Lea R. Dopson is Chair and Associate Professor of the Hospitality management program at the University of North Texas. Previously, she taught at Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Houston, and Texas Tech University, Lea holds an Ed.D. from University of Houston, and an MBA and BS in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management from Texas Tech University. her areas of teaching include hospitality managerial accounting, hospitality finance, and food and beverage cost controls. She is published in a variety of journals and has presented her research at numerous conferences. She has also co-authored with David Hayes, Food and Beverage Cost Control, published by John Wiley & Sons, which is presently in its fourth edition. Lea spent nine months in Zimbabwe, Africa, developing a degree program in international hospitality and tourism,. In addition to her academic career, she has held various unit and corporate hospitality management positions with Texas tech Foodservice, Sheraton Hotels, and Bristol Hotels.
David K. Hayes earned his Ph.D. in Education from Purdue University, as well as MS and BS degrees in Hotel/Restaurant Management. He held faculty positions at Purdue University and the University of Houston. At Texas Tech University he founded the Restaurant/Hotel program and served as Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Education and Restaurant/Hotel Management. Dr. Hayes was Vice President of the Educational Institute (E.I.) of the American Hotel and Lodging Association and was responsible for the development of training programs utilizing advanced technology delivery systems. An industry practitioner as well as academician, for six years he was the Owner/General Manger of the full-service Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing, Michigan. An accomplished author, his scholarly articles have appeared in The Cornell Quarterly. He has written 12 books, including texts translated into Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Croatian. he is now a full-time author who divides his professional writing and industry advising activities between offices in Okemos, Michigan and Jamestown, Tennessee.