Opportunity in Crisis

J. Bruce Tracey is a Professor of Management at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Professor Tracey has taught courses in human resources management for undergraduate, graduate, and professional audiences throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, winning several awards for his efforts. He has conducted research on a wide range of strategic and operational-level HR topics, including the roles and relevance of HR flexibility, the impact of training initiatives on individual and firm performance, employee turnover, employment law, and leadership.

Professor Tracey has presented his work at numerous regional, national, and international conferences, and his research has been published in many of the top-tier discipline and applied outlets, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Management, Organizational Research Methods, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, and the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law. Professor Tracey’s sponsors for research and consulting include Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts, Wynn Resorts, Hillstone Restaurant Group, and Uno Chicago Grill, and he has been cited in the New York Times, USA Today, Fast Company, and the Orlando Sentinel, among other popular press outlets.

Chad Crandell is Managing Director/CEO of CHMWarnick, the leading provider of hotel asset management and owner advisory services. Chad has 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, the majority of which has been dedicated to asset management, developing strategies for enhancing hotel value and protecting the rights of hotel owners and investors. He is a past President and current member of the HAMA, was part of the Certified Hotel Asset Manager (CHAM) designation development team, and served on the AH&LA finance committee that instituted changes in the Eleventh Edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry. Chad is a board member for the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, a member of ISHC and is a Certified Hotel Asset Manager. He received his B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Lynda is founder and President of Schrier Wirth Executive Search LLC, a firm that specializes in recruiting for the hospitality and real estate industries. Her prior experience includes positions with Sheraton and PKF Consulting. She was an adjunct faculty member at NYU and the World Trade Center Institute.

Lynda was a member of the Cornell University Council, the Major Gift Committee, the Presidents Council for Cornell Women and the Dean’s Advisory Board. She was President of the Cornell Hotel Society, twice represented CHS on the Alumni Trustee Nomination Committee and remains a trustee for the CHS Foundation.

She has written articles, spoken at industry conferences, and made presentations to HSMAI, Cornell, and Harvard Business School.

She is the Chair of the fundraising committee for the Matter of Taste annual event for the Arc of Westchester, an organization that provides services to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

After graduating from the Cornell Hotel School, Mike spent more than 20 years in hospitality Human Resources leadership. Working for acclaimed luxury hotel brands, Mike’s people expertise spans all disciplines including recruitment, learning and development, performance management and staffing strategy. Mike most recently served as Vice President – Early Careers at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. In this executive position, he transformed university relations for the company by partnering with leading hospitality management schools to tailor student experiences. Just last month, Mike found himself on the “other side of the table” due to the terrible impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel. He is currently using all of his HR skills to pivot his career out of hotels while staying grounded in the spirit of the industry that has been his passion since childhood.