Shelley Gibbons

Academic Degrees

• MS, Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1994
• BS, Biology, Tufts University, 1979

Teaching and Research Interests

• Hospitality Leadership Speaker Series
• Hospitality Leadership Internships & Career Preparedness
• College Student Development

Biography

Shelley Gibbons is the assistant director for student development and an instructor at DePaul University’s School of Hospitality Leadership. Gibbons brings a wealth of experience and passion for the hospitality industry to her current role at DePaul. In addition to her lodging experience in housekeeping and resort management, Gibbons has more than 18 years of experience in event and conference coordination and registration. She also spent a year as the academic program director at a hospitality school in Brig, Switzerland.

In her current role, Gibbons serves as industry liaison for the School of Hospitality Leadership. Her relationships with hospitality professionals in lodging, restaurants, catering, events, city clubs and country clubs provide countless internship, job, mentor and networking opportunities for DePaul’s hospitality students. She established the school’s industry Branding Day and mentorship program by leveraging these relationships to help students develop meaningful and valuable relationships with industry professionals while earning their degree. Gibbons is also responsible for all of the school’s scholarships, which amount to more than $300,000 each year. She coordinates the internship and study abroad programs and provides academic and career advising to hospitality majors and minors.

Gibbons is a member of the Hotel Human Resource Association in Chicago. She earned her master’s degree in hotel, restaurant and travel administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where​ she also taught classes in managerial accounting and ethics.