explore the human dimensions of water quality and ecosystem health. His work aims to inform policies and practices that promote sustainable and equitable water resource management.
Ibrahim Osta
Executive Lead, TOURWISE GLOBAL
Senior Director for Economic Growth and Global Tourism Lead, Chemonics International
Member, United Nations World Tourism Organization Panel of Experts
Ibrahim Osta is a globally respected leader in international development and tourism-led economic growth, bringing over three decades of experience in managing high-impact programs across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Latin America, and Asia. His work has been instrumental in mobilizing over $350 million in donor financing—including $120 million from the U.S. government—and generating more than $7 billion in GDP growth while improving lives across dozens of nations.
As Senior Director at Chemonics International, Osta serves as the firm’s global tourism lead and an advisor on economic reconstruction in conflict-affected regions such as Ukraine and emerging markets in the Gulf. His areas of specialization include trade and investment promotion, SME competitiveness, youth entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and institutional strengthening. He is also a champion of employee ownership, having served on Chemonics’ Stock Ownership Advisory Committee to globalize equity participation.
Osta’s career includes landmark leadership of USAID’s most expansive tourism programs:
- USAID Bosnia and Herzegovina (2020–2023): Led the nation’s largest COVID-19 recovery initiative in tourism, successfully reopening markets and launching new aviation routes.
- USAID Lebanon Enterprise Development (2017–2020): Directed firm-level investment facilitation and export development under a $24M portfolio.
- USAID Jordan Tourism Development Program (2005–2017): Designed and led USAID’s largest tourism development investment ($100M+), helping drive multi-billion-dollar growth in Jordan’s tourism economy.
In addition to his fieldwork, Osta has shaped global dialogue through senior roles with the UNWTO Panel of Experts, UN Foundation World Heritage Alliance, and as co-lead of the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism Global Forum alongside the World Bank and the Government of Jamaica. He is a founding member of the Tourism Employment Expansion Mandate, an international coalition for workforce development in the hospitality sector.
He holds a degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Michigan, a Master of Tourism Administration from George Washington University, and a Graduate Diploma in International Business Law from the University of London, with additional postgraduate training from the American University in Cairo.
Jake Haupert
Executive Lead, TRANSFORM Lab
Co-Founder & Chairman, Transformational Travel Council
Co-Founder, Explorer X and ROAM Beyond
Jake Haupert is a recognized figure in the field of transformative tourism, speaking, teaching, and guiding its expansion and implementation globally. Jake believes that systemic issues threaten tourism's ability to be additive rather than extractive in our lives and our society, and that a paradigm shift is necessary to make it healthier, more fair, just, compassionate, and impactful. He’s doing something about it.
Jake blends a diverse and holistic background in sustainable tourism that spans over 20 years, including founding multiple travel brands across the category, including inbound and outbound adventure travel companies, an eco-camp, and an association focused on research, advocacy, and education.
Currently, Jake is shepherding the Transformational Travel Council (TTC) and is Chair of its Institute. With hundreds of members and program alumni around the planet, it is a powerful ecosystem of conscious travel professionals, leaders, guides, media, and influencers.
He consults and coaches purpose-driven travel leaders, brands, and destinations in embracing the transformation economy, transformative experience development, sustainable tourism, and regenerative community development. Jake is passionate and authentic, calling upon endless energy, play, and wisdom to guide the transformative approach he takes to his work. The programs developed at the TTC are innovative and impactful, practical and proven, because they have been rigorously developed, rooted in positive psychology, neuroscience, wisdom, biophilia, human innovation, and the belief that peak experiences expand individual and collective consciousness.
His work results in travel brands becoming more agile and innovative, ethical and impactful, having radical breakthroughs, and achieving desired outcomes. He has impacted millions of lives through his work in human capacity building, regenerative tourism development, visitor experience strategies, and community-led systems change that catalyzes personal growth, positive change, and economic development. The TTC has won a Meaningful Tourism Award, consecutive State of Washington Destination Stewardship Awards, and a DMA West Award for Best New Idea.
Jake holds a Business Degree in Tourism Management, is an alumnus of the Modern Elder Academy, and is contributing innovation to the Transformation Economy Collaborative, the Wayfinder Innovation led by Miles Partnership, and as an Executive Leader with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council. He regularly speaks, moderates, and emcees in international forums and special events.
Estefania Basurto, Ph.D.
Research Assistant
Estefania Basurto serves as research assistant professor in The Richardson Family SmartState Center of Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development. In addition, she serves as the Destination Management Team Leader for the center.