2023-2024 HSTM Newsletter
HSTM News
Dr. Koo Named New HSTM Director
Dr. Win Koo was promoted to the Director of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management
in August 2024. Dr. Koo will continue to teach marketing courses in our undergraduate
program and serve our doctoral program as needed, but he will primarily be responsible
for leading our team and overseeing our programs. He has been a valuable member of
the School of HSTM for some time now and look forward to the progress we know he will
make within our programs. Dr. Koo hopes to provide more diverse experiences for the
students in HSTM. He has many goals that he hopes to achieve in his new role with
the School of HSTM and feel certain he will guide us in the best way moving forward.
HSTM's New Academic Program Coordinator
In December 2024, HSTM hired a new Academic Program Coordinator, Ms. Lily McDaniel to assist the School of HSTM.
Lily received her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management
with a concentration in Tourism Management and minor in Event Management from ¶¶Òõ
University in May of 2024. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Project
Management from ¶¶Òõ. She has worked in local tourism and community development-based
agencies and several chambers of commerce in southeast Alabama throughout her time
at ¶¶Òõ and since graduating. She is exciting to be serving the School of Hospitality,
Sport and Tourism Management as the new Academic Program Coordinator. In this role,
she will be assisting the students and HSTM faculty with scheduling, registration,
and recruitment efforts throughout the year. We are excited to welcome Lily to the
HSTM team and feel she will be a great asset to our school.
HSTM Faculty Author Textbooks
Two of our HSTM faculty members, Drs. Christopher Atwater and Patrick Holladay wrote
textbooks relative to their respective disciplines.
Dr. Atwater was the first author on the Applied Sport Business Analytics text that he co-authored with R. Baker and T. Kwartler in late 2022. Applied Sport Business Analytics provides a practical explanation of the use of data analytic metrics in sport management, ultimately helping students to make strategic, data-informed decisions. This textbook is published by Human Kinetics, a popular publishing house for sport management related textbooks.
Dr. Holladay more recently sole-authored the textbook, Teaching Agritourism: A Practical Approach. This textbook provides a toolkit for developing pedagogy as it relates to agritourism, agricultural studies, and tourism in general. This textbook was published by Edward Elgar Publishing in November 2024.
Dr. Atwater is pictured on the top left and Dr. Holladay on the right.
HSTM Faculty Continue to Travel Abroad to Teach in Vietnam
Seven different HSTM faculty members: Drs. A. Dixon, Holladay, Kim, Koo, Mathner, Price-Howard, and Sellars all traveled at various times over the 2023-2024 academic year to Vietnam to teach at our partner institutions. Through this partnership with universities in Duy-Tan and Hanoi, those students are able to graduate with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management from ¶¶Òõ. Courses are taught in a blended format by ¶¶Òõ professors and for two weeks out of the semester, our professors will travel to Vietnam to teach these students in a face-to-face environment. It is a great opportunity for both students and faculty to learn.
Pictured above is Dr. Kate Price-Howard (second from right) and Dr. Koo (fourth from left) with their students from DuyTan University and their HSTM swag bags.
HSTM Doctoral Graduates
We would like to congratulate the following HSTM Sport Management Ph.D. graduates for defending their dissertation research during the 2023-2024 academic years. Additionally, thank you to our faculty for mentoring and serving on their dissertation committees.
Dr. Brittany Anderson
Dissertation Title: THIS PLAY IS UNDER REVIEW: OFFICIATING FOOTBALL AS A BLACK WOMAN
Committee Members: Drs. Sellars (Chair), Carroll, & Martin
Dr. Karina Jolly
Dissertation Title: PURSUING THE AMERICAN DREAM: THE HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETES
Committee Members: Drs. Corr (Chair), Sellars, & Stokowski
Dr. Hilary Parkin
Dissertation Title: BUILDING HEROES TO STAY: PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL, WELL-BEING, AND TRANSFER INTENTIONS IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Committee Members: Drs. Koo (Chair), Sellars, Martin, & Lee
Dr. Rachel Silverman
Dissertation Title: BIOLOGICAL FEMALE ATHLETES' PERCEPTIONS OF THE INCLUSION OF TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S CONTACT SPORTS: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY
Committee Members: Drs. Carroll (Chair), A. Dixon, Sellars, & H. Dixon
Dr. Nick Smith
Dissertation Title: SELF-PERCEIVED RISK PERCEPTIONS OF SPORT VOLUNTEERS
Committee Members: Drs. Carroll (Chair), Martin & Koo
Dr. Connor Whelan
Dissertation Title: ATTENDANCE MOTIVATIONS & CONSTRAINTS: EXAMINING DIVISION 1 ATTENDANCE PATTERNS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS
Committee Members: Drs. Atwater (Chair), Martin & Koo
Dr. Samantha Williams
Dissertation Title: STUDENT ATHLETES AND SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION: ATTITUDES OF COACHES AND SOCIAL WORKERS
Committee Members: Drs. Martin (Chair), Sellars, & Koo
Dr. Jason Young
Dissertation Title: LEADERSHIP IN YOUTH SPORT: TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT
Committee Members: Drs. Martin (Chair), Carroll & Koo
Dr. Rustam Hajiyev
Dissertation Title: THE ROLE OF CORPORATE CREDIBILITY AND MESSAGE QUALITY IN DRIVING WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVOCACY AMONG AZERBAIJANI FORMULA 1 VOLUNTEERS REGARDING BAKU CITY CIRCUIT'S CSR ACTIVITIES
Committee Members: Drs. Koo (Chair), Martin, Kim & Sung
Pictured above is some of our HSTM faculty members with the Spring 2024 Sport Management Ph.D. graduates.
Outstanding HSTM Students Named
Each year, undergraduate students in Sport Management and Hospitality, Tourism, and Event (HTE) management programs, are nominated and voted on by the HSTM faculty to be named outstanding HSTM students. To receive these awards, students must demonstrate excellence in the classroom and show dedicated effort to their discipline through community and campus involvement.
CAMILLE TROCHESSETT, Outstanding Sport Management Student
Camille is a Sport Management major with a Marketing minor from Port St. Joe, Florida. She currently serves as the president of Phi Mu, secretary of the Women in Business Club, and is a member of the Sorrell College of Business Dean's Advisory Council. Camille has worked as a ¶¶Òõ Football Recruiting Assistant for two years, and she currently interns with ¶¶Òõ Athletics Marketing and Fan Engagement. Camille interned with the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska during the Summer of 2024. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a Master's degree in Sport Management.
AVERY ZUBALY, Outstanding HTE Student
Avery Zubaly is a senior HSTM student with a concentration in Hospitality Management, minoring in Event Management from Tallahassee, Florida. Avery served as the Hospitality & Tourism Club president as well as various other capacities during her time at ¶¶Òõ. She is also a member of the Eta Sigma Delta honor society and the Chi Omega sorority. She is a member of the 2023-2024 "87 List" and was a nominee for ¶¶Òõ's Most Outstanding Women for 2024. After college, she plans to pursue a career in community engagement, with an emphasis on event management.
KRISTI RIZZO, Outstanding HTE Online Student
Kristi lives in Enterprise, Alabama. As a non-traditional student who completed an associates degree in Drafting and Design, she worked as a drafter for over ten years for engineering/architectural firms before transitioning back into the medical field in 2018. Kristi is currently a senior at ¶¶Òõ, completing her degree in Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management with a minor in Social Science.
LINH DUONG, Outstanding HTE Online Student, Vietnam National University
Linh attends Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Vietnam as a Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management major. She has an outstanding record of academic and extracurricular activities, including organizing the Overseas Immersion Programme in 2023. Lingh has been recognized several times for her HTE research. Most recently she was awarded a scholarship and a third-place finish for her research entitled "Research on knowledge, attitude, and behavior of Vietnamese tourists about travel-related diseases".
New M.S. in Sport Management Concentration: Collegiate Sport
TROY Athletics has partnered with the Sorrell College of Business' School of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management to create a new master's level curriculum that is centered around giving students hands-on experience inside an NCAA Division I athletics department.
The new Collegiate Sport Management Concentration is a more tailored curriculum in NCAA Division I athletics and provides graduate students with a path to attaining experience beginning in their first semester in the program. Graduate course credit will be offered to those graduate students in the form of practicum and internship hours. In addition, the Department of Athletics will offer paid graduate assistantships to those who excel in their practicums and internships.
This track allows graduate students to get hands-on experience by playing active roles in the TROY Athletics Department by providing support in a variety of areas, such as Compliance, Development, Marketing and Fan Engagement, Team Operations, and much more.
¶¶Òõ and the School of HSTM Host the 2024 COSMA Conference in Montgomery, Alabama
In 2024, ¶¶Òõ and the School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management served as the host university for the annual Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) Conference. The conference was held on the ¶¶Òõ Montgomery campus from January 31st - February 2nd. Over the course of the conference, research presentations, keynote speakers, and a case study competition was held for sport management educators from all across the United States in attendance.
HSTM Students Win COSMA Case Study Competition
We are very proud to announce that four of our HSTM undergraduate students were named the winners of the COSMA Case Study Competition at the 2024 COSMA Conference held in Montgomery, Alabama. The participants were given a challenge to develop a business that would help the community, with sport management as the foundation and focus of the business. The team was mentored by Dr. Christopher Atwater.
Pictured above is the Case Study Team (L to R): Dr. Christopher Atwater, Lily McDaniel, Camille Trochessett, Avery Zubaly, and Randall Arnold
HSTM Revenue Generation Class Ticket Sales
In Fall 2024, the HSTM 4470 - Revenue Generation class made calls for the ¶¶Òõ Athletics Department to sell Community Hero Tickets for ¶¶Òõ football games. This is an experience that equips students with the skills necessary to interact with and sell tickets to stakeholders of ¶¶Òõ Athletics. The students got a crash course in sales from professor, Dr. Nicole Sellars, the ¶¶Òõ Athletics Ticket Sales Director, Chris Weil, and Account Executive, Landon Howell. In total, 20 students sold 55 Community Hero Ticket packages during the fall semester, totaling $1,650 in additional ticket revenue for the athletic department.
HSTM Partnership with the Sport Science Research Institute at Chosun University
In the Spring of 2024, Drs. Koo, Martin, Mathner, and Sellars welcomed Dr. Minchul Kim and Dr. Hongyong Jung to ¶¶Òõ. Dr. Kim and Dr. Jung traveled from South Korea to ¶¶Òõ for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony, which signifies a partnership between the School of HSTM and the Sport Science Research Institute at Chosun University. We are very excited for this partnership and look forward to working with their students in the future.
2024 Sport Management Conference
Sport Management professionals from several southeastern states gathered and shared their work experiences, career paths, and professional expertise with our HSTM students at the annual conference held at ¶¶Òõ. This event is organized by the HSTM students taking Dr. Green's HSTM 6645 course.
Additionally, there were many notable alumni, friends, and colleagues in attendance to show support for Dr. Green as he will be retiring from ¶¶Òõ and the School of HSTM in July 2025. We will greatly miss Dr. Green after he retires as he is one of the founding members of the HSTM faculty.
HSTM Students Travel Abroad
In December 2024, 15 ¶¶Òõ students participated in a faculty-led study abroad experience in Costa Rica. Students immersed themselves into Costa Rica's culture, natural beauty, and variety of ecosystems. While there they experienced authentic Costa Rica cuisine, visited a coffee plantation where coffee is handpicked, kayaked on a lake, hiked through a rainforest and lava field, went horseback riding through a natural protected area, and visited the Animal Wildlife Rescue Center (pictured below).
If you are interested in traveling abroad with Dr. Dixon on future trips, please reach out to her to find out where HSTM students are headed next! HSTM faculty lead study abroad trips regularly so don't miss out on a wonderful opportunity to see the world and earn credit toward your degree at the same time.
HSTM Student Spotlight
Randall Arnold, HSTM - Sport Management
Randall Arnold is currently a senior in HSTM working towards a Bachelor of Science
in Sport Management. When asked why he chose sport management as his major, he responded
"I enjoy sports and the various ways they require a different application to business
topics such as marketing and analytics."
When asked who his favorite HSTM professor was and why, Randall answered, "My favorite (professor) has to be Dr. Atwater because I'm always able to pop into his office and chat about anything, and I always feel welcome when I do so."
Olivia Grantham, HSTM - Sport Management
Olivia is a sophomore member of the ¶¶Òõ Women's Volleyball Team majoring in Sport
Management. When we asked Olivia what her favorite HSTM class has been so far and
why she responded: "My favorite HSTM class has been Legal Aspects because of Dr. Mathner.
He always made the class engaging especially as we talk about currently legal issues
in sports.
Olivia hopes to pursue a career as a Director of On-Campus Recruiting for college football someday. She wants to pursue this career path because she enjoys allowing individuals to feel welcome and like family especially as they arrive onto campus.
HSTM Events
Moe's BBQ Partners with HSTM for Tailgate
On August 30th, 2024, Jeff Kennedy, the founder of Moe's Original BBQ, and two of his franchise owners from the ¶¶Òõ, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia restaurant locations, came to ¶¶Òõ's campus to share their tasty tailgate foods and an inspirational message with our students. Nearly 80 students came to the event to listen to Mr. Kennedy speak on his journey from being a college student to a successful entrepreneur, how to handle adversity when starting a business, and maintaining levels of excellence with both customers and employees through times of hardship. After his presentation was complete, ¶¶Òõ's Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management Club worked with Jeff and his partners to serve up Moe's Original BBQ sundaes to students in HSTM and the Sorrell College of Business in the atrium of John Robert Lewis Hall in true tailgating style.
HSTM Charity Golf Tournament
The School of HSTM has hosted a charity golf tournament with proceeds benefitting local organizations for the past 16 years. This event is developed and planned by students in HSTM 4450 - Event Management and held annually at the ¶¶Òõ Country Club. For the past two years, proceeds have benefitted Common Ground ¶¶Òõ, a local non-profit organization helping youth in our community through educational programming. We are thankful to all of the sponsors and participants who supported our students and this event. We look forward to carrying on this event and tradition for years to come!
O's Cool Bike Ride and Walk
O's Cool Bike Ride and Walk is an event held yearly on the last Saturday in April to honor Owen Wayne Lewis, the late son of Drs. Heather and Onick Lewis. Dr. Heather Lewis is a hospitality, tourism, and event management professor within the School of HSTM and Dr. Onick Lewis is the Director of the Bachelor of Social Work program at ¶¶Òõ.
The annual event, planned by the students in the HSTM 4450 - Event Management class, is a multi-faceted event developed to raise funds to supply balance bikes and helmets to lower socio-economic Head Start programs in Southeast Alabama areas. Additionally, the event helps to fund the Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Endowed Scholarship at ¶¶Òõ University, which is given to first-generation college students majoring in Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management, Social Work, and Human Services. The event consists of 34, 45, and 65 mile bike rides through Pike County and surrounding areas, a 1.2 mile bike ride and walk loop around campus, and a balance bike ride loop around the ¶¶Òõ quad for the littlest of riders.
This event has been a huge success and continues to grow yearly. Through the efforts of our HSTM students developing this event, more than $15,000 has been raised for the scholarship fund and over 180 balance bikes donated across 6 Alabama counties. For more information about this event and to register for the 2025 ride, please visit the
Sorrell College of Business Homecoming Tent
In Fall 2024, Dr. Harriet Dixon's Event Operations course was responsible for planning
and executing this year's homecoming tent for the entire Sorrell College of Business.
This is a huge undertaking and responsibility and we are very proud of our students
for their efforts with this event. They do a great job making it a family-friendly
event for all faculty, staff, current and former SCOB students, and university affiliates.
Thank you to the many corporate sponsors we've had donate to this event over the past
years - without your support, this event would not be successful!
HSTM Summit
Each semester, the HSTM Summit is held to allow our senior students the opportunity to present their business plan projects. Their audience includes a panel of judges and their family and friends. For this assignment, the students work persistently throughout the semester with HSTM faculty and business consultants to develop a business plan with components focusing on facilities, finances, and marketing. To conclude their presentation, they give an overall sales pitch asking the "investors" for support of their business based on the information they have presented. The floor is then opened for a Q&A session to make sure the teams are well prepared and understand their business plan fully.
This is always a major event for the School of HSTM as all students are expected to attend, learn, and participate. The Event Planning and Operations class also is tasked with planning and setting up for the event. Congratulations to all the students who completed this class and are preparing for graduation. We are always proud and extremely impressed with HSTM students' projects.
FALL 2024 PRESENTATIONS:
- George Mason Football
- Ultimate Victory Bar
SPRING 2024 PRESENTATIONS:
- The Corinthian (Best Presentation)
- The Haven
FALL 2023 PRESENTATIONS:
- Montgomery Street Community Garden (Best Presentation)
- Pickleball Solutions
- Sport Travel Pros
Camille Trochessett, HSTM Sport Management student, working at her College World Series Internship in Omaha, Nebraska
Dr. Mathner helping Brooks to learn how to tie a tie before his mock interview session.
Drs. Anthony Dixon, Nicole Sellars, and Patrick Holladay experiencing a soccer game in Ha Noi, Vietnam
International HSTM students Marek Taskar, Karina Jolly, and Gabby Cossett presenting at the College Sport Research Institute Conference in Columbia, SC
HSTM Alumni Spotlight
Baylee Smith, Hub Manager for Landing
Baylee Smith, a Spring 2019 graduate from HSTM with a concentration in Hospitality
Management, is currently serving as a Hub Manager for the East Coast Division for
Landing, a housing industry company specializing in flexible, short-term housing.
When reflecting on what she learned at ¶¶Òõ and how she uses that information daily in her career, she shared: "I learned valuable skills from the HSTM courses I took. I enjoyed the leadership class and learning about my personality type and learning how to work with others in the professional world. You don't get to pick your co-workers or boss, so be prepared to work with every personality type. I am also thankful for the time spent working on interview skills and resume writing that is covered in Senior Seminar - I still use the same template for my resume today!
If you are an HSTM graduate, please let us know of your career updates by emailing Lily McDaniel at lmmcdaniel@troy.edu.