Our Faculty

Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu

Chair & Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management
Director, Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute (EFTI)

Primary fields of interest:

• AI and Data Science in THEM, Business, and Transportation
• Economic Impact Assessments
• Forecasting Methods and Applications
• Hospitality and Tourism Analytics
• Strategic Management and Marketing in THEM and Business
• Sustainable Business and Community Development
• Impacts of Climate Change on Business and communities
• Consumer/Visitor Behavior Studies
• Geographic Information Systems Applications

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Dr. Heather Gibson

Professor, Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Active sport tourism participation in mid and later life – senior games and Bike Florida.
• The social impacts of event sport tourism on communities.
• Girl friend getaways – health and wellbeing effects for women.
• Leisure and travel in retirement.
• Tourist roles (behavior) during the lifespan with a focus on gender, motivation, risk and thrill seeking.

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Dr. Jin-Won Kim

Assistant Professor and THEM Graduate Coordinator
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Environmental justice issues, including the accessibility and equity of recreation opportunities
• Water-based recreation and tourism planning and development
• Participatory decision-making
• Public health and policy

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Dr. Oscar (Hengxuan) Chi

Assistant Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Application of AI in tourism, hospitality, and event services
• Customers’ behaviors and attitudes toward AI robotic services
• Information processing
• Wellbeing and sustainability

Chi CV

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Ron Gromoll, M.A.

Lecturer
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management
Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, Business Manager

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Dr. Andrei Kirilenko

Associate Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Social networks and mass media data mining.
• Climate changes impacts on people and environment.
• Sustainability, resilience, and adaptation to climate change impacts.

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Dr. Svetlana Stepchenkova

Associate Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Destination image as a competitive factor in destination management, marketing, and branding
• Computer-assisted analysis of qualitative data. Methodologies for statistical analysis of textual and pictorial data
• Effects of media messages and user-generated content on tourism behavior and destination demand
• Websites and online communities as a marketing tool for Destination Marketing Organizations
• Cultural issues in tourism research

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Dr. Yao-Chin Wang

Assistant Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

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Dr. Giulio Ronzoni

Lecturer and Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Guest Delight
• Branding
• Diversity and Intercultural Management
• Human Trafficking
• Senior Living Management

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Dr. Nasim Binesh

Assistant Professor 
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

Primary fields of interest:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Revenue Management
• Finance

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