Dr. Sheryl E. Kimes appointed chair for Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management in Singapore

Dr. Sheryl E. Kimes, professor of operations management at Cornell University, has been appointed as the first endowed Singapore Tourism Board chair for the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI). As the holder of the distinguished professorship in Asian Hospitality, Dr. Kimes will be based at Cornell-Nanyang Institute’s Singapore campus for three months each year for the next five years. Dr. Kimes will serve as a member of the Joint Academic Board and Research Council for the Cornell-Nanyang Institute.

Mr. Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the STB said, “We are pleased to have Dr. Sheryl Kimes appointed for this professorship. With her academic knowledge and practical and consultancy experience in hospitality management, we are confident that Dr. Kimes will contribute greatly to the quality of Cornell-Nanyang Institute’s programmes and benefit the executives pursuing the CNI programmes. Dr. Kimes’ research initiatives will also enhance CNI’s capabilities in the area of Asian hospitality management. STB-endowed chairs like this one will ensure that the industry continues to build its competencies and knowledge base.”

Apart from teaching courses for the master’s program, Dr. Kimes will work closely with Asian hospitality professionals and will lead the 'Thought Leaders in Revenue Management Roundtable’ at the Nanyang Technological University campus in May 2008. She is expected to research, write and publish cases, Cornell Hospitality Research reports, and academic journal articles that focus on critical areas of concern for the fast growing Asian Hospitality Industry.

Dr. Kimes commented on her appointment saying, “I am thrilled about coming to Singapore. I travel there on a regular basis and the country has never failed to enthrall me. The mix of the vibrant economy, the great food and the wonderful people is something that I'm really looking forward to. I'm excited about the opportunity to focus my research on Asian hospitality and to work with both industry professionals and CNI faculty.”

Dr. Kimes has served as interim dean of the Cornell Hotel School (2005-06) and was the school’s director of graduate studies from 2001 to 2005. Dr. Kimes’ research interests include revenue management and forecasting in the restaurant, hotel and golf industries; she has published over 50 articles in leading journals. She has conducted extensive research projects in Asia and is currently working on an article on how customers react to different seating policies in casual restaurants – ‘Comparison between Singaporean and American consumers.’ She has served as a consultant to many leading hospitality enterprises around the world, including Walt Disney World Resorts, Starwood Asia-Pacific and Troon Golf.

Dr. Judy Siguaw, Dean Cornell-Nanyang Institute said, “We are excited to have faculty of Sherri’s calibre on campus. She will teach two courses ‘Advanced Revenue Management’ and ‘Advanced Hospitality Operations Management’ for the Master of Management in Hospitality program. She will also lead the CNI Master Class which will be held at the Venetian Macao this year. Sherri is an excellent resource not only for MMH students but for the Asian hospitality industry as a whole.”

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