Dr. David R. Perkins IV is an Associate Professor of Geography and Sustainable Tourism and Sustainability Programs Director in the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability at Missouri State University (USA). His research and out reach focus include using sustainable tourism to promote community development, implementing sustainability-based strategic planning in private sector companies, sustainability education curriculum planning, and researching human-weather interactions in business strategy contexts.
Dr. Perkins leads curriculum development, teaching, and student advising at Missouri State University in sustainability curricula: sustainability minor, minor in sustainable tourism development, sustainability graduate certificate, and a major in geography and sustainability (focus in sustainable development). His philosophical approach to the concept of sustainability is underlined through a geographic approach to the nexus of sustainability’s cornerstones of environment, society, culture, and economy applied through the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
His most recent outreach projects include collaborations with community leaders to create Sustainable Community Development Goals for the Ozarks region, private sector consulting for sustainability implementation in manufacturing firms, and developing participatory engagement strategies for sustainability education in the Amazon region of Brazil and urban Japan. Dr. Perkins is published in a variety of interdisciplinary academic journals such as International Journal of Biometeorology, Weather Climate & Society, Atmosphere, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Physical Geography, International Journal of Cardiology, and Governance for Sustainable Development Review. He has formally presented academic research at more than 30 conferences throughout the United States, and internationally.
In his free time, Dr. Perkins enjoys traveling with his family both inside the United States and abroad. Within the United States, he has visited all 50 states and 45.9% (1444) of all U.S. counties; internationally he has traveled to more than 55 countries and independent territories.