School of Hospitality – New Hires

Bernardo Alatorre

Bernardo Alatorre is a Lecturer for the Brewing Operations program in the School of Hospitality at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Prior to MSU Denver, Bernardo has served in a wide variety of functions in the Brewing industry for over 30 years, most recently as Director of Production and then Quality, Safety and Environment at Avery Brewing Company covering the entirety of the Brewing, Packaging and Distribution of Beer for the company.

Prior to craft brewing, he managed operations at major Breweries in Mexico City, the Pacific Northwest, Georgia and California, carrying responsibilities covering the entire brewing process from planning, supply chain, production and packaging as well as auxiliary services like quality and utilities-facilities.

Bernardo holds an undergraduate degree in Food Engineering from the Metropolitan Autonomous University and a Masters in Science in Biotechnology and Bioengineering from the National Polytechnic Institute, both in Mexico, as well as a Diploma in Brewing By the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London.

He is an avid outdoors enthusiast, cyclist, music lover, photographer and father.

Dr. Jangwoo Jo

Jangwoo Jo has a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management and a Graduate Minor in Applied Statistics. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Clothing and Textile at the Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea, and a Master’s degree in Retail Management at the Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He has more than six years of work experience as a product/category manager for a fashion company in Seoul, Korea, and an international grocery retailer in Memphis, TN. Jo’s research interests are diverse, which include menu analysis, restaurant sustainability, hospitality leadership, internal marketing, vegetarian diet, online food delivery services, and research methodologies.

Kaysa Lemus

Kaysa Lemus is the School of Hospitality Office Manager at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Before MSU Denver, she served over nine years in management. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and a minor in psychology from Grand Canyon University, which she completed within 2 ½ years.

Currently, Kaysa is a 4.0 graduate student and is halfway through her Master’s program in Secondary Education with an emphasis in humanities. Kaysa enjoys spending her time off with her husband and family. She loves traveling, last-minute adventures, and exploring the fantastic restaurants Colorado offers.

Dr. Godwin-Charles Ogbeide

Dr. Godwin-Charles Ogbeide (Ph.D., MBA) is a Professor of Strategy & Hospitality. He is the founding Director of the Events and Tourism Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He is the pioneer of hospitality intelligence, and his research interests are in strategic leadership and hospitality, as well as the implications of leadership policies and marketing strategies on stakeholders’ behavior and well-being.

He is an active member and leader of many professional organizations, an active board member of various non-for-profit organizations, a published author, public speaker, and winner of numerous international as well as national awards, including teaching excellence, research excellence, visionary, and innovation awards. He is an expert in hospitality and customer experience with over 30 years combined experience in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Dr. Kiyan Shafieizadeh

Kiyan Shafieizadeh, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Hotel Management in the School of Hospitality at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include hotel management, sustainability in lodging operations, empowerment of underrepresented groups, and consumer behavior in hospitality and tourism.

Kiyan has various experience in the hospitality and tourism industry including as a Branch Manager for one of the largest hotel chain companies in Iran. Prior to joining MSU Denver, Kiyan was a graduate instructor at Oklahoma State University. He also taught various hospitality and tourism courses as a lecturer at two universities in Iran. He has published in top-ranked journals such as International Journal of Hospitality Management and Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Kiyan received his PhD. in Business Administration with specialization in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Oklahoma State University. He loves traveling with his family and enjoys playing volleyball and soccer.

Paula Thomas

Paula Thomas is a chef and an environmentalist with the goal of developing sustainable practices for the hospitality industry to form conscious future leaders.

• Teaching Interest & Philosophy:
  Food & Sustainability
  Food Sovereignty
  Fairness in the food supply chain
  Food Anthropology & Food History
  Food Culture and the value of diversity
• Research:
  Food Policy & Structural Racism
  Trade Policies & the effects on rural and indigenous communities
  Indigenous Foodways and their positive impact on biodiversity
• Courses Taught:
  HLDR 1000 – Introduction to Hospitality
  RST 1200 – Basic Cooking Skills
  RST 3875 – Food Preservation Techniques