Sheryl F. Kline

Sheryl F. Kline is the deputy dean of Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and the Aramark Chaired Professor in the Department of Hospitality Business Management at the University of Delaware. Before joining UD, she served as interim dean and associate dean in the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Kline developed her research interests while at Purdue University where she held the position of C. B. Smith Professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and was the director for the Center for the Study of Lodging Operations. Her research focuses on organizational behavior and training in the hospitality, meeting and event industry. Dr. Kline is ranked in the top 25 most productive scholars in the field of hospitality management (Way et al., 2012). She began her academic career at Widener University’s School of Hospitality Management. Before joining academia, she had a successful career as a manager in the casino, hotel and resort industry and has over a decade of hospitality industry experience. Dr. Kline teaches courses in hospitality management at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and enjoys mentoring graduate students and doing research. She is an active member of industry associations, including the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE), the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Delaware Restaurant Association and has served on their boards. Dr. Kline is a recipient of several teaching and research awards including the I-CHRIE John Wiley and Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching and the McCool Breakthrough Award in Hospitality Education. While at USC, she was selected as an Academic Leadership Fellow for the South Eastern Conference. Most recently, she was recognized as one of 40 women in the state of Delaware as Delaware Business Women of the Year by Delaware Today Magazine.