Hospitality and Tourism Management Alumni Spotlights

During her last year of college, Alex was able to take HFT 4277 (Club Management) the first semester it was ever offered. At the end of that course, Alex had secured an internship at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton providing administrative assistance to the Catering, Membership, and Human Resources departments. This opportunity propelled Alex to a career in the private club industry.

Since then, Alex has worked at Boca West Country Club and is currently working at BallenIsles Country Club as a Catering & Events Manager. Alex loves her job and enjoys planning social events and activities for the members of BallenIsles.

After gaining extensive experience and knowledge, she moved to North Carolina to expand her career ambitions at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, located in Cary, NC. As the only 5 Star 5 Diamond property in the state, Alex’s professional skillset and industry knowledge excelled tremendously during this time through multiple management positions on the Events and Sales Team. 

Since joining the Drive Shack Inc. Team at the Raleigh venue in 2021, Alex has stepped into the Director of Sales role and has grown an enthusiastic Events Team. Her passion for providing the highest level of service and professionalism combined with the culture and energy at Drive Shack motivates Alex every day. She often looks back at her time at FAU and appreciates the wealth of knowledge and real-life experience provided by the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program. 

After college, I moved back to Tampa and started my hospitality career as a Front Desk Agent at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. I was then promoted within five months to a Group Reservations Coordinator, handling all rooms for large groups. I worked my way up to become an Executive Meetings Manager (EMM), responsible for selling and servicing groups in all markets for the property.

Within a few short years of being an EMM, I was next promoted to the Complex Sales Manager, who handled all Corporate / Pharmaceutical groups for both the Hilton Tampa Downtown and the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown by the Convention Center.

And Hilton continues to grow and promote its associates. My most recent opportunity is now with Hilton's Recruitment Operations Center (ROC Team), focusing on finding Top Talent for Sales, Events, Catering, and Marketing roles for Hilton's corporate-managed properties on the East Coast and Puerto Rico! So, from hospitality courses at FAU to front desk to reservations to sales to recruitment for the sales/marketing teams ahead.

While I was at FAU, I was the last of all my friends to declare a major. I was so unsure of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to end up. I’ve always been very creative and had a strong mindset that I could do anything I put my mind to. I really struggled to find something I was passionate about until I read a class description for Introduction to Hospitality. After reading it, I immediately signed up for the class and for the first time, I was really excited about taking a class! After my very first class was over, I knew what I was going to major in and make a career out of. The world of Hospitality was so vast; I could do anything in it! I just had to figure out which part I wanted to fully immerse myself in.

While I was going through my major, I landed a job with a Party Planner where I worked a variety of different events ranging from Birthday Parties, Weddings, Funerals, and so many other events. Each person ends up finding a specific event to specialize in moving forward and I ended up specializing in funerals. Not because it was my choice, but it was because of how I showed empathy towards our clients, and I am just naturally a happy and chipper person. My boss believed I was perfect to run these events because it made these events a little less sad for our clients. Unfortunately, a car accident changed my life and the job track I was on. I could no longer be in a fast-paced environment and move as fast as I could. It was a true struggle for me, and I found myself lost again.

Immediately after graduating with my degree and trying to re-figure out where I was going with my life, I landed an internship with SunFest the Music Festival as their Operations and Logistics Event Intern. I had the time of my life while working there and this job taught me a lot. It taught me about deadlines, attention to detail, and contacting vendors. I was still involved in events but from a different aspect than ever before. This was an event on a monumental scale that thousands of people attend each year – nothing could go wrong. Working at SunFest truly changed my mindset and once the internship ended, I knew I would be back to square one trying to figure out where I was going to land next.

I stumbled through some other various jobs such as a Marketing Assistant, Sales Rep, and even Customer Service and I knew none of these jobs was where I was meant to be. I wasn’t helping anyone like I had been previously. I came across a position one day called a Business Development Associate. The job was at WiredPeople, Inc. which is a Public Health Subject Matter Expertise Firm where they help Florida’s Department of Health and other State Department’s across the U.S. find the staff that they need for various divisions within the Department. WiredPeople specializes in finding specific types of public health staff that is hard to find outside the normal avenues of recruiting. Now, with my degree and knowledge, I had absolutely no experience in Public Health, but after the interview I knew I wanted that job. I was so excited just hearing all the great work that they do and how they help people, and I wanted to be a part of that. Since joining WiredPeople, Inc. back in 2021, I’ve helped us grow not only in the State of Florida, but we’ve also started doing work with the State of Missouri. This job has also helped me grow not only in my career, but also as a person as well.

As of September 2024, I am a Client Partner here at WiredPeople, Inc., where I help build new client relationships alongside maintaining our current ones as well. I absolutely love my job and the people I get to work with every single day. I get to be me at this job with being able to bring my smile, positive attitude, happiness, creativity and I get to help people. I’m using my Hospitality degree in a completely different way than I was envisioning, but I wouldn’t change where I ended up for anything!

My journey started in one of Dr. Ricci's classes during my senior year, I had just returned from the Disney Internship Program (another recommendation from Dr. Ricci) where he had a guest speaker from Target. I remember the Target Executive brought bullseye dogs to hand out and had such passion and energy around his role that it made me think, "I want to be a part of that". Due to my great success at Disney, I thought why not apply for an internship at Target and gain the opportunity to bulk up my resume before graduation?

Fast forward 7 years later I can honestly say that I have built a career that I am proud of. I have held 4 different leadership roles and I'm currently preparing for my next. Some of my roles include Executive Team Leader Human Resource, Executive Team Leader Sales Floor Guest Experience, and most recently I am transitioning into a Store Director role. I have had the opportunity to lead large teams of over 200 team members as well as managed stores that gross annual sales of more than $ 50 million. Target has challenged me in every role I've held from having to think critically, solving complex problems, engaging and inspiring groups of very diverse teams, and overall, taught me how to be an effective leader.

Currently, Target has been modernizing stores and gaining a competitive edge as we fight for sales in the brick-and-mortar and digital world. Companies that we were so familiar with like GAP, Express, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Nordstroms, and Macy's are either closed or rapidly downsizing and shutting down physical locations. In the meantime, our fearless CEO Brian Cornell (CNN's Top CEO of the Year 2019) has guided us through some pretty scary times in the retail world and has ultimately capitalized on market share. I've learned that change is necessary to stay competitive as well as leading large teams through change is complex yet rewarding. Now more than ever I can say that I am not only a confident leader but confident in where Target is heading in an uncertain time and can't wait to continue to be a part of it!

Just before graduating from FAU, Discover the Palm Beaches offered Brandon a full-time position as their Lead Coordinator. Now 5 years and 2 promotions later, Brandon is a Senior Account Executive on their Group Sales team responsible for booking groups, meetings, and conventions within the Florida and Southeast markets. He also manages a team of two other Account Executives. One of his major industry accomplishments came in 2014 when he was recognized by Destinations International (https:// destinationsinternational.org/ ) as a recipient of their annual "30 under 30 award."

What Koncept Events loved about Brooke immediately was her incredible work ethic and true excitement for the industry. She wanted to learn it all and would jump in to help with any task, from wrapping client gifts to cutting flowers to onsite production. She even used her artistic skills on custom chalkboard signs. When she decided to stay on after a full year internship, Brooke was promoted to Production Assistant. As her graduation neared in 2016, the company knew they couldn’t let her go and a completely new position was created. In September 2016, Brooke became KE’s first Design +Production Guru!

It didn’t stop there. Brooke’s ambition and incredible work on the design team earned her a coveted position as a KE Program Manager in 2018. In her role, she gets to combine her creativity and problem-solving skills to flawlessly execute her clients’ events. Outside of events, Brooke’s passionate about staying active and healthy. Whether exploring a new South Florida neighborhood, rollerblading the boardwalk, or just finding the best places for healthy meals, Brooke takes every opportunity she can to keep her health a priority. In this crazy world of events, that might be one of her secrets to success!

Chelsea is now the Membership Development Manager of MHI, the nation’s largest material handling, logistics and supply chain association. In this role, she has been able to elevate member services within the association by using the knowledge and experience she had gained at FAU and throughout her career in the country club industry. She immensely enjoys the mixture of member engagement, event planning, and travel that the job entails, and is looking forward to continuing to grow her career within the company. Chelsea gives many thanks to FAU’s hospitality program which gave her the opportunity to have a gratifying and successful career path.

Chelsea planned many events for clubs and teams she belonged to in her younger years. During her freshman year at FAU, she took a course in Hospitality and Tourism. During that semester, Chelsea fell in love with the course. She graduated with a bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) with a double major in both Hospitality and Tourism Management and Marketing.

During her time at FAU, she found valuable opportunities through the Hospitality and Tourism email job postings from Dr. Ricci. She volunteered for local events as well as served as an intern with The Perfect Pairing – an events company. Upon graduation, she served as an independent travel agent before beginning her career in hotels. After gaining invaluable experience as a Sales Assistant at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, she is thrilled to begin her management career as the SMERF Sales Manager at the GALLERYone- a DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Chelsea looks forward to continuing her growth within the Hilton family. Her ultimate career goal is to become a successful Director of Sales and Marketing for a large resort.

Chiara now works at Hilton Corporate as a Special Events Manager where she is responsible for managing, planning, and implementing internal Hilton conferences by working with business partners to understand their objectives, messaging, requirements, budget, and timelines in order to plan the scope of the event and create the event strategy. These events include large conventions of up to 10,000 people, Vendor Showcases/Trade Shows with multiple General Sessions, learning tracks, break-out sessions, off-site events, and meal functions.

Chiara is most proud of earning Hilton’s Circle of Excellence Award in 2014 and again 2017. This is Hilton’s most prestigious sales award that is measured on sales excellence.

The FAU College of Business, its Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, and Dr. Peter Ricci have all been instrumental in setting me up for success in my career. The continued mentorship is a unique value add to my degree that many don’t have the benefit of receiving.

After transferring to FAU and successfully completing the BBA in Hospitality & Tourism Management, Cody received an Assistant General Manager position at the award-winning Santa Maria Suites in Key West. He moved on to become the Front Office Manager (FOM) at the Parrot Key Resort also in Key West prior to his most recent move to Orlando. Cody's long term goal is to become a full service hotel General Manager (GM).

After 2.5 years in San Diego, Colby was offered a Revenue Manager position for the Hilton Adelaide, the largest hotel in South Australia, where he spent 1.5 years before being promoted to the Assistant Director of Revenue Management position at the Hilton Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.  Working closely with the Director of Business Development, Colby continued developing his skillset with a broader focus on Sales and Marketing, as well as rooms/ F&B Revenue Management.

In August 2016, after 1.5 years at the Hilton Sydney, he assumed the role of Director of Revenue Management for the New York Hilton Midtown, one of Hilton Worldwide’s largest hotels and most dynamic hotels.  During his time in New York, Colby created pace and forecasting tools geared specifically towards Catering and Events that have since been rolled out across the Americas. 

Colby now lives in Anaheim, California, working as the Director of Revenue Management for the Hilton Anaheim – a 1574-room property located next to the Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland Resort.

After serving as a Marriott "Voyager" Connor spent a year and a half at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Spa in Nashville, one of the largest and most renowned convention hotels in the United States. There, he played a crucial role in managing daily operations in both the Housekeeping and Front Office departments, ensuring that service standards were consistently met or exceeded. His leadership contributed to a 20% improvement in staff flexibility through a comprehensive cross-training program he developed, which reduced operational downtime and increased team efficiency.

Connor's passion, foundations in the Voyage Program, and reputation for operational excellence earned him a promotion to Assistant Rooms Operations Manager at The Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale. From June to August 2023, he managed various departments, including Housekeeping, Recreation, Concierge, and Guest Services, where he implemented quality assurance initiatives that significantly boosted guest satisfaction. Connor's commitment to fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment helped improve departmental efficiency. It enhanced the guest experience, further solidifying his credentials as a leader in the luxury hospitality sector.

Combined with his hospitality professional growth, Connor recognized the value of continuous learning and personal growth. He next entered the Executive MBA program at Florida Atlantic University, pursuing a track in Operations Management. Expected to graduate in August 2025, Connor is preparing to leverage his extensive hands-on experience and advanced business knowledge to take on more significant challenges and leadership roles..

This work experience led to a sales and promotions role at Virgin Voyages. Her current title is Account Executive on the Virtual Sales Crew. Coral looks forward to growing in her role at Virgin Voyages. Coral is truly "making waves" in the cruise industry.

Cory then moved to Miami to begin his career working at Soho Beach house as the Front Office Manager. After that position, he joined the IHG Family at the Crowne Plaza Miami Airport as their Guest Services manager to gain experience in a more fast-paced and larger hotel environment.

Last year, he transferred to their boutique property- The Z Ocean Hotel on South Beach where he currently is the Director of Guest Services. Cory also helps provide high level support to the General Manager and the management team. His career goal is to become a General Manager of a luxury boutique hotel property.

Dane's work ethic and love of guest interaction permitted him to be promoted yet again in May, 2021 this time to Front Office Supervisor. Later that same year in November, he became the Assistant Front Office Manager. His educational foundation both in general business and hospitality management combined with his mastering of guest relations and property management permitted him this fast career movement. Most recently, he was yet again promoted at the same property to fulfill the role of Front Office Manager (November, 2022). Dane recognized the opportunity for growth within the same property and has consistently worked his way up the career ladder. His love of guests - both internal associates and external overnight guests - has taken him rapidly forward in his career.

In 2013, Donald was Awarded Extended Stay Manager of the year by his management company and, later in 2015, the Impact Sales Manager. Both awards were presented to him by White Lodging one of the world's leading hotel management companies. For further career information about White Lodging, please visit: https://www.whitelodging.com/ careers

Donald Kearns is a very proud FAU alumnus and started his entire career and successful path in the lodging industry from one of our many Employer Partner job postings that the Hospitality and Tourism program distributes!

Through taking advantage of FAU’s online courses, Haley was able to make her education her own, get a head start on her career, and pursue her passions all over the country with the support of her professors. After graduation, Haley went on to continue her career with Vail Resorts and is excited for the opportunities to come! Go Owls!

I had been working as a server for 4 years at this point and eventually made the decision to leave the nightly cash tips behind and get my foot in the door at a hotel as a Guest Service Representative. I worked for Ocean Properties at a boutique resort for a year and then joined White Lodging at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale West. I started as a Guest Representative with White Lodging, 3 months later, I was promoted to Front Office Supervisor, and 6 months after that, promoted to Front Office Manager. All while attending school full time. I learned how to strategically schedule my classes and manage my time and lecture capture courses were a lifesaver.

I continued my journey at FAU, eventually graduating in 2020 with my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. A pandemic graduate!

I continued with White Lodging through the pandemic and am still with them today. In the past 5 years with the company, I have opened a couple of our properties in Louisville and have supported 8 others in all different markets. Some of my favorites have been The Westin Milwaukee, San Antonio Marriott, and our luxury Dude Ranch, Brush Creek Ranch, in Wyoming. I have worked in Front Office, Food and Beverage, Housekeeping, you name it.

 I now live in Minneapolis and now serve as the Corporate Rooms Trainer for White Lodging. I am responsible for ensuring a clear understanding of the White Lodging protocols for execution consistency across the portfolio.

I have always praised the Hospitality program at FAU for having true professionals as professors. These professors were able to offer genuine advice and knowledge from real-world experience. I will always be FAU proud. GO OWLS!

After successfully concluding the internship, Jeffrey accepted a position as the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Boca Raton. During his time there, he helped rebrand the hotel's restaurant - the 53rd St Grille and Bar. During his time at the Embassy Suites, Jeff graduated with his Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality and Tourism Management. A year after his graduation, he was offered a position as a Guest Service Supervisor with Hilton Worldwide at its corporate-managed property, the GALLERYone DoubleTree Suites in Ft. Lauderdale. After winning Employee of the year, Jeffrey was offered the opportunity to work with The Bahia Mar- a Doubletree by Hilton as the Assistant Front Office Manager, becoming the Front Office Manager only six months into his endeavor. Jeffrey enjoyed being an integral part of his hotel's efforts in hosting the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, and his ability to lead helped him secure a role with the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina as the Assistant Director of Front Office, where he worked for two impactful years.

To diversify his experience and develop a keen understanding of pre-opening a hotel with five-star luxury service, Jeffrey took a position with the prestigious Lotte Hotel Seattle as the Front Office Manager. He worked through the many obstacles the Covid-19 pandemic threw hoteliers’ way and successfully opened Lotte Hotel Seattle to critical acclaim by earning a top ten ranking in the Reader’s Choice Travel Awards "Best New Hotels". 

Only a short time after being in Seattle, Hilton recruited him back once again and now he’s the Front Office Manager (FOM) of the Hilton Seattle. Jeffrey aims to become a General Manager of a full-service hotel and eventually become a franchisee of his own.

The restaurant industry permitted me to grow from busboy and food runner to bar back, server, bartender, and into management. Along the path, I met some highly influential managers who truly cared about leaving people better than they found them. I realized that not only could I make a living out of hospitality, I could make it a career and like those who helped me, I could also help those who came after me. 

The paths in restaurants are many and varied. You can enter with zero experience and learn along the way. Managers inspired me, pushed me along, helped me during tough times, and permitted me to make mistakes. I was provided the opportunity during the BBA at FAU to get a job at The Boca Raton Resort & Club, now called The Boca Raton. I moved through food & beverage positions and into management.

Most recently, I serve as the General Manager (GM) at DADA Restaurant in Delray Beach, the second restaurant converted from a former home. DADA is a very successful Delray spot that has become busier and more profitable during the past several years. My last day there was just recently in 2021 as I have now been promoted within the same company to Chief Operating Officer (COO).

As you'll learn during your pursuit of a degree in hospitality and tourism, the future is WIDE open. It's your own method of humility, continual learning, being yourself, and having a positive attitude that can get you to where you want to be. My goal is to leave everyone slightly better than where I met them. This photo is of my last day as the GM of DADA onward to my promotion ahead.

Jordan's most recent promotion has earned him the title of Food & Beverage Controller, a position he holds to this day. Jordan has many daily responsibilities, including overseeing the receiving team, creating purchase orders, receiving product deliveries from vendors, month-end inventory, and handling invoices, and he also works closely with the Executive Chef, Property Controller, and Clubhouse Manager. Jordan admittedly loves his job and strives to continually improve his near-thirty-million-dollar property.

In Spring 2012, Jordan completed Walt Disney World’s College Program Internship and then, in Fall 2014, became FAU’s first ever Event & Marketing Intern with Chartwells on campus. In Spring 2015, upon graduation, Jordan was chosen from 37,000 applicants to be accepted into Walt Disney World’s Management Internship where he helped lead a team of over one hundred at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

After ‘graduating’ from Disney, Jordan returned home to the tri-state area and went on to work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car for two years where he fell in love with the art of sales. Jordan is currently working at ADP in NYC selling a comprehensive HR solution to small and medium-sized companies.

In addition to his full time job, Jordan invented a product and started a company called Toweltote. After arriving at the beach in July of 2018, Jordan realized he forgot everything he needed for a full day of sun. He found himself laying on the sand for three hours. “Why can’t my towel just be my bag!?” he yelled, & with that, Toweltote was born.

As the tourism industry rebounded post-COVID, Kirby expanded her knowledge pursuing a graduate degree in Operations Management and Entrepreneurship while simultaneously working in Residence Life. This provided her with the opportunity to work across multiple universities (Case Western Reserve University, Stanford University and Brown University) honing both her management and guest service abilities. She participated in national- and state-level projects and case competitions such as the Annual Minority MBA Student Case Competition hosted by Key Bank/ Ohio State University. It broadened her ability to deal with wide types of clients and guests across diverse backgrounds and situations - a perfect platform for her future career in hospitality management. 

A year post graduation, Penn State University in Residence Life prepared her for the hotel and accommodations business.  Kirby is now directly in hotel management with Hilton Hotels inaugural first group in its LAUNCH Program. LAUNCH is an outstanding 24-month program providing hotel departmental rotations as well as corporate office stopping points. She is currently enjoying this role while obtaining both corporate and on-property experience.

Rachael, her husband, and twin boys enjoy going to the beach, playing with their rescue pup and volunteering. She is currently a volunteer with the Junior League of Boca Raton.

Shortly thereafter, Trey moved to Georgia assisting with the pre-opening of St. Regis Atlanta as a Meetings Butler while finishing his degree online at FAU. His next higher position was outside Starwood with Hilton Worldwide selling the SMERF (social, military, education, religious, and fraternal) markets for both the Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Centennial Park where he became a top producer. Because of his strong sales acumen, as well as high production, he was next recruited by Marriott International in 2011 to sell groups of 10-99 rooms at peak for their Southeast Group Sales Office full-service hotels. Since then, he has held several sales roles within Marriott including Atlanta Marriott Marquis, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, Orlando World Center Marriott, and most recently Sr. Sales Executive at the 2,270 room Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort (Marriott-managed) selling groups 700+ rooms on the peak for the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic markets.

When asked to provide one piece of career advice, Trey said to believe in yourself, never let anyone’s opinion steer your career path, and take calculated risks.