Office Address: 214C Richard M. DeVos Center - Pew Campus
Phone: (616) 331-7527
Email: [email protected]

Teaching Areas:

• HTM 235 - Managing Tourism and Recreation Experiences
• HTM 368 - Geotourism

Experience:
Associate Professor Scott Rood brings entrepreneurial experience across multiple areas of the tourism and recreation industry, including service as a General Manager, Operating Partner, and Area Manager in three different commercial recreation and tourism sectors. He owned and managed five Big Apple Bagels cafe locations.

His background includes regulatory and destination marketing service through the State of Michigan's Carnival and Amusement Safety Board and as Vice President of the Grand Haven Visitor's Bureau. He is a former President of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association, now known as RecNet® (Recreation Experience Community Network), and a former Council Member for the City of Norton Shores, Michigan.

Education:

• B.S. in Political Science and American Studies, University of Michigan
   
• M.P.A. in Public Administration, Central Michigan University 

Scott began teaching at Grand Valley State University as an adjunct from 1994 to 1996 and became a full-time faculty member in 2005 after serving as an adjunct instructor at three different institutions. He completed additional M.Div. coursework at the Toronto School of Theology and Ph.D. research methods coursework at Michigan State University.

Scholarship and Service:

•  Former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Tourism Insights
•  Conference Editor, Research Symposium – Recreational Experience Community Network
•  Author or co-author of over  a dozen peer-reviewed articles
•  Co-author and senior editor of Introduction to Commercial Recreation and Tourism: An Entrepreneurial Approach, 8th edition
•  Former Board member and President of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association  
•  Recipient of 10 different awards from RCRA, including the association's Fellowship award for lifetime achievement

Community Service:

• Elected Trustee of Muskegon, Michigan Elks Lodge #274