Jeff Christensen is a bilingual executive leader with a passion for international collaboration, academic excellence, and achieving results. He has a strong background in the travel and hospitality industry, having traveled to 102 countries (several of which he has lived in). Throughout his career, he has successfully assisted global travel leaders in expanding their international market share through adaptive marketing, localization, and experience design.
Jeff's executive leadership roles included managing multimillion-dollar budgets while working with esteemed global clients like Expedia, InterContinental Hotels Group, United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Netflix, and Royal Caribbean. He also had the privilege of assisting with the rebranding of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express as well as the launch of Hotel Indigo and Hualuxe, the first global hotel brand created specifically for Chinese business travelers.
In addition to his industry experience, Jeff brings a wealth of academic expertise. He has liaised with government officials and professional organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region to build tourism-related businesses, lead rebranding and development projects, and provide comprehensive training on destination marketing, management, cultural heritage preservation, tour operations, and more. His commitment to regenerative practices has contributed to the success of various tourism-related initiatives across the South Pacific, which includes serving as a contributor to sustainable tourism policies.
Jeff is equally proud of his contributions to the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program at BYU-Hawaii. Through curriculum enhancements and other changes, he played a leading role in securing the program’s debut on the prestigious list of the "50 Best Hospitality Management Programs in the US," ranking #16 out of 300+ programs in 2023.
Jeff also mentors multiple student clubs, organizations, and entrepreneurs, and has an unparalleled track record of first, second, and third place wins in the campus's bi-annual entrepreneurship competitions. Additionally, he helped create BYUH's first culinary arts program in collaboration with celebrity chef Felix Tai and the Polynesian Cultural Center, combining cultural heritage preservation and culinary excellence.