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College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

  • Four portraits of HRSM faculty member Estefania Basurto, alumnus Mickey Britt, faculty member Cortney Norris and alumna Marissa Womack, displayed side by side with their names beneath each photo.

November 2026 HRSM student, faculty, staff and alumni notes

Posted on: November 6, 2026; Updated on: November 6, 2026
By Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu

In the News

Faculty and Staff Notes

  • Congratulations to the HRSM faculty members whose online courses achieved the Essential rating through the HRSM and the University’s Online Course Review Process this year. This distinction recognizes 100- and 200- level courses that meet all elements of the HRSM and CTE Quality Standards for Online Courses+ Checklist. We also thank the reviewers who supported faculty throughout the review process. Those who achieved the Essential rating are: George Hendry, Darron Kirkley, Haemoon Oh, Armen Shaomian, Susan O’Malley, Cyntrice Thomas, Mary Lunden,Tena Crews, Daniel Kim, Daniel Williams, Kristy Ellison and Donna Watts.
  • Preston Residential College for Leadership received the 2026 Outstanding Residential College Award from the Residential College Society (RCS) at its annual symposium. Now celebrating its 31st year, Preston is USC’s only residential college and is led by Faculty Director in Residence Armen Shaomian.
  • Evita Ma had two first-author papers accepted for publication: Green by association? Restaurant presence on food-waste reduction platforms as a hybrid sustainability signal for brand equity in the International Journal of Hospitality Management and Different agents, different trust: Private information disclosure in hybrid service encounters in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
  • Cortney Norris was invited to be a featured speaker at the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (SCRLA) inaugural Women's Hospitality Leadership Conference. The conference will take place Nov. 1-3 in Charleston. She will be hosting a seminar titled “Consumer Behavior Trends and How to Adapt.” She also had three articles accepted for publication.
  • Estefania Basurto-Cedeno traveled to Cuenca, Ecuador with Bendegul Okumus and Lori Pennington-Gray to lead grant-writing training and work directly with faculty from HRSM partner institution ESPAM-MFL, on the development of funding proposals. This activity was part of the four-year international cooperation initiative Basurto-Cedeno leads with ESPAM-MFL, which supports research, training, internationalization, and collaborative projects between our institutions.
  • Sandy Strick and Karen Edwards, along with a colleague from Ohio State University, presented "Bridging Two Worlds: A Framework for High-impact Academic-Industry Collaborations" at the Careers, Internships, and Global Learning (CIGL) Conference organized by The Forum on Education Abroad in Lisbon, Portugal.  In addition, they took an exploratory daytrip to the Douro Valley, where port wine is produced from indigenous grapes grown on the steep, terraced schist hillsides.
  • Karen Edwards presented “From Prompt to Pedagogy: A Four-Step Process for AI-Assisted Assignment Design,” at USC's 2026 Oktoberbest: A Symposium on Teaching.
  • Terry Kim’s article “Why seek variety in the metaverse: The roles of autonomy need satisfaction and escapism motivation” was published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.

Student Notes

  • Olivia Arriaga (Sport & Entertainment Management) was selected as a recipient of the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation Scholarship to attend the 2026 Sport, Entertainment, and Venues Tomorrow (SEVT) Conference.
  • Peyton Burton (Sport & Entertainment Management) worked as an Event and Operations Intern at Charlotte Motor Speedway during race weekend.
  • Edward Chanod (Sport & Entertainment Management) accepted a position as Assistant Manager, Championship Administration at the United States Golf Association (USGA).
  • Drew Davis (Sport & Entertainment Management) worked the Field of 68 Opening Showcase in Rock Hill, SC as an arena manager.
  • Paige Davis (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations) is interning with Alexandra Madison Weddings and their new storefront venture, Petite Party Shop.
  • Jackson Jensen (Sport & Entertainment Management) served in an event operations role at TheLinkU Invitational at Credit One Stadium.
  • Erikel Levitsky (Sport & Entertainment Management) accepted a new position as Gamecocks Track and Field Student Manager for the 2026-27 season.
  • Olivia Mueller (Master of Sport & Entertainment Management) accepted a position as an Event Manager at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
  • Nathaniel Peterson (Sport & Entertainment Management) is starting a new position with the Carolina Panthers in Game Day Operations, focusing on ticketing and guest relations.
  • Shelby Stroud (Hospitality Management) started a new position as the Special Events Coordinator at Prisma Health Park with the Columbia Fireflies.
  • Andrew Washington (Sport & Entertainment Management) worked the 2026 Duke’s Mayo Classic, featuring West Virginia and Virginia, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
  • Evan Weinstein (Sport & Entertainment Management) is beginning an internship with the Washington Capitals as an analyst of player performance.

Alumni Notes

  • Madison Ballengee (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘16) joined Connect Partnership Group as Manager, Partner Solutions.
  • Mickey Britt (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘25) started a new position as Operations Manager at Fat Cat Entertainment.
  • Aidan Heller (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘25) started a new position at the University of Central Florida Athletics Association as a Facilities, Events and Operations Coordinator.
  • Jenna Heuer (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, ‘25) joined The Home Depot as a Senior Space Planning Analyst.
  • Audrey Karas (Hospitality Management, ‘19) started a new position as Director of Restaurants at Congressional Country Club.
  • Tatiana Lippold (Hospitality Management ‘17, Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, ‘19) stepped into the role of Membership & Communications Manager at Carolina Yacht Club.
  • Isabella McGuire (Retailing, ‘23) started a new position as Customer Experience Insights Lead at Tuckernuck.
  • Colleen Mitchell (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘18) started a new role as Director, Life Skills & Education with the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • Justin Moore (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘26) started a new role as an Account Executive with the Hub City Spartanburgers.
  • Madeline Partain (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, ‘15) started a new position as Assistant Director of Licensing and Corporate Partnerships with the NCAA.
  • Regan Reilly (Retailing, ‘25) started a role as a Merchandising Assistant with Coldwater Creek in Boston.
  • Brian Rodgers (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘16) started a new position as the Director of International Acquisitions with the Washington Nationals.
  • Caroline Salisbury (Tourism Management, ‘24) accepted a new role with the Walt Disney Company as a Guest Experience Manager of Food and Beverage at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
  • Zoe Straughn (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘25) was promoted to Partnerships Manager at the Richmond Kickers Pro Soccer Club.
  • McKenna Vischer (Retailing, ‘25) started a new role with Fox Events and Charleston Wedding Scene.
  • Brett Weston (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘23) started a new position as Banquet Manager at MGM Resorts International.
  • Marissa Womack (Sport & Entertainment Management, ‘24) started a new role with the Carolina Hurricanes as Grassroots Marketing Manager.

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