Christopher Muller is acclaimed as a leading academic expert in the field of hospitality where he has focused his research on multi-unit organizations, business development and growth, and the training of multi-unit managers and leaders. A co-principal of Gastronomical Adventures Consulting, Dr. Muller has assisted a broad range of professionals as a strategic consultant and provider of executive education across the service and caring industries, including foodservice, lodging, supermarkets, and Veterans Administration clinical staff. 

Professor Muller has lectured on management topics to a variety of individuals in organizations throughout the world, including presentations to groups from Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Russia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Macao, Korea, Australia, India, Mexico, Central and South America. Muller is one of the three co-founders of the annual European Foodservice Summit. As an entrepreneur and business owner, Chris has owned and operated restaurants and service businesses.

Currently, Muller is a Courtesy Professor at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, specializing in executive education. He is the former Dean and Professor of the Practice of Hospitality at the Boston University School of Hospitality. Dr. Muller has also held academic positions at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management and at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Dean Muller received both his doctorate and masters degrees from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. 

He is the author of the popular book, The Leader of Managers: Leading in the Multi-Unit, Multi-Site and Multi-Concept World, and more than 50 published articles in academic journals and trade magazines. He is often quoted in the media.

Brian P. Connors is a dynamic leader and industry innovator with over two decades of experience in hospitality, higher education, and business development. As Managing Partner of Connors Davis Hospitality, LLC, Brian has led transformative strategies and developed strategic partnerships with top global hospitality and beverage brands such as Bacardi North America, Royal Caribbean International, and independent operators. He also serves as Director of Innovation & Strategy for Accelerating Leaders, working with industry and academia to create forward-thinking solutions in leadership and training.

Brian previously held key roles as Senior Director of Global Food & Beverage Innovation and Founding Faculty Director of the Bacardi Center of Excellence at Florida International University. There, he launched innovative learning platforms like BacardiTeach and Future Proof and managed the Bacardi Innovations Fund, introducing the AI-powered interactive robot bartender, Cecilia.ai, which garnered national media attention. He is currently an Advisory Board Member for Cecilia.ai.

Recognized in 2023 as one of the "30 Most Influential Educators in Global Hospitality," Brian was also invited to deliver a TEDx Talk titled “Be Curious & Take Risks.” His extensive consulting work spans cruise lines, hotels, restaurants, and private clubs. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, FOX & Friends, and the Travel Channel.

Brian holds degrees from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University. He is a Certified Sommelier, a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), and a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE).

Passion for exceptional guest experiences fuels Alec Dalton’s leadership in hospitality and customer experience management. From hotels to headquarters, his background ranges from operating five luxury properties to holding various corporate positions with industry pioneers like Marriott International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. He is a best-selling author and frequently-sought speaker on customer experience, quality strategy, and hospitality management.

 

In 2022, the International Hospitality Institute ranked Alec among the “Global Top 15 Hospitality Trainers”, the “Global Top 20 Hospitality Executives to Watch”, and “The 100 Most Powerful People in USA Hospitality”. In 2021, the Customer Experience Professionals Association recognized Dalton with the inaugural Emerging Leader in CX Award to acknowledge his rising contributions to the customer experience discipline. Two years prior, Hotel Management Magazine named him to the “30 Under 30” list for rising hospitality leaders.  

 

Alec is also the Managing Partner of the Hospitality Leadership Academy, offering professional development programs and management consulting focused on service excellence. His teams help boutique businesses and brand names alike develop five-star service, whether they be in hospitality or healthcare, restaurants or retail. He also serves on the boards of the Customer Institute and HorizonCX, and he judges several global CX awards programs.  

 

Alec co-authored the international best-selling books Customer Experience and Customer Experience 2, collaborative guides to the strategy of experience marketing and operations. Along with Drs. Peter Szende and Michelle Yoo, he is also the co-editor of the textbook Operations Management in the Hospitality Industry.  Alec’s scholarly research has been published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research and in Hospitality Management Learning Modules by Pearson.

Thomas Kline is the founder of Thomas Kline Consulting, LLC and has served hospitality industry clients in this capacity since 2018. He was part of a high-profile team that came together to further the work of Philippus Miller Associates in 2019, serving as interim Managing Director. Prior to his consulting work, Mr. Kline directed Cornell's hospitality-industry professional educational programs for twenty-two years. The Cornell Hotel School's executive education programs were widely recognized as the premier business education programs for the industry's managers and executives. In this role, Mr. Kline helped develop the leaders of the hospitality industry and worked to enhance organizational capability. Mr. Kline is an expert in identifying and developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for success. 

Mr. Kline has worked with hospitality companies, government agencies, industry associations, and academic institutions on five continents. He developed multi-year programs, certificate programs, and highly specialize corporate development programs for key executives. Mr. Kline was a key player in Cornell University's initiative into technology enabled executive education beginning in 1997 and resulting in the founding of eCornell. 

Prior to his time at Cornell University, Mr. Kline worked for more than twenty years in the building design and construction industry. As an architect, he designed buildings, including hotels and restaurants, in the eastern United States and served as a guest lecturer and critic in architecture and design courses at Cornell. He also serves on the Academic Advisory Board for HIT Scotland. 

Danielle Clark Cole believes that great leaders can transform the success of an organization. She has over a decade of Human Resources leadership experience and has led leaders and employees in both large corporate settings and small start-ups, supporting teams in over 15 countries across the Americas, Europe, MIddle East, and Asia. Danielle is passionate about coaching leaders to make solid business decisions with a hospitality mindset.

Danielle is also a founding Partner of the Hospitality Leadership Academy, where she uses her expertise in leadership development, team strategy, and employee relations to craft tailored professional development programs that give all leaders, from entry-level supervisors to senior executives the tools, confidence, and mindset they need to elevate their team to deliver five-star service. She also co-authored Human Resource Management in Hospitality Cases, a textbook.

Trang Khuat is a recent graduate from Drexel University with a Master’s degree in Business Analytics. She has a strong passion for data science and an advocacy for a data-driven culture. Through many of her data projects, from building a recommendation model to creating a survey to assess a disease risk with machine learning algorithms, Trang has demonstrated how businesses can leverage data to make data-driven decisions and solve business problems in this digitalization era.

In addition to her analytic background, Trang also has various marketing and operational experiences in hospitality and event industry through her undergraduate education at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management and her internships with IHG, Philadelphia Flower Show, Inspirato, and Silver Airways. As the Business Operations Consultant of Accelerating Leaders, Trang is leading the rebranding project of the company and making impacts on every front, from strategic research to experience design.

Brian Halloran is a French trained American Chef, whose career has spanned all aspects of culinary arts. Halloran was classically apprenticed at the 3 Star Michelin restaurant, Moulin de Mougins, in France under legendary Chef Roger Verge. He expanded his skills at the helm of some of New England’s most famous restaurants, crafting award-winning menus based on local produce and indigenous seafoods. His commitment to advancing and cultivating craftsmanship in others is exemplified by the many students and professionals who have gone on to become global influencers in the hospitality industry.

 

As both the working Executive Chef for the Statler Hotel and as an educator, Chef Halloran taught operations classes for over a decade at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. He used this unique position in supporting his mission to improve working conditions across the restaurant kitchens. Dedicated to developing stronger culinary management protocols and professionalism, he has increased industry awareness of the importance of proper wages, training and schedules while enhancing profit goals.

 

A co-principal of Gastronomical Adventures Consulting, Chef Brian  masters manufacturing research and product development for well-known global brands in seafoods, fully cooked proteins and dairy products. His deep knowledge on how to create and launch ideas into market-ready form is exemplified by the array of commercial products that line retail shelves and Top 100 menus. 

Dr. Dickson had an impressive almost twenty-year career with Walt Disney World, Co. (WDW), with global experiences and accomplishments in both operations and human resources. He was the co-creator of the highly successful Walt Disney World College Program that enhanced staffing across the resort property and the developer of the International recruiting programs that assured authenticity in all the World Showcase pavilions at EPCOT Center. Beyond his leadership of the Casting efforts at WDW, Duncan also did sourcing and staffing for Tokyo Disneyland (1983) and was a part of the opening team of Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris).  Duncan also lobbied the US Congress for the passage of the Q visa that enabled Disney to employee all the international workers.

In 1997, Dr. Dickson joined University of Central Florida (UCF) and later earned his Doctorate in Leadership here. During his time at UCF,  Duncan focused on teaching Human Resource Management, Communications, Guest Service Management, and Theme Park Management. Dr. Dickson has published over 25 articles ranging from Guest Service Management, Leadership, Queuing Theory, and Theme Park Management.

 

Throughout his career, Duncan has been heavily involved in Executive Education and Continuing Education both locally and internationally. He has been involved in projects in Russia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Curacao, and France. While teaching for a semester at the University of Aruba, Duncan and his Colleague Dr. Robin DiPietro created programs for AHATA and the Aruba Restaurant Association.