Katheldra Alexander

Katheldra Alexander is a native of the Bahamas but has lived in North Carolina for 19 years. She graduated with a degree in hospitality management from Bethune-Cookman University and a M.S. in organizational leadership and change from Pfeiffer University.

Alexander has more than 20 years of industry experience specifically onsite foodservice operations servicing the higher education and corporate dining sectors. She has taught hospitality courses at the University of the Bahamas and held other training roles throughout her career. Her research interests include restaurant and food safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, and leadership and training. Katheldra is an inaugural fellow of the 2022 Bloomin’ Brands DE&I Fellowship for AHED (Alliance for Hospitality Equity & Diversity).

Hani Cho

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Hani Cho earned her undergraduate degree in hospitality management from Penn State University and completed her master’s degree at New York University in the same field. Her research applies behavioral economics to improve policy, governance and organizational effectiveness in hospitality. Cho investigates how behavioral insights enhance decision-making, workforce dynamics and service quality. Outside of academia, she enjoys rewatching her favorite movies, discovering new details and perspectives that deepen her appreciation for timeless storytelling.

Courses Taught

HTMT 260 – Hotel Management

Mina Kim

Mina Kim is a Ph.D. student in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina and a graduate assistant at the Richardson Family SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development. Originally from Busan, South Korea, she holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Tourism and Convention. 

Her research focuses on tourism sustainability, with a particular emphasis on understanding the psychological and behavioral traits of tourists who engage in either sustainable or unsustainable practices.

Seonjin Lee

Seonjin Lee began the hospitality and tourism management Ph.D. program in fall 2023 and is a Presidential Fellow at the University of South Carolina. Hailing from Busan, South Korea, Lee studied at Pusan National University for his undergraduate degree in tourism and convention and later earned a master's from the school in tourism studies. Additionally, he has over five years of experience working as an interpreter. Lee is interested in understanding the impact of tourism on societies, the resilience of the tourism industry, and the network analysis of spatiotemporal tourism data. He received the Outstanding Doctoral Student Researcher Award from the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management in 2025. In his spare time, Lee enjoys brewing coffee and listening to music.

Courses Taught

HTMT 280 – Foundations of Tourism

Omid Oshriyeh

Omid Oshriyeh, hailing from Tehran, Iran, holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in tourism management, with a specialization in tourism marketing, from the University of Tehran. His research areas of interest include data science applications in hospitality, sustainability, fintech (blockchain-based applications, cryptocurrencies), and social media analytics. Additionally, he serves as an editorial associate for Tourism Analysis, a peer-reviewed journal.

Courses Taught

HTMT 450 – Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
HTMT 482 – Sustainable Tourism Planning and Policy

Ghazal Shams

Ghazal Shams is from Iran and holds a bachelor’s degree in statistics and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Islamic Azad University. Her research interests include consumer behavior and service research, with a particular focus on human-centric services, transformative service research, and service technologies. Her work has been published in leading journals in hospitality, tourism, and marketing, and has been presented at national and international conferences.

Courses Taught

HTMT 344 – Personnel Organization and Supervision
HTMT 450 – Hospitality and Tourism Marketing

Teaching Assistant

HTMT 334 – Personnel Organization and Supervision
HRTM 584 – Tourism Information Technology Issues
HRSM 700 – Quantitative Methods in HRSM

Selected Publications

Shams, G., & Kim, K. (2024). Chatbots on the frontline: The imperative shift from 'one-size-fits-all' strategies through humanoid conversational cues and dialogue design. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 10963480241280991. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480241280991

Shams, G., Kim, K. K., & Kim, K. (2024). Enhancing service recovery satisfaction with chatbots: The role of humor and informal language. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 120, 103782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103782

Shams, G., Rather, R. A., Rehman, M. A., & Lodhi, R. N. (2020). Hospitality-based service recovery, outcome favourability, satisfaction with service recovery, and consequent customer loyalty: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 15(2), 266–284. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-04-2020-0079

Shams, G., Rehman, M. A., Samad, S., & Rather, R. A. (2020). The impact of the magnitude of service failure and complaint handling on satisfaction in the banking industry: An investigation into a pathway of brand credibility. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 25, 24–35. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41264-020-00070-0

Yang (John) Zhuang

Yang (John) Zhuang is a Ph.D. student in the Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina. As a native from Shanghai, China, Zhuang holds a B.S. in hotel management from Macao University of Tourism and a M.S. in international wine management from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on wine tourism, consumer behavior, and information processing. Beyond academics, he has a strong passion for history, philosophy, and culinary arts, especially baking. He is also an amateur photographer. Fluent in Cantonese and Shanghainese, Zhuang is an advocate for language diversification and enjoys traveling, visiting museums, and capturing moments through photography during his adventures.

Courses Taught

HTMT 475 – Wines and Spirits in Food Service Establishments (co-teaching)

Teaching Assistant

HTMT 575 – Advanced Topics in Wine