Rachel J.C. (Chen) Fu, Ph.D., will join the College of Health & Human Performance as the chair for the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management effective August 1, 2020.

Dr. Fu joins the college from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she is a professor in the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management.

“After a successful search and a deep pool of highly qualified candidates from North America and abroad, the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management (THEM) will have the opportunity to accomplish great things in the years ahead under Dr. Fu’s leadership,” said Michael Reid, dean.

Fu’s research and teaching interests focus on economic impact assessments, forecast model evaluations, sustainable business development, marketing, strategic management, customer and visitor surveys, and customer service. She has published more than 176 papers, including refereed journal articles, refereed conference papers, magazine articles, newsletters, technical reports and book chapters. She has served in numerous roles as an editor and reviewer, and worked with numerous project sponsors, including U.S. National Park Service, Appalachian Regional Commission, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Aquarium and various attractions and communities.

"To serve as the inaugural chair for the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at the University of Florida is the privilege of my life,” said Fu. “I look forward very much to creating a sunshine future with the excellent teams together.”

In her current role, she chairs the UT Chancellor’s Commission for Women (2018-2020) and is the past chair of UT’s Undergraduate Council (2018-2019).

Check out the Q&A with Dr. Fu >

The search was chaired by Thomas Clanton, Ph.D., the BK and Betty Stevens Professor in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology.

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