John R. Walker, D.B.A., FMP, CHA, is a Fulbright Senior Specialist and the McKibbon Professor Emeritus of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee. John's years of industry experience include management training at the Savoy Hotel London, followed by stints as assistant food and beverage manager, assistant rooms division manager, catering manager, food and beverage manager, resident manager, and general manager with Grand Metropolitan Hotels, Selsdon Park Hotel, Rank Hotels, Inter-Continental Hotels, and the Coral Reef Resort, Barbados, West Indies.
He has taught at two- and four-year schools in Canada and the United(States. In addition to being a hospitality management consultant and author, he(has been published in the Cornell Hotel Restaurant Administration Quarterly, the(Hospitality Educators Journal and the New York Times. He is a 10-time recipient of the President's Award for teaching, scholarship, and service; and he has received the Patnubay Award for exemplary professional performance through teaching and authorship of tourism and hospitality publications.
John is an editorial advisory board member for Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research. He is a past president of the Pacific Chapter of the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE). He is a certified hotel administrator (CHA) and a certified Foodservice Management Professional (FMP). He and his wife Josielyn T. Walker have twins, Christopher and Selina. The Walkers live in Sarasota, Florida.