Hello, SECSA!

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Every hospitality career starts with a door. Mine opened in hotel operations, where I learned that this industry runs on people long before I ever studied why. That question of what makes hospitality work for the people who do the work eventually pulled me from a corporate office into the classroom, through a doctorate, and into a career researching and teaching the hospitality workforce. I am now an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the School of Hospitality and Sport Management at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business, and this year, I have the honor of serving as your SECSA president.

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SECSA opened doors for me too. This federation is where I found mentors, collaborators, and friends, and this past spring I got to return the favor when USF hosted our 11th Annual SECSA Conference in Tampa. If you were there, you felt it: the mix of rigorous research, honest conversations about teaching, and genuine warmth that makes SECSA special.

My goal this year is simple: more open doors. A refreshed brand and website so the world can find us. Updated bylaws so serving SECSA is clearer and easier. Stronger ties with industry, because our students and our research are better when practitioners are in the room. And a wider welcome across our entire footprint, from the southeastern United States to the Caribbean and Central and South America.

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So here is my ask: walk through one door this year. Present your work, join a committee, write for the newsletter, or simply bring a colleague to their first SECSA event. I promise there is a place for you on the other side.

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Warm regards,

Trishna G. Mistry