Thomas Padron | Faculty Profile

Dr. Thomas C. Padron has been a hospitality educator since 2004 and is the Program Coordinator & Associate Professor for the Hospitality & Tourism program. Previously he was an Assistant Professor of Restaurant, Hotel, and Tourism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, for two years and an Assistant Professor of Resort Management at Lakeland University in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, for 8 years. He has taught numerous courses in the areas of hospitality and tourism, specifically those in food and beverage and event management areas, both on-ground and online.  He has taught internationally and has conducted study abroad courses and trips for 8 years to places such as Cancun, Mexico, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Korea and Japan.

Dr. Padron has held many positions in the hospitality industry including: Chef, Sous Chef, Banquet Chef, Director of Catering, Foodservice Director, Foodservice Manager and many other positions that are under those listed.

His passion is the hospitality industry, specifically the food and beverage sector as well as the travel and tourism industries.  This passion leads him to be constantly researching and keeping abreast of the exciting changes that that will ultimately affect the entire hospitality, travel and tourism industries.

In his free time, Dr. Padron enjoys traveling, road trips, wine tasting.

Ph.D.   Business Organization and Management, Specialization in Leadership, Capella University

M.S.    Hospitality and Tourism Management, Specialization in Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout

B.S.     Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Wisconsin-Stout

A.A.S  Culinary Arts, Madison Area Technical College

A.A.S  Food Service Production, Madison Area Technical College