Katheldra Alexander

Katheldra Alexander brings 20 years of industry experience to research and the classroom. Her research interests include training and education, employee behavior within foodservice contexts with specific focus on social identity implications. Her work has been published and presented at national and international conferences. Katheldra is the 2025 Outstanding Doctoral Student Teacher of the Year. She is also a receipt of the 2025 Worthy Scholarship from the International Foodservice Executives Association. In addition, Katheldra is an inaugural fellow of the 2022 Bloomin’ Brands AHEAD Fellowship. She graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Bethune-Cookman University and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from Pfeiffer University. Katheldra’ industry experience includes management and training roles with onsite foodservice operations.

Courses Taught

HTMT 344 – Human Resource Management in HRSM
HTMT 275 – Introduction to Beverage Management
HTMT 110 – Introduction to Hospitality Industry

Teaching Assistant

HTMT 518 – Hospitality Human Capital and Talent Management

Nikki Chen

Nikki Chen is a Ph.D. student the in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina where she currently serves as a graduate assistant. She is from Guangdong, China, and holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management, and a master’s degree in environmental management. Her research interests include marketing and sustainability in hospitality and tourism. Beyond research, she is passionate about new cuisines and hiking.

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 is from Tehran, Iran. He completed his bachelor’s degree in tourism management and his master’s degree in tourism management and marketing. His research looks at consumer behavior and decision making within technology-driven service environments, focusing on digital platforms, sustainability, and the ethical dimensions of data use and cybersecurity. His work has been published in several leading journals in the field. He is the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Doctoral Student Researcher Award from the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (2023) and received the Teaching Resource Development Grant from the University of South Carolina’s Center for Teaching Excellence in 2025. He also serves as the editorial assistant for Tourism Analysis, a peer reviewed journal.

Courses Taught

HTMT 260 – Hotel Management
HTMT 450 – Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
HTMT 482 – Sustainable Tourism Planning and Policy

Teaching Assistant

HTMT 260 – Hotel Management
HTMT 481 – Analytical Techniques in Tourism and Hospitality
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. She currently serves as an Instructor, graduate assistant, and executive assistant of the MIHTM program at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include consumer behavior and service research, with a focus on human-centric services, transformative service research, and service innovation. Her work has been published in leading journals in hospitality, tourism, and marketing, and she has presented at national and international conferences. Ghazal is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Teaching (Instructor of Record) Award from the University of South Carolina.

Courses Taught

HTMT 344 – Personnel Organization and Supervision
HTMT 450 – Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
HTMT 490 – Strategic Hospitality Management and Leadership

Teaching Assistant

HTMT 334 – Personnel Organization and Supervision
HTMT 474 – Distilled Spirits in Hospitality
HTMT 584 – Tourism Information Technology Issues
HRSM 700 – Quantitative Methods in HRSM

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