Being a part of the development and growth of Experience Hopi has been a great accomplishment. Even with Experience Hopi continuing to grow and evolve, being a part of that has taught me a lot about how long it can take to build a tourism program from concept to product-ready.

Establishing the first hotel-based cultural tour in Arizona, if not the Southwest, has also been a great, positive impact out here on Hopi. Tribal and rural communities tend to struggle with long-term sustainability, visitor access and consistency. So having a tour product that is available to visitors 24-7, with partners in our Hopi community who are also committed to a strong tour experience, has been simply amazing.

Working with and growing the capacity of our team up here in Moenkopi has also been very rewarding and a constant. Taking concepts like customer service, tourism, and management and planting the seeds necessary to grow these skills and encourage our people to be successful has been a great experience, as well as an accomplishment.

I have always tried to take advantage of every opportunity in my work to develop, grow, and manage our tourism programs and day-to-day business operations. I think we all share a commonality in reflecting on the work we have done in the past and how we could have taken it further. So, while I feel that I could have done more, I do not feel I missed any opportunities, I have grown right alongside Experience Hopi.

Our greatest strength as an industry, whether local, regional, or national, is our ability to work together to create and offer great experiences for visitors from across the world. We may all have different goals, objectives, and vision, but we can all agree when it comes to tourism and the visitor experience that we want to provide. I have some great colleagues and partners that have helped me just as much, if not more than I have helped them over the years.