WEST FEDERATION CHRIE
KEYNOTE SPEKAERS & PANELISTS
General Session 1: H2H Career Opportunities for Hospitality Business Management Students
Friday, February 11, 2022, 8:00AM - 8:50AM
Adel Eldin, MD, FACC, FACP, MBA, GGA
Board Certified Cardiologist & Founder/CEO
Pronto Care and Florida Medical Tourism
Adel Eldin, MD, FACC, FACP, MBA, GGA has been serving Florida over the past 23 years as he is Founder, CEO of Quality Affordable Healthcare, Prontocare, www.prontocare.co and serves as a Board -Certified Cardiologist/Entrepreneur, and global health expert. Dr. Eldin is an entrepreneur who has been working on solutions for the health care crisis not only with Prontocare but, also founded Florida Medical Tourism in the Spring of 2012 ( www.floridamedicaltourism.com)as a Global Hub for Medical and Wellness Tourism to help ease the global health care access and serve the growing needs always putting the patient first. He speaks locally and internationally with putting emphasis on “bringing the heart back into Medicine”.
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R. Armour Forse, M.D., Ph.D. FACS, FRCS(C)
Chief Academic Officer & Clinical Professor of Surgery
DHR Health & University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
R. Armour Forse, M.D., Ph.D. FACS, FRCS(C) is currently the Chief Academic Officer and Designated Institutional Official at DHR Health where he oversees graduate medical educational programs for the healthcare system. He is also Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research at the University of Houston. He was previously the Lempka Professor and Chairman of Surgery and the Associate Chair of Surgery for Education in the Department of Surgery and the Associate Dean for Research at Creighton University School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate, medical and doctorate degrees from McGill University in Montreal Quebec Canada and completed his surgical residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. He completed a Medical Research Council of Canada research fellowships in surgical metabolism at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and The Rockefeller Institute in New York.
A. J. Singh, Ph.D.
Director & Professor
Business and Tourism Research Center, Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
A. J. Singh is the Founding Director of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UTRGV. With over 20 years in Hospitality Higher Education he has over 150 publications to his credit and co-authored four textbooks, on International Hotel Management (2008) and Hospitality Asset Management (2009, 2015), and Best Practices in Sustainable Hotel Development and Operations was published in March, 2011. Dr. Singh was jointly responsible for the establishment of The Hospitality Business Real Estate Investment Management Minor in The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. He has taught Hospitality Business Real Estate, International Lodging Development and Management and Financial Management courses at Michigan State University.
Frederick De Micco, Ph.D., Moderator
Executive Director & Professor
School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, The W. A. Franke College of Business, Northern Arizona University
Dr. Fred DeMicco is the Executive Director and Professor in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at Northern Arizona University. Formerly he was Professor and the Aramark Endowed Chair in the Lerner College of Business & Economics in Hospitality Business Management at the University of Delaware. He was the Department Chair there for seven years from 2001 to 2007. He was Associate Director in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management (HRRM) at Penn State University, where he was Professor-in-Charge of the Hotel & Restaurant Management undergraduate program and also Professor- in charge of the Master of Science and PhD graduate program for five years.
General Session 2: Life Beyond Tenure
Friday, February 11, 2022, 3:40PM - 4:30PM
SooCheong (Shawn) Jang, Ph.D.
Full Professor
Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University
Dr. SooCheong (Shawn) Jang, is a full professor in School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. His research interests are twofold: hospitality finance/strategic management and hospitality/tourism marketing. Dr. Jang has more than 200 published articles in refereed top-tier HTM and business journals and has received numerous accolades including the W. Bradford Wiley Memorial Best Research Paper of the Year Award 2009 and the Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award 2015. In addition, he was recognized as the top-ranked author in HTM academia during the past decade (Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (2011), 35(3)). Dr. Jang is frequently invited as a speaker for academic or interdisciplinary research by many universities as well as international conferences.
Sheryl F. Kline, Ph.D.
Deputy Dean and Aramark Chaired Professor
Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management, University of Delaware
Sheryl F. Kline is the deputy dean of Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and the Aramark Chaired Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management at the University of Delaware. Before joining UD, she served as interim dean and associate dean in the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management at University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Kline developed her research interests while at Purdue University where she held the position of C.B. Smith Professor in School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and was the director for the Center for Study of Lodging Operations. Her research focuses on organizational behavior and training in the hospitality, meeting and event industry.
JungYun "Christine" Hur, Ph.D., Moderator
Associate Professor
Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration, California State University, Sacramento
Dr. JungYun “Christine” Hur is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration at Sac State. Her areas of specialty are Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management. She received her Ph.D in Hospitality &Tourism Management at Purdue University in 2016, MBA at Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea, and MS in international hospitality and tourism management at Griffith University, Australia. She has over ten years of hospitality industry experience in New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea as a operation and strategy manager. Her research areas are consumer behavior, service management and special interest tourism.
Hosting Sponsor
Diversity Panel: Diversity & Inclusion in Hospitality
Thursday, February 10, 2022, 4:00PM - 4:50PM
Sonya Bradley
Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Visit Sacramento
Sonya Bradley is the Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Visit Sacramento. As a 25-year veteran of the tourism industry, Sonya felt a deep, personal call to use her expertise, widespread relationships, and experiences to create a better path forward for people of color and other underrepresented people in her community to be part of Sacramento’s tourism industry. In this role, she is involved with all Visit Sacramento departments to ensure that DEI is brought to the forefront of every program and practice. Sonya shares and collaborates on best practices and continues to explore with peers around the country how tourism organizations can better incorporate DEI into daily operations.
Alyssa Dronenburg
Talent And Culture Manager
Madeline Hotel and Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection
Alyssa Dronenburg is the Talent And Culture Manager at the Madeline Hotel and Residences, a part of the Auberge Resorts Collection in Telluride, Colorado. She has worked in Human Resources with the County of San Diego's Tax Assessors Office, with Lytx, a technology company that designs, manufactures and sells video telematics products, and with Sea World, where she oversaw the mass hiring of nearly 2,000 seasonal workers in a compressed, five-month hiring period. Ms. Dronenburg worked closely with local disadvantaged youth, veterans organizations, and developed a special partnership to employ youth in, and aging out of, the Foster Care system.
2022 Diversity and Inclusion Awardee
Eric D. Olson
Department Chair & Associate Professor
Rita & Navin Dimond Department of Hotel Management School of Hospitality, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Dr. Eric D. Olson (he/him/his) is currently the Chair of the Rita & Navin Dimond Department of the Hotel Management and an Associate Professor in the School of Hospitality at MSU Denver. Furthermore, Dr. Olson is also a Faculty Fellow with the Office of Diversity at MSU Denver. Dr. Olson is a recipient of Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award in the category of Senior Academic by WF CHRIE and Sacramento State. His research focuses on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ tourist/event attendee/consumer as well as event sustainability. Dr. Olson has a PhD from University of Central Florida and has published extensively in top-tier hospitality and tourism academic journals.
JungYun "Christine" Hur, Ph.D., Moderator
Associate Professor
Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration, California State University, Sacramento
Dr. JungYun “Christine” Hur is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration at Sac State. Her areas of specialty are Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management. She received her Ph.D in Hospitality &Tourism Management at Purdue University in 2016, MBA at Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea, and MS in international hospitality and tourism management at Griffith University, Australia. She has over ten years of hospitality industry experience in New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea as a operation and strategy manager. Her research areas are consumer behavior, service management and special interest tourism.
Hosting Sponsor
Education Panel: Safely Return to Classroom
Friday, February 11, 2022, 12:40PM - 1:30PM
Howook “Sean” Chang, DBA
Associate Professor
Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University
Dr. Howook “Sean” Chang is an Associate Professor at Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management from Florida International University. He is committed to excellence in teaching in the field of Data Analytics and Revenue Management & Financial Analysis. Positive comments from students revolve around how hard he works for enhancing student learning. One student wrote, “Dr. Chang is a great professor. I admire how he pushes students to be better and not be afraid of numbers. He has given hospitality students a more business and analytical mindset which is wonderful.” Of course, he receives negative comments; “Very difficult class. Literally, he wants students to live and breathe the class.”
Ruiying Cai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Hospitality Management, Davis School of Business, Colorado Mesa University
Ruiying Cai, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management in the Davis School of Business, Colorado Mesa University. Dr. Cai received her Ph.D. in business administration from Washington State University, M.S. from Oklahoma State University, and BBA from Xiamen University. Throughout the years, Cai has gained experience in hotels, resorts, and restaurants. Dr. Cai teaches hospitality management and marketing courses. Dr. Cai’s papers appear in top-tier journals such as Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, and Journal of Business Research.
Margie Ferree Jones, Ph.D.
Professor
The Collins College of Hospitality Management, Cal Poly Pomona
Margie Ferree Jones has been a member of the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona for over thirty years. Margie earned her Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s degree in hotel administration from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Indiana University. Margie leads the beverage program for the college. In addition to beverage-related coursework, Margie teaches the strategic leadership course at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has also taught courses in marketing, special events, hotel/resort planning & development and food & beverage.
Britt Mathwich, Moderator
Associate Professor
Hospitality Program, Davis School of Business, Colorado Mesa University
Britt Mathwich completed his undergraduate work in psychology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM, and went on to receive his Master of Arts and Organizational Communication from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. He brings over thirty-eight years of experience in the hospitality industry specializing in destination resort management and development. He has served on a number of local, county, state, and national board of directors in hospitality associations and on various governmental boards and committees. He continues to operate a hospitality consulting business. Mathwich began his teaching career in 2011, teaching hospitality management, management, general business, and marketing in the department of business.
Industry Panel: New Developments in Hospitality and Tourism: Hospitality Operations, Wine Tourism, Oil Gastronomic Tourism
Saturday, February 12, 2022, 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Roberta Garibaldi, Ph.D.
CEO & Professor
ENIT – (Italian National Tourism Agency) & Tourism Management, University of Bergamo
Roberta Garibaldi, PhD is the CEO of ENIT – (Italian National Tourism Agency), and Professor of Tourism Management at the University of Bergamo. She holds various positions at national and international level, including Counsellor of the Italian Minister of Tourism on Food and Wine Tourism. She serves on the Board of Directors of the World Food Travel Association, the Advisory Board at World Gastronomy Institute, and the President's Council of SISTUR – (Italian Tourism Science Society.) She authored numerous essays in Italian and foreign journals, and several books. She is a keynote speaker at major international tourism events, such as the UNWTO Forums - the U.N. Tourism Agency - and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Jay Karen
CEO
National Golf Course Owners Association
Jay Karen is the CEO of National Golf Course Owners Association. He leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives for the golf course business. He has chaired the board of the industry-wide advocacy coalition, We Are Golf, served on the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition board, and on the advisory board of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He has been featured in major news media like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and New York Times, for his insights on the golf industry. He has also served as CEO of two associations in the lodging and hospitality industry, is a Certified Association Executive by the ASAE. Currently, he serves on the board of directors of the US Travel Association and ASAE. Jay is an Honorary Commander for the Joint Military Base in Charleston, a mentor in the College of Charleston’s MBA program, and an Associate Member of the PGA of America.
Gabi Zimmer
Wine Communicator & Consultant
Tinta Wine
Gabi Zimmer is a Uruguayan wine communicator and consultant. She was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and has travelled around the world to learn about wine. She is a Professional Sommelier and a candidate for the DipWSET of the WSET Institute from London. She is now writing her first book about Uruguayan wines “Uruguay in Wines: a journey through history and terroir of Uruguayan wine”. She is also the founder of tinta.wine, a marketing agency specializing in Marketing Communication, Content and Trade Marketing for the wine industry. Gabi is the producer of the Uruguayan yearly Wine Harvest Report.
Angelo A. Camillo, Ph.D., Moderator
Assistant Professor
Wine Business Institute/Department of Business Administration, School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University
Angelo A. Camillo, PhD, teaches courses in Management Strategy and Policy, Hospitality and Event Management, International Business, Leadership, Wine Business Production, Operation, and Distribution, and leads the Wine Concentration Summer Study Abroad Program in Italy. He has over thirty-five years of international hospitality industry management experience and has worked and lived in ten countries and traveled to forty-seven countries on four continents. He holds an undergraduate degree from Heidelberg Hotel Management School Germany, an MBA from San Francisco State University, a PhD from Oklahoma State University, and Management Development Certificates from Cornell University and Harvard University. He is also a Certified Executive Chef, a Certified Culinary Educator, and a Certified Food Service Executive.
Professional Development 1: Diverse Women in Leadership
Friday, February 11, 2022, 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Saehya Ann, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Department Chair
Department of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, California State University, East Bay
Dr. Saehya Ann is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism at California State University, East Bay, and current WF CHRIE President. Teaching and students’ success always comes first to Dr. Ann. Dr. Ann’s research focuses on different perspectives and perceptions for motivation and turnover among employees of different generational cohorts in the hospitality industry, and other relevant human resources areas in the hospitality industry. Dr. Ann has served several boards and directors for hospitality and tourism organizations such as WF CHIRE and KAHTEA (Korea-America Hospitality & Tourism Educators Association).
Mechelle Best, Ph.D.
Interim Dean
College of Health and Human Development, California State University Northridge
Dr. Mechelle Best is the Interim Dean of the College of Health and Human Development at California State University Northridge. Most recently she was the Chair of CSUN’s Department of Recreation and Tourism Management. A Fulbright/OAS Scholar for the Eastern Caribbean, Mechelle conducts research on various aspects of cultural heritage and sustainability in tourism. Her ongoing research streams focus on the intersection between slavery heritage and tourism in the Caribbean and on Caribbean tourism’s resilience to natural disasters. Mechelle is co-author of Contemporary Caribbean Tourism: Concepts and Cases (2015) and has well over 25 years’ professional experience in tourism.
Lea Dopson, Ph.D.
Dean & James A. Collins Distinguished Chair
Collins College of Hospitality Management, Cal Poly Pomona
Dr. Lea Dopson is the Dean and James A. Collins Distinguished Chair of The Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona. Her research is in hospitality education, and she is a co-author of two textbooks in hospitality accounting. She has served on the Board of Directors for ICHRIE as Treasurer (3 terms), Director of Conferences, Vice President, and President, and she is the Founding President of West CHRIE. Furthermore, she has an ardent interest in international education, as is demonstrated by her creation of degree programs with institutions in Costa Rica and Zimbabwe.
Kim H. Williams, Ph.D., Moderator
Professor & Chair
Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, University of North Texas
Dr. Williams has over 19 years of teaching experience in higher education and five years of administrative experience. She has served in various administrative capacities including Graduate Coordinator, Director, and Chair. Dr. Kim Williams started in her role as Professor and Chair of the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the University of North Texas (UNT) in February 2019. She was recently named The Robert Dedman Chair in Club Management. Dr. Williams was selected as a Leadership Fellow in the UNT Faculty Leadership program for the 2019-20 academic year.
Professional Development 2: Research Productivity & Building Pipeline
Saturday, February 12, 2022, 8:00AM - 8:50AM
Dorgun Gursoy, Ph.D.
Taco Bell Distinguished Professor
School of Hospitality Business Management, Washington State University
Dr. Dogan Gursoy is the Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University in the School of Hospitality Business Management and the editor ofJournal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. He is also the recipient of the 2021 ICHRIE Lifetime Research Achievement Award and the 2019 University of Delaware's Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award. Dr. Gursoy is recognized as one of the leading researchers in the hospitality and tourism area. He is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 hospitality and tourism researchers in the world. His area of research includes services management, hospitality and tourism marketing, tourist behavior, travelers’ information search behavior, community support for tourism development, cross-cultural studies, consumer behavior, involvement, generational leadership, sustainability, and artificially intelligent device use in service delivery.
MinWoo Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston
Minwoo Lee, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. His areas of expertise are innovative technologies, service innovation, persuasion and decision-making, big data and business analytics, and machine learning. He has published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, book, book chapters, and trade articles in hospitality, tourism, and information systems areas. He serves as an Associate Editor of Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology and an Editorial Board Member for International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Tourism Economics, and Journal of Smart Tourism. He also leads the Data Analytics and Service Innovation Lab (http://www.thedasil.com).
Hyounae (Kelly) Min, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Collins College of Hospitality Management, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Dr. Hyounae (Kelly) Min is an Assistant Professor in the Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her research focuses on the influence of social justice and diversity on cognitive and emotive responses from customers and employees. She has published her work in top-tier hospitality and business journals such as Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Hospitality Management and Hospitality and Tourism Research. More recently, Dr. Min is expanding her research to hospitality business analytics and social media analytics. She received her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Washington State University.
Sandra Sun-Ah Ponting, Ph.D., Moderator
Assistant Professor
L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, San Diego State University
Sandra Sun-Ah Ponting, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. She teaches hospitality leadership and meetings and events management classes. Her research interests include the exploration of identities in hospitality and tourism. Specifically, organizational identity in businesses and professional identity construction of employees. Her other research interests include the hybrid traveler identity of diaspora communities.
Professional Development 3: Big Data’s Potential to Transform the Hospitality Industry
Saturday, February 12, 2022, 2:10PM - 3:10PM
Bruce Lam
Head Learning Facilitator
Berkeley Executive Education
Bruce helps people & organizations recognize patterns and realize possibilities. He has experience in operations strategy, technical leadership, and technical personnel development programs for startups and Fortune 500 corporations. He has over 12 years of progressively responsible technical leadership and data science experience across a diverse range of industries and technical capacities. As a learning facilitator, he is passionate about serving the academic community through coaching, mentoring, training, and teaching. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Data Science (MIDS) at UC Berkeley, builds/repairs bicycles as a side hustle, and is a grateful father of 2 young boys.
Josh Nickels
Cybersecurity Specialist
School of Information, UC Berkeley
Josh Nickels is a cyber security engineer and Master of Information Cyber Security student and UC Berkeley. Josh spent most of his early career working in high-end hospitality and ended his culinary career at a Forbes five star resort in quaint Vermont. After transitioning into information technology and cyber security, Josh has used his skills to provide organizations, non-profits, and small businesses the tools and policies necessary to keep their businesses secure and productive.
Saehya Ann, Ph.D., Moderator
Associate Professor & Department Chair
Department of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, California State University, East Bay
Dr. Saehya Ann is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism at California State University, East Bay, and current WF CHRIE President. Teaching and students’ success always comes first to Dr. Ann. Dr. Ann’s research focuses on different perspectives and perceptions for motivation and turnover among employees of different generational cohorts in the hospitality industry, and other relevant human resources areas in the hospitality industry. Dr. Ann has served several boards and directors for hospitality and tourism organizations such as WF CHIRE and KAHTEA (Korea-America Hospitality & Tourism Educators Association).