By Bryony Wardell, wardellb@mailbox.sc.edu
Posted on August 11, 2020
As the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management prepares to kick off the fall 2020 semester, it welcomes new team members who will be joining the faculty and staff. In addition to the new faces, some familiar ones will be taking on new roles as the school year begins.
Matt Brown began his role as interim dean on August 1. He has served as chair for the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, and also serves as associate professor in the department. Brown began his career with the college in 2005.
Jeff Campbell began his new role as chair of the Department of Retailing on July 1, 2020. Campbell joined the Department of Retailing in 2011 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2017. Read more about Campbell and his new role here.
Sharonna Cruz has joined the College of HRSM’s administrative team to support vital human resources operations across the college. Prior to her new role, Cruz managed the HRSM copy center where she quickly built a strong reputation for outstanding customer service. Cruz received a Bachelor of Science in Business, Associate of Arts degree and a certificate in human resource management from the University of Phoenix.
Robin DiPietro began her new role as director of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management on July 1, 2020. DiPietro has been part of the school’s faculty for more than a decade and most recently served as director of its Ph.D. program and director of the university’s International Institute for Foodservice Research and Education. Read more about DiPietro’s new role here.
Kristy Ellison joineds the Department of Retailing faculty where she will teach courses in the principles of accounting. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina, Ellison served as the business administration program director and accounting instructor at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort, South Carolina. Ellison began her career in academia in 2000 teaching at Aiken Technical College and has taught a wide range of courses in accounting. A South Carolina alumna, Ellison earned her Masters of Accountancy from the University of South Carolina in 1997.
George Hendry has been appointed as senior lecturer and director of McCutchen House, the school’s student-run restaurant and experiential learning lab. Hendry came to HRTM from Pennsylvania in 2017 and most recently served as chef lecturer and interim director of McCutchen House.
Yongjin Hwang joins the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management as an assistant professor. Hwang comes to South Carolina from Arkansas State University and will be teaching live entertainment management and sport and entertainment marketing. Hwang is a South Carolina alumnus, and his research interests include sports branding, eSports and virtual reality in sports.
Congratulations to Sporty Jeralds for being named Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and his promotion to senior clinical instructor in the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. Jeralds is an expert in venue management and is well known for his engaging teaching style and passion for mentorship. He was named the 2019 College of HRSM Teacher of the Year and was also recognized by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) with the 2018 Education and Service Award.
Jeff Johnson comes to South Carolina from the University of North Georgia where he was a lecturer in multimedia journalism. He will bring his strong background in communications to the HRSM Professional Communications course. Johnson earned his undergraduate degree from Francis Marion University, and holds an MBA from The Citadel and a master’s in fine arts / writing from the University of Georgia.
Christopher Knezevich is joining the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management as an instructor. Knezevich comes to the Columbia campus after serving as Palmetto College coordinator at the University of South Carolina Sumter since January 2018. Knezevich’s career background includes restaurant management and finance.
Congratulations to Todd Koesters for becoming director of the new Center for Advancement of Sport and Entertainment Management. More details about the center will be posted as they become available.
Congratulations to faculty member Marketa Kubickova on her tenure and promotion to associate professor. Kubickova has also been appointed director of Ph.D. programs for the school. Kubickova came to UofSC in 2014 and was nominated as the 2020 Teacher of the Year for HRTM. In addition to her tourism research and courses on hospitality management, Kubickova also leads study abroad classes in her native country of the Czech Republic. Earlier this year she was also elected as director of industry services for the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education for the Southeast, Central, and South American Federation.
Tom Regan has accepted the position of interim chair for the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. Regan previously served as chair of the department from 1987 to 2007 and was instrumental in building its reputation for success. His research focuses on the economic impact of sport and entertainment and he is a renowned thought leader on the topic. Most recently he served as director of the Master of Sport and Entertainment Management graduate degree program, and he also hosts a range of career development opportunities for students at all levels.
Ashley Richardson, who has worked with the college since 2015, is moving into a new role as the HRTM internship coordinator. Richardson is an alumna of South Carolina and earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from Columbia College. Most recently she served as the department administrator for the Department of Retailing. She will be bringing her passion for students and experience in career development to her new role.
Congratulations to Nick Watanabe on his tenure and promotion to associate professor in the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. Watanabe teaches courses on big data, sport economics, social media and international sport and is an accomplished researcher and teacher. In 2018 he was named a North American Society for Sport Management Research Fellow, and he sits on several editorial boards for industry journals.