School of Hospitality
Faculty

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209G
Office Hours:
Monday: 10:00-11:30; 1:00-2:00
Thursday: 10:00-11:30; 1:00-2:00
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209L
Office Hours:
Monday: 12:30-1:15pm
Tuesday: 12:30-1:15pm
Wednesday: 12:30-1:15pm
Thursday: 12:30-1:15pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209B
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Christian Hardigree is the Founding Dean of the MSU Denver School of Hospitality.

Eunjoo (EJ) Kang - PhD
Assistant Professor - Event & Meeting Management
Position Role:
Faculty
Office Hours:
Monday: 10am-12pm
Wednesday: 9am-12pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
For more information about Kang, please visit her LinkedIn page.

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209K
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Scott Kerkmans currently teaches several beer related classes within the Beer Industry Operations Program, which he is the head of. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he coordinates the beer industry programs as well as professional relations with the beer industry. In the group of the first five Certified Cicerones in the world, Kerkmans is an expert voice in the world of craft beer and an advocate for beer education both at the professional level and in higher education. Kerkmans was a professional brewer for more than four years (most recently at Alaskan Brewing) and sold beer for a major beer distributor in over 80 on-premises accounts. A Nationally Certified Beer Judge since 2005, Kerkmans serves as judge and judge captain at the Great American Beer Festival annually. He helped found Draft Magazine and educated their editorial staff before being hired by Starwood Hotels as their Chief Beer Officer.
Kerkmans designed Starwood’s online beer training and education program for staff, used in more than 140 hotels, while also choosing beers used in Starwood’s hotel restaurants, hosted beer dinners, and led PR events around the world. Kerkmans is a leading professional educator for beer distributors, retailers, beer lovers, and brewers with his company Beer Conscious Training, where he has created eLearning, Video and In-person professional development courses.

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209P
Office Hours:
Monday: 1pm-3pm
Tuesday: 8am-11am
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209M
Office Hours:
Monday: 2pm-4pm
Tuesday: 2pm-4pm
Wednesday: 2pm-3pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209E
Office Hours:
Monday: 2pm-2:30pm (dedicated to EVT 4020 and HLDR 1000 students); 2:30pm-3:30pm
Tuesday: 1pm-2pm (dedicated to EVT 4100 and EVT 4030 students)
Wednesday: 2pm-2:30pm (dedicated to EVT 4020 and HLDR 1000 students); 2:30pm-3:30pm
Thursday: 11am-12pm (dedicated to EVT 3000 students)
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209D
Office Hours:
Tuesday: 11am-12pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209F
Office Hours:
Monday: 3pm-4pm
Tuesday: 12:30pm-1:30pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Katie Strain came to MSU Denver in the Fall of 2018 with over 15 years of laboratory experience. She runs the Beverage Analytics QA/QC Laboratory | Powered by The Siebel Institute of Technology at MSU Denver. She one of only seven triple-TTB Certified Chemists in the country, and is qualified for the analysis of Beer, Wine, and Spirits.
Check out this awesome article from Company Week on Katie and the Beverage Analysis Labs she manages! https://companyweek.com/company-profile/msu-denver-beverage-analytics/colorado
Previously, Katie earned her MS from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale in Zoology, with an emphasis in Ecotoxicology and Analytical Chemistry. Her thesis project followed the fate and transport of the insecticidal Bt Cry1Ab protein derived from the soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, in a large-scale corn field located in central Illinois. After she graduated from SIU, she started working for the newly-developed SIU Fermentation Science Institute. She helped design and managed the Service Laboratory, and managed the day-to-day operations of the Institute, while snacking on malt.
She earned a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005, where she worked in a cancer research lab. When she left Nebraska, she worked at Colorado State University under Dr. Karen Dobos, isolating and generating materials for Tuberculosis research.
Katie is married to husband, Ryan, who is the head baseball coach at MSU Denver. Get Rowdy!

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Hours:
Monday: 9am-12pm
Thursday: 8:30am-10:30am
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Jennifer Watson, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist and chef instructor at MSU Denver. She holds a BS degree in Dietetics from Kansas State University and a Master’s degree in Foodservice and Lodging Management from Iowa State University. She also studied Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts at Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Hospitality Management from Iowa State University.
Jennifer’s professional experience is based in non-commercial foodservice, including Training Table at Kansas State University, Corporate catering for Eurest Thompson Hospitality, Elementary Operations manager for the Scottsdale Unified School District. Her research focuses on food skills and education, specifically culinary skills for undergraduate dietetics students. Currently she is researching plant-based foods in foodservice operations and as part of hospitality education.
Jennifer teaches classes focused on food preparation and service, including Baking and Pastry, Plant-Based Cooking, Food Production and Service, and Taste the World.

Position Role:
Faculty
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209C
Office Hours:
Monday: 3:30pm-4:30pm
Tuesday: 12:30pm-2pm
Wednesday: 3:30pm-4:30pm
Thursday: 12:30pm-2pm
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Dr. Michael Wray is a Professor of Restaurant Management at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Prior to coming to Denver, Michael lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where he worked for several colleges teaching a variety of culinary and hospitality management classes. In addition to his collegiate teaching experience, Michael developed a love of fine cuisine through his work as a food and beverage director with Ramada Renaissance and Holiday Inn Hotels. His last property was the luxury Princess Royale resort hotel in Ocean City Maryland. His professional credentials include a Sommelier Diploma with the International Sommelier Guild, Certified Culinary Instructor, Certified Wine Specialist with the Society of Wine Educators, and Master Certified Food Service Executive.
As a Professor at Metro State, Michael has garnered a strong following of students that appreciate his interactive learning environment that fosters a love for food, wine, beer, and spirits in tandem. Locally, Michael has appeared numerous times in regional television and radio broadcasts, demonstrating his knowledge and creative abilities in food, wine and beer. Nationally he has appeared on www.wineliferadio.com, CNN, NBC National News, and Headlines News broadcasts discussing his innovative hands on classroom held at the Gold Medal winning Blue Moon Brewery at the Sand Lot in Denver. As a Chef and Sommelier, Dr. Wray is active in the food and beverage industry by consulting with companies in restaurant design, menu and recipe development. His food style reflects the best possibilities of cooking with beer, wine and spirits to maximize the components of beverages and food. He holds Bachelors in Nutrition and Foods from Virginia Tech, an MBA from Salisbury University and a PhD in Education Leadership at the University of Colorado, Denver.
Staff

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209Q
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
141
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
209R
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile

Position Role:
Part-Time Staff
Office Location:
HLC
Office Number:
HLC 209
Campus Box Number:
60
Directory Profile
Bio:
Mackenzie Ammann is a recent graduate of the School of Hospitality, earning a degree in Event and Meeting Management. Originally from California, Mackenzie was drawn to Colorado because of its booming hospitality and live event industries. After holding the work-study position of Administrative Assistant with the department for two years, she has recently taken the position of department Social Media Coordinator.
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