Eris T. Sims is the Chief of Staff for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In this role, Eris oversees the day-to-day activities of the Executive Office and supports the President and CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Directors in the areas of external positioning and reporting. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Eris served as the NAACP’s Senior Director of Events Planning. Before joining the NAACP team, Eris served as Executive Director of The Links, Incorporated, and The Links Foundation. An influential leader in the nonprofit field and the association meetings and events industry, Eris has over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She received the 2019 Medgar Evers Award for Executive Leadership from the NAACP and was named a 2016 recipient of Connect Magazine’s 40 under 40. Eris holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Boston College.
Leadership in the Family
Event Overview
In this special session, NAACP Chief of Staff Eris Sims will discuss the intersection of hospitality and the NAACP. Joined by Kate Walsh, Dean of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Ms. Sims will share her own story and career path, reveal the historical ties between the NAACP and hospitality workers, and examine the future of the industry and the broader civil rights movement.
What You'll Learn
- The career path of SHA alumna and NAACP Chief of Staff Eris Sims
- The NAACP’s historical involvement with the hospitality industry
- Areas of current and future focus for the NAACP
- Perspectives on the future of the hospitality industry
Speakers
Gracelyn Goodridge is a sophomore in The Hotel School at Cornell from Saratoga Springs, New York. Outside of the classroom, Gracelyn is involved as the administrative lead teaching assistant for Business Computing, the VP of Membership for Cornell Equity Research, the VP of Professional Development for Women Leadership in Hospitality, a beverage manager for Hotel Ezra Cornell, and a mentor for new students in The Hotel School.
Dr. Kate Walsh was named the seventh dean and E.M. Statler Professor of the School of Hotel Administration on June 16, 2017. She served as interim dean and E.M. Statler Professor for one year beginning July 1, 2016, the first day of operations for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. A professor of management, she has been a member of the school’s faculty since 2000. Dean Walsh received her Ph.D. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and her MPS degree from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. She holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Fairfield University.
Dean Walsh came to Cornell with extensive industry experience, including posts as Director of Training and Development for Nikko Hotels International, corporate training manager for the former Bristol Hotels, and senior auditor for Loews Corporation. She is also a former New York State Certified Public Accountant.
Since the beginning of her administration, Dean Walsh has focused on revamping The Hotel School’s alumni outreach; working with the faculty to undertake a comprehensive review of the graduate and undergraduate curriculums; and reengaging with the hospitality industry, most notably through the creation of an industry immersion initiative for faculty. Already, members of the faculty have traveled to Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Los Angeles to learn from corporate executives and other experts in the hotel, restaurant, real estate finance, and technology sectors.
In addition to these ongoing efforts, Dean Walsh is working in collaboration with her colleagues on the Cornell SC Johnson leadership team on growth initiatives to strengthen the school and take advantage of opportunities afforded by the establishment of the college, including the potential to develop programming in New York City.
- General Managers Program
- Advanced Hospitality Strategy
- Advanced Hospitality Management
- Advanced Hospitality Leadership
- Hospitality Strategy
- Hospitality Leadership
- Management 360
- Hospitality Management 360
- Performance Leadership
- Hospitality Management
- Executive Leadership
- Change Management
- Leadership Essentials
- Executive Healthcare Leadership
Rafael Bitanga is a 1.5-generation Filipino-American from Kodiak, Alaska. He is a second-year undergraduate student at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration interested in digital marketing. Rafael serves as the National Public Relations Director for National Society of Minorities in Hospitality and serves on the SHA Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Outside of the hotel school, Rafael founded Kalayaan Collective to help Filipinx students apply for scholarships and colleges. He is also a photographer/videographer for Bitanga Productions, where he strives to help brands and businesses succeed in engaging their audience through powerful messaging and strategic storytelling.
My name is Vikas Reddy and I am a sophomore in the Hotel School from Palatine, IL, right outside of Chicago. On campus I am the Vice President of the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, Vice President of Alumni Affairs for the Cornell Hotel Society, Vice President of Public Relations for Cornell Equity Research, and am a Hotel School Ambassador. In addition, outside of the Hotel School, I am involved with the Cornell Voice Program and am a Cornell Tradition Fellow
Eris T. Sims is the Chief of Staff for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In this role, Eris oversees the day-to-day activities of the Executive Office and supports the President and CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Directors in the areas of external positioning and reporting. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Eris served as the NAACP’s Senior Director of Events Planning. Before joining the NAACP team, Eris served as Executive Director of The Links, Incorporated, and The Links Foundation. An influential leader in the nonprofit field and the association meetings and events industry, Eris has over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She received the 2019 Medgar Evers Award for Executive Leadership from the NAACP and was named a 2016 recipient of Connect Magazine’s 40 under 40. Eris holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Boston College.
Gracelyn Goodridge is a sophomore in The Hotel School at Cornell from Saratoga Springs, New York. Outside of the classroom, Gracelyn is involved as the administrative lead teaching assistant for Business Computing, the VP of Membership for Cornell Equity Research, the VP of Professional Development for Women Leadership in Hospitality, a beverage manager for Hotel Ezra Cornell, and a mentor for new students in The Hotel School.
Dr. Kate Walsh was named the seventh dean and E.M. Statler Professor of the School of Hotel Administration on June 16, 2017. She served as interim dean and E.M. Statler Professor for one year beginning July 1, 2016, the first day of operations for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. A professor of management, she has been a member of the school’s faculty since 2000. Dean Walsh received her Ph.D. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and her MPS degree from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. She holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Fairfield University.
Dean Walsh came to Cornell with extensive industry experience, including posts as Director of Training and Development for Nikko Hotels International, corporate training manager for the former Bristol Hotels, and senior auditor for Loews Corporation. She is also a former New York State Certified Public Accountant.
Since the beginning of her administration, Dean Walsh has focused on revamping The Hotel School’s alumni outreach; working with the faculty to undertake a comprehensive review of the graduate and undergraduate curriculums; and reengaging with the hospitality industry, most notably through the creation of an industry immersion initiative for faculty. Already, members of the faculty have traveled to Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Los Angeles to learn from corporate executives and other experts in the hotel, restaurant, real estate finance, and technology sectors.
In addition to these ongoing efforts, Dean Walsh is working in collaboration with her colleagues on the Cornell SC Johnson leadership team on growth initiatives to strengthen the school and take advantage of opportunities afforded by the establishment of the college, including the potential to develop programming in New York City.
- General Managers Program
- Advanced Hospitality Strategy
- Advanced Hospitality Management
- Advanced Hospitality Leadership
- Hospitality Strategy
- Hospitality Leadership
- Management 360
- Hospitality Management 360
- Performance Leadership
- Hospitality Management
- Executive Leadership
- Change Management
- Leadership Essentials
- Executive Healthcare Leadership
Rafael Bitanga is a 1.5-generation Filipino-American from Kodiak, Alaska. He is a second-year undergraduate student at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration interested in digital marketing. Rafael serves as the National Public Relations Director for National Society of Minorities in Hospitality and serves on the SHA Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Outside of the hotel school, Rafael founded Kalayaan Collective to help Filipinx students apply for scholarships and colleges. He is also a photographer/videographer for Bitanga Productions, where he strives to help brands and businesses succeed in engaging their audience through powerful messaging and strategic storytelling.
My name is Vikas Reddy and I am a sophomore in the Hotel School from Palatine, IL, right outside of Chicago. On campus I am the Vice President of the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, Vice President of Alumni Affairs for the Cornell Hotel Society, Vice President of Public Relations for Cornell Equity Research, and am a Hotel School Ambassador. In addition, outside of the Hotel School, I am involved with the Cornell Voice Program and am a Cornell Tradition Fellow
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