Friday speaker is our new member, Hsing Ivan Wen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Hospitality Management in the School of Travel Industry Management at the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He holds a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration with an emphasis on information technology and lodging management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an MBA from the University of San Diego, and a B.A. with a minor in Hotel Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, along with an earlier college diploma from Tamsui Oxford College in Taipei, Taiwan.
Ivan’s research focuses on technology, e-commerce, and consumer behavior in tourism and hospitality, including topics such as self-service technologies, e-destination image, and digital marketing in travel. His work appears in journals such as the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management and the International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, and he has contributed to edited volumes and editorial projects on behavioral processes in online identity-related issues. He has also presented refereed conference papers on issues such as furlough impacts on hospitality employees and has authored grant reports on tour guide certification and professional standards in Hawaiʻi.
An engaged teacher and academic leader, Ivan has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including hotel management, information systems technology, strategic management in the travel and hospitality industry, and information technology, e-commerce, and the travel industry. He has been recognized for his teaching with a nomination for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Excellence in Teaching Award for AY 2024–2025 and has secured competitive grants and travel awards to support his scholarly work.
Ivan is deeply involved in professional and community service. He is a full member and executive member of the Center for Chinese Studies at UH Mānoa and participates in numerous professional associations, including the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education, the International Federation of IT in Travel & Tourism, and the International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators. His service extends to leadership roles in community organizations such as the Hawaiʻi–Taiwan Educational & Cultural Organization and American Chinese Scholar in Hawaiʻi, as well as extensive internal service at UH Mānoa through curriculum committees, faculty search committees, graduate program leadership, and scholarship and awards committees.
In addition to his academic and service commitments, Ivan is committed to continuous professional development in data analytics and artificial intelligence, completing extensive training in Python, SQL, machine learning, deep learning, Tableau, and applied AI. He holds certificates in Google AI Essentials, Generative AI for Educators with Gemini, and Canva for education, and has pursued additional training in generative AI, AI-driven office productivity, and AI-enhanced teaching and analytics. This evolving expertise allows him to integrate emerging technologies into hospitality education and research, preparing students and industry partners for a rapidly changing, data-driven travel and tourism landscape.
Our second speaker is also a new member, Rob YORK is Director for Regional Affairs at Pacific Forum. He is responsible for editing Pacific Forum publications, overseeing Pacific Forum fellowships and internship programs, as well as programs on the Korean Peninsula, India and countering state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. Prior to joining Pacific Forum, Rob worked as a production editor at The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. In 2023 he earned his Ph.D. in Korean history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he previously received his master's degree in Asian studies. Rob regularly contributes commentary on inter-Korean and Indo-Pacific affairs to NK News, The South China Morning Post, The American Conservative, China Review International, and The Journal of American-East Asian Relations, as well as conducting numerous interviews in various media outlets.
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