Anna Blue has been appointed as 2023-24 Walter J. Conti Visiting Professor at Penn State School of Hospitality Management
The Conti Professorship program brings hospitality industry leaders and scholars to serve as guest lecturers and mentors with students in the Hospitality Management program, as well as to connect with faculty members and researchers in the school.
As part of its 35th anniversary year, Blue represents the continued growth and success of the program, which sees increased engagement with the executives and scholars who are named Conti professors. For 2023-24, Blue will be in-residence at University Park to teach and advise students and faculty in her fields of study or areas of expertise.
Blue will be visiting the University Park campus in both fall and spring semesters, delivering lectures to, collaborating with, and advising students and faculty members. The Conti professors will also engage in virtual seminars with undergraduate and graduate students throughout the academic year.
Blue serves as president of the AHLA Foundation, where she supports a stronger and more equitable hotel workforce. Under her leadership, the foundation supports youth through training and college scholarships, helps employees prevent human trafficking in hotels and works to advance underrepresented groups in the industry.
Blue is a seasoned nonprofit leader with more than two decades of experience building movements for good. Her work advancing deep-rooted systemic change in urban education, gender equity and digital safety reflects her belief in the power of leveraging collaboration and community to affect change. In her previous roles as co-executive director of Girl Up at the United Nations Foundation and chief next gen officer at the Female Quotient, Blue built transformational cause-marketing partnerships with global brands, generated significant revenue growth, and mobilized communities to advance girls and women globally. As head of global marketing and communications for the Tech Coalition, Blue worked in partnership with the largest global tech companies on to combat child sexual abuse and human trafficking online.
Featured by the Feminist Institute as a "historic feminist of our time," Blue has engaged audiences on the power of girls and women, Gen Z leadership, the future of work, and inclusive leadership on some of the largest global stages, including Cannes Lions, SXSW, the World Economic Forum, and Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen.