Nancy G. McGehee

Nancy G. McGehee is the R.B. Pamplin Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. Her work focuses on community-centered tourism development, intersectionality of race/gender/class in travel, and innovative research methods like appreciative inquiry. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Virginia Tech (1999) and has been recognized as a top 2% global tourism scholar (SCOPUS, 2023).

Research interests include sustainable tourism, volunteer tourism, and Black traveler dynamics. Her recent work explores how marginalized groups navigate tourism spaces. She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Travel Research and on the Travel and Tourism Research Association Board.

• Awards: Fulbright Specialist (2015), WITTI’s Outstanding Woman in Travel Research (2017), SCOPUS Top 2% Scholar (2023)
• Grants: $20K ICTAS Grant (2021–2023) for Black Traveler Legitimacy Study, Virginia Tourism Corporation contracts ($50K–$83K, 2008–2010)

Led transformative tourism research, co-developing the Transformative Tourism Scale (TTS). Advised PhD students on intersectional tourism topics and collaborates internationally on sustainable tourism policies.