Rate My Professor Leonard Jackson

Dr. Leonard A. Jackson serves as the founding Director of the Hospitality Management program and Professor of Hospitality Management in the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. With over 30 years of corporate and academic experience, he has held senior positions at industry leaders including Hyatt Corporation and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Prior to academia, Dr. Jackson gained extensive international expertise in accounting and finance, auditing, feasibility analysis, asset management, and operations management across major sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry. He co-founded and managed his own venture and has conducted executive development programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dr. Jackson has consulted for and delivered workshops to global organizations such as InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG). He served as a visiting professor of asset management and real estate finance at ESSEC Business School in France and the University of Southern California.

Dr. Jackson holds a Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from Oklahoma State University, an M.S. in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida, an M.B.A. from the University of Guelph in Canada, an M.S. in Management Information Systems from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Accounting from Florida Atlantic University, a B.Comm. from Ryerson University (Toronto Metropolitan University), and diplomas from George Brown College. He completed postdoctoral studies in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship at the University of Florida. His academic expertise includes real estate finance and asset management, lodging operations and strategic management, business development, financial management and control, feasibility analysis, revenue management and pricing, auditing, and entrepreneurial studies. Dr. Jackson has produced over fifty intellectual contributions and presented at numerous academic and industry conferences. He has received research awards and excellence in teaching awards at university, college, and department levels. His professional certifications include CHAE, CHTP, CHIA, CATHA, CHE, a Certificate in Sustainable Investing from Harvard Business School, Real Estate Investing Strategies from Columbia University, Blockchain Technologies from MIT, and Hotel Real Estate Investments, Asset Management, and Revenue Management from Cornell University, among others. As program director, he launched the Hospitality Management degree in fall 2020, focusing on management and analytics skills for industry recovery and growth.