FEATURED
ALUMNI
Claudia Alvarado’s career has taken several interesting and unexpected turns. She went from being a premed student during her freshman year in college, to working in human resources and education roles before falling in love with the hospitality field and data analytics. There were many things that CLAUDIA ALVARADO drew her to hospitality. BSBA in Hospitality, 2012 | One of her favorite MS in Business Analytics, 2015 aspects was the surprise factor. Whether operation focused work or research, each day brought new challenges and accomplishments. In addition, there was always something to learn from guests and coworkers. Alvarado gives a lot of credit to the school for preparing her to be successful. The hands-on approach she received via her classes and internship requirements were crucial in helping her get a better understanding of the industry. While at Fritz Knoebel, she discovered her strengths and weaknesses and was able to explore areas within the field she had never considered before, like housekeeping and human resources. After graduation, Alvarado worked as Housekeeping Supervisor at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Her time at Sheraton contributed to her development as a professional, she learned to appreciate the complexity of running a hotel and what value each associate brought to the company. She was particularly blown away by the passion with which the team in the housekeeping department accomplished daily tasks. After several years in the workforce, Alvarado decided to go back to school and supplement her hospitality experience with an MS in Business Analytics from the Daniels College of Business. Since completing her MS in 2015, Alvarado has worked as a manager in the consulting and analytics department at STR Analytics. In her current role, she engages in research and looks at emerging market trends, oil markets, special events, Airbnb, the Marriott-Starwood merger, OTAs and work conditions in hotels. Her published articles can be found at HotelNewsNow.com. 14
Knoebel News | Fall 2017
While still a student in Fritz Knoebel, Brianna Borin interned and worked for Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, created by alum Jon Schlegel (HRTM 1997). After graduation, Borin began her career with Snooze as an assistant manager. She has worked through a variety of roles over the last nine years as the group has grown within Colorado and expanded BRIANNA BORIN to Texas, Arizona, and BSBA in Hotel, Restaurant & California. Borin is currently the company’s VP of Teaching, Tourism Management, 2009 Leadership and Coaching. Her professional role is well aligned with her support for local businesses and the growth of downtown Denver. Borin was recently recognized for her advocacy work with the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Peter Bowes Award, which recognizes outstanding dedication to public service and leadership. Her initial engagement with the Partnership was through its Downtown Denver Leadership Program back in 2012. Borin was awarded the John Parr Leadership Award and was elected Class Trustee. Her experience in the program drove her deeper involvement through which she sought to have a greater impact on Denver and become more involved in her adopted home (Borin is originally from Cheyenne, WY). This desire to become more involved was realized through the Partnership’s CityBuild program. “CityBuild has a huge impact on young civic leaders and their ability to find a home in civic engagement,” says Borin. “It’s the reason I am as committed to the Partnership as I am because I recognize the tremendous impact the program is making.” In addition to leading the CityBuild initiative, Borin serves on the Partnership’s Denver Civic Ventures Board of Directors and Downtown Denver Leadership Program Alumni Association. Lest you think these activities have prevented Borin from being involved in Fritz Knoebel, they have not. Since graduating, she has served as a panelist on a variety of career development panels for Fritz Knoebel students, participates annually as a mentor in the Ann & David Hoffman LEAD Mentorship Program, and regularly attends other Fritz Knoebel events.
