This week’s Faculty Spotlight features Assistant Professor Mohamed Mohamed!
At Hilton College, Mohamed teaches undergraduate marketing classes, including hospitality marketing and marketing strategies. He’s also taught Tourism Experience Design—a class centered entirely on how to craft unique, unforgettable moments for visitors.
In the classroom, Mohamed loves helping students shift their perspective on what marketing actually means. Rather than just selling a product, he challenges them to see it as a powerful process of creating genuine value, understanding people’s deepest needs and translating those into meaningful services.
"We live in a very overwhelming world nowadays," Mohamed shares. "I feel that this industry has a major role to play in helping people feel connected, feel relieved... and grow their confidence."
For Mohamed, hospitality isn't just a subject to teach; it’s a practice. By intentional design, his research and classes give students the space to connect, engage and confidently apply what they learn to help others slow down and recharge.
Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership
Consistently ranked as one of the world's top hospitality programs. #WeAreHospitality Founding Dean James C. Hilton. Today, the Conrad N.
Taylor had a dream to build the first hospitality school in Texas. The benefactor for this dream was none other than hotel icon Conrad N. Together, with countless contributions from many, this dream became a reality. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership has evolved into a world leader in hospitality education. All content posted here does not necessarily reflect the views/opinions of the university.
06/10/2026
From vintage menus and historic hotel matchbooks to Conrad N. Hilton's original diaries, our vaults here at Hilton College hold the hidden stories of a global industry! 🏨✨
The latest issue of UH Magazine goes deep into our Hospitality Industry Archives with the man who protects it all: Dr. Mark Young. Dubbed "hospitality's secret keeper," Young has spent nearly 20 years building and managing the largest archive of its kind in the world, housed right here in our College.
Whether you are a history buff, a proud alum or a hospitality enthusiast, you will love this look behind the scenes at the artifacts we protect every single day.
Dive into our archive's greatest treasures: https://stories.uh.edu/magazine/magazine/spring-2026/inside-the-archives-with-hospitalitys-secret-keeper/
Inside the Archives With Hospitality’s Secret Keeper UH’s Mark Young guides students, scholars and even Hollywood writers through the nuanced story and evolution of hospitality icons, establishments and global travel culture.
06/09/2026
🇯🇵 From Osaka with Pride! 🇯🇵
Our amazing faculty and students just wrapped up an incredible week at the Asia-Pacific CHRIE conference in Japan! 🌟
Huge shoutout to our delegation for representing us so well, featuring some major highlights:
🏆 Dr. Yoko M. Negoro (joining our College this August), who won Best Paper alongside her co-authors and fellow Hilton College alumni Dr. Heyao "Chandler" Yu (M.S. ’15, Ph.D. ’18) and Dr. Yue Teng Vaughan (M.S. '12, Ph.D. '19)!
📝 Outstanding paper presentations by Dr. Cristian Morosan, Dr. Priyanko Guchait and Sungyeon “Valerie” Ryoo.
🎙️ Excellent sessions from Dr. Minwoo Lee and Dean Dennis Reynolds, whose panel presentation was well-received.
🥂 A phenomenal alumni mixer, beautifully planned and executed by Lauren Smith.
Thank you to our entire team — including Dr. Ki-Joon Back, Dr. Mary Dawson, Dr. Jaewook Kim and Dr. Minjung Shin — for making a global impact!
Drop a 👏 to congratulate the team! 👇
06/03/2026
Ready to level up your career in hospitality? 🌍✨
Join our Virtual Info Session to learn about Hilton College’s online graduate programs:
🎓 Executive Master of Hospitality Management
🎓 Doctorate in Global Hospitality Leadership
📅 Monday, June 15
⏰ 11 a.m. to Noon CST
💻 Online
Get the details on admissions, curriculum and how these programs fit into your busy schedule.
🔗 Register here: https://www.uh.edu/hilton-college/forms/machform/view.php?id=554058
06/02/2026
A huge congratulations to one of our own, hospitality entrepreneur Jeremy Wladis ('86), for receiving the prestigious Distinguished Service Award at the 71st University of Houston Alumni Awards! 🐾
As a proud alumnus of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership and an Eric’s Club member, Jeremy perfectly embodies the kind of dedicated leadership and service that elevates the whole Coog community.
Beyond his incredible success as Founder and President of The Restaurant Group, developing culinary concepts across the country, he has dedicated over 30 years to the UH Alumni Association Foundation – New York Alumni Network. We are so proud of his impact on mentorship and regional engagement.
🌟 The Honor: Distinguished Service Award Recipient, 71st UH Alumni Awards
🍴 The Career: Founder & President, The Restaurant Group (developing concepts nationwide)
❤️ The Commitment: 30+ years of mentorship and service in the New York Alumni Network
Please join us in celebrating Jeremy’s decades of exceptional leadership, entrepreneurship and unwavering University of Houston pride!
05/28/2026
"Cream rises to the top." 🥛✨ Iconic Houston chef and Hilton College alum Kaiser Lashkari recently took his kitchen wisdom to a global audience!
Chef Kaiser was interviewed by Fatima Aslam for Pakistan Times USA and Hum News International’s "Community Connect," broadcasting across both the U.S. and Pakistan.
He touched on how his Hilton College education laid the groundwork for his culinary career, and shared the secret ingredients behind his legendary restaurant, Himalaya (which fittingly means "highest peak of taste"):
❤️ Love & Quality: How his family puts immense care into every dish, refusing to compromise on quality or quantity, all for a fair price.
🌱 Healthy Choices: A look into eating for better health, balancing blood sugar and making better lifestyle shifts.
💼 Career Wisdom: His must-hear advice for anyone climbing the ladder — stay away from negative workplace politics, work with absolute honesty and never take shortcuts.
Chef Kaiser credits a Hilton College professor for teaching him that hard work never goes unrecognized. Today, he’s proving that standard every day by giving people an experience so good, they can't help but keep coming back.
Congratulations, Chef Kaiser, on a fantastic international feature! 🏨❤️
Kaiser Lashkari with Fatima Aslam Hum News International Program Community Connect with Fatima Aslam
05/24/2026
Innovation, collaboration and a $1,000 research win! 🏆🐾
Dr. Tiffany Legendre, Dr. Dustin Maneethai and a talented group of Hilton College students just wrapped up 4 days at Texas A&M for the first-ever CCHTE symposium!
Our hospitality coogs joined forces with peer programs from TAMU, FIU, Penn State, Cal Poly Pomona, FSU and USF. Trip highlights include:
✨ Fast Funding: Dr. Legendre and Dr. Maneethai developed a research idea in 90 minutes and took home $1,000 in seed money!
✨ Shining on Stage: Our student researchers crushed their showcases, including an amazing presentation by Lane Adkins (’26).
Huge thanks to for hosting an inspiring inaugural event. We can’t wait for future events!
This week’s Faculty Spotlight features Dr. Priyanko Guchait!
Priyanko’s academic journey began in mechanical engineering before shifting to human resources and organizational behavior. He was drawn to Hilton College for its reputation as “the finest hospitality management program in the world with outstanding faculty and research.”
His research centers on organizational behavior, human resources and leadership, with a special focus on error management. “Things don’t always go according to plan,” said Priyanko, “so I study how organizations can respond when errors happen.” He brings this mindset into the classroom by offering revision and resubmission opportunities, helping students grow through mistakes and build confidence in their work.
As program director of the online doctorate in global hospitality leadership, Priyanko also helps professionals earn their doctoral degrees and strengthen their leadership skills without putting their careers on hold.
05/16/2026
Words of wisdom from a hospitality legend. 💡✨
We were incredibly honored to welcome Dianna Vaughan (HA '26), retired global senior vice president at Hilton Worldwide, as our Spring 2026 commencement speaker! During the ceremony, Vaughan was also presented with honorary alumni recognition by Dean Dennis Reynolds.
Drawing from a legendary 30-year career that started as a night auditor and led all the way to executive leadership, she shared four powerful lessons learned from her own journey and Conrad Hilton himself:
Embrace diversity in every form: Listen to others and invite every single voice to the table.
Be a humble and kind leader: Balance intuition with data, humanity with technology and progress with culture.
Be a torch passer: Always mentor others along your own journey.
Assume positive intent: If a digital message feels harsh, pause. Instead of reacting, connect in person to find clarity.
Thank you, Dianna, for empowering our new alumni to lead with purpose, and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! 🐾
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