Vight condensed lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergr sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consedipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.
Double Gator Jacki Liszak Helps Her Island Community Rebuild After Hurricane Ian
Share
When Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers Beach in 2022, chamber president and CEO Jacki Liszak was at the center of the recovery. She worked tirelessly to help her community rebuild, applying lessons she learned from the University of Florida’s online Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management program to guide her island home through its most challenging chapter.
Jacki Liszak and Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu attend a destination marketing conference.
After earning her bachelor’s in health and human performance from the University of Florida in 1988, she returned more than three decades later to complete UF’s online master’s in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, graduating in December 2021. “I have always wanted to earn my master’s degree, and I always wanted to go back to UF to do so,” she said. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected downtime, she seized her chance to make that dream a reality.
The flexibility of the online format allowed Liszak to balance her graduate coursework with her full-time job at the helm of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce leading local businesses and nonprofits in Fort Myers Beach. She dedicated evenings and weekends to coursework, staying ahead of deadlines and keeping up regular communication with her professors.
“Being in the hospitality industry for a good part of my professional career, I went into the program with a bit of a misconception that I would know most of the material being presented. I was 100% wrong! I learned so much from the professors and from the program!” she said.
The program pushed Liszak to think beyond her day-to-day experience in hospitality. She applied what she learned to her own community, particularly through her capstone project, where she analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on tourism in a barrier island setting. By examining this disruption, she gained knowledge to help other communities prepare for similar challenges.
“I was able to share some insightful data and observations that I believe are helpful to anyone who is in the tourism industry and needs to plan or prepare for a disaster,” Liszak said.
Her new perspective became even more important when Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers Beach in September 2022. The storm destroyed most of the island’s buildings and transformed the community overnight. Today, Liszak works every day to help local businesses, nonprofits and families recover and rebuild.
Whether she is helping a new business open its doors, organizing major local events like the American Sand Sculpting Championship or advocating for clean water and Everglades restoration, Liszak carries the lessons she gained through her UF experience into her daily work.
“Much of the coursework gave me a bigger picture of the tourism industry as a whole and made me appreciate the small barrier island I live and work on,” she said.
She encourages anyone considering UF’s online master’s program in tourism, hospitality and event management to take the next step. “Do not hesitate! Get started today. The team at HHP and UF are amazing, and they will work with you throughout the program to make sure that you are successful in your goals,” she said.
Earning her master’s degree from UF brought Liszak full circle, allowing her to revisit her alma mater with a fresh perspective. The experience gave her a newfound sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of how far she’s come, both personally and professionally.
“I am thrilled to be a double Gator!” she said. “Going back to UF allowed me to connect with UF in a different way, as a more mature person at a different stage of my life. I appreciated the experience so much more! I even asked Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu about continuing for a doctorate… who knows, maybe that will be in my not-too-distant future.”
About the online Master of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
This program allows you to earn your degree and apply what you learn in the classroom to your current and future work environments. Using real data from top industry experts, graduate students develop resource-based views and comprehensive strategies for managing and leading tourism, hospitality and event organizations. Students will also obtain a holistic perspective of environmental concerns that impact visitation to sensitive areas, including how to build sustainable initiatives into a business model and how to use unique faculty-developed tools to better respond to these issues.
Learn More About the Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management Program at the University of Florida!
"*" indicates required fields
By submitting this form, you are agreeing to receive messages from the University of Florida Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. You may unsubscribe at any time.
