Craig Youdale’s professional career began in the culinary world of his hometown of Ottawa. The path began with restaurants across our Nation’s Capital including an apprenticeship at the prestigious Fairmont Chateau Laurier. This culinary expertise brought him to lead key restaurants in Calgary before a new educational journey began in 1995 where he became a professor in the Culinary Programs at Holland College in Prince Edward Island. Craig went on to complete his MBA at Guelph University in his time as a professor, but also taught culinary students in Sichuan, China for a summer. His career allowed him to the opportunity to promote Canadian cuisine across the country, and around the globe, including Japan, Chile, Germany, France, UK and USA.

His dedication to the highest standards led him to manage and mentor our National Junior Culinary Team to 3 Culinary Olympics and 5 World Championships garnering 3 Olympic Gold Medals and a World Championship in Glasgow in 2007. Craig came to Niagara College in 2009 as the Associate Dean and soon become the Dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute in early 2013. In that time, he has overseen the launching of programs in Baking Pastry, Culinary Innovation and Food Technology, Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management, and Artisan Distilling program.

The Ontario Hostelry Institute honoured Craig with its Gold Medal in Education in 2017 as well as winning the 2018 Spirit of Niagara Award in Hospitality for his contribution to the Niagara region. His dedication to culinary world in Canada led him to be named to the Honour Society of the Canadian Culinary Federation in 2018 and the Academy of Chefs for the American Culinary Federation in 2019.

In 2022 Niagara College moved the School of Hospitality and Tourism under the leadership of Craig to create a more comprehensive division with three schools including the School of Wine Beer and Spirits and the renowned School of Culinary Arts.

Dr. Caroline Chabert Delio is the Associate Dean of Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies at Niagara College, Ontario. She is a senior academic leader with more than 20 years of combined experience in higher education and the hospitality, tourism, and events industries.

Since joining Niagara College in 2024, Dr. Chabert Delio has provided academic leadership focused on student success, curriculum excellence, industry engagement, and program innovation. She is committed to developing high-quality learning experiences that prepare graduates for leadership in the culinary, tourism, hospitality, and beverage sectors.
Prior to joining Niagara College, Dr. Chabert Delio held several leadership positions at IPAG Business School in France, including Program Director for the Bachelor of Business Administration, Head of International Master’s Dual Degree Programs, and Head of the International Office. She also taught marketing, hospitality, tourism, innovation, and project management at business schools and universities in France and internationally, including China.

Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Chabert Delio built a successful career in the international hospitality, tourism, and events industries. She managed large-scale projects, international partnerships, and global client accounts for organizations including Kuoni Group, with professional experience in both France and the United Kingdom. Her industry background brings a practical, global perspective to academic leadership and program development.

Dr. Chabert Delio holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the IAE at Université Côte d’Azur (2020), where her research explored travellers’ attitudes and behaviours through the application of big data analytics. Her scholarly interests include marketing, consumer behaviour, tourism, hospitality management, innovation, and experiential learning, and she continues to contribute to research and academic publications.

Bilingual in English and French, Dr. Chabert Delio is passionate about fostering meaningful partnerships with industry and international institutions, advancing applied education, and creating innovative academic programs that equip students with the knowledge, skills, and global perspective needed to thrive in an evolving industry.

Adam Weaver was raised in Ancaster, Ontario – a town outside of Hamilton. He received his BA (Honours) from Queen’s University and his Master’s and PhD from the University of Toronto. Adam’s studies were in human geography.

Between 2003 and 2016, he taught tourism management in the School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. He regularly taught a first-year course as well as upper-year courses that addressed tourist behaviour, recent advances in tourism scholarship, and qualitative research methods. He served as director of the undergraduate degree program in tourism management and as a deputy head of the School of Management.

More recently, at Niagara College, Adam served as an Associate Dean in the School of Business and Management. He routinely teaches introductory courses as well as ones that address hospitality technology and entrepreneurship. His scholarly interests include cruise tourism, tourism marketing, and retailing activities connected with tourism. Adam’s research has been published in scholarly journals such as Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Analysis, International Journal of Tourism Research, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Tourism Geographies, and Current Issues in Tourism.

Brian’s career in the Hospitality and Tourism industry started over twenty years ago here in Niagara working summer jobs on Clifton Hill and at the Sheraton Fallsview hotel. This is where he realized his calling for this industry.

He attended the University of Guelph where he received his Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Upon graduation he was selected into the Leadership Development Program at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort in British Columbia. Throughout his career he has worked in a variety of leadership roles in exotic destinations such as the Caribbean, Hawaii and Dubai. In 2006, Brian joined the Niagara College team. He is a firm believer in the applied learning environment and prides himself on his ability to build relationships with his students. Brian is a supporter of Be World Ready experiences at Niagara College. He has lead student trips to Walt Disney World, France and Ireland. In 2015, he was recognized as a Niagara Champion for his commitment to recruitment and going above and beyond for potential new students. In 2016, he was awarded the Educator of the Year Award which is voted by the students.

Dr. Clark’s interest for tourism related research developed early in her career as an undergraduate at Brock University, St. Catharines.

Tourism research activities continued through employment with local and provincial government organizations as well as academia. Her passion for research and the critical investigation of hospitality and tourism issues is practiced through teaching research methods courses to future management professionals in the Bachelor of Business Administration (Hospitality).

Education

• Brock University
• University of Waterloo
• University of New South Wales, Australia

Scholarly Interests

Consumer Behaviour (attitudes, motivation, decision making), traveler behavior, marketing and communication, events and tourism research issues

Agnes Nowaczek was originally raised in Poland and immigrated to Canada with her parents at the age of fourteen. She learned English as she entered high school and completed her education in Ontario. She received her BA (First-Class Honours) from Brock University and her MA and PhD from the University of Waterloo.

Agnes’s studies were in outdoor recreation and planning, with strong focus on sustainable tourism and ecotourism. Outside of academia, Agnes is an Ecotourism Consultant and TICO Certified Travel Counsellor, aiming to create deeper connections between travelers and nature. She has completed projects in Poland, Peru, Costa Rica and North America, all centered around sustainable tourism, and ecotourism in particular. Her professional and academic interests focus on visitor behaviour and management, experiential education and transformational visitor experiences, codes of conduct, ecotourism ethics, policy planning, program design and evaluation. Agnes is currently pursuing several projects related to her earlier work on experiential education for students, as well as new projects examining the authenticity of ecotourism activities and building regional identity and resilience. She is very passionate about incorporating holistic worldviews into education and research, such as Indigenous and Aboriginal perspectives. To support her colleagues, Agnes serves as the reviewer of peer-reviewed journals and books, and as the Associate Editor for the Journal of Ecotourism. She is one of the founding board members of the North American Global Ecotourism Network (NAGEN).

Kristina Inman is a Professor of Hospitality, Food and Beverage and teaches into all of the programs in the School of Hospitality and Tourism, where you will find her teaching most often in the sensory lab. She is a certified CAPS Sommelier and a certified TAC Tea Sommelier who graduated with distinction from the University of Toronto with a double degree in History and Celtic Studies and a minor in Cinema Studies.

Kristina previously spent ten years working in the wine industry in Niagara, including restaurant management at Peller Estates and as the retail manager at Trius Winery. She was the lead Sommelier at both properties. Her other education and experience comes from many years of travelling through the wine, beer and culinary destinations of the world, and she furthermore spent time living and working at a bistro café in Galway, Ireland.

More recently, Kristina received accreditation as a French Wine Scholar [FWS] and completed her Loire Valley Masters with the Wine Scholar Guild, both with honours. Kristina is an accomplished writer whose publications include magazine articles, a newspaper column and blogs for beverage associations.
She has been nominated numerous times for Educator of the Year by her students and she is proud to be part of the Niagara College faculty team.

Throughout her experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, Mary has held a variety of strategic management roles within world class hotels and resorts in Vancouver, Whistler and Hawaii. Since residing in Niagara, she has gained experience from working at prestigious wineries and a craft brewery as a leader in hospitality sales and service.

Mary has recently graduated from Royal Roads University in Victoria with a Master of Arts degree in Tourism Management. Most importantly, her career has led her to discover a passion for teaching young professionals where she can share her experiences from the industry in an academic setting. In her spare time, Mary loves spending time with her family locally and in her hometown of Vancouver, golfing, running, cooking, exploring the outdoors and discovering new places.

Osvaldo Avila was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1995, he graduated from Sergio Perez College from the Technical Hospitality Arts Program. Following his graduation, he proceeded to work at such renowned places as the Hotel Meliá Cohíba, Morro Cabaña Resort, and the Tocororo Restaurant.

In 1998 he was presented with the opportunity of travelling to Spain where he attended the University of Saint Paul de Mar for post-graduate courses. His academic travels continued onward to Niagara College in Canada and then to the Pan-American University of Mexico in Mexico City. Upon his return to Cuba, Osvaldo worked in the Japanese Embassy in Havana.

In 2002, he came to Canada and since then has become a Canadian citizen. He started his career in Canada at Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino and Resort since its opening in 2004. Osvaldo joined Niagara College, Canada in 2008. Since that time, Osvaldo has taken on a variety of new and exciting challenges within the College’s academic division, and the International Division serving as a Senior Education Advisor for Niagara College’s Education for Employment projects.

Osvaldo holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Strategic Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management as well as several diploma and certificate-level specializations in business and culinary arts.

Steve Carroll is an award-winning educator and full-time Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at Niagara College. A graduate of the University of Calgary, Steve also holds a Masters Degree in Sport Management from the University of Ottawa and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with Canadian Society of Association Executives.

In addition to serving as Executive Director of Golf Ontario, Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of Canada and the Ontario Volleyball Association, he held the same staff leadership position with the PGA of BC and was part of the management team with Golf Canada and The Portage Group, a management consulting firm for associations and not-for-profits. As a college educator, Steve began his teaching career in the fall of 2017 and was recognized and honoured as Part-Time Educator of the Year at Niagara College for 2019.

Steve’s volunteer activities in Niagara Region include Venue Lead for Golf at the 2022 Canada Games and is currently a member with the Niagara Hospitality Human Resources Professionals Association.

With a healthy dedication to the evolving Spa and Wellness Industry, Susan has developed many genuine and everlasting relationships with numerous high profile industry partners, both domestically and internationally.

Susan has a passion for education and training and is highly motivated and dedicated to achieving the highest of student satisfaction. Her enthusiasm and determination is demonstrated by a creative teaching style that encourages an exceptional practical based learning. Susan embraces the multi-faceted Spa Industry and continues to stay current with the newest trends in service protocols as well as product science and technology.

Education

• University of Waterloo
• Gina’s School of Aesthetics and Electrolysis
• North American School of Podiatry (NASP)
• Oncology Training International
• Institute DerMed
• Intercosmetics Spa Technology

Scholarly Interests

Product and Ingredient Knowledge with a Scientific base, Practical Based Learning Best Practices, Accessible Education, Infection Control, Advanced Skin Care Practices, Medical Spa Innovations

Ms. Maurice is the Coordinator/Professor of the Esthetician Program. Her education is with Brock University, Canisius College, University of California Irvine Extension and the LubaMera School of Esthetics.

A passionate interest in the beauty and wellness industry along with the commitment to student success is what inspires Lisa Maurice to design the best program for student skill development and professional Spa experience. She has continued to expand her range of expertise by pursuing her Certification in Hospitality and Spa Management, Oncology Esthetics, Medical & Laser as well as many other leading edge wellness therapies. She is ever mindful of the rapid change in the world of Hospitality especially Esthetics and networks with professionals in North America and Europe to constantly bring global trends and knowledge back to the program. Lisa’s scholarly interests include Education and Curriculum Development and Trends; Hospitality and Spa Operations; Advanced Skin Care Technologies; Holistic Esthetics.