On Mar. 2, students, faculty, parents and alumni gathered at Luke Lecture Hall for a dynamic lunchtime conversation on leadership, innovation and the future of hospitality. Hosted by Punahou’s Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship, the event featured Kate Walsh, dean of the Cornell University Nolan School of Hotel Administration, alongside a distinguished panel of industry leaders with strong Punahou and Cornell ties.
Panelists included Greg Dickhens ’87, managing partner of Trinity Investments LLC, and a current Punahou trustee; Meli James ’96, cofounder of Mana Up, a Hawai‘i-based product accelerator and economic development initiative; Keith Barr, former group chief executive officer of IHG Hotels & Resorts; and Monica Salter, vice president of global communications and social responsibility at Outrigger Hospitality Group. The discussion was moderated by Yolanda Lau ’98, director of Punahou’s Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship.
Lau opened the program with a show of hands: nearly everyone present had worked or volunteered in hospitality-related roles. That lived experience grounded a wide-ranging conversation about an industry that drives $12 billion in economic activity and supports nearly 64,000 jobs in Honolulu alone.
Panelists emphasized that while hospitality continues to evolve – integrating technology, sustainability and data-driven personalization – its core remains unchanged: empathy, authenticity and treating people well. Leaders shared personal stories of mentors who shaped their paths, underscoring the importance of relationships and community.
A central theme was regenerative tourism in Hawai‘i and the responsibility to innovate in ways that honor place and people. Students were encouraged to see hospitality not as a single career path, but as an interconnected ecosystem spanning marketing, finance, real estate, technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship – with meaningful opportunities for a wide range of interests and talents.
The panelists also discussed entrepreneurship as a mindset. Rather than waiting for opportunities to appear, students were encouraged to look for problems in their own lives and approach them with an open mind. Panelists emphasized that innovation and entrepreneurship often begins with observation, grows with a willingness to take thoughtful risks, and takes shape through experimentation, feedback and continuous refinement. Especially in an industry as dynamic and place-based as hospitality, iterating with your customers makes all the difference.
Following the panel, students connected one-on-one with speakers and Cornell alumni, asking candid questions about career paths, artificial intelligence’s growing role in the industry and what they might focus on in the next two to three years.
Mahalo to our panelists and the Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship for making this inspiring event possible, and for investing in the next generation of leaders and innovators in Hawai‘i’s foundational industry.