Keynote Speakers
Steve Martin retired from a 35 year career with the NPS in 2011 where he managed all aspects of parks and protected areas. Steve’s most recent position was Steve Martin is the former Deputy Director of the United States National Park Service. Steve Martin retired from a 35 year career with the NPS in 2011 where he managed all aspects of parks and protected areas. Steve’s most recent position was superintendent of Grand Canyon, a 486,000 hectare park with 500 employees. Annually Grand Canyon receives 4.5 million national and international visitors and produces over $250 million in direct tourism dollars. As superintendent, Steve completed an array of significant park management and tourism initiatives. He implemented highly successful park resource protection and restoration programs, innovative visitor access projects, employee training programs, established positive relationships with Native Americans and improved the economic well-being of communities around the park.

Prior to Grand Canyon, Steve was Deputy Director of the NPS in Washington, DC—the most senior career position in the NPS. As Deputy Director he supervised all of the operations of the NPS including 390 park units all across the United States, a $2.2 billion dollar budget and 20,000 employees. He worked with the U.S. Congress and major corporations on the protection and visitor use of national parks, cultural and historic sites, and major recreation areas.

Cyd Martin, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist with extensive experience working with indigenous cultures and protected areas including all aspects of area management, eco-tourism and cultural based tourism. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2001, and has managed cultural resources, park/tribal issues, and tribal-related parks for the United States National Park Service (NPS) for twenty-five years.

Dr. Martin was the Director of Indian Affairs and American Culture for the Intermountain Region of the NPS for the last ten years, managing all of the region’s cultural anthropology and tribal programs (88 parks and nine states). At the same time, Cyd headed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) program for the entire NPS.

Albert Teo, is a graduate in Economics (Honours) from the University of London and has been in the tourism industry for the last thirty four years.  Over this time, Albert has been a hotelier, tour operator, lodge and backpacker owner and operator, photographer, author, publisher, conference organiser, ecotourism consultant, speaker, lecturer and social entrepreneur.  He is currently working on designing and building two new ecolodges in Sabah.

His companies Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge have won numerous international ecotourism awards including Asia's Leading Green Hotel at the 17th World Travel Awards 2010.  Albert also spends much of his time developing social entrepreneurship through his 'for community/environment profit foundation' Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies or BEST Society, www.bestsociety.org