The Tisch Center at
New York University is a dynamic and growing international, educational
and research center located
in the heart of Manhattan.
The Tisch Center is named
for Preston Robert Tisch,
a pioneer and visionary
who has been recognized throughout the world for
his leadership within the hospitality and sports industries.
We are the 'Center' at the center of the world,
offering an extensive complement of hospitality, tourism, and sports management academic programs of study.
Jay Jefferson graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University with a B.S. in Information Systems Management, concentrating in Multimedia Production.
He also attended the Marketing and Management Institute at New York University, and received a Professional Certificate in Marketing, with a specialization in Strategy and Branding.
Jefferson has worked extensively in the fields of Sales and Marketing, as well as Multimedia Production.
Upon his graduation in May 2005, Jefferson plans to pursue a partnership with fellow Tisch Center classmate and wife, Moraly Arroyo, and develop luxury, island-inspired spas, spa hotels and spa resorts throughout the Caribbean.
Moraly Arroyo received a B.S. in Accounting from the Stern School of Business at New York University as well as a Professional Certificate in Advertising and Marketing with a specialization in Brand Management from the Marketing and Management Institute at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. As a graduate student at the Tisch Center, Arroyo is pursuing a Revenue Management concentration in the Hospitality Industry Studies program.
Arroyo has more than 12 years of combined Finance and Advertising experience in the entertainment/media industry, ranging from Assistant Unit Manager to Senior Financial Analyst, and Manager of Business Operations to Director of Advertising and Promotion Operations. She plans to capitalize on her professional experience, graduate school education, and passion for entrepreneurship by developing luxury, island-inspired spas, spa hotels and spa resorts throughout the Caribbean, in partnership with fellow Tisch Center classmate and husband, Jay Jefferson.
Ryan Zenga graduated from Boston College in 1999, with a B.S. in Finance.
He worked four years as a Management Consultant at Kroll Zolfo Cooper.
During this time, one of the most significant projects on which he participated, was the restructuring of Laidlaw Inc., the largest ground transportation company in North America.
While at the Tisch Center, Zenga is pursuing a concentration in Customer Relationship Management. Having traveled extensively -visiting over 50 countries- he hopes to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the program toward working to improve the customer service at major U.S. Airlines, by implementing better training, new employee incentives and an improved loyalty program for customers.
Lea Bradley received her B.A in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism from San Diego State University in May 2003, and has worked in camps, aquatics, city recreation centers, and destination management companies.
While at the Tisch Center, she is focusing on tourism with a concentration in customer relationship management.
After graduation, Bradley hopes to eventually move back to the West Coast or a tropical island, and pursue a career in either event and tour planning or destination development.
Kathryn Kantes is currently a graduate student at New York University obtaining a M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies with a concentration in Customer Relationship Management. Prior to her graduate studies, Kantes was a manager in the Customer Relationship Management group at Accenture, a premier global consulting firm.
Throughout the course of her studies at NYU, Kantes has completed two internships that have enabled her to gain practical, real-world experience in sales and marketing within the hospitality industry. As the Marketing Manager for Sacca Tours, a specialty travel company that specializes in chauffeur driven tours for the traveling elite, Kantes developed a strategy to expand the company’s existing product offering to the US market.
Upon completion of her role at Sacca Tours, Kantes joined the Mandarin Oriental, New York as the Sales and Marketing Intern. While at the Mandarin Oriental, New York Kantes contributed to the 2005 Marketing Plan by conducting extensive market research on lodging industry trends and outlooks and the global, national, and local macroeconomic conditions impacting the hotel’s future marketing strategy.
Upon her graduation in May 2005, Kantes hopes to build upon her background in Customer Relationship Management by obtaining a marketing related position such as Communications Manager, Guest Relations Manager, or Loyalty Program Manager at a luxury, branded hospitality company.
"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a gift; that's why we call it - the Present..."
A rare amalgam of intensity and congeniality, Simon Heo has a way of making even total strangers feel comfortable.
Growing up in Indonesia, Argentina, Philippines and now in the U.S, he has come to understand the meaning of hospitality.
Heo graduated from Syracuse University, Whitman School of Management. During his college years, he developed his entrepreneurial impulses to start postsyracuse.com.
Upon graduation, Simon has moved and worked for Restaurant Associates. After cutting his teeth in RA as an e-Marketing Manager, he made a move to NYU Tisch Center.
The rest as they say, it will be geography.
Hospitality is not the first career for Juliette Cumberbatch. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in nursing and has enjoyed several years working as a Registered Nurse. Cumberbatch is confident that the skills she has cultivated as a healthcare practitioner will serve her well in the hospitality industry. "In both professions I must treat people with dignity and respect, meet their needs, and dedicate myself to their service."
Cumberbatch has gained valuable experience working within several departments of hotel properties. To enhance her industry knowledge, she completed several courses offered by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, and intends to graduate from NYU with a M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies concentrating in hotel investments. This education, coupled with her experience and dedication will ensure her success as a hotelier. Cumberbatch aspires to create a hospitality company that specializes in boutique hotels and resorts.
Antal earned a B.S. in Hotel Management and Tourism Studies from the College of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism in Budapest, Hungary and a Master of Science in Travel Marketing from The George Washington University.
She has several years of work experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Antal worked in a variety of hotel positions in Austria, Hungary and Washington DC.
Subsequently, she was a marketing coordinator with the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International in Washington DC, and prior to joining NYU, she was an account manager with Revmax International in New York City.
Antal advises the Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Society (HTGSS) and serves as an academic advisor for graduate students enrolled in the Tourism and Hospitality programs.
Jay Jefferson graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University with a B.S. in Information Systems Management, concentrating in Multimedia Production.
He also attended the Marketing and Management Institute at New York University, and received a Professional Certificate in Marketing, with a specialization in Strategy and Branding.
Jefferson has worked extensively in the fields of Sales and Marketing, as well as Multimedia Production.
Upon his graduation in May 2005, Jefferson plans to pursue a partnership with fellow Tisch Center classmate and wife, Moraly Arroyo, and develop luxury, island-inspired spas, spa hotels and spa resorts throughout the Caribbean.
Moraly Arroyo received a B.S. in Accounting from the Stern School of Business at New York University as well as a Professional Certificate in Advertising and Marketing with a specialization in Brand Management from the Marketing and Management Institute at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. As a graduate student at the Tisch Center, Arroyo is pursuing a Revenue Management concentration in the Hospitality Industry Studies program.
Arroyo has more than 12 years of combined Finance and Advertising experience in the entertainment/media industry, ranging from Assistant Unit Manager to Senior Financial Analyst, and Manager of Business Operations to Director of Advertising and Promotion Operations. She plans to capitalize on her professional experience, graduate school education, and passion for entrepreneurship by developing luxury, island-inspired spas, spa hotels and spa resorts throughout the Caribbean, in partnership with fellow Tisch Center classmate and husband, Jay Jefferson.
Hospitality is not the first career for Juliette Cumberbatch. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in nursing and has enjoyed several years working as a Registered Nurse. Cumberbatch is confident that the skills she has cultivated as a healthcare practitioner will serve her well in the hospitality industry. "In both professions I must treat people with dignity and respect, meet their needs, and dedicate myself to their service."
Cumberbatch has gained valuable experience working within several departments of hotel properties. To enhance her industry knowledge, she completed several courses offered by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, and intends to graduate from NYU with a M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies concentrating in hotel investments. This education, coupled with her experience and dedication will ensure her success as a hotelier. Cumberbatch aspires to create a hospitality company that specializes in boutique hotels and resorts.
Antal earned a B.S. in Hotel Management and Tourism Studies from the College of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism in Budapest, Hungary and a Master of Science in Travel Marketing from The George Washington University.
She has several years of work experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Antal worked in a variety of hotel positions in Austria, Hungary and Washington DC.
Subsequently, she was a marketing coordinator with the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International in Washington DC, and prior to joining NYU, she was an account manager with Revmax International in New York City.
Antal advises the Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Society (HTGSS) and serves as an academic advisor for graduate students enrolled in the Tourism and Hospitality programs.
Rancourt is a consultant specializing in organizational development and effectiveness.
The author of three books and over a dozen articles, she is also an adjunct associate professor at New York University, SCPS, teaching courses in organizational behavior and communication.
Turkel is a New York-based hotel consultant who provides hotel consultation in operational audits, asset management and litigation support services.
Turkel is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, serves an Advisory Board member of the New York University Tisch Center, and is a frequent contributing writer to Hotel Interactive.
As an active hotel broker, asset manager, developer and investor, Wilder has seen a plethora of market conditions in his three decades in the hospitality industry.
He has been involved in the sale, lease, financing or development of over 400 hotels during his career, ranging geographically from Hawaii to Puerto Rico, and southern California to Maine.
From Hyatts, Marriotts and Loews hotels to Holiday Inns and Motel 6's, 25 units to over 600 units, he has been at the closing table.
Wilder began his hotel brokerage career in 1968 under the aegis of industry legend, mentor and partner, Steve Brener, becoming the youngest vice-president of Helmsley-Spear, Inc. and senior vice-president of its Hospitality Division before forming his own brokerage and asset management company, Wilder Group Inc (now Wilder Ventures LLP) in 1981.
Wilder has worked for HMBA, America's Hotel Broker (now HBI International), where he served in a variety of positions on its Board of Directors, including election as its president.
He is a columnist for Hotel & Motel Management magazine since 1980, with over 200 published pieces under the On Finance and What's The Deal headers.
Wilder is a member on New York University's Hospitality Advisory Board and its Executive Committee, which serve as the industry's advisor to the school's Tisch Center for Hospitality Tourism and Travel Administration.
He also teaches two graduate school courses at the university, Entrepreneurship and Hotel Valuation & Analysis.
In 2002, he was honored by NYU with its Award for Outstanding Service.
Rach is a nationally recognized tourism industry leader, serving as the HVS International Chair, a board member on the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation, NYC & Company (Convention & Visitors Bureau), New York City Academy of Travel and Tourism, and the World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Training.
She is a member of the Travel Business Roundtable and the New York Hospitality Council.
She serves as an Executive Advisor for Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA), and is a founding fellow of the Educational Foundation (EF) of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA).
Rach was an elected delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Tourism, served as housing commissioner for the 1995 Special Olympic World Games, and was a member of the 1995 Tourism Policy Forum.
Rach holds a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and an Ed.D. from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Warner has six years of teaching, administration and curriculum development experience in the United States Air Force at Air University, and eight years of teaching and department/school administrative experience at the University of New Haven.
He has been a department chairperson, interim and acting dean and graduate coordinator in hospitality and tourism.
Warner has taught in Switzerland and has made presentations at National CHRIE conferences, HITEC, and the NYU Annual International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
He is a Certified Hospitality Educator by the Educational Institute of American Hotel and Motel Association and has worked in all areas of the hospitality field.
Warner has bachelors' degrees from Monmouth College (Economic/Business) and Cornell University (Hotel Administration), a Master's degree from the State University of New York (Human Resources), and a Doctorate from the University of Alabama (Public Administration).
Dove-Lowther has spent the last seventeen years in adult education.
Fifteen of those years have been at New York University, School of Continuing and Professional Studies as a teacher and administrator.
Her areas of specialty are finance, hotel management, food and beverage management, and rooms division management.
In her administrative role, Dove-Lowther supervises the day-to-day operations of the graduate program, advises students, and counsels international students on issues that affect their status in their programs.
Dove-Lowther teaches hospitality and tourism accounting in the undergraduate program at the Tisch Center, economics at the Hudson School in Hoboken, sits on the Board of HEMAR-CHRIE, and serves as Director-at-Large of the East Coast Chapter.
She was also past chair of the CHRIE-High School Ad Hoc Committee and Co-Chairs the membership and academic affairs committee of the NYU Association of Black Faculty, Administration and Staff.
Antal earned a B.S. in Hotel Management and Tourism Studies from the College of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism in Budapest, Hungary and a Master of Science in Travel Marketing from The George Washington University.
She has several years of work experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Antal worked in a variety of hotel positions in Austria, Hungary and Washington DC.
Subsequently, she was a marketing coordinator with the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International in Washington DC, and prior to joining NYU, she was an account manager with Revmax International in New York City.
Antal advises the Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Society (HTGSS) and serves as an academic advisor for graduate students enrolled in the Tourism and Hospitality programs.
M.S. in Tourism and Travel Management,
January 2006
"I never had a major interest in pursuing a career in the tourism industry, until I attended a lecture by Dr. Warner about the degree programs offered at the Tisch Center.
He helped me realize that I could pursue a tourism career, and have the opportunity to work in an industry that I would truly enjoy." Read My Story
Shinyoung Park
Seoul, Korea
M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies,
May 2005
"I have so much fun living and attending school in New York City.
This is a place where a person can be exposed to so many different opportunities and experiences." Read My Story
John Scaggs
Eastchester, New York
M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies,
May 2005
"As far back as I can remember I have always been drawn to hospitality.
We live in a world where people place much emphasis on having fun and diverting attention from their hectic lives." Read My Story
John E. Osborn
Adjunct Professor
"The greatest thrill of being an instructor at the Tisch Center is having the opportunity to bring my real world industry expertise into the classroom." Read Bio Interview Go to Faculty List
Breaking the Ice
You're standing in a room filled with unfamiliar faces, all of whom are wearing 'Hello my name is' tags.
Does the thought of having to introduce yourself make you shiver?
Overcome your anxieties and fears, and maximize the benefits from networking opportunities. Learn the Skills
NYC & Company
Convention and Visitors Bureau
NYC & Company is the city's official tourism website.
It provides information and assistance with all services and facilities relating to the tourism and convention industries, meeting planners, tour operators, travel agents, individual visitors, and the worldwide news media. Visit the Website Go to Resource Links
Sign up to receive monthly email notices when site content has been updated.
Jay Jefferson
