Prior to a career in higher education, Rivera worked in the hospitality and tourism industry as a front-line employee and manager for more than 10 years. His educational path was also strongly tied to the industry, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management from the University of South Carolina as well as a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from Texas Tech University.
Rivera’s first faculty position was with East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. where he stayed for more than a decade serving in multiple committee and leadership roles alongside his faculty duties. Before joining Flagler, Rivera was also a faculty member at his Ph.D. alma mater Texas Tech and Livingston College in Salisbury, N.C.
At Flagler, Rivera teaches classes like: Intro to Business, Intro to HTM, Lodging Management, Food & Beverage Systems, HTM Cost Controls, Strategic Management, DEI in the Service Industries, and Professional Development.
With extensive expertise surrounding academic areas like Business Administration and HTM paired with hands-on experience in the industry, Professor Rivera has developed a skillset and perspective that is valuable as an expert source across a wide variety of industry topics.
“I do a lot of research on consumer behavior, DEI initiatives, and I have started branching into technology within the HTM industry to include exploration of data science and analytics as well as AI,” Rivera said.
As insight into how he gathers information to serve as an industry expert, Rivera said he leans into discourse from industry professionals on social media and reads industry-specific publications or academic journals.
“For example, with topics related to technology and AI I have subscribed to various e-newsletter listservs and receive updates daily on tech and how it is changing within the business world in general and specifically subscribe to areas related to HTM and Sport Management,” he said.
Recently Rivera was contacted by WalletHub, a personal finance company and resource hub, inviting him to guest write industry-related opinion articles. The first topic they asked Rivera to offer expertise on was airline credit card and loyalty programs.
Airline travel, and travel-related trends are topics well-suited for Rivera’s extensive HTM, Business, and consumer behavior expertise.
In a Q&A format, Rivera gave his take on the following questions:
Why is it so hard to tell how much airline miles are worth?
How often does someone need to fly to justify getting an airline miles credit card?
What should a frequent traveler look for in an airline credit card?
What are the biggest mistakes people make with airline miles credit cards?
With the Holiday season already in full swing, Rivera’s discussion of this travel industry question could help you better understand the function of your existing airline credit card or help you determine if such a card would be suited for your travel habits.
To read Rivera’s answers to these questions in his guest “Expert Opinion” article, visit this WalletHub webpage.
