Claire McWilliams

Claire McWilliams is a tourism development and management assistant teaching professor in the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University and serves as co-advisor for the Tourism Student Association at ASU. She has a bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant management and a master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. She holds a doctorate with an emphasis in industrial and organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University. Her research focus is the psychological impact of exposure to negative customer behavior on frontline customer service providers in the hospitality/tourism industry. 

McWilliams worked as a manager and trainer for Doubletree Hotels Corporation before entering the field of education. She created a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Fountain Hills High School and lead and taught within the hospitality management program in coordination with local colleges and industry partners. McWilliams led students in local service projects and took them on international service trips to study culture and sustainability. She partnered with local community organizations in Uganda, St. Lucia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

McWilliams transitioned into full-time instruction at ASU in 2015. She teaches Community Services & Professions (CRD 210) Introduction to Tourism (TDM 205), Hotel & Resort Management (TDM 225), and Tourism Management (TDM 401) courses. She has co-facilitated study abroad experiences to Fiji and Australia, focusing on international tourism and sustainable tourism, and to Botswana to study the impact of shared community and tourism use of river systems. She also teaches travel courses for ASU's Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) and is involved in OLLI Corps travel projects. She is a professional consultant, writer, and speaker for local companies.