President

Dr. Melih Madanoglu

Melih Madanoglu is the Michael A. Leven Endowed Chair and Professor of Hospitality Management at Kennesaw State University.

He has published in top journals including Journal of Management, Journal of Retailing, and Tourism Management, and received multiple research awards, including KSU’s 2023 Outstanding Scholarship and Creative Activity Award.

Dr. Madanoglu serves as President of the International Association of Hospitality Financial Management Education (iAHFME) and as Research Methodology Editor for The Service Industries Journal.

Vice President

Dr. Seoki Lee

Seoki Lee is a Professor at the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State.

His primary research framework is under the umbrella of strategic and financial management. Naturally, he is interested in exploring how various firm strategies influence firms’ outcomes.

His research topics include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), sustainability, internationalization, franchising, top management teams, diversification, etc.

Treasurer

Dr. Ersem Karadag

Dr. Ersem Karadag currently serves as the treasurer of the AHFME since January 2025.

Dr. Karadag earned his Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from Oklahoma State University in 2003.

He is a professor of accounting at Robert Morris University. He was promoted to full professor in 2016.

His research focuses on hospitality accounting, profitability analysis, internal control, and information technology.

He has eight years of industry experience with Regent, Conrad, and Ramada hotels.

Secretary

Ms. Ganna Demydyuk

Ganna Demydyuk is a profitability consultant and a Lecturer in Financial Management at Bremerhaven University of Applied Science, Germany.

She has a lifelong background as an international entrepreneur and a consultant.

She holds three master’s degrees in enterprise economics, an MBA, and public administration.

Ganna’s doctoral research is dedicated to customer-centric accounting information for managerial decision-making applied to the lodging and cruise industries in a collection of articles.

As a part-time external PhD candidate at Leiden University in the Netherlands, she published seven peer-reviewed articles and successfully presented her work to multiple international audiences, both academic and professional, with one featuring the best paper award.

Board Member

Dr. Agnes DeFranco

Agnes DeFranco is a Professor and the Conrad N. Hilton Distinguished Chair at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston, where she has served as the Graduate Program Director, Associate Dean, and Interim Dean of the College; and held the position of Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies for the University.

She has received a number of teaching awards at the college and university levels, and has published over 130 refereed articles and nine textbooks.

She is a past global president of the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional (HFTP), a past treasurer of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE).

Her research interests are in accounting, finance, technology, and education.

Board Member

Dr. Ray Schmidgall

Ray Schmidgall, Ph.D., CPA is the Hilton Hotels Professor of Hospitality Financial Management and accounting and financial management expert of The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University.

He served on the Boards of Directors of Eaglevision, New Life Assembly of God, Evangel University, and the Council of Hotel Restaurant & Institutional Education (CHRIE).

He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Hospitality Financial Management Educators (iAHFME). He has published over 260 articles.

Prior to teaching, Schmidgall was the financial controller of the Educational Institute, American Hotel & Lodging Association and worked as an auditor with Ernst & Ernst.

Schmidgall has a bachelor’s degree from Evangel University. Both his MBA and Ph.D. degrees are from Michigan State University. The major focus of his degrees was accounting with minors in statistics, economics, and communications.

Board Member

Dr. Amrik Singh

Amrik Singh is a Professor in the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management in the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver where he teaches courses in advanced revenue management, cost management, lodging valuation and feasibility studies.

His research focuses on commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and financial distress in the lodging industry.

His work has been published in several journals such as the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management and Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.

Board Member

Dr. Atul Sheel

Atul Sheel, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Finance in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management - Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.

He has a Ph.D. in Finance from Isenberg School of Management. His research focuses on Finance, Financial Economics, Financial Modeling, and Investments in Hospitality and Tourism.

Past President

Dr. Amit Sharma

Amit Sharma is the Edward Friedman and Stuart Mann Professor of Hospitality Management and Associate Director of the School of Hospitality Management, and Director of the Food Decisions Research Laboratory (FDRL) at Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Sharma teaches finance and economics, and his interdisciplinary research focuses on Cost-Benefit Analysis, small business financing and economics of the foodservice system.

He is founding editor of ICHRIE Research Reports, Past President (2017-18) of International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), Past President of the International Association of Hospitality Financial Management Educators (iAHFME) (2020-23), and creator/host of the allinfoodz podcast, featured on iTunes.