PEOPLE

Jon Kohl - PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jon, American and Costa Rican, founded the PUP Global Heritage Consortium in 2013 after having developed the PUP Process and PUP Manual starting in Honduras in 1998 under RARE Center for Tropical Conservation. He has a keen interest in identifying new theories and approaches and turning them into practice. Based in Costa Rica, Jon has worked with PUP around the world, always focusing on the visitor management side, especially his passion for heritage interpretation, but with an eye to learning beyond just visitor management to all kinds of planning. Ultimately he sees a spiritual connection to the value of heritage and management that he shares in his blog on heritage interpretation, his writing, and his work. For more information about his publications visit his ResearchGate profile.

DR. JESSICA FEFER - VICE PRESIDENT

Jessica, American, is an associate professor at Kansas State University. Her focus areas include visitor use management, protected area management and parks and outdoor recreation as related to visitor experiences, health and well being. While studied for her PhD at Clemson, she has worked on informing and developing several visitor use management plans for the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Tennessee state park system. She has taught several undergraduate courses in parks, outdoor recreation, and tourism; and has taught a graduate level course in the human dimensions of protected area management. Her dissertation research focused on improving methods for planning for, and managing visitor experiences in protected places. She was a general member before assuming the post of publications and conferences manager and then become Vice President.

CLARK HANCOCK - TREASURER

Clark, American, is an Interpretive Consultant and Trainer working out of Austin, Texas. He retired from the City of Austin in 2015 after serving for 25 years as the Austin Nature & Science Center’s Exhibit Coordinator. His professional focus is on community networking, open space management, resource protection, and heritage interpretation. His work has included the creation of natural and cultural exhibits, oral history and archive project management, community engagement and institution development, interpretive planning and training, and event planning. He holds degrees in Public Affairs from the University of Texas’ LBJ School and Theatre from Tulane University. His career has been diverse but with the common thread of creating opportunities for individuals to find for themselves new or enhanced connections with the wonders of creation and encouraging them to pass on to future generations this strong foundation from which to navigate the vagaries of life.

Vacant - SECRETARY