Speakers

Dr. Missy Varao is an Associate Professor of Business and Hospitality at Salve Regina University, where she previously served for six years as Director & Department Chair of the Department of Business & Economics. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education, spanning teaching, academic leadership, and program development in business, hospitality, tourism, and event production.

Missy’s areas of expertise include high-impact and personalized service quality, customer experience and brand loyalty, tourism economics, event planning, experiential learning and multiple tourism sectors including sustainable, food & beverage, and sports. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University, her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and her Ph.D. from Auburn University, all with a focus on hospitality, events, and tourism.

Her work in regenerative tourism has taken her well beyond the classroom. She has created and led university courses throughout the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and across diverse ecosystems in Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Ireland. Missy has authored textbook chapters and journal articles, contributed to numerous media outlets, and delivered invited lectures across her many areas of expertise. She has also served as a visiting professor and speaker at universities across Italy and France, engaging with professionals and students across multiple tourism sectors.

In addition to her academic role, Missy serves as the Dean of Academic Programs for Accelerating Leaders, where she consults with organizations and designs professional education and leadership programming focused on event planning, marketing, customer experience, and service excellence. In addition, she is the the founder of the Hospitality Learning Collaborative, through which she facilitates consulting, training, and executive education for hospitality and tourism leaders across the globe. Missy is deeply engaged in industry and community leadership. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board for both Discover Newport and The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation (RIHEF). She is a Certified Professional in Catering and Events (CPCE) and began her professional career in event production as a wedding and special events coordinator at The Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, North Carolina, where her passion for events first took root.

Outside of her professional work, Missy enjoys traveling, entertaining, watching football and baseball, and discovering new places to enjoy picnics with her family.