Joseph Tormey, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry and an educational leader with 17 years of administrative and educational experience, has been selected as the director of the new Hospitality Management Program at California State University, San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus. Tormey, who will join the PDC on July 15, is an assistant professor and former director of the International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and a Certified Hospitality Educator at Fairleigh Dickerson University in New Jersey. ”I am very excited and honored to lead the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus hospitality program,” Tormey said.  “It is incredibly humbling to be joining such a great team of individuals whom have already created an impressive BA degree in hospitality management and established an outstanding hospitality advisory board.” CSUSB developed the Hospitality Management Program at the PDC to meet the growing needs of the hospitality industry in the Coachella Valley, which is home to numerous hotels, timeshares, golf courses, and major attractions and events, creating an estimated $6 billion industry.  However, career advancement to supervisory and management level positions for workers requires higher education and/or industry-recognized certification. It is these higher-paying positions that hospitality general managers agree are the most difficult to recruit for and retain. “There is not a prepared workforce available in the area and as a result, they are forced to hire from outside the area or ‘steal’ management employees from each other,” said Ralph Scatena, general manager of the Desert Springs Marriott, echoing other industry leaders in the Coachella Valley. To remedy this, the Palm Desert Campus introduced a hospitality management program, offering a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in hospitality, launching in fall 2020.  “Because of the size of national and international companies in the hospitality industry, companies in the Coachella Valley can offer paid internships, jobs, and most importantly, a career path for these students,” said Lawrence Rose, dean of the CSUSB Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration.  Tormey received his BBA in finance from Pace University NYC, his master’s in hospitality management from Fairleigh Dickinson University and doctorate in hotel and tourism management from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China. As director, he oversaw the expansion to the Vancouver Campus, increased outreach to colleges in Asia, achieved membership in the United Nations World Tourism Organization and successfully led efforts to achieve hospitality accreditation, a distinction that 70 hospitality programs share worldwide. Tormey has taught at the university, community college and vocational high school levels in the areas of hospitality, tourism and culinary arts. Among his favorite courses are the European Seminar in Switzerland and Italy, Global Issues in Hospitality Management, Food and Beverage Management, and Domestic and International Tourism.  His professional experience includes having worked in a variety of management and consulting positions in the foodservice, travel and tourism, casino, and lodging sectors in the United States and abroad. He has served on numerous advisory committees and professional organizations such as the New Jersey State Division of Travel and Tourism, New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association and the New Jersey Club Management Association Education Foundation. Currently, Tormey is a Visiting Scholar (2018-2019) with the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business in the School of Hotel Administration in conjunction with the Cornell-Vin University Project. In this advisory role, he provides curriculum development consulting for a new hospitality program in Vietnam that will accept its first cohort in 2020. For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit inside.csusb.edu.