MENOMONIE, WI—Well-known industry leader Lalia Rach has been appointed associate dean of the College of Management and director of the School of Hospitality Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She will join the faculty for the spring semester.

Rach will be responsible for creating and implementing a vision for preparing students for careers in global hospitality. A Wisconsin native, she began her university teaching career at UW-Stout.

An industry veteran, Rach served as the divisional dean of the New York University Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management for 15 years, and the dean of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. She also was the director of the tourism graduate program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her academic credentials, Rach served on the boards of various industry-related associations and corporations and is a founder and partner in Rach Enterprises, a consulting firm that provides guidance to hospitality business and public sector agencies in areas like economic development, strategic planning, brand management and customer service.