Alecia Douglas, PhD profile and information

Short Bio

Dr. Alecia C. Douglas is an associate professor at Auburn University's Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management, where she has been teaching since August 2008. She holds a Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Hospitality Information Management from the University of Delaware. In 2025, Dr. Douglas was appointed as the Mike and Leanne Rowe Professorship in International Studies for the academic year 2025-2026. Previously, she was honored as both an SEC Academic Leadership Development Fellow (2024-2025) and a Hanover Grant Academy Fellow (2023-2024). Dr. Douglas has been honored with numerous internal research and teaching grants, such as the Auburn University Intramural Grant, the Breeden Endowment Grant, and two AUX Immersive Grants. Her research focuses on the impact of emerging technologies on the hospitality and tourism business practices and education. She has published numerous research manuscripts in leading hospitality and tourism journals and presented her research at both national and international conferences. According to Google Scholar, her work has received over 3,139 citations. Additionally, her scholarly work has earned her awards for research conference presentations. Most recently, her doctoral student earned an international research conference award with Dr. Douglas as a co-author. During her tenure, she has served as the major professor for twelve doctoral students and eight master’s students. Since joining Auburn University, Dr. Douglas has been dedicated to enhancing educational experiences through high-impact, experiential learning initiatives. These include longstanding programs such as The Hospitality Gala (2008-2024) and The Epicurean Tour of Northern California (2010-present). A recipient of the 2025 AUX Immersive Grant, Dr. Douglas leads the development of a virtual simulated environment to the increase experiential learning of live events concepts in a controlled setting. Dr. Douglas has extensive experience designing and leading immersive study travel programs, both nationally and internationally. She has accompanied students to international destinations such as the Bahamas and France to explore alternative tourism and destination marketing. Her latest Auburn Abroad program developed focused on the study of live events in Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Douglas actively serves several international organizations, including the Caribbean Tourism Researchers Network (CTRN) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Through her service, she has co-designed and co-led a tourism data workshop, helping to upskill more than 40 tourism professionals from the CTO's 32 member countries.