HTMT Advisory Council
The Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management's Advisory Council is made up of accomplished leaders, innovators and industry experts who generously share their time and insights to help shape the future of our programs and the student experience.
Lukus Grace, Council Chair
Lukus Grace is an accomplished hospitality executive with over 15 years of global leadership experience in luxury hotel operations. Born and raised in Long Island, New York, he developed a passion for creating memorable guest experiences early in his career in food and beverage. He currently serves as Managing Director of The Cooper, downtown ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s premier waterfront hotel and flagship of the Beemok Hospitality Collection. His career includes executive roles with Capella Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, and both The St. Regis and Thompson Buckhead in Atlanta. At Hotel Bel-Air, he led a team of 325, earning multiple top industry accolades. Grace holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and International Business from Fordham University and lives in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, South Carolina, with his wife and two children.
Terri Haack
A distinguished career spanning over 45 years in hotel and resort operations, development and real estate, Haack previously served as Senior Vice President of Lowe, her employer for 22 years (part owner of Wild Dunes Resort) and the former President of Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
A dedicated industry advocate, Haack is a current AHLA Board member, chairs its Educational Foundation Scholarship Committee, and is past chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. Her leadership and service have earned her numerous national honors, including the AHLA “Paving the Way” Award, HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Award, and recognition as one of Bisnow’s 2023 Power Women in Real Estate. Haack was also the first woman named Resort Executive of the Year. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.A. in Organizational Management.
Tommy Hall
Tommy is a Clemson University graduate who followed in his father’s hospitality footsteps and worked across in the United States in some of the country’s finest restaurants before coming home to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø in 2009 to help our family start Halls Chophouse ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. With the passing of my beloved Bill in 2020, Tommy assumed the role of CEO of Hall Management Group and he has successfully guided our restaurant and its 1,000+ employees. In 2022, Tommy led the company expansion to start the first restaurant outside of South Carolina. Halls Chophouse Nashville opened in 2022 and this fall, Halls Catch Nashville will open as our first seafood-focused concept venue. This latest addition brings our number of family-owned and operated restaurants to 10. Tommy currently serves on a handful of boards: MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, Explore ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Travel Council Member, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, and The LENS Foundation of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.
Michelle Woodhull
Michelle Widman Woodhull is the President of Charming Inns®, Inc., a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø-based, family-owned hotel management company specializing in historic inns and a restaurant since 1982. With over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Michelle began her career with Hyatt Hotels and Doubletree in the Chicago area before joining Charming Inns® in 1999. Over the past two decades, she has held numerous roles within the company, culminating in her appointment as President in 2019.
Michelle is deeply involved in the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø hospitality community. She served as President of the Lowcountry Hospitality Association from 2020 to 2021 and currently serves on its Board of Directors, as well as on the boards of the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Convention & Visitors Bureau and Palmetto Goodwill. She is also a member of the City of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Restaurant Advisory Group. Michelle holds a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University.
John LaVerne
John D. LaVerne, a native ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøian, fell in love with his profession during an internship with the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Tourism Dept. in his senior year at The Citadel. Giving tours was his first job out of college and years later he started his own company, Bulldog Tours, as a hobby. This hobby has grown to be ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s largest (and best) walking tour operation with 80+ employees and has been voted ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s “Best Tour Company” for fourteen years running.
He takes great pride his company’s commitment to sustainable tourism. A portion of all tour proceeds go to the preservation and restoration of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s historical landmarks and since founding Bulldog Tours, they have raised over $6M to help sustain several of our country’s most valuable historical treasures.
He serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Building Arts and the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Hospitality Tourism Management Department. He is also on the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Area Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Board of Governors.
He resides on Johns Island with his wife Rhonda, his son Jackson, and daughter Ava. As the owner of a business and the father of two small kids, John has no time for hobbies.
Additional members of the HTMT Advisory Council:
- Daniel Blumenstock
- Michael Gates
- Bill Lacey
- Nathan Rex
- Laurie Smith