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College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

  • Composite graphic featuring Chris Knezevich, Courtney McKinney, Emily Scott and Walter Jackson recognized in HRSM’s May 2026 News and Notes.

May 2026 HRSM student, faculty, staff and alumni notes

Posted on: May 11, 2026; Updated on: May 11, 2026
By Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu

In the News

Faculty and Staff Notes

  • Fevzi Okumus received the Tourism Academy Leader Award 2026 at the Managing Tourism Across Continents Conference (MTCON).
  • Tarlan Chahardovali authored “Institutional Silence and the Governance of Women College Athletes’ Reproductive Autonomy in the United States” in Sport Management Review.
  • Walter Jackson completed his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Services Management degree, and Chris Knezevich completed his Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management. Both walked with their fellow graduates May 9 and both plan to continue in their roles at HRSM.
  • Nick Watanabe’s book The Beautiful Game? The Stories Shaping the Future of Soccer is now available in bookstores everywhere.
  • Scott Taylor, Jr., along with Jennifer Jackson of the Gamecock CommUnity Shop and Jessie McNevin of the Office of Sustainability, won the USC Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support’s Excellence for Collaboration Award.
  • Hospitality Management Ph.D. student Mina Kim won the USC Graduate School's Outstanding Research Award. The award is presented annually to one graduate student who conducted research during the academic year that is vital to their academic discipline and society at large.
  • Hospitality Management Ph.D. student Ghazal Shams was awarded the USC Graduate School's Dera D. Parkinson Fellowship. Dera Dry Parkinson was the first woman and sixth person to earn a Ph.D. from the USC.
  • Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana’s proposal “Consumer Behavior within Secondhand and Fast Fashion: Substitution, Sustainability, and Overconsumption in the USC Community” has been awarded funding through the Undergraduate Research Mini-Grant Program.
  • Ziyou Jiang incorporated an industry partnership into her RETL 310 Digital Retailing course. Students are working directly with a brand partner, Purely Kin, to develop and design a functional website. This project is designed to provide students with hands-on, real-world experience in digital retailing, effectively bridging classroom learning with industry practice. Students presented their final projects to the founder of Purely Kin.
  • Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana co-authored “A machine learning and NLP pipeline for analyzing ESG and sustainability disclosures in the textile and apparel industry,” published in Scientific Reports.

Student Notes

  • Meghan Breen (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) represented HRSM at a local high school, sharing with students about her first year in the Retailing program and how it has influenced her growth both personally and professionally.
  • TJ Duggan (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a summer internship with Harbour Town Golf Links.
  • Catherine Everton (Hospitality Management) will be joining Oak View Group as a leadership trainee intern this summer at Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Olivia Gallagher (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a position with the New York Yankees as a summer sales associate.
  • Connor Ross (Hospitality Management) accepted a position as an operations intern at Sea Pines Country Club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
  • Emily Ross (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) will be joining Belk as a merchandise planning and analysis intern in Charlotte this summer.
  • Emily Scott and Isabella Donofrio (both Hospitality Management) were elected president and vice president of the Club Management Association of America (CMAA) USC Student Chapter for the 2026-2027 school year.
  • Sophie Verzyl (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management) was chosen to throw out the first pitch at the Columbia Fireflies’ USC Night.

Alumni Notes

  • Hailey Brinson (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘26) will be continuing after graduation in her role as an executive assistant with Songwriters in Paradise.
  • Gavin Craig (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘26) accepted a position as a ticket operations and sales intern with the Charleston RiverDogs.
  • Sufianah (Ishi) Daquioag (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '23) started a new position as assistant merchant at Carters Inc. in the OshKosh Girls department.
  • Grace Futterman (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '23) started new role as engagement and member relations senior associate at the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
  • Maggie Knittle (Retailing, ‘20) was promoted to senior e-commerce merchandiser at Southern Tide.
  • Kathryn Kuchinski (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘25) will be attending the University of Miami School of Law this fall as a member of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Honors Program.
  • Courtney McKinney (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '22) worked on the Lowe’s basketball campaign featuring fellow Gamecock and WNBA star A’ja Wilson and NBA star Jalen Brunson. She supported the ad shoot by ensuring all product logistics were handled seamlessly and ready for execution.
  • Sydney Mellody (Hospitality Management, '25) was promoted from inside sales representative to account executive, new business development with the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Carson Miller (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘25) was promoted from inside sales representative to account executive, membership services and engagement with the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Madelyn Steinberg (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '26) accepted a position as a hiring associate with Insight Global.
  • Lauren Wallis (Hospitality Management, ‘19) accepted a new position at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina as an event sales and service manager.
  • Brianna Watts (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘26, beginning Master of Sport and Entertainment Management program fall ‘26) will be headed to New York City this summer as a season ticket, new business and group sales student associate with Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.
  • Lauren Williams (Sport and Entertainment Management, ‘26) will be joining Contemporary Services Corporation as an event coordinator in the CSC Leadership Academy in Des Moines, Iowa.

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