CIHF, a partnership between the Nolan School of Hotel Administration (SHA) and the College of Human Ecology (CHE), is an academic center to combine hospitality, health policy/management, and design. Underscoring the schools’ leadership, Kate Walsh, Dean of the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and Rachel Dunifon, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology, are chairs of the governing board.

CIHF is led by Executive Director Heather Kolakowski, Lecturer in Food & Beverage Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and Academic Director Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, FAIA, EDAC, LEED AP, Professor in the department of Human Centered Design.

The CIHF Advisory Board is composed of senior-level leaders and CIHF’s Founding and Member Organization representatives.  Through CIHF’s activities and research, the Advisory Board connects with students, faculty, and top-level professionals from other industries, exchanging information, and bridging the fields of hospitality, design thinking, and health management/policy to advance service excellence in healthcare, wellness, senior living, and related areas. Find out more on our Membership page. 

Faculty members from Cornell and other universities and industry executives serve as Faculty Fellows, Academic Scholars and Industry Scholars. These fellows and scholars collaborate in research projects, educational activities or industry events that link hospitality, health, and design. CIHF also hosts visiting scholars from around the world and supports the student organization, CUHF.