Dr. Kirsten Tripodi, Ph.D., CHE, CHIA joined the Welch College of Business in fall of 2018 to direct the Hospitality, Resort and Tourism Management program. For more than a decade, Dr. Tripodi taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University in the 6th ranked hospitality management program in the U.S. Prior to working in academe, Dr. Tripodi enjoyed an exciting and rewarding 25 year career in hospitality operations management in New York City, New Jersey, Atlanta and Chicago. Kirsten is a certified hospitality educator in addition to ServeSafe instructor in food safety, alcohol and sanitation. Her research interests are service standards, current industry trends, service styles, operations and student sustainability. She was also the recipient of various rewards such as Manager of the Quarter for The Ritz-Carlton in New York. Kirsten also made chapter contributions to an introductory textbook in hospitality management.