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 nearly 100 years, Hotelies have taken this course. Top industry leaders in hospitality operations, food and beverage, and real estate, many of whom are our alumni, present a lecture to students, where 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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Speaker: Rohan Thakkar ’08, Chief Development Officer
Rohan is responsible for overseeing the development efforts for all YOTEL brands globally along with the global architecture, design & construction team. He is also responsible for driving & rolling […]
Past DDLS Speakers
Journey through years of inspired dialogue, with distinguished thought leaders on the past DDLS speakers page.