Executive Director, Hospitality Leadership

The Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with the University of Utah and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation in the search for an Executive Director, Hospitality Leadership.

In a newly created role, the Executive Director, Hospitality Leadership will have the opportunity to lead an entrepreneurial effort to create an innovative hospitality management institute at the University of Utah from inception through realization. Reporting to the Special Advisor to the President and Executive Director, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, the Executive Director will serve as a visionary leader of this enterprise, working to lead and build programs that bring industry, academe, and students together to prepare University of Utah students to meet the critical needs of leadership in the hospitality industry. The Executive Director will manage the strategic infrastructure and operations of the program including developing experiential learning programs; co-curricular activities; creating lecture opportunities for executives; establishing new relationships within varying sectors of hospitality; creating program timelines; and marketing program outcomes, communications, managing budgets, fundraising, and other endeavors to contribute to the success of the program.

This new hospitality endeavor will prioritize the creation of the next generation of leaders within the hospitality industry and will be a hub for hospitality innovation, learning, and inclusion. It will focus on building impactful, creative, and innovative solutions to ensure that hospitality industry leaders across sectors including real estate, finance, parks, and recreation, are more reflective of its customers and operational workforce consistent with the University of Utah's aspiration to become a Hispanic Serving Institution. This endeavor is the product of a strategic collaboration between the University of Utah and longstanding partner The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. The Executive Director will collaborate with leaders and faculty in the College of Health and the David Eccles School of Business to supplement classroom instruction with cutting-edge technical experiences and exposure to experts and practitioners to prepare students for the employment in the hospitality sector. The Hospitality Leadership programs will be developed with the support of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah.

Founded in 1850, the University of Utah is the state’s public flagship institution and top-tier research university. It is Utah’s oldest institution of higher education. The university provides its more than 32,000 students opportunities to grow with over 80 undergraduate majors to choose from, and almost as many minors and certificates. The University of Utah is classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the 137 research universities with the “highest research activity” in the nation. The University of Utah is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, which for more than 100 years has recognized the most outstanding academic institutions in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks dozens of the university’s programs—from computer science to psychology to physics to dance—in the top 100 in the nation. As an institution with a strong business school, the University of Utah is also a great place to work, having been ranked third among America’s best employers for women by Forbes.

A bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required for this position as is at least seven years of leadership experience, preferably within an academic institution or the hospitality industry. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of the University of Utah as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus. Preference will be given to applications received by April 14, 2023.

The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $200,000 annually.