Suzzette Shaw Goldmon is the new assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The university's new program in hospitality and tourism management prepares students for managerial and high-level supervisory positions in restaurant operations, the tourism industry, event planning, hotel administration and other operational and administrative roles, according to a news release.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to serve the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and become a member of the Pride," Goldmon said. "Given the growth of tourism in Arkansas, this program at UAPB is apropos."
As UAPB's first professor of hospitality and tourism management, Goldmon will teach courses related to gaming, lodging, sales, human resources, tourism, resort management and other hospitality-related subjects. She will also mentor students and supervise internships.
Goldmon will be responsible for recruitment, retention and advertising efforts for the degree program. She will also conduct research and other activities related to the UAPB Department of Human Sciences. Community outreach and engagement, including industry partnerships, will also be a priority, according to the release.
"Dr. Goldmon's knowledge of the hospitality industry will provide authentic instruction for students in the program," said Brenda Martin, chair of the UAPB Department of Human Sciences.
Before joining UAPB, Goldmon was the chair and director for the University of Arkansas at Monticello Hospitality and Tourism Initiatives Program. In addition to providing leadership for the program, she taught courses in hospitality marketing and tourism in the School of Business, managed university events and provided oversight for the UAM Fine Arts Center, Trotter House Bed and Breakfast, and the historic Hollywood Plantation museum and conference center.
She has served in hospitality and tourism faculty roles for the University of Tennessee at Martin Family and Consumer Sciences Department and for the Austin Peay State University College of Behavioral Sciences. From 2009 to 2015, she was a faculty member in the hospitality management and culinary program at the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham in Durham, N.C.
She earned a doctoral degree in hospitality and tourism management from Oklahoma State University. She also holds a master's degree in food science and nutrition and a bachelor's degree in general dietetics and food systems administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a family and consumer education agent – food and nutrition for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at North Carolina State University. In this position, she provided food safety certification training to restaurant staff and wellness and food safety consumer education to members of the community.
Over the course of her career, Goldmon has published a number of resources on topics relating to hospitality, the culinary arts and food safety. She has received numerous awards and honors, including an outstanding faculty member award from the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham and a nutrition education award from the North Carolina Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Goldmon is a 2020 fellow of the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy, a yearlong training program that brings together business and community leaders to promote change in the Delta Region. She is also a current board member for Preserve Arkansas.
Her professional memberships include the American Culinary Federation, Eta Sigma Delta International Hospitality Management Society and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a private, not-for-profit organization that provides assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world.
She has also held memberships with the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education, National Society of Minorities in Hospitality and the National Association of College and University Food Services, for which she has served as national education chairperson.