The University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management is wrapping up the largest team expansion in the history of the college with 22 new hires in the past eight months and several searches still in progress.
The wave of new talent added to an already outstanding faculty and staff will help meet growing student needs while advancing HRSM’s standing as one of the best colleges in the nation.
Basurto joined HRSM in January 2022 and serves as research assistant professor in The Richardson Family SmartState Center of Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development. She also serves as the Destination Management Team Leader for the center. Her research interests are tourism crisis management, destination resilience, heritage tourism and marketing.
Mullikin joined HRSM in January 2022 as a professor of practice in tourism management, focusing specifically on ecotourism and sustainability. A two-time alumnus of UofSC, he joins the faculty after building an incredibly distinguished career in academia, law, diplomacy and military service. He has earned awards including the Order of the Palmetto (the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state of South Carolina) and the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal. In addition to his position at HRSM, he is a research professor at Coastal Carolina University and a visiting professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito - Galapagos.
Schroeder joined HRSM in January 2022 as an assistant professor and lead researcher for the SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism. Prior to joining HRSM, Schroeder was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University (Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa (School of Travel Industry Management). She is recognized as a global leader in tourism crisis management and an expert in travel risk perceptions.
Taylor Jr. earned his Ph.D. from the College of HRSM and returns as an assistant professor and assistant director of the Wine and Beverage Institute. His research and teaching areas focus on food and beverage management, consumer behavior and consumer segmentation. Prior to his new role he was an assistant professor at the University of Houston. He also brings 15 years of industry experience in food and beverage and retail.
Chinyanga will join HRSM in January 2023 as an accounting instructor. He has more than 20 years of experience in accounting and teaching. He earned an Ed.D. in higher education administration and an MBA in accounting from Tennessee State University, and spent 7 years as an adjunct accounting instructor at Tennessee State.
Kim joins HRSM as an accounting instructor after serving in a similar role at Midlands Technical College for more than seven years. He is a three-time UofSC graduate, having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting as well as a J.D. from the School of Law. He is also the owner and CEO of a Columbia martial arts studio.
After earning her Ph.D. in textile technology and management at North Carolina State University, Lee taught courses in digital marketing, consumer behavior, luxury brand management, fashion retail management, and fashion history as an assistant professor of marketing at Susquehanna University. Her research focus is understanding consumers in retail settings based on consumer behavior theories and methodology.
Nichols joins the HRSM faculty after seven years of teaching communications courses across the U.S. and internationally, most recently at Valencia College. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in communications from the University of Navarra and her bachelor’s in family, child and consumer sciences from Florida State University.
Rana earned his master’s and Ph.D. in textile and apparel management from the University of Missouri along with a B.S. in textile engineering. Before focusing on academia, Rana worked as a knitwear merchandiser, sourcing executive, product developer, and production planner in Bangladesh. He will be teaching classes in global sourcing in retail and fashion and multinational retailing.
Chahardovali joins HRSM after serving as a postdoctoral research scholar at Arizona State University’s Global Sport Institute. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. in sport management from Florida State University, where she also served as a graduate assistant and taught sport management courses on governance, ethics, issues and society.
Gupta joins HRSM after earning his Ph.D. in business administration from Temple University, where he also served as a research assistant for the Sport Industry Research Center. His research interests lie in the area of consumer behavior and decision making, primarily in the fields of gamification and esports. He has also served as an executive of operations and strategy for the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League and Kabaddi World Cup.
Rewilak will join HRSM in January 2023 after serving as an assistant professor of sport economics at Aston University in Birmingham, England. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Leicester and his research interests lie in development finance and sports.
Sutton will join HRSM in January 2023 as a professor of practice working primarily with students in the master of sport and entertainment management program. He is a former NBA executive, a distinguished academician and a proven sports marketing practitioner who brings a half-century of experience in the sport industry. He most recently served as director and professor emeritus at the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Graduate program at the University of South Florida.
Truell is a HRSM sport and entertainment alumna who went on to earn her master’s and doctoral degrees in sport management at Georgia Southern and University of Northern Colorado, respectively. She has been an adjunct faculty member with the college since 2016 before joining the faculty full time in 2022.
Bohnen brings 25 years of higher education leadership experience to his new position at HRSM. Bohnen oversees and works closely with the college’s alumni relations, corporate engagement, and development programs to advance HRSM’s mission, research, scholarship, and ambitions. Prior to coming to the University of South Carolina, Bohnen served as vice president for university advancement at Winthrop University.
Freed spent over two decades working in collegiate sports before moving into his new role overseeing the College of HRSM website and integrated applications. No stranger to UofSC, Freed worked for the Gamecock Athletics communications office for over 16 years, most recently as assistant athletics director for digital technology services.
King is a 2022 graduate of South Carolina’s master of education in higher education and student affairs program. She served as a graduate assistant for the Career Center at UofSC and before that, a student employee of the university advising center at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI).
As recruitment coordinator, Nix will support student recruitment and professional development for HRSM. She coordinates HRSM Welcome Center operations, meets with prospective students and families, and assists in advising the HRSM Leaders student organization and the HRSM Living and Learning Community. Nix previously served as an academic advisor in the UofSC College of Engineering and Computing.
Price will be planning and managing alumni events and alumni network building activities for HRSM. She has three decades of experience and holds several certifications in project and meeting management. She previously worked at the Pastides Alumni Center and owned a wedding planning business, and has taught the HRSM wedding planning class as an adjunct instructor.
Qi received her bachelor's degree in hospitality management with a minor in event management from the College of HRSM in May 2022, also earning the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Leadership. In her new role, she assists in coordinating and promoting corporate engagement events and initiatives to support student success.
Ravenell joins HRSM after 17 years as a fiscal analyst for the South Carolina Research Foundation at UofSC. She earned her B.A. in accounting from Benedict College and has also served as a tax preparation specialist.
Slater, a University of Connecticut graduate, previously worked at Walt Disney World and in administrative roles at Touro University in Manhattan. She now plays a vital role in welcoming guests and partners, coordinating requests and operational tasks and ensuring a welcoming and professional experience for visitors to HRSM.
Jana Xanthakos has taught at HRSM since 2004 as an adjunct faculty member. In her new full-time role, she leads the Marnie Pearce Professionalism Seminar (HRSM 301). She earned her master’s in hospitality management from UofSC and has taught courses in hotel management, club management, event management, HR and more.