Industry Expert Panel

Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Panel: 12 – 1 p.m.
Reception: 1 – 2 p.m.
CUB Jr. Ballroom

2023 Panelists

Dogan Gursoy

Professor
SHBM

Dr. Dogan Gursoy is the Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University in the School of Hospitality Business Management and the editor of Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. He is also the developer and designer of the “Hotel Simulation” (http://www.hotelsimulation.com/), a virtual management training game where participants are divided into teams and assigned the task of running 500-room hotels in a competitive virtual marketplace. The Hotel Business Management Training Simulation has been used for both revenue management and hospitality management purposes by several institutions. Dr. Gursoy is recognized as one of the leading researchers in the hospitality and tourism area. His area of research includes sustainability, services management, hospitality and tourism marketing, tourist behavior, travelers’ information search behavior, community support for tourism development, cross-cultural studies, consumer behavior, involvement and generational leadership. His research has been published broadly. His research has also been presented at numerous hospitality and tourism conferences and received numerous research awards. Dr. Gursoy has recently been recognized as one of the top 10 authors in the world in terms of publications in the top six hospitality/tourism journals during the past decade

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Chad Mackay

Founder & CEO
Brigado

Chad Mackay is a 30-year veteran of technology consulting and hospitality operations, finance, development, and strategic planning. After earning his bachelor’s in accounting from Seattle University, he spent ten years in technology consulting with Andersen, Onyx Software, and Rapidigm before joining the family restaurant business. After 17 years of running Fire & Vine Hospitality, a company supporting some of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic lodging and restaurants, Mackay is focused on growing Brigado, a Seattle hospitality-focused technology company, into a major force in the hospitality industry. He is on the Board of Visit Seattle, past chair of the Washington Hospitality Association, cofounder of Third Door Coalition, and serves on the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management Advisory Board.

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Mike Sackville-West

Technical Services Manager
Spokane Arena

Mike Sackville-West oversees the technology departments for the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the Podium, and the upcoming Downtown Spokane Stadium. He specializes in audio/visual and lighting technologies utilized in all events regardless of size. He has successfully led his team through a wide variety of events including men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, international ice-skating competitions, NHL and WHL hockey games, concerts, track and field events, and large fundraisers. Sackville-West make it his goal to find the best ways to create amazing experiences for his clients and their guests. He holds Comp TIA A+ and Dante Level 3 certifications and earned an associate’s degree in audio technology from Spokane Falls Community College.

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John Shepard

Vice President, Global Technology
Marriott International

As Marriott International’s vice president of application delivery – business service desk, John Shepard leads global support of property-specific applications, products, and services. In partnership with business and technology leaders, he develops innovative solutions for hotel properties and consumers that improve business outcomes and improve the hospitality experience. Shepard has over 30 years of experience in large enterprise firms including e-commerce (Amazon Robotics), retail (Starbucks Coffee), and health care and insurance (Blue Cross/Blue Shield). His expertise includes leading large global organizations through transformational change, introducing innovative products and services ahead of demand, connecting business and technology, leading healthy service provider relationships, and improving customer experience. Shepard earned a degree in computer science from the University of Washington.

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Dipra Jha, Moderator

Assistant Director
SHBM

Dipra Jha is a scholarly associate professor in the Carson College of Business and Assistant Director of the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University. He is recognized as an expert in luxury hospitality and tourism strategy, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of State of Washington Tourism. A global scholar and an innovative educator, he is a recipient of multiple awards including the prestigious John Wiley & Sons Innovation in Teaching Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award from Western Federation CHRIE and WSU President’s Award for Leadership. At WSU, Professor Jha teaches courses in hospitality management and international business to undergraduate students as well as for the University’s highly-ranked Executive MBA and Online MBA programs. He is among a select group of faculty to receive the Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Teaching and Learning Grant to improve undergraduate education. He frequently collaborates with communities, government entities and private sector organizations in the United States and overseas on training, research, and outreach projects. A passionate advocate for experiential learning and global education, Professor Jha has significant experience developing and leading study abroad programs. In 2019, he was conferred a rare and distinguished Doctor Honoris Causa by the Kyiv Cooperative Institute of Business and Law in Ukraine for his outstanding contributions to international education through virtual exchange.