Leading With People

Justin Sun is a global compensation advisor at Expedia Group, where he designs and implements rewards programs. Mr. Sun previously held roles in compensation and human resources at Salesforce, Nordstrom, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. His key areas of interest include pay communications, job architecture, and performance management.  

Mr. Sun has been a guest speaker at industry conferences hosted by The Conference Board, WorldatWork, Payscale, and HR.com.  He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Cornell University.

Laura Gilham was born and raised in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and, upon graduation, moved to Dallas, where she later completed her MBA at SMU. 

Ms. Gilham joined Suntex Marinas in 2019 with more than 20 years of human resources experience in the hospitality industry. In the fall of 2024, she was promoted to the role of Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Ms. Gilham serves on the Executive Committee and is responsible for partnering with the team in the areas of talent management, benefits administration, training and development, rewards and recognition, performance management, and other key human resources initiatives. 

Ms. Gilham’s past experience includes work in the areas of recruiting, human resources, and diversity for Bristol Hotels and Resorts and Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, and she most recently spent 15 years with ClubCorp as a Vice President of People Strategy. In this role, Ms. Gilham was responsible for all functions of human resources for the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic market. During her 15-year career with ClubCorp, she led the acquisition of more than 40 golf and country clubs.  

While at Cornell, Ms. Gilham was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and heavily involved in the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality along with HEC. She currently resides in Plano, Texas, and encourages you to find your passion then find a job that allows you to do what you love.

Rani Bernstein is a proud grad of Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. During her time at Cornell, Ms. Bernstein was heavily involved in the Hotel Leadership Development Program and Hotel Ezra Cornell, where she served as the Director of Human Resources for HEC 94. Additionally, she was the lead Teacher’s Assistant for “Introduction to Food Ops” as well as a TA for other F&B classes. Ms. Bernstein also served as president of the Epicurean Society F&B Club.

Ms. Bernstein interned for two summers with Marriott International then joined the Voyage Leadership Development Program post graduation, focusing on Room Operations at the New York Marriott Marquis. She was on the opening team for the dual-branded W + Element Philadelphia, focusing on Housekeeping Management, before joining Marriott International’s University Relations team in 2022. On the URR team, Ms. Bernstein has served as the Northeast + Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Manager and was promoted to Lead Recruiting Manager, focusing on Mid-Atlantic and HQ Fellowship/Internship Program recruitment.

Tashlin Lakhani is an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Professor Lakhani received her Ph.D. from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. She also holds a Master of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell, a Master of Industrial Relations from Queen’s University, and an honors Bachelor of Business Administration with high distinction from Wilfrid Laurier University. Prior to joining the faculty at Cornell, Professor Lakhani was an Assistant Professor of Management and Human Resources in the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Professor Lakhani‘s research investigates the determinants of employment practices and job quality, with a particular emphasis on how firm ownership structures influence human resource investments and organizational outcomes. Her current work focuses on franchise businesses and the ways in which human resource practices and performance differ across franchisee-owned, company-owned, and independently owned operations in the hotel and restaurant industries. Professor Lakhani has also examined human resource management in global networks and the outcomes of different labor union strategies. Her work has appeared in journals such as Organization Science, Industrial & Labor Relations Review, and the British Journal of Industrial Relations, as well as in book chapters and industry reports. She has also presented her research at leading academic and industry conferences.

Professor Lakhani has received several awards for her research, including the Seidman Prize at Cornell University, the Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management Human Resources Division, the Thomas A. Kochan and Stephen R. Sleigh Best Dissertation Award from the Labor and Employment Relations Association, and the Industry Studies Association Best Dissertation Award.

Professor Lakhani has also received individual and team grants for her research from various organizations, including the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Labor and Employment Relations Association, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation.