For years, my passion has been to help develop the next generation of club leaders. Back when I was a student at Kent State, I realized something surprising: most hospitality students don’t know that club management is even a career path, let alone a high-growth one. My own experience in a private club gave me direction, but it’s clear that raising awareness and attracting talent falls on us as professionals in the industry.
Too often, we think of hospitality programs as a faucet we can turn on when we need people. Call the school, ask who’s ready, and expect candidates. But by then, someone else has usually put in the effort to connect with those few students who are already focused on clubs. At Kent State, for example, the program has about 100 students. Out of 25 graduates, maybe five are club-focused. That’s just 20% of the class—and with more than 20 clubs nearby, the math is obvious. Sitting back and waiting doesn’t work. The only way forward is to build relationships early.
I learned this lesson as a graduate assistant. Professors are busy—teaching, advising, researching—and it doesn’t take much to support them. Help with a fundraiser, line up a guest speaker, or meet with a student who needs advice. When it’s time for professors to recommend someone, they remember who was there.
I also tell fellow managers: show up on campus. Guest talks work, but think carefully about who you send. For years, I spoke to a class in Fort Wayne with little result. Last year, I sent our Clubhouse Manager. She’s just a few years older than the students. They could picture themselves in her shoes, and four of them joined our service team soon after. Hosting a student CMAA chapter at your club for a meal and a tour can be just as powerful. It gives them a real look at daily operations and the chance to talk with someone who cares about their journey. Even judging a student competition goes further than you’d think.
Supporting student CMAA members is another way to open doors. That can mean covering a registration fee, inviting them to a local meeting, or donating to their chapter’s fundraising efforts. Every year, I give to Kent State’s CMAA chapter during Giving Tuesday. The donations are usually matched, so multiple students get to attend the World Conference for almost nothing. Do they all come back and work for me? No. But many are now working in other clubs, and that helps all of us.
The last piece is staying in touch. For me, LinkedIn has been the best tool. I connect with every hospitality student I meet, no matter where they study. When they post an update, I’ll send a quick note. That ongoing back-and-forth is how I’ve brought talented alumni back to my club or helped them land at a great club in the city they were aiming for.
I’ve learned that the next generation of leaders won’t just show up at our doors. We have to go out, meet them where they are, and invest in them early. When we do, we’re not only building a pipeline for our own clubs, we’re strengthening the profession as a whole.
