Guest Speakers

Our Hospitality Management Program is excited to be hosting many guest speakers this semester for all who are interested in attending. Make sure to check back as we will be adding guest speakers weekly!


Guest Speakers:

Be sure to check back as speakers will continually be added!


Past Guest Speakers: 


Aleese Sarrough

Rooms Operations Manager, Hyatt Regency Lake Washington
(OSU Hospitality Management Alumni)

Aleese, a proud Hospitality Management Alumni, will be joining us virtually from the outskirts of Seattle, Washington.  Recently promoted from Front Office Manager to Rooms Operations Manager, she is responsible for all 347 guest rooms and team members within the rooms division.  She will share where her team fits into the organization and will describe function within her role.  She will also share her professional journey, which started in the Hotel Management class her senior year!



Tony Herasme

Front Office Manager, New York Marriott Marquis
(Hospitality Management Alumni, The Ohio State University)

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyherasme/
NY Marriott Marquis Website

The Hospitality Management Program will be welcoming Tony Herasme, Front Office Manager from the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, located in Times Square.  Tony is the leader of a large and complex department within Marriott’s east coast flagship property, which boasts over 1,900 guest rooms, 125,000 square feet of meeting space and multiple food and beverage outlets.  He will engage in a casual but informative conversation to learn more about his current role and responsibilities, the pivotal role his department plays in the success of this iconic property, current trends and technology used to enhance the guest experience and his perspectives and tips on advancing from the classroom into the industry.



Charles Carter & Zach Montgomery

Charles: General Manager, Restoration Hardware Rooftop Columbus
Zach, Regional Director, Ocean Prime
(Both Hospitality Management Alumni, The Ohio State University)

Charles and Zach will be joining us from two high end restaurant concepts.  They will share their unique career paths and what has contributed to success in both their professional journey and in their businesses.  It will also provide an opportunity to compare and contrast two very different restaurant concepts.



Rick Postle

President, Blue Ride Bread
(OSU Alumni; OSU Hospitality Management Advisory Board)

Rick is the President for Blue Ridge Bread, which has developed 40 Panera Bread Cafes in Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Prior to Blue Ridge Bread, he acquired a breadth of experience including but not limited to serving as the President for Wendy’s International, CEO for I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt and CEO for PepsiCo, Inc.  He will bring a breadth of experience as he visits us and discusses his journey and topics within the restaurant segment.



Abigail Cramer

Hyatt Regency Austin, Executive Housekeeper and Hygiene & Wellness Specialist
(Hospitality Management Alumni, The Ohio State University)


Chris Cano

Chris will be speaking on the topic of housekeeping, front office and maintenance.


Managed Services in Hospitality

Virtual Panel Speaker on the topic of Managed Services in Hospitality featuring guest speakers:

John Page
General Manager of Greater Columbus Convention Center / ASM Global
(OSU Alumni; OSU Hospitality Management Advisory Board)

 

Molly Kurth
Senior Vice President, Central Division, Chartwells Higher Education
(OSU Hospitality Management Advisory Board)

 

Kurt Furlong
Co-Founder & Partner, Genuine Hospitality, LLC
(OSU Hospitality Management Alumni)


Al Turpin

Senior Director of Operations, Marriott International
(OSU Alumni; OSU Hospitality Management Advisory Board)

Discussion on Hotel Maintenance


Event Management at The Ohio State University

Samantha Frost
Senior Director, Alumni Experiences

Molly Feasel
Event Manager, Advancement Events (EHE ‘12)

Ann Daugherty
The Fawcett Center

Jeff Pelletier
Student Life’s Ohio Union


 

Learn more about Hospitality Management Program (Undergraduate) Internship Requirements and offerings

Anne Turpin and Mark Kelnhofer will provide a live Q&A session via Zoom


Chris Cano

General Manager of Columbus Marriott Northwest
Chris Cano Bio

Required of Hotel Management students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program


Eric Ealy and Kristen Ealy

Discussion on Revenue Management in Lodging

Featuring two generations of Revenue Management Leaders:  Eric Ealy, Director of Revenue Management, Orland World Center Marriott and Kristen Ealy, Regional Director of Revenue Management at Pacifica Hotels / OSU HM Alumni

Required of Hotel Management students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program


Theme Parks:  Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Brian Blakely, Director of Labor Systems, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Note: this will only be available via live zoom; this speaker will not be recorded due to policies

Required of Introduction into Hospitality students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program


Steven Szenasi

General Manager, Ritz Carlton
Biography

Discussion on Hotel Sales adaptation during COVID

Required of Hotel Management students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program


Lodging General Manager Panel Discussion

 

Lisa Timbo (Area General Manager, Westin O’Hare)

Juan Caleron (General Manager, Dallas Marriott)

Tommie Van (General Manager, Residence Inn Chicago Loop)

Required of Hotel Management students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program


Gaming Speaker Panel – Hollywood Casino / Penn National Gaming

 

Dwayne Adams (VP of Hospitality, HM Advisory Board Member)

Jay Tarbell (VP of Human Resources)

Ryan Hinthorne (Vice President of Casino Operations)

Tim Kelley (Vice President of Gaming Operations)

Jason Birney (General Manager, Hollywood Casino)

Required of Introduction into Hospitality students; optional and available to all other students in Hospitality Management Program.


Erica Hoon, Assistant Athletic Director – Events & Facility Scheduling
Topic: Event Management (Collegiate Sports) 

Ericka Hoon came to Ohio State in October 2007 and serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Event Management. Hoon oversees the Ohio State Ice Rink, Jack Nicklaus Museum and Event Management department. She is responsible for the facility schedules and manages all athletic and special events and championships in athletic venues. Prior to her work at Ohio State, Hoon was a professional intern at NACDA. Hoon was born and raised in Mentor, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University to study Sport and Leisure Studies and Sport and Coaching Management.