Following military service as a Recon Marine and Navy Diver, Michael DeVivo was licensed as a U.S. Merchant Marine Officer, subsequently taking command of several vessels for the mineral and oil industry. He later engaged in university studies and entered academe, accepting faculty appointments at universities in Oregon, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. When Grand Rapids Community College offered him the opportunity to direct the geography program, he immediately accepted it and initiated an effort to build a community college geography program of distinction. In recent years, GRCC Geography has gained recognition as the only program to have been honored twice by the American Association of Geographers with its American Association of Geographers Award for Program Excellence Honorable Mention.
Mike has served as GRCC’s liaison to the World Affairs Council for more than a decade. He also hosts the Conversation with a Geographer oral history series, with 90 episodes filmed in the GRCC TV studio since 2011. Throughout his career, he has delivered more than 100 lectures at academic conferences and public forums in Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. He is the author of Leadership in American Academic Geography: The Twentieth Century, published in 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield’s Lexington Books, and he is listed by the International Geographical Honor Society and American Association of Geographers as one of 37 Visiting Geographical Scientist. The Association honored him with its Presidential Achievement Award in 2021, and in 2024 he was elected to serve as a councilor for the Association. In 2025, he was honored by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan with its Hillman-Orr Award.
Mike has served as a PhD External Examiner at the University of South Africa and an evaluator for the assessment of university faculty and research programs for South Africa’s National Research Foundation. In addition to continuing to engage in fieldwork in Sub Saharan Africa and research devoted to the history of geography, he maintains commitment to challenging community college students to excel in their geography courses, and World Affairs Council lectures are crucial components of the curriculum. Since his arrival at GRCC in 2002, he has taught 10 courses to more than 12,000 students enrolled in over 500 classes. Included among geography alumni are those who have taken faculty and leadership positions in higher education, as well as employment with non-profit organizations devoted to social and environmental justice; many have pursued graduate studies in geography and continue to do so. Mike considers it his greatest privilege to serve as a mentor to promising geography students dedicated to creating a better world, and he welcomes those interested in exploring the many opportunities geography has to offer to contact him.
Selected Publications, Conference Papers, and Invited Lectures (2010-25)
2025 “Enhancing the Visibility of Academic Geography in Colleges and Universities: Integrating Visiting Geographers and the World Affairs Council into the Geography Curriculum,” California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Turlock, CA, 26 April.
2025 “Academic Geography & the World Affairs Council: A Partnership for Better Understanding of Today’s World,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, 24-28 March.
2025 “Reflections on Geoffrey Martin and the History of Geographic Thought,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, 24-28 March.
2024 “African Wildlife, Safari Tourism, and a Quest for Social Justice: A Geographical Perspective,” East Lakes/West Lakes Regional Divisions of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Kalamazoo, MI, 17-19 October.
2024 “So, You Want to go on a Safari, Huh?” Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting, Arcata, CA, 3-5 October.
2024 “Measuring Quality in South African Safari Tourism,” Society of South African Geographers Biennial Meeting, Potchefstroom, South Africa, 16-18 September.
2024 "Community College Geography and Geographers: An Opportunity for Elevating the Discipline," AAG Newsletter, April-May.
2024 “Childhood and the Making of a Geographer,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, 15-20 April.
2023 “African Wildlife Conservation, Transformational Leadership, and Pragmatic Decolonization of the Safari,” Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting, Ventura, CA, 19-21 October.
2023 “Conservation, Communities, and Covid Complexities,” International Geographical Union Commission on African Studies Conference, Maputo, Mozambique, 27-31 May.
2023 “California Colleges & Universities and Conversations with Women Geographers: Part One,” California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Monterey Park, CA, 21-23 April.
2023 “Looking Backward into the 20th Century: A Glimpse of Historical and History of Geography
Specialty Groups,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 15-21 March.
2023 “Responsible Leadership in Uncertain Times,” American Association of Geographers Annual
Meeting, Denver, CO, 15-21 March.
2022 “Wildlife Tourism in the Greater Kruger: A Post-Pandemic Perspective,” East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Regional Meeting, Muskegon, MI, 27-28 October.
2022 “The Pacific Coast and Conversations with Women Geographers,” Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting, Bellingham, WA, 6-8 October.
2022 “A Plea for Responsible Safari Tourism in South Africa: A Sustainable Development Imperative,” Society of South African Geographers Biennial Conference, Pretoria, South Africa, 12-14 September.
2022 “Advancing Geography via the World Affairs Council,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting (virtual), 25 February-1 March.
2021 "A Covid Conundrum for South African Tourism: Forecasting American Travel," Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, 14-16 October.
2021 "Addressing Race, Ethnicity and Racism in the Geography Undergraduate Curriculum," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting (virtual), 7-11 April.
2021 "Working to Win the ‘Long Game’ in Academic Geography: Selected Leadership Strategies for Success," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting (virtual), 7-11 April.
2020 Commentary: Black Lives Matter. The California Geographer 59: 91-93.
2019 "A Perspective on the Shaping of 20th Century Academic Geography," University of Delaware, 1 November.
2019 "Feature Films and the Depiction of Racialized Landscapes in Apartheid South Africa," East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Regional Meeting, Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI 10-11 October.
2019 "The Emergence of Joe Bullet and Blaxploitation: A Geographical Perspective on Motion Pictures," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Big Bear Lake, CA, 3-5 May.
2019 "Mentoring in the Hinterlands of the Geographic Discipline: A Historical Perspective," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 3-7 April.
2019 "Reflections on Apartheid and the Development of South African Academic Geography," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 3-7 April.
2018 "Unravelling the History of Geography in South Africa," Society of South African Geographers Biennial Meeting, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1-5 October.
2018 "The History of Our Discipline: A Domain for All Geographers," International Geographical Union Regional Conference, Quebec City, Canada, 6-10 August.
2018 "Contemplating Conservation: A Glimpse of Fieldwork in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Geographical Union Commission on African Studies Inaugural Conference, Windhoek, Namibia, 17-18 May.
2018 "Uganda, 1976," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA, 27-29 April.
2018 "Prospective Future Paths in Exploring Our Discipline’s Past," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 10-14 April.
2017 Leon Yacher: Scholar, Mentor, and Eclectic Geographer. The Geographical Bulletin 58: 107-120.
2017 "A Reflection on Wildlife Conservation Strategies for Africa’s Iconic Mammals," East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Regional Meeting, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 12-15 October.
2017 "Africa’s Silent Killer: A Lesson in Medical Geography for Teachers," Distance Education and Teachers’ Training in Africa Conference: Getting Practical about Sustainable Development, Kigali, Rwanda, 22-25 August.
2017 "Geography as an International Science: Reflections from the IGU Centennial Oral History Project" (presented by co-authors: J. Garcia-Alvarez & J. Puyo), International Congress of History of Science and Technology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 23-29 July.
2017 "A Terrorist State in the 19th Century: An Antecedent American Landscape," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, El Cajon, CA, 28-30 April.
2017 "The Transformational Leadership Imperative in American Academic Geography," American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, 5-9 April.
2017 Review of Geography and Geographers: Anglo American Human Geography since1945 (with M. Boyle, K. England, M. Farish, G. Baeten, M. Gilmartin, L. Rickards, R. Johnston & J. Sidaway). AAG Review of Books 5 (1): 48-61.
2016 "Conversation with a Geographer: Exploring the Discipline’s Past through Oral History," Society of South African Geographers Biennial Meeting, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 25-28 September.
2016 "She Speaks: An Oral History of Women in American Geography Today," International Geographical Congress, Beijing, China, 21-25 August.
2016 "Responsible African Wildlife Conservation and Community Development: A Lesson for Geographers," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA, 29 April-1 May.
2015 "Practicing Responsible Leadership in Southern Africa," Joint Meeting of the Southwest Division of the Association of American Geographers and the Applied Geography Conference, San Antonio, TX, 4-7 November.
2015 "Idi, Yasser, and Bibi: Leaders and Leadership Behaviors in the Making of a Dangerous World," Michigan Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI, 29-30 October.
2015 "Advancing Gender Equity in an Online Geography Course: A Strategy for Teacher Education," Distance Education and Teachers’ Training in Africa Conference: The Future We Want--Teacher development for the transformation of education in diverse African contexts, Reduit, Mauritius, 21-24 July.
2015 "Scholars and Scalawags: A Soap Opera Saga of Geography’s Past," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Arcata, CA, 1-3 May.
2015 "On Leadership and Geography," Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 21-25 April.
2015 "The Value of History, the Craft of Leadership, and the Practice of Geography," Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, 1 April.
2015 Leadership in American Academic Geography: The Twentieth Century. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books: An Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield (225 pp.).
2014 Reflection. In AAG Resources for SAGEs by Niem Tu Huynh in Thriving as a Stand-Alone Geographer, ed. A. Rees, p. 114. Washington, DC, Association of American Geographers.
2014 Pondering the Past in Kyoto. Past Place 22 (2): 11-12.
2014 "A Tale of Duplicity and Deception in American Geography," Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, 24 October.
2014 "Leadership in American Academic Geography: A Sample Chapter," East Lakes and West Lakes Divisions of the Association of American Geographers Regional Meeting, Kalamazoo, MI, 16-18 October.
2014 "Reflections on World Leaders, Human Behaviors, and the Shaping of Geopolitical Landscapes," Society of South African Geographers Biennial Meeting, East London, South Africa, 24-27 June.
2014 "Conversation with a Maasai," California Geographical Society Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 2-4 May.
2014 "Addressing a Vital American Interest: Global Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Affairs Council Great Decisions Lecture, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, 17 February.
2013 "The Tanda Tula Model: A Leadership Strategy for Development in Africa," Global Action for Africa’s Development International Conference on Good Governance: Conflict Resolution, Decentralisation, and Socio-Economic Development, Pan African Parliament, Midrand, South Africa, 13-15 November.
2013 "Global Citizenship and Higher Education," UN 2013-Grand Rapids: A Symposium to Commemorate the Founding of the United Nations, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, MI, 21 October.
2013 "Transformational Leadership, Geographic Science, and Paradigm Change in American Geography," International Geographical Union Regional Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 4-9 August.
2013 "Simonett and the Santa Barbarians," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, San Luis Obispo, CA, 26-28 April.
2012 Transformational Leadership, Responsible Tourism, and Sustainable Development. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Responsible Leadership (Stellenbosch, South Africa), 331-353.
2012 "Online Instruction and Increased Student Success in the Community College Geography Curriculum: Ruminations on a Contradiction in the National Trend," California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Davis, CA, 27-30 April.
2012 "From the Maghreb to Mpumalanga: GRCC Students Explore Africa," (with Hillery Haney), GRCC Faculty Learning Day, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, 4 January.
2011 A Tale of Two Departments: Success and Failure in Higher Education Leadership in American Geography at Mid-Century. International Conference on Social Science and Humanity Proceedings (Singapore), VI-243- VI-247.
2011 "Leon Yacher: Transformational Leader in American Geography," National Conference on Geographic Education, Portland, OR, 5 August.
2011 "Putting Learning into Action: Making a Difference for Girls and Women in LDCs on an American College Campus" (with M. Hornyak & A. Kibby), California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Bishop, CA, 30 April-2 May.
2010 Assessing Development in the Islamic World: An Alternative Approach. The Arab World Geographer 12 (1-2): 62-72.
2010 "Integrating Foreign Area Field Studies in the Geography Curriculum: Study Abroad in Africa," Annual Meeting of the East Lakes Division of the Association of American Geographers, Grand Rapids, MI, 22-23 October.
2010 "The Proximity of Peace in the Face of Poverty and Conflict: Assessing Development in LDCs," Second Annual Peace Studies Conference, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, MI, 29 September.
2010 "Third World Development: Review, Reflection, Measurement, and Analysis," Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, 26 March.
Published by Rowman & Littlefield’s Lexington Books
