Ara Pachmayer has a PhD in community resources and development and is an assistant professor at Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt), with a focus on tourism planning and development. Her research interests include understanding how visitors experience tourism and the impacts of tourism development on communities. Around cannabis research, Ara has conducted a county wide study on resident attitudes towards cannabis tourism in Humboldt County. While primarily a qualitative researcher, Ara also has extensive experience using mixed methods. Ara has collaborated on a number of projects regarding placemaking and tourism development in rural areas. As well, she has experience working in the tourism industry in a variety of capacities.