Emily Adams with Susanne Wissell
Emily Adams ’22, B.S. Hospitality Management, currently serves as Director of Human Resources at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. She first came to Aronimink as the club’s Director of Food and Beverages after managing a boutique hotel. She got her start in the hospitality industry as the dining room manager at the Cricket Club in Philadelphia, which is also where she met her future husband, Stephen Taylor ’27, A.S. Hospitality Management, who was the chef de cuisine at the time.
A dually certified SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional) and PHR (Professional in Human Resources), Adams shares her journey to success and how she transitioned from a career in hospitality to one in human resources.
Why JWU Online
I had several years of hands-on hospitality experience before deciding to return to school and complete my degree through Johnson & Wales University Online’s Hospitality Management program. While I had already built a strong operational background, I knew I wanted a more formalized education that would strengthen my business knowledge, leadership capabilities and long-term career growth.
I learned about JWU Online while exploring options to complete my degree in a way that would allow me to continue advancing my career in hospitality while balancing the demands of a full-time leadership role. I was looking for a program that would provide a strong business and leadership foundation while offering the flexibility needed for a working professional. JWU’s stellar reputation in hospitality education, combined with the convenience of its online format, made it a natural fit for my career goals and personal schedule.
Highlighting The Hospitality Management Program
The program gave me a deeper understanding of hospitality operations, finance, organizational strategy and leadership, while also helping me develop the ability to solve complex problems quickly in hospitality environments. Beyond the technical and operational knowledge, the program reinforced a people-centric mindset that has stayed with me throughout my career. It taught me how to lead diverse teams, balance both employee and business needs and understand how culture and service directly impact organizational success. Those experiences prepared me to advance into hospitality leadership roles and ultimately transition into Human Resources leadership, where I continue to apply both operational understanding and people-focused strategy every day.
Professional Goals
I elected to move into Human Resources because I realized the part of leadership I enjoyed most was developing people, building culture and helping teams succeed. Throughout my operational leadership roles, I found myself naturally gravitating toward coaching employees, resolving workplace challenges, improving communication and creating better systems for hiring, training and retention. I saw firsthand how much impact strong leadership and culture have on both employee experience and operational success. Moving into HR allowed me to make a broader impact across the entire organization rather than within just one department.
Journey To Today
Having a hospitality degree absolutely helped me get hired and advance in my career. In hospitality, credibility often comes from understanding operations firsthand. The degree showed employers that I had both the technical knowledge and the operational knowledge needed to grow within the industry.
As I progressed into management and eventually executive leadership, the degree continued to provide value because it gave me a depth of knowledge to draw from, which helped me take on more complex projects and tasks, such as preparing for the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
The Value Of A Hospitality Management Degree
A hospitality degree has been incredibly valuable in helping me succeed in HR because hospitality is fundamentally a people business. My background allows me to understand the realities of operations, the pace of service environments and the challenges employees and managers face every day. That operational understanding helps me build practical HR strategies that actually work in real-world hospitality settings.
Whether it is workforce planning, leadership development, employee engagement or organizational culture, I can approach challenges with both an HR perspective and an operational mindset. I think that combination has been one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to build trust with leadership teams and employees alike, and why I enjoy my role so much.
Advice For Students In Hospitality Careers
For students in hospitality who think they may want to transition into Human Resources one day, my advice is to spend time deeply learning the operation first. Some of the most valuable experiences I brought into HR came from working directly in hospitality leadership roles. Understanding what managers and employees experience day-to-day gives you credibility and helps you make better decisions when supporting the guest experience.
I would also encourage students to raise their hand for opportunities that stretch them beyond their job description. Volunteer to help with hiring, onboarding, training, employee engagement initiatives or leadership development programs. HR is much more than policies and paperwork — it is about solving problems, building relationships, developing people and helping organizations achieve their goals through their teams. The hospitality industry provides an incredible foundation for that because it teaches you how to lead people, adapt quickly and put people at the center of every decision.”
The Hospitality Management Bachelor’s Degree Program
Ready to enter into this exciting industry or advance your hospitality career to the next level? A bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management will give you solid business and management skills and open the door to a wide range of hospitality career pathways. Complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].