Dr. Okumus is a Professor within the Hospitality Services Department at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He was the founding Chair of the Hospitality Services Department from 2007-2013. He received his PhD in Strategic Hotel Management from Oxford Brookes University, UK. His research areas include strategy implementation, strategic human resources management, corporate social responsibility, competitive advantage, knowledge management, crisis management, destination marketing, information technology and developing countries. He has widely published in leading journals. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM) and also serves on the editorial boards of 23 international journals. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences. He received numerous research awards and recognitions including The Michael D. Olsen Research Award.