Maria Matthews - Candidate for Vice President
Maria is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Administration and Tourism and Hospitality Management at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She holds PhD in Tourism Management from the School of Business and Law, University of Brighton, UK, a Master of Business Administration (Tourism and Hospitality Management) as well as a Bachelor of Tourism Management (Hons). Maria has been teaching at the Mount in the Department of Business Administration and Tourism and Hospitality since 2015. She has 25+ years extensive business and tourism and hospitality industry experience in the areas of tour operation, destination management, airline and hotel management. Maria has served on numerous boards over the years such as the Tourism Board for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Chair of the Western Newfoundland DMO for 7 years. She is currently serving on the Hotel Association of Nova Scotia (HANS) Hotel as well as the Canadian University Tourism Coalition (CUTC).
PLATFORM STATEMENT:
I am honoured to seek the position of Vice President of NENA, bringing my passion for tourism and hospitality education and the tourism sector to the forefront during these ever-evolving and challenging times. Over the past three years, I have actively contributed to the NENA board in my roles as Member-at-Large and Secretary, focusing on enhancing communications, supporting social media initiatives, and working to expand Canadian membership.
In the face of ongoing challenges with student recruitment and retention, I believe NENA plays a pivotal role in offering support and networking opportunities that not only empower educators but also provide professional development to facilitate teaching excellence and to enhance student engagement, nurturing collaboration and bridging academia and industry.
With over 25 years of experience in tourism and hospitality—spanning airline, tour operations, destination management accommodation sectors—alongside my academic background, I am deeply committed to fostering meaningful connections between educators, students and industry to advance our collective goals.
If elected, I will advocate for initiatives that support NENA members through expanded networking opportunities and continuous professional development aimed at enhancing teaching excellence, driving research impact, and addressing industry needs.
Jennifer Aarons - Candidate for Secretary
Dr. Jennifer Aarons is an Assistant Professor in the Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Studies (HTMS) program and Esports Management (ESPM) program in Stockton University's School of Business. Stockton University's School of Business has earned accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international body whose accreditation has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business programs.
Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree in Human Resources from the University of Delaware, her master's degree in Hospitality Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her doctorate in Education from NOVA Southeastern University. She has over twenty-five years' experience in the hospitality industry across many fields, including spa & wellness management, hotel operations, housekeeping, reservations, restaurant management, and human resources in casino and non-casino hotels. Jennifer spent the majority of her career in the spa and recreation segment at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa, where she refined her skills in managing, leading, mentoring, and budgeting.
Jennifer first joined Stockton as an Adjunct Professor after creating the Spa Management in Hospitality course as a new elective for the HTMS program in 2011. In 2022, she launched the Introduction to Wellness Tourism class. She worked with the Integrative Healthcare Minor program so both courses could become acceptable electives within that program as well. Jennifer was on the committee to develop the Bachelor of Science in Esports Management program. As part of this committee, she has created the curriculum which obtained state approval. Jennifer teaches several courses in both the HTMS and ESPM programs at Stockton. Jennifer is an active member of a variety of professional organizations, including the International Spa Association (ISPA) where she has led the organization’s first initiative to develop an student internship program, and is the Secretary of the Esports Innovation Center. These and other partnerships allow her to continue expanding her industry knowledge and networking opportunities.
PLATFORM STATEMENT
I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for the position of Secretary on the NENA Board. Currently serving as a Member-at-Large, I am eager to continue my contributions in this new capacity. With over 25 years of leadership experience in the casino/resort industry and now as an educator, I understand the critical importance of effective communication, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
As Secretary, my primary objective will be to ensure that all communications within the Board and the entire NENA community are clear, informative, and engaging. I firmly believe that communication is the cornerstone of any successful organization, and I will dedicate my efforts to making this a reality.
In my role on the NENA Board, I will continue to foster a collaborative environment, working closely with all members as we grow and evolve together. I am excited about the opportunity to take on greater responsibility
Markus Shuckert - Candidate for Director of Research
Markus Schuckert is Professor and Department Chair of Hospitality Management (HMGT) at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. His core industry experience is from aviation and tourism on international level. As an entrepreneur, Markus established a tourism and hospitality related consulting firm for market research, product development and change management in Europe. As researcher, Markus is specializing in digital marketing, travel technology and strategic management for hospitality and tourism.
Markus contributes to top journals in the field, international conferences, industry meetings, consulting, and by editing books for education and industry.
As an educator, Markus delivers related subjects at business schools across the globe. Caring for the next generation of industry leaders, he is supervising postgraduate students in Europe, America and Asia. Markus is working at the edge of contemporary teaching technology to enhance learning experience, integrating new methods and techniques into courses and seminars on-campus and online.
Prior joining UNH, Markus held academic positions in the U.S., Hong Kong, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
PLATFORM STATEMENT:
- Continuing with established formats of NENA CHRIE
- Supporting the yearly conference
- Research workshop during the conference
- Periodical research seminar for early career researchers with grant proposal writing workshop (online)
- Support the industry with research on ESD, DE&I and Talent Hire & Retention