Tourism has never been an industry that succeeds on its own. Destinations grow when hotels, attractions, educators, community organizations, and civic leaders work toward a shared goal.
Few people have spent more time demonstrating the value of that approach than Greg DeShields, a tourism industry executive, certified hospitality educator, consultant, and nonprofit leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing workforce development, destination growth, and strategic partnerships.
His career offers a useful example of what the future of tourism may require. The industry continues to face challenges related to talent pipelines, sustainability, and competitiveness in a changing global market.
In DeShields’ view, the strongest solutions rarely come from a single organization working independently. They come from intentional partnerships between education, industry, and communities, and from leaders who understand how important those connections are.
Why Collaboration Defines the Next Era of Tourism
Tourism and hospitality are built on people. A destination’s reputation depends on thousands of individual interactions delivered by a workforce that must be recruited, trained, and supported over time.
No hotel brand, destination marketing organization, employer, or university can solve workforce challenges alone.
That’s why workforce development has become such an important part of the collaboration conversation. Sustainable growth requires strong talent pipelines, and those pipelines depend on partnerships: schools preparing students for careers, employers creating meaningful opportunities, and community organizations helping people discover pathways into the industry.
DeShields has built much of his consulting work around this approach. As Founder and Principal of Greg DeShields Consulting LLC, he provides strategic consulting focused on workforce development in tourism, tourism education, destination engagement, organizational leadership, and industry partnerships.
The common theme across his work is connection. Education, industry, and community impact aren’t separate efforts; they are parts of a larger system that works best when each supports the others.
Bridging Education and Industry
Some of the strongest examples of collaboration come from partnerships between academic institutions and industry organizations. Among the notable clients and collaborators of Greg DeShields Consulting are the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals and the Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University.
Through these partnerships, DeShields has developed curriculum, supported workforce development initiatives, and created programs that connect students with the realities of the hospitality and tourism industry.
The approach is simple but effective: bring students, educators, and professionals together through experiential learning, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
When the classroom and the industry stay connected, everyone benefits.
Students gain exposure to real-world experiences and professional networks. Employers benefit from graduates who better understand the expectations of the field. Academic institutions benefit by ensuring their programs continue to reflect what destinations and employers actually need.
This connection addresses one of hospitality’s ongoing challenges: closing the gap between academic preparation and industry expectations.
How Greg DeShields Builds Collaborative Networks
Formal partnerships are one part of collaboration. Professional networks are another, and they can be just as important in strengthening destinations and industries.
DeShields currently serves as President of Skål Philadelphia, providing strategic leadership to one of the region’s leading global tourism organizations. Now serving his second term as president, he has focused on membership growth, leadership development, sustainability, industry engagement, and strengthening Philadelphia’s role within the global Skål network.
The organization’s mission reflects the same collaborative approach DeShields has emphasized throughout his career: bringing together tourism, hospitality, destination, and business leaders who might otherwise operate separately.
That local leadership also connects to international efforts. DeShields serves on the Skål International Tourism Sustainability Committee, supporting initiatives focused on responsible tourism, environmental stewardship, and sustainable destination practices across the global travel industry.
He is also actively involved with Young Skål and Project Future, Skål International’s flagship initiatives that connect hospitality students and emerging professionals with experienced industry leaders through mentorship, education, and career development.
Across all of these efforts, the message remains consistent: sustainability, talent development, and destination growth are shared responsibilities that require cooperation across organizations.
Developing the Next Generation of Talent
At its core, collaboration in tourism is about people. Much of DeShields’ career has focused on helping to develop the next generation of hospitality and tourism leaders.
Throughout his career, he has led programs and events designed to build community, encourage new perspectives, and strengthen organizational culture, with a particular focus on equity, access, workforce development, and talent cultivation.
His commitment to emerging professionals also extends beyond his professional work. He has established the Delores W. DeShields Endowed Scholarship, which provides scholarships for juniors and seniors enrolled in Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management who demonstrate the same passion for travel and tourism that Delores DeShields displayed.
That focus on the future also shapes his work as a speaker. As a recognized thought leader and DisruptHR presenter for two consecutive years, DeShields shares insights on workforce trends, leadership, and the changing expectations of today’s professionals.
His presentations on workforce trends challenge traditional approaches to workplace culture while encouraging organizations to embrace emerging generations, evolving career paths, and inclusive leadership practices.
His own background reflects the same connection between education and industry that he promotes for others. He holds an Associate of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
He is also a graduate of leadership programs, including the Urban League of Philadelphia Leadership Forum, Leadership Philadelphia, and the Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange.
Conversation as a Collaboration Tool
One of the most overlooked parts of successful collaboration is something simple: meaningful conversation.
Partnerships develop when people understand each other’s goals, challenges, and perspectives. That understanding begins with the willingness to listen.
DeShields brings that philosophy to his work as host of the Something to Say with Greg DeShields podcast, a platform focused on exploring passion, purpose, and leadership through authentic conversations.
The podcast brings together voices from diverse industries and backgrounds, encouraging curiosity, empathy, and self-discovery while helping listeners better understand how they can use their own experiences and perspectives.
For an industry built around human connection, the focus is fitting. The same qualities that make conversations meaningful, including listening, curiosity, and openness to different viewpoints, are also what allow partnerships to succeed.
Building the Future of Tourism Through Collaboration
The future of tourism will depend on how effectively the industry’s many stakeholders work together.
Destinations that connect education, industry, and community efforts will be better positioned to develop talent, grow responsibly, and compete in an increasingly competitive global market.
Those who treat these challenges separately may find it harder to solve any of them.
Greg DeShields’ career demonstrates what collaboration looks like in practice: consulting that connects schools and employers, association leadership that links local professionals with global networks, sustainability work that extends across borders, and mentorship that reaches future leaders before they enter the workforce.
Through his work in leadership, teaching, consulting, and advocacy, DeShields continues to focus on strengthening tourism economies, developing future professionals, and creating opportunities where education, industry, and community impact work together.
Gregory L. DeShields is a tourism industry executive, certified hospitality educator, consultant, and nonprofit leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing inclusive workforce development, destination growth, and strategic partnerships. He is Founder and Principal of Greg DeShields Consulting LLC and President of Skål Philadelphia. He holds degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University.