Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series
The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series (DDLS) is a long-running Friday afternoon tradition in the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration. We call it ‘Hotelie Friday.’ For over 100 years Hotelies have taken this course where top industry leaders in hospitality operations, food and beverage, and real estate—many of whom are our alumni—talk to students. They share their career journeys and provide insights on their leadership styles, business strategies, and industry trends. Students meet with the leader throughout the day in small group discussions and over shared meals. Journey through the most recent speaker lineup, below.
2025-2026 Speakers
Kate Walsh, Ph.D., Dimond Family Dean and E.M. Statler Professor, MPS ‘90
Kate Walsh is the Dimond Family Dean of the Nolan School and E. M. Statler Professor. A professor of management, Dr. Walsh has been a member of the School’s faculty since 2000. She received her Ph.D. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and her M.P.S. degree from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. […]
Speaker: Dominic Chu ’99, Senior Markets Correspondent
Dominic Chu is a senior markets correspondent for CNBC, located at the network’s Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. He appears during CNBC’s Business Day programming and contributes to CNBC.com. Previously, Chu was a New York-based markets correspondent for Bloomberg Television, where he covered the stock, bond, currency and commodities markets. During that time, he […]
Speaker: Anthony Capuano ’87, President & CEO
Anthony Capuano is President and CEO of Marriott International, Inc. In his role, Mr. Capuano presides over the world’s largest hospitality company and some of the most iconic brands in travel. The company now has over 9,600 properties across 143 countries and territories and over 30 brands. It also has the travel industry’s largest customer […]
Speaker: Brian Kaufman ’08, Managing Director
Originally from Austin, Texas, Brian Kaufman is a Managing Director in the Real Estate Group at Blackstone. Prior to Blackstone, Brian was the Managing Partner of The Kaufman Companies, a privately held hospitality investment, development and asset management group in the U.S. and Europe. He previously worked at Highgate Capital Investment as Senior Vice President […]
Speaker: Amber Sherman ’05, Managing Partner
Amber Sherman is a co-founder of Galleon Advisors, a results-driven management consulting firm that specializes in supporting hospitality organizations through continuous improvement initiatives. In her role as Vice President and Managing Partner, she supports hospitality real estate ownership entities, asset management groups, as well as branded and third-party management companies with the implementation of strategies to […]
Speaker: Christina Tosi, Founder & CEO
Christina Tosi is the rule-breaking, award-winning chef and founder of Milk Bar, named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World in 2022, whose inventive and nostalgic treats have fueled a national dessert empire with locations across the USA, a robust e-commerce platform, and products in grocery stores nationwide. Guided by classic American […]
Speaker: Will Guidara ’01, NYT Bestselling Author, Host, Co-Producer
Will Guidara is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality. He is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership was named the Best Restaurant in the World. He is the host of The Welcome Conference, a Co-Producer on the Emmy Award-winning series The Bear, and is a recipient […]
Speaker: Lindsey Brous Gitlin ’12, Owner & President
Lindsey grew up in the hospitality industry, working at her family business, Collegetown Bagels (CTB), from the age of eight. Lindsey attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration focusing on food and beverage operations. Upon graduation, Lindsey worked for Avero, LLC—a restaurant analytics and software company in New York City. At Avero, Lindsey oversaw the […]
Speaker: Ashley Dimond ’14, Principal
Ashley Dimond is a Principal at Copford Capital Management, the Family Office for the Dimond Family. At Copford, Ashley focuses on real estate, venture and private equity investing, and strategic decision making. Ashley also manages the operational responsibilities for the Dimond Family Foundation. Prior to joining Copford, Ashley served as the Director of Strategy for […]
Speaker: Sonja Dimond ’19, Principal
Sonja Dimond is a Principal at Copford Capital Management, the Family Office for the Dimond Family. She serves as Principal and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, where she focuses on real estate development, creative initiatives, and strategic investments. Prior to joining Copford, Sonja was a buyer at Bloomingdale’s, where she managed private label […]
Speaker: Alan Rosen ’91, Owner
For those in the know, there is only one cheesecake: Junior’s. Indeed, Junior’s has been called the “World’s Most Fabulous Cheesecake” by scores of media, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America, not to mention by countless celebrities, entertainers, politicians as well as other notables. Recently, Thrillist […]
Speaker: Liv Gussing Burgess ’91, Founder & Managing Director
Liv Gussing Burgess, founder of Luxury Hospitality Consulting, is a visionary force in luxury hospitality, transforming brand aspirations into vibrant realities across continents. With clients like Airelles in France, RH New York in the U.S., Six Senses Shaharut in Israel, and Beaverbrook in the U.K., Liv’s dynamic expertise and bold approach to innovation, strategy, and […]
Speaker: Abigail Charpentier ’95, Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer
Abigail joined Aramark in the management training program after earning her degree from Cornell University in 1995. She progressed through a variety of HR and operational positions in different lines of business until 2018, when she briefly left the company for an opportunity with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. After spending almost three years with […]
Speaker: Justin Wai ’06, Senior Managing Director & Head of Real Estate China
Justin Wai is Blackstone’s Head of Real Estate in China, based in Hong Kong. Justin currently oversees Blackstone’s real estate business in Greater China and its investment and operational teams in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Since joining Blackstone in 2007, Justin has focused on acquiring and managing real estate investments in Greater China, including the […]
Speaker: Rohan Thakkar ’08, Chief Development & Strategy Officer
Rohan Thakkar is the Chief Development & Strategy Officer at YOTEL, based at the company’s London headquarters. He leads YOTEL’s global growth strategy and oversees the full development lifecycle across all brand platforms, including business development, corporate strategy, and design & construction. In this capacity, Rohan is responsible for accelerating YOTEL’s expansion through management, franchise […]
Past DDLS Speakers
Journey through years of inspired dialogue, with distinguished thought leaders on the past DDLS speakers page.