Carl Kish, a San Francisco native, graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a Bachelors of Science in Sustainable Recreation and Tourism Management. During his senior year at SDSU, Carl interned for the Center for Surf Research and assisted Dr. Jess with the development of various research programs, primarily focused in the surf resort industry. After consulting for Tavarua Island Resort, Fiji, and Casa Tucan Hotel, Costa Rica, Carl became the Sustainability Director for Safari Surf, LLC in Costa Rica upon graduation and went on to create the Sustainability Management System for Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii.
Carl is now the Project Manager for the development of Olas Verdes Surf Resort in Nosara, Costa Rica—a LEED Certified project. Having completed the Global Reporting Initiative Certified Sustainability Reporting Course (G4), as well as the Green Globe Certified Auditor Course, Carl is well-versed in the benchmarking, certification, and sustainability reporting processes. As Program Coordinator, Carl serves as the liaison between the Center and its partner universities/organizations to provide more opportunities for graduates and researchers in the field in addition to training new interns on social media and digital marketing campaigns.