Meet the Team
The GW International Institute of Tourism Studies brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts dedicated to advancing sustainable tourism worldwide. Led by Executive Director Seleni Matus and based within the GW School of Business, our team includes staff, faculty, external consultants, and graduate students from the MS in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management (MS THEM) program.
We collaborate with globally recognized experts in areas such as tourism policy, sustainable development, cultural heritage tourism, and climate resilience, fostering unique educational, research, and consulting alliances. Our extensive experience spans partnerships with tourism agencies, businesses, and organizations across the Caribbean, United States, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, including U.N. Tourism, the World Bank, and Royal Caribbean.
This diverse expertise allows us to offer consulting clients both solid theoretical grounding and practical industry insights tailored to their needs.
Staff
Seleni Matus
Executive Director & Adjunct Professor
Alix Collins
Center Administrator
Archana Brodalka
Program Associate
Stephanie Westhelle
Strategic Program Advisor
Tourism Faculty
Cevat Tosun
Eisenhower Chair and Professor of Tourism Studies and Management; Program Director, MS in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
Dr. Liang (Larry) Yu
Professor of Hospitality Management
Dr. Stuart Levy
Associate Teaching Professor of Management
Donald E. Hawkins
Professor Emeritus of Tourism Studies
Research Scholars
Student Research Assistants
Jacob Brittingham
BA Political Science, Human Services, and Social Justice, Class of 2027
Ben Cooper
BS Business Analytics with a concentration in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Class of 2026
Amelie Lebourgeois
BS Business with concentrations in Event Management and a minor in Sustainability
Antonia Lopes
BS Marketing with a concentration in Hospitality Event Management, Class of 2026
Jonathan Whitehead
MSTHEM, Class of 2025