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College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

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February 2020 faculty, staff and alumni notes

In the News

Faculty/Staff Notes

  • The article, “Racial Discrimination in Tourism: The Case of African-American Travelers in South Carolina,” by Simon Hudson, Kevin So, Fang Meng, David Cardenas and Jing Li, was published in Current Issues in Tourism
  • “The impact of race relations on NFL attendance: An econometric analysis,” by Nick Watanabe and Texas A&M’s George Cunningham was published in Plos One.
  • Nick Watanabe is among the authors of “Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women,” commissioned and published by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Alumni Notes

Honors/Life Events

  • Cesar Alvarez (B.S. Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management, 2007) received the Aramark 2020 Client Relationship Award as the Manager for Presidential Catering at UofSC. Cesar was nominated by Clete Myers, (B.S. Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management), Resident District Manager, UofSC, Aramark Higher Education.
  • Coleman Carter (B.S. Retail and Marketing Management, 2009) was recognized as the Sales Person of the Year for 2019 at the NEMRA 2020 in Orlando, Florida.
  • Roland Trout (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2006) was recognized by the Lexington Dispatch for his work with a new technology called “BarricAid,” a product designed to protect students in the event of a school shooting:
    https://www.the-dispatch.com/news/20200204/local-father-works-to-protect-classrooms-everywhere
  • Jason Wasserman (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2010) was recognized as one of 13 Maryland Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in the field of business and corporate law: https://www.shapirosher.com/news/thirteen-shapiro-sher-attorneys-recognized-in-maryland-super-lawyers-2020#
  • Jared Evans (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2012) was featured in an Alumnus Spotlight by My Carolina:  https://www.mycarolina.org/alumnus_spotlight_jared_evans?utm_campaign=jan_member_news&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mycarolina
  • Amy Jackson Ramage (B.S. International Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2010) and her husband Daniel celebrated the birth of their daughter, Madilyn Grace, who was born on December 16, 2019.
  • Olivia Casey Hyatt (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2011) and her husband Shane celebrated the birth of their son, Ryan Alexander, who was born on December 10, 2019.
  • Barry (B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies, 1998) and Allison Bodiford (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 1998) their company, 360Clean, was named a 2020 top franchise by Franchise Business Review:  http://360clean.com/franchiseopportunity/360clean-named-a-2020-top-franchise-by-franchise-business-review/
  • Darron Kirkley (M.S., M.S. International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sport and Entertainment Management 2008, 2010) achieved the first level of certification in the Cicerone Certification Program.
  • Meredith Taylor (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2009) joined the board for the South Carolina Junior Golf Association.

Job Changes/Promotions

2019

  • Brady Cormier, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a position with NASCAR as a personal ticket sales consultant.
  • Mason Davies, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with Feld Entertainment as an engagement ticketing specialist.
  • Jake Full, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with Pacers Sports & Entertainment as a consumer sales representative.
  • Matthew Riley, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a position with the Phoenix Suns as a sales coordinator.
  • Josh Watson, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a position with D.C. United as a ticket sales and services intern.
  • Callie Wiggins, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with Dream on 3 as a program coordinator.
  • Zhihao Zhou, B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, started a new position with Park Inn by Radisson as a front desk attendant.

2018

  • Dawson Peiro-Evans, B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, started a new position with Meltwater as a client success coordinator.
  • Maggie Byrne, B.S. Retailing Management, started a new position with Creative Circle as an associate account executive.
  • Madeleine Chernick, B.S. Retail Management, started a new position with Under Armour as an associate product line manager in Footwear.

2016

  • Elisabeth Lester, B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, started a new position with EY as a senior resource manager.

2015

  • Melissa Gerndt, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with Red Bull as a distribution manager.
  • Nicholas Leon, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with the New York Yankees as an assistant of minor league operations.
  • Kate Livingston, B.S. Hospitality Management, started a new position with Residence Inn & Springhill Suites-Greenville Downtown as a senior sales manager.
  • Michael Nadal, B.S. Hospitality Administration/Management, started a new position with Hilton Grand Vacations as a sales executive.
  • Carly Ourada, B.S. Retailing, Fashion Merchandising, started a new position with Belk as an associate buyer in fragrances.

2014

  • Spencer Babcock, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with the San Diego Padres as an amateur scout.
  • Emily Hirschman, B.S. Retailing, Fashion Merchandising, started a new position with Hudson Jeans as an account executive.

2013

  • Justin McKinney, B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, started a position with TM Floyd & Company as a business development representative.
  • Adrian Nesbitt, B.S. Hotel, Retail, and Entertainment Management, started a new position with the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel as a business travel sales manager.
  • Cody Twigg, B.S. Tourism Management, started a new position with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior associate and digital accelerator.
  • Jordan Poznick, B.S. Hospitality Management, started a new position with The Country Club of York as an assistant general manager.

2012

  • Thomas Payne, B.S. Hospitality Management, started a new position with Hyatt Place + Hyatt House Charleston Historic District as a general manager.

2011

  • Nora Horning, M.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with the Philadelphia 76ers as a ticketing systems manager.
  • Erin Huddleston, B.S., M.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, 2018, was promoted to assistant director of alumni volunteer engagement at the My Carolina Alumni Association at the University of South Carolina.
  • Genise Scott, B.S., M.S. Information Technology, Health Info Technology, 2015, started a new position with The University of South Carolina as a system architect.
  • Tracy Waller, B.S. Retailing, Fashion Merchandising, started a new position with Talking Tables Ltd as a senior national account manager-North America.

2007

  • Jenn Pelligrino, B.S. Hospitality Management, started a new position with One America News Network as a White House correspondent.

1996

  • Kristen Olson Picard, B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management, started a new position with PPE at Honeywell as the director of marketing.

1989

  • Haissam Baityeh, B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, started a new position with The Country Club of Spartanburg as the chief operating officer.

1986

  • Olivia Young, B.S. Hotel, Retail, and Tourism Management, started a new position with Defender Services, Inc. as the director of recruitment and development.

 

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