SHL Alumni Profile: Chelsey Leffet

A Delaware native, I toured East Carolina University (ECU) looking for a great campus, friendly people, seasoned professors, and a great Hospitality Management program. What I found was an excellent place to start my college career at what is now called the School of Hospitality Leadership. As students, we were introduced to the hotel industry through lectures, presentations, and internships that were offered. Luckily, I was able to turn my favorite class with Dr. O’Halloran into a full-time career following graduation. Dr. O’Halloran’s personal guidance provided me with senior-level connections at Hospitality Valuation Services (HVS), the world’s top hospitality consulting firm. Within months of graduating, I landed an internship with HVS in the Philadelphia/Wilmington office. Shortly thereafter, I was offered a full-time position as a consulting and valuation associate within the same HVS office, which kick-started my full-time professional career in the hotel industry.

I went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree through ECU’s online program relatively quickly, as I had already completed many of the prerequisites during my undergraduate time at ECU. Simultaneously, I worked to complete the Appraisal Institute coursework, examinations, and logging of sufficient experience hours in order to receive my General Real Estate Appraiser License, which happened during the same month that I graduated from ECU with an MBA in 2015.

I have since moved to Washington, D.C. to help open one of HVS’s newest offices, and beginning in January 2017, I will serve on the “Under 30 Gateway” committee for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA). I feel a great sense of accomplishment already in my career, much of which I can attribute to the experiences, coursework, professors’ guidance, and friendships at ECU.

Chelsey Leffet
Vice President, HVS
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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• School of Hospitality Leadership

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