The Cornell Institute for Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations (CIHLER) at the School of Hotel Administration recently welcomed four new hospitality industry leaders to its advisory board. In this role, they will provide financial support to the institute and engage in the development of CIHLER programming and research.

New advisory board members:

  • Harold Morgan is senior vice president and chief human resources officer for White Lodging, a third party management and development company with more than 160 hotels in its domestic portfolio. He has also held chief human resources roles in a number of high-profile organizations, including the Chicago Transit Authority, Bally Total Fitness, and Hyatt, North America. He is a Certified Compensation Professional; was a board member and search committee chairman for the International Health and Racket Sports Association; and was a member of the Organization Resources Counselors, the Human Resources Policy Association, and the Machinery and Allied Products Institute.
  • Frank Muscolina is vice president of corporate labor relations for Caesars Entertainment. He joined Caesars and the gaming industry as a whole in 2003, following thirty years in the retail sector. Although he has spent the latter portion of his career as senior management in human resources & labor relations, he has a diverse professional background, including previous management positions in field operations, corporate strategic planning, and new business development. He was instrumental in the Sears business model restructuring of the early '90s, and was part of the Due Diligence Group that facilitated the spinoff of Allstate Insurance, Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley), and Coldwell Banker Real Estate into independent companies. Muscolina currently serves as an employer trustee for the National Retirement Pension Fund and the Unite-Here Medical Fund.
  • Greg Smith oversees HR, training, and recruitment for Commune and its individual hotels, with responsibility for all employees' professional development. He also provides consultation and planning for the people component of all merger and acquisition opportunities. Smith offers 20-plus years of experience with a number of national and international hospitality brands, including Denihan, where he most recently served as executive vice president. Before joining the hospitality industry, he honed his HR skills at a number of high-profile organizations. Smith holds BA and JD degrees from Tulane University and Tulane University School of Law.
  • Celeste Yeager is a Littler Mendelson shareholder with over 17 years of experience litigating and consulting on topics including discrimination, leaves of absence, unfair competition, health and safety, and unfair labor practices. She routinely advises and consults with clients about human resource policies and procedures, and provides management training on various employment-related topics, including union avoidance. Yeager maintains an active traditional labor practice representing clients, both unionized and non-unionized, before the National Labor Relations Board. She is a graduate of the Leadership Arts Institute – a program of Business Council for the Arts – and has been repeatedly recognized as a "Rising Star in Employment & Labor" by Super Lawyers.

"Our advisory board members collectively represent a remarkable breadth of knowledge and practical experience in labor and employment relations. Their contribution is essential to the research, events, and programming we develop for students, academics, and industry," said David Sherwyn, academic director of CIHLER and the John and Melissa Ceriale Professor of Hospitality Human Resources at the School of Hotel Administration.

The Cornell Institute for Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations was established in 2013 as a platform for students, employers, employees, unions, and their advocates involved in the hospitality industry. The institute's mission is to support educational programs, sponsor and disseminate research, and hold conferences and roundtables dedicated to the modernization of labor and employment relations, labor and employment law, human resource management, and leadership in the hospitality industry. To learn more about the institute and its projects, visit www.cihler.cornell.edu.

Partners: Barnes & Thornburg LLP • Caesars Entertainment • Commune Hotels • Davis & Gilbert LLP • Epstein Becker Green • Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts • Fox Rothschild LLP • Hilton Worldwide • Jones Day • Kane Kessler, P.C. • Littler Mendelson • Loews Corporation • LRP Publications • Proskauer • Regan Development Corporation • Seaview Investors LLC • Starwood Hotels and Resorts • Taylor English Duma LLP • White Lodging

Erica Heim
Senior Program Manager
+1 607 255 6574
Cornell