BIO-SKETCH

Agnes M.K. Nowaczek is currently an Evaluation Project Manager at Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, managing several research projects with client organizations outside the University. Agnes is also a Freelance Ecotourism Consultant and Tour Manager working with Carlson Wagonlit Travel Source in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Agnes has completed projects in Poland, Peru and North America ; and was a recipient of several research awards and grants. Agnes is currently pursuing several projects related to her earlier work on measuring ecotourist predispositions (Ecotourist Predisposition Scale) and ecotourist ethics (Ecotourist Ethics Scale) leading to promotion and use of these instruments among the wider sectors of tourism and ecotourism such as ecolodge operators, park managers, etc.

Throughout her academic studies interlinked with professional work activities, Agnes has acquired a wide range of expertise and is knowledgeable in ecotourism ethics, codes of conduct, product development and marketing, programme design, policy planning, visitor management, environmental planning and guidelines, ecotourism evaluation, etc. Agnes has served as the Associate/Editor and Reviewer of scholarly journals and books, and published in peer-reviewed journals in the area of Tourism and Ecotourism, as well as presented in several academic and professional conferences.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Eco-Spirituality, Biophilia hypothesis, Children’s unstructured play in the outdoors • Ecotourism/Tourism ethics • Conceptualization and deconstruction of travel in cross-cultural contexts • Ecotourism development in Eastern Europe and less developed countries • Measurement of various psychographic constructs ; i.e., scale development • User attitudes, values, benefits and motivations • Effectiveness of codes of ethics • Planning for urban outdoor recreation • Visitor management in parks and protected areas

LANGUAGES : English (fluent), Polish (mother tongue)

CONTACT

Position and affiliation : Evaluation Project Manager Propel Centre for Population Health Impact University of Waterloo Lyle S. Hallman Institute North, Room 1714 200 University Avenue West | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 T : (519) 888-4567 ext 38266 | | www.propel.uwaterloo.ca

PRESENTATIONS TO SCHOLARLY GROUPS

Conference Presentations

14. Nowaczek, A. (2008, April). Questioning the unquestioned : The ethics of ecotourism. The 8th Annual Graduate Student Research Conference (GSRC), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

15. Nowaczek, A., & Smale, B. (2006, June). Exploring the predisposition of travelers to qualify as ecotourists : The Ecotourist Predisposition Scale (EPS). Global challenges and local responses. The 12th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM), Vancouver, British Columbia.

16. Nowaczek, A. (2004, March). Planning for selective use and ecologically compatible forms of outdoor recreation : One means of core area revitalization in the City of Waterloo, Ontario. The 4th Annual Graduate Student Research Conference (GSRC), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

17. Fennell, D., & Nowaczek, A. (2003, May). Codes of ethics and wilderness settings. Paper presented at the 4th Annual Congress of the (ASAEC) Asociacion Argentina de Estudios Canadienses on Las Areas Protegidas y las Gente, Neuquen, Patagonia, Argentina.

Invited Presentations to Scholarly Groups

18. Nowaczek, A. (2010, May). Climbing the Sisyphean hill of ecotourism : Opportunities for research and business in tourism. Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

19. Nowaczek, A. (2005, November). The place of ethics in ecotourism from backstage volunteer experience at Tambopata Reserve, Posada Amazonas Ecolodge, Peru. Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.

20. Nowaczek, A. (2005, March). What ethics got to do with it ? Volunteer experiences at Tambopata Reserve, Posada Amazonas Ecolodge, Peru. Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.

NETWORKING BUSINESS EVENTS

21. Planet, People, Peace II International Conference : The Costa Rican Tourism Model. (November 1-3, 2010). San Jose, Costa Rica.

22. Networking Breakfast Series – Featured speaker : Bruce Poon Tip, Gap Adventures. (October 1, 2009). The Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Waterloo, ON, Canada.