NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality Will Virtually Host the 18th Annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism on October 20

“Tourism Recovery: Restart or Reset?” will feature panelists Sara Bogdan of Jetblue and Bruce Poon Tip of G Adventures, Who Will Discuss the Impact of COVID-19 on the Industry and the Opportunities it Presents for Change and Innovation

NEW YORK, October 15, 2020—The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality will present the 18th Annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism, featuring guest speakers Sara Bogdan, manager of sustainability and ESG at JetBlue, and Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures. The event will take place virtually on Tuesday, October 20, from 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.

COVID-19 has impacted the travel and tourism sector in an unprecedented way. Never before has travel slowed so universally and globally. As we consider the recovery phase, the question arises as to whether we will return to unbridled mass tourism and overtourism after the pandemic, or whether we will see an acceleration of innovations that can make the sector more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable. Will tourism merely restart, or will this mark the beginning of a reset in our thinking about this global industry?

Panelists will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses, share their innovative business practices, and present their thoughts on the future of sustainable tourism in a post-pandemic world. Introductions will be given by Nicolas Graf, associate dean, NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, and by Eddie Bergman (’02,’05), president of Innovative Development Services (IDS) and CEO of Proxima Hospitality Group.

MODERATOR

• Richie Karaburun, Clinical Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality
  With more than two decades of experience in the travel industry, Karaburun is recognized as an industry expert in helping travel companies start and develop a growth strategy and business. He has served on numerous industry panel presentations across a number of disciplines—sales leadership, marketing, hotel and other supplier negotiations, team building, leadership, and travel operations. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University in New York. Karaburun earned an MBA from the George Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, in Orange, California, in 2001 and a BBA in international relations from the Uludag University, in Bursa, Turkey, in 1991.

PANELISTS

• Sara Bogdan – Manager of Sustainability and ESG, JetBlue
  Sara Bogdan started in the environmental field as a researcher of climate change impacts. Looking to where she could make the greatest impact, she moved her career toward corporate sustainability, recognizing the significant opportunity to develop programs benefiting both the environment and business. Bogdan currently leads the Sustainability and ESG program for JetBlue Airways. She develops industry-changing E&S strategies such as establishing JetBlue as the first US airline to achieve carbon neutrality for all of its domestic flying, executes operational emissions and waste reduction projects, and guides JetBlue’s senior leadership to better prepare the airline for a changing and resource-constrained world. Bogdan holds a master’s of environmental management from Duke University and a BA in environmental earth science from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2016, she was selected as one of GreenBiz’s “30 under 30 – Emerging Sustainability Leaders” winners.
  
  
• Bruce Poon Tip – Founder, G Adventures
  Passionate about the power of travel to change the world for the better, Bruce Poon Tip is a global leader in social entrepreneurship, leadership, immersive travel, and innovation. He is best known as the founder of G Adventures, the world’s largest small-group adventure travel company and pioneer of community tourism. His first book, Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business, became a New York Times Best Seller. In 2018, Poon Tip was honored as one of Canada’s Most Admired CEOs in the category of social entrepreneurship, and in 2019 he made his top-10 debut on Glassdoor’s Top CEOs in Canada list. He also has been granted three honorary doctorates—two in laws from Capilano University and the University of Victoria, both in Canada; and an honorary doctorate of business from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, United States. In 2020, he was honored as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and released an instabook titled Unlearn: The Year the Earth Stood Still.

To RSVP for the event, please register here. A Zoom link will be provided.

Members of the press, also kindly let us know if you will be covering the event by emailing Alka Gupta at aag13@nyu.edu or Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu.

About the Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism
Established in 2003, the NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality’s annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series provides a forum for the discussion of significant issues and developments within the business of tourism. The speakers and panelists selected to participate epitomize the highest level of accomplishment for leadership in the hospitality and tourism industry. Among the luminaries who have headlined this event in years past are: Roger Dow, President and CEO, US Travel Association; Kurt Ekert, President and CEO, CWT; Frank Del Rio, President and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels & Co. and Co-Chairman of the Board of Loews Corporation; and Kelly Curtin, Executive Vice President, Membership & Destination Services, NYC & Company, among others.

About the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, now celebrating 25 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields.

Through its undergraduate degree in hotel and tourism management, its graduate degrees in hospitality industry studies, tourism management, and event management; a plethora of Professional Pathways programs; and its world-renowned hospitality investment conference, students gain the knowledge and the skill sets that enable them to manage change, to communicate, to thrive in complex work environments, and to advance the businesses of hospitality, travel, and tourism. For more information about the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch.

The NYU School of Professional Studies – Celebrating More Than 85 Years of Excellence in Applied Professional Education
For over 85 years, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has been a deeply respected institution of higher education that is grounded in applied learning. From its early years, training returning World War II veterans to fulfill the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers, it has evolved into a professional education powerhouse that offers 20 graduate degrees, 13 bachelor’s degrees for traditional and post-traditional students, four associate’s degrees, and a plethora of non-degree courses and credentials.

NYU SPS is a thought leader, and serves as an incubator for new ideas in industries that are constantly changing, including real estate, real estate development, and construction management; hospitality, tourism, travel, and event management; global affairs and global security, conflict, and cybercrime; global sport and sports business; publishing; marketing; public relations; project management; executive coaching and organizational consulting, human resource management and development, and human capital analytics and technology; management and systems; translation; and professional writing. It is focused on building skills that open doors to opportunities in emerging fields and global markets. NYU SPS faculty members are leading experts in their areas of discipline, with a hands-on approach that encourages students to push beyond their limits and to break new ground.

Home to some of the largest and most prestigious industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; and the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a truly distinguishing factor in the education that it provides. Through career development services and resources provided by the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS, guest lecturers, site visits, participation in numerous conferences and events, and Global Field Intensives, students benefit from an NYU education that will set them apart. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn from and network with more than 30,000 NYU SPS alumni who live, work, and contribute to innovation in industry around the world. To learn more about NYU SPS visit: sps.nyu.edu.