Cynthia L VandenBosch

Cindy VandenBosch is an adjunct instructor in the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality in the School of Professional Studies at New York University. She is the founder and president of Turnstile Tours & Studio, a Certified B Corp based in Brooklyn, New York that works with nonprofit organizations to create engaging and inclusive visitor experiences through operating tours and consulting. Since its founding as a New York State-registered benefit corporation in 2012, Turnstile Tours has provided its more than 60,000 visitors a uniquely “human” window into how New York City works, developing and offering programs in partnership with local nonprofits on street vending, public parks, the working waterfront and urban manufacturing. With her team at Turnstile Studio, Cindy consults with organizations on experience design, interpretive planning, accessibility, and professional development with a client roster that has included the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Singapore Tourism Board, the Ringling Museum of Art, the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka, and Historic Hudson Valley.

Cindy has presented at museum and tourism conferences on tourism social impact models, disability inclusive spaces and experiences, and community engagement practices. Formerly a Co-Chair of the Museum, Arts, and Culture Access Consortium, Cindy is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and serves on the access advisory boards of the Historic House Trust of New York City and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Cindy is also an advisory board member of the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, Chair of the Ability & Access Committee and Secretary of Community Board 7 in Brooklyn, and is a founding board member of Travel Unity, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in travel and tourism.

Originally from Flushing, Michigan (a suburb of Flint), Cindy studied anthropology and Russian and East European Studies at the University of Michigan and conducted her senior thesis research in the Russian Far East, examining cultural preservation efforts of indigenous activists and educators in the post-Soviet era. In her spare time, Cindy is learning American Sign Language and enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband Andrew and dog Salty.