Andrew Skadberg

Solomon Source Consulting knows that times are changing. We have worked with communities and regions and focused on practical solutions. We understand all of the elements necessary for dealing with the apparent complexities related to diversifying your economic base while at the same time protecting the natural, cultural/historical and quality of life in your community. Our approach is comprehensive and based on conducting thorough background research, needs assessment and utilizing in-depth community input. In short our approach is about empowerment!

Our expertise includes:

1. Experiential tourism and other types (ecotourism, nature, agritourism, cultural-historical, adventure, etc.)
2. Innovation in new and existing agriculture
3. Environmental assessment and management - utilizing remote-sensed data and cutting edge technologies
4. Value-added agriculture
5. Micro-enterprise
6. Marketing for tourism, business
7. Strategic Planning, Goals, and Plans of Action
8. Web-based technologies
9. Networking
10. Entrepreneurship
11. Cooperatives
12. Creativity as a vital supplement to competition
13. The Arts, festivals & events


Basic Guiding Principles

- Community (regional) "Masters of Their Own Destiny"
- Education is Foundational to Success!
- Regional responsibility offers new models for development
- Basic Human Right
- Clean water (Potters for Peace)
- Food (Norman Borlaug)
- Adequate housing (Habitat for Humanity)
- Activities for you ensure our future (e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H)
- We are our sisters and brothers "keepers" (Barak Obama)
- Empowered individuals (The Practice - Desmond Green)
- Arts and creative outlets enhance the "quality of life"
- Innovation derived from successful case studies (Rwanda project)
- Environment protection (The Great Work - Thomas Berry)
- Full, enriched "Quality of Life"
- Helping regions and "producers" to realize lost "profits" (e.g. Value-added)

Employer:	Self Employed Solomon Source
Position:	Founder/President
Time period:	February 2008 - Present

Employer:	Texas A&M University, Vice President for Research
Position:	Assistant Research Scientist
Time period:	November 2006 - February 2008

Employer:	AdventGX Corporation
Position:	Co-Founder; Chief Knowledge Officer
Time period:	November 2004 - November 2006

Employer:	Texas A&M University, Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences
Position:	Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, Extension Associate
Time period:	January 2001 - November 2004

Employer:	Southwest Texas State University, Department of Geography
Position:	Research Assistant
Time period:	January 1997 - December 2001

Employer:	Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Position:	Assistant Director, Catalogue Sales
Time period:	January 1993 - December 1997

Employer:	Iowa State University, Department of Forestry
Position:	Research Assistant
Time period:	January 1990 - December 1992

University:	Texas State University-San Marcos
Time period:	1997 - 2002
Degree:	Environmental Geography, PhD

University:	Iowa State University
Time period:	1991 - 1992
Degree:	Forestry, MSc

University:	Iowa State University
Time period:	1983 - 1989
Degree:	Leisure Studies, BA

Papers:

Publications--Refereed Skadberg Y., A. Skadberg, and J. Kimmel. 2005. Flow Experience and Its Impact on the Effectiveness of a Tourism Website. Information Technology and Tourism, Vol. 7, Nos 3/4. Skadberg, A., Y. Skadberg. 2002. Developing online resources to address the needs of landowners and communities interested in nature tourism as an economic diversification strategy. Journal of Extension [On-line]. (Accepted) Jamal, T., Y. Skadberg and A. Skadberg. 2002. Re-engineering ecotourism: sustaining rural nature and the ‘family farm’ with IT-based tools. Submitted to the Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration (Special Issue on Sustainable Places). Jamal, T., A. Skadberg and K. Williams 2002. The agricultural ethic, information technology and nature tourism: intermediaries of sustainability in Calhoun County, Texas. Submitted to the Journal of Sustainable Tourism (In review). Larsen, R., R. Stephenson, and A. Skadberg. 2000. Using a geographic information system to identify existing and potential future impacts on the Edwards Aquifer – from closed municipal solid waste landfills in the state of Texas. Papers and Proceedings of the Applied Geography Conferences. Vol. 23, 2000. p. 236-244. Kimmel, J., R. Stephenson, A. Skadberg. 2000. Tourism interpretation: the need for geographic concepts and themes. Papers and Proceedings of the Applied Geography. Book Chapter Jamal, Tazim, Skadberg, A. and K. Williams. 2002. The State of Nature Tourism in Texas: Sustaining the Rural Agricultural Family Enterprise. In “Ecotourism: Management and Assessment”, Dimitrios Diamantis and Susan Geldenhuys (eds.). (In review)

Books:

Book Chapter Jamal, Tazim, Skadberg, A. and K. Williams. 2002. The State of Nature Tourism in Texas: Sustaining the Rural Agricultural Family Enterprise. In “Ecotourism: Management and Assessment”, Dimitrios Diamantis and Susan Geldenhuys (eds.). (In review)

Memberships:

Gamma Sigma Delta, The Honor Society of Agriculture, 1992 Xi Sigma Pi, National Forestry Honor Society, 1991.

Awards:

Nominated for Academically Outstanding Graduate Student for Department of Forestry, Iowa State University. Spring 1992. Grants and Contracts Title: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s Global Research Partnership. Institute for Scientific Computation, Texas A&M University Amount: $20,000,000 (preliminary proposal with team organized by Dr. Richard Ewing, Vice President for Research. I was preliminarily appointed a co-leader for Education by Ewing. I left Texas A&M after Dr. Ewing’s passing). Title: Wetland conservation, nature based tourism and rural economic development. Roundtable session with China – U.S. Conference. Organized/sponsored by Texas A&M University and hosted by Peking University, Beijing, China. Amount: $17,625 (co-chair with Jianbang Gan, Yongxia Skadberg, Tiger Wood and Rick Giardino. Nov. 14-17, 2005. Title: Demonstration Version of TxDOT Travel Information Kiosks (TexBox) for Four Safety Rest Areas. Amount: $44,344 (co-PI with Yongxia Skadberg) Texas Dept. of Transportation contract. Feb. 2003. Title: Visit Big Bend Visitor Information Gathering and Marketing Study Amount: $31,767 (co-investigator with Scott Shafer, P.I. & Yongxia Skadberg). Contract with Visit Big Bend Tourism Council. Jan. 2003. Title: Development of Texas INFRONT (Information Network of Farm, Ranch, Outdoor-Recreation and Nature Tourism) Amount: $8,000 (co-investigator with Yongxia Skadberg). RREA Grant, 2002. Title: Development Of An Online, Database Driven Market Evaluation Tool (Tourism Market Match) For Rural Texas Communities & Landowners Amount: $7,400 (co-investigator with Yongxia Skadberg). RREA Grant, 2002. Title: Nature Tourism Evaluation Workshop Series & Video: Landowner Nature Tourism Handbook Implementation & Training Amount: $8,000 (co-investigator with Miles Phillips). RREA Grant, 2002. Title: Development of an online tourism market assessment tool for destination managers. Travel Research Grant, sponsored by the Travel and Tourism Research Association. Amount $2,000 (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), RREA Grant, 2002. Title: Continual Evaluation of Tourism Website, State of Arkansas Amount: $20,000 (5 years) (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), 2001. Title: Continual Evaluation of Tourism Website, State of Colorado Amount: $20,000 (5 years) (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), 2001. Title: Continual Evaluation of Tourism Website, State of Delaware Amount: $20,000 (5 years) (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), 2001. Title: Continual Evaluation of Tourism Website, State of Illinois Amount: $20,000 (5 years) (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), 2001. Title: Continual Evaluation of Tourism Website, State of Maryland Amount: $20,000 (5 years) (co-investigator with James Petrick, P.I.), 2001.