School of Hospitality

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

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

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209B

Campus Box Number:
60

Bio:

Christian Hardigree is the Founding Dean of the MSU Denver School of Hospitality.

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Hours:

Monday: 10am-12pm

Wednesday: 9am-12pm

Campus Box Number:
60

Bio:

For more information about Kang, please visit her LinkedIn page. 

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209K

Campus Box Number:
60

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

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209M

Office Hours:

Monday: 2pm-4pm

Tuesday: 2pm-4pm

Wednesday: 2pm-3pm

Campus Box Number:
60

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

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209D

Office Hours:

Tuesday: 11am-12pm

Campus Box Number:
60

Position Role:
Faculty

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209F

Office Hours:

Monday: 3pm-4pm

Tuesday: 12:30pm-1:30pm

Campus Box Number:
60

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

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

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.

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209Q

Campus Box Number:
60

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
141

Campus Box Number:
60

Position Role:
Full-Time Staff

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
209R

Campus Box Number:
60

Position Role:
Part-Time Staff

Office Location:
HLC

Office Number:
HLC 209

Campus Box Number:
60

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.