Junehee Kwon, department head in Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) will be among 77 higher education leaders to participate in the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Leadership Institute in July. The HERS Leadership Institute is designed for higher education faculty and staff, serving in mid-to-senior level positions who have a desire become dynamic leaders for their institutions and themselves.
Junhee Kwon
Kwon joined RHTM in August 2022, previously she served as professor and graduate program director in the Department of Hospitality Management at Kansas State University. Prior to a career in academia, Kwon worked as an administrative dietitian for and acute care hospital in Seoul, South Korea, an assistant manager at a residence hall at Iowa State and night and weekend manager for the Iowa State Student Union.
Kwon’s research includes various food and beverage management topics, including food safety, food allergy, sustainability, and consumer behaviors, and published over 50 articles in multiple journals. She is passionate about mentoring graduate students and faculty for research and grantsmanship. Kwon and her team have received federal and private grants totaling over $4.4 million.
The HERS Leadership Institute (HLI) is a transformational leadership development program for higher education professionals, founded to fill leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic leaders capable of ushering their respective institutions into a more inclusive and equitable future. The institute is hosted in a variety of modalities, including a nine-day summer intensive version and a weekend version comprising four weekends throughout the academic year, in order to best serve participants’ needs. Whatever the mode of delivery, the rigorous curriculum, learning outcomes, pricing, and transformative quality of the experience remain the same.
“I’m excited to participate in this excellent leadership program for female administrators in higher education,” said Kwon. “Those who are selected for the HERS institute have been required to complete many tasks, including reading a book, interviewing upper administrators of the university, writing reports, etc. before the program starts. All of these tasks were very helpful for me to gain perspective and to prepare for 10-day intensive leadership training.”
During the institute, participants share their vision of leadership and what they hope to contribute to their respective institutions and are then challenged to develop the skills to actualize their professional vision. Alums of the HERS Leadership Institute emerge better skilled and more confident in leading with their unique voice, providing a much-needed infusion of bold new leadership to their respective institutions.
“I aim to become an effective and transformational leader for the department of RHTM and support the mission and strategic goals of CEHHS and UTK. As I participate in the institute and develop a network with higher education administrators from other institutions across the U.S., I’m confident that I will gain diverse perspectives on leading in a higher education institution,” said Kwon.
Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu