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Expertise

Food & Beverage, Restaurant Management, Event Planning and Management, Hospitality & Tourism, Professional Preparation – Cover Letters, Resumes, Reference Pages, Preparing for the Interview, Professionalism & Etiquette, Customer Service, Leadership

Unique Life Experiences

Dr. Padron has traveled around the world both for work and pleasure. He has conducted study abroad to Mexico, Costa Rica, South Korea, Japan, and the Bahamas. He also has performed in most all of the major basilicas of the world. Dr. Padron is a former chef and a meeting and event professional.

Languages spoken besides English

Spanish (not fluent, but conversational)

Biography

Dr. Thomas C. Padron has been a hospitality educator for over 20 years and is an Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism & Program Coordinator. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor of Restaurant, Hotel, and Tourism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, for two years and an Assistant Professor of Resort Management at Lakeland University in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, for eight years. He has taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, hybrid, and online and have taught internationally having conducted study abroad courses and trips taking students to places such as Cancun, Mexico; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; The Bahamas; Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan.

He has held many positions in the hospitality industry including Chef, Sous Chef, Banquet Chef, Director of Catering, Foodservice Director, Foodservice Manager, and many other positions that are under those listed. His passion is the hospitality industry, specifically the meeting and event, and food and beverage sectors as well as the travel and tourism industries. In his free time, Dr. Padron enjoys traveling, road trips, and experiencing new foods and wines.

Dr. Padron’s education consists of the following:

•Ph.D. in Business Organization & Management with a specialization in Leadership from Capella University

•Master of Science Degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management with a specialization in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout

•Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management with a concentration in Food & Beverage from the University of Wisconsin-Stout

•Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from Madison College (formerly Madison Area Technical College)

•Vocational Diploma in Food Service Production from Madison College (formerly Madison Area Technical College)

Dr. Padron is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) through the Event Industry Council (EIC), a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and a Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP) through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, and a Certified Wedding Planner (CWP) through The Certified Wedding Planner Society (CWPS). He obtained his SF Tourism Industry Certification as an Ambassador for San Francisco as well as his Food Handler Certification. He is an active member of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) and the West Federation. Dr. Padron is also a member and active on committees for the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), and International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and has memberships in the California Restaurant Association (CRA), and the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

In The News

• Hospitality and tourism professor Thomas Padron shares money-saving tips for people planning to traveling on Memorial Day.

  May 20, 2024

• Yes, it’s rude to have your cell phone out at dinner — and more etiquette rules you might be breaking

  With the saturation of smartphones and the popularity of dating apps and Zoom interviews, some etiquette has loosened. But, according to Cal State East Bay Professor of Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation Thomas Padron, much of it, like showing good old-fashioned manners, remains the same.

  March 5, 2024

• Padron did a Q&A with WalletHub about staycations and safety during the pandemic.

  June 2, 2021