(June 30,  2021) Boston, MA – Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) Dean Arun Upneja, Ph.D., has announced the promotion of Leora Lanz, ISHC, Associate Professor of the Practice and Faculty Chair of the School’s Master of Management in Hospitality(MMH) degree program, to Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, overseeing both the undergraduate and graduate curriculum.  

Lanz has been teaching the undergraduate advanced strategic marketing required course for seniors, and the undergraduate and graduate versions of the digital marketing elective since 2015. Since her appointment as Graduate Faculty Chair in 2019, she helped implement the MMH program’s three newest concentrations: Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Restaurant Management & Experiences, and Senior Living, which complement the existing concentrations in Revenue Management & Analytics, Real Estate & Finance and Digital Marketing. She also helped with the formalization of the MMH alliance relationship with the ESSEC Business School and its hospitality program in Paris. Additionally, Lanz champions the School’s annual Hospitality Leadership Summit, ICON award efforts, the Summer Conversations Series, and supports Dean Upneja’s Distinguished Guest Speaker program.  

Prior to joining the BU School of Hospitality, Lanz served for 15 years as the Global Director of Marketing for hospitality consulting giant HVS, nine years as Regional Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications for ITT Sheraton Hotels in New York, and four years as Public Relations Director of the Greater Boston CVB. She also is principal of hospitality-focused marketing and branding advisory, LHL Communications.  

Early in 2020, Leora was nominated as a “Business Partner of the Year” for the Massachusetts Lodging Association. In 2019, she was recognized as one of the "18 Women Paving the Way in Hospitality" in the November edition of Lodging magazine. In February 2017, she was named one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales and Marketing in the Americas by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). In April 2017, she was named Professor of the Year by the Student Government of the Boston University School of Hospitality. And in 2010, she earned the distinction as Sales & Marketing Professional of the Year by the New York chapter of HSMAI. 

“Leora’s strong connection to and passion for the hospitality industry, coupled with her camaraderie with fellow faculty make for a strong team effort,” states Dean Upneja. “And our collective desire to stay ahead of the curve while remaining innovative and relevant, has given rise to strong recognition and robust growth of our Master’s program, and even higher standards for freshman or transfer students entering our undergraduate degree.” 

Leora can be contacted at lhlanz@bu.edu.  

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About Boston University School of Hospitality Administration: Established in 1981 and now celebrating 40 years of Innovating the Business of Hospitality, Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) offers students a combination of rigorous academics, liberal arts curriculum, and international experiences for the pursuit of success in lodging, restaurants, food service, and other avenues of the hospitality industry. SHA has a unique relationship with the city of Boston, where the area’s hotels and restaurants provide students with numerous opportunities for internships to satisfy work experience requirements for their degree. For more information about the powerful SHA undergraduate program, visit https://www.bu.edu/hospitality/academics/undergraduate/ and to learn more about the internationally recognized MMH program, visit https://www.bu.edu/hospitality/academics/mmh/ . 

About Boston University: Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research.  With more than 33,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States.  BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University's research and teaching mission.  In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.