Valerie Salter, Ph.D.
Department Head & Associate Professor, Hospitality Management & Tourism
Northwestern State University
I’ve enjoyed living and working in the Natchitoches area for the past 25 years.
Can you share a bit about your role and what responsibilities it entails?
As the Department Head of Hospitality Management & Tourism, I support our amazing faculty members: McKenna Marsh, Ashley Haire, and Dr. Tim Bratt. We are a small but mighty department heavily involved in university service and community events preparing our students for culinary arts, hospitality management, and tourism industries!
I am the first-line administrator of the Hospitality Management and Tourism (HMT) unit. I’m responsible for all HMT students, accreditation, curriculum, budget, inventory, personnel, and course schedules. I also teach several classes each semester while maintaining commitment to excellence in teaching, service, scholarship, and professional development.
All HMT faculty members and I actively recruit and mentor Hospitality Management and Tourism majors, serve on university committees, and perform many duties related to hands-on learning, which is the heart of our degree program. In the past, our students have gained experience through volunteering at the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), Super Bowl, and Caveman Music Festival. We aggressively recruiting new students for our program by attending four to five recruiting events throughout the state each semester.
The goal of the HMT program is to continually provide experiential learning opportunities for our students, so they build their professional resumes during their undergraduate career. Through experiential learning both on and off-campus, and required semester-long internships, our students can secure job offers before graduation.
What inspired this career, and what are you most excited about in your position? How has your past experience prepared you for this opportunity?
I began working in the hospitality industry very young. My first job was in my neighbor’s pizza restaurant at 14 years old. I’ve always enjoyed helping others and working in the hospitality industry – everything from being a server to a restaurant manager has been natural for me. Once I started at NSU as an undergraduate student, I learned about the HMT degree through friends at work and quickly changed my major. I knew I found my place at NSU when I began HMT classes.
As a graduate of our HMT program, I am heavily invested in our program’s success. My undergraduate career enabled me to pursue my industry and academic journeys, so I was prepared to return to NSU and provide the same opportunities to our students. Although I never thought I would teach, one of my mentors, Chef Todd Barrios, always encouraged me to return to the program and become a faculty member. After teaching at Sabine Parish schools for several years, I reached out to Dr. Pat Pierson and Connie Jones and asked if there were any adjunct positions available. I began teaching Culinary Arts classes at night. In 2013, I became a full-time faculty member. Since then, I have taught Culinary Arts for five years, then progressed to management and tourism classes, and have now moved into my Department Head role.
I am most excited about what the HMT Department has achieved during my time as an administrator since 2022:
- Received funding recommendations from the LA Board of Regents for the Targeted Departmental Enhancement Program: “Enhancement of the Undergraduate Hospitality Management & Tourism (HMT) and Culinary Arts Program,” $135,017 in April 2025.
- Received inaugural accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), Spring 2024. We are the only four-year program in Louisiana with this accreditation.
- Began offering Dual Enrollment courses for Louisiana high school students in fall 2024 to aid with recruitment.
- Empowering students and broadening their industry knowledge and experience through international travel.
- Developing new degree concentrations and offerings to provide more exciting opportunities for students!
What advice would you give to others looking to advance in this industry?
My advice to others looking to advance in this industry is to gain as much experience as possible in the hospitality sector, seek a career mentor, and support the experience by seeking a four-year degree from an ACPHA accredited program. Our industry is extremely broad and includes the following areas (and many more): culinary arts, accommodations, food and beverage, entertainment, events, marketing, revenue management, and tourism- there’s a place for everyone in hospitality! Because all our NSU HMT faculty have industry experience, we continually guide our students toward their career goals.
