Carla A. Santos

Prof. Carla A. Santos is a Professor and Head of the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois, where she also serves as Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs. She concurrently directs the European Union Center at the university. She holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communications from The Pennsylvania State University.

Her research focuses on the sociopolitical and cultural impacts of tourism, exploring communicative practices from mass media to interpersonal interactions. Key interests include cultural sustainability, heritage tourism, genealogical tourism, and the ideological forces shaping tourism narratives. She examines how tourism experiences are personalized through mediated representations.

Prof. Santos' administrative roles include leading departmental initiatives and overseeing graduate and undergraduate affairs across the College of Applied Health Sciences. Her work bridges academic research with institutional leadership, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to tourism's societal role.