Rod Warnick
Professor
Rod Warnick, Ph.D., is a professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management at UMass Amherst specializing in club management, tourism economics, and experiential leadership education. His work connects applied research with industry practice, particularly in private clubs, event economic impact, recreation, sport and tourism trends, and student career placement. He is widely recognized for advancing club management education and placing students in leading hospitality organizations.
Education
Academic Appointments
Recent Honors / Awards
Research Interests
Teaching Interests
- Survey Design
- Research Process in Hospitality
- Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
- Trend Analysis in Recreation, Sports and Tourism
- Consumer Behavior
- Economic Impacts and Significance
- Services Marketing and Tourism Marketing
- Market Planning
- Club Management
- Integrated Marketing Communication
- Hospitality and Club Leadership
Selected Working Papers/Current Research
Swing and Misses: Golf Simulators and the Generation Gap at Western Golf Club (case study publication)
Fred Lee Revisited: Membership, Marketing and Relevance in 2026 (case study publication)
Economic Impact Assessments: Lessons from Great New England Air Show
Media, Industry, and Public Impact
Consulting & Industry Engagement
- Economic impact studies (Laguna SECA Raceway; ongoing and GNEAS and WIAS)
- Management in Motion (CMAA and Corby Enterprises with Monticello Driving Club)
- Resort consulting (Smugglers’ Notch Resort)
- Club governance and membership advisory (NYC Club project)
- AI and financial analytics in hospitality (RisaTech.AI review)
- Holistic Wellness and Club Innovation (Impossible Pilates – Rose Project, California)
- Epic Pass Concept Project (Eternal Golf Pass for Public Golf Operations)
- Engineering Project – Design and Implementation of XPickle Concept (Pickleball Court & Scoring System)
- Club Reviews (UMass Audit Reviews – UMass Dining).
- Past Business Educator in Marketing for PGA and Researcher for LPGA.
Student Outcomes & Placement Impact
- Consistently placement in leadership cohorts in clubs and hospitality cohorts – approaching 100%.
- Placement network spanning 125+ private clubs and resorts.
- Strong placement across New England and Northeast clubs (Summer 2026)
- Engagement with Industry through targeted seasonal externships and unique placements in New England & US Clubs (The Country Club, Harvard Club, Augusta National, Nantucket Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Club, Atlanta Athletic Club and Discovery Land Clubs); South Florida Clubs (Mirasol, IBIS, Lost Tree, Royal Palm, Admirals Cove), New York Clubs (NYAC, Westerchester Country Club, Sleepy Hollow Country Club) and Mid-Atlantic Clubs (Chevy Chase Club and Farmington Country Club)
- Creator of national student profile publications used by recruiters in leadership and club management – on-going publication for clubs for 13 years and leadership for 10 years.
Scholarships & Career Pipeline Leadership
- Guided students to major scholarships, including NECMA and Club Foundation awards
- Ongoing leadership of CMAA student development and industry pipelines
- Guides and refers students to national and regional scholarships offered by Club Foundation, Ouimet Scholarship and management workshops/experiences.
Professional Links
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=search_authors&mauthors=rod+warnick+umass&hl=en&oi=ao
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodwarnick/
Selected Publications
Warnick, R.B. (2024–2025). Case Study Stories in Club Management – Update. Alexandria, Virgina: Club Management Association of America and the CMAA Club Foundation. 298 pages.
Legendre, T.S. Baker, M., Warnick, R. and Assaf, A. 2020. “Worldview-based Hospitality Brand Support: Belief in a Just Work Theory Perspectives.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 32 (3): 1089-1107.
Bojanic, David; and Rodney B. Warnick. 2020. “The Relationship between a
County’s Level ofTourism and Environmental Performance.” Journal of Travel
Research. 59 (2): 220-230.
Shin, Tiffany Jungyoung, Elizabeth Cartier, and Rodney B. Warnick. 2019. “Impact of Event Brand Experience on Memory Formation Process: The Great New England Air Show.” Market Intelligence and Planning. 38 (1): 15-31.
Warnick, R.B., Bojanic, D.C., & Cartier, E. (2017). Economic Impact Measurement Techniques for Tourism Events. Journal of Travel Research.
Kelly, J. & Warnick, R.B. (1999). Recreation Trends and Markets: The 21st Century
Klar, L. & Warnick, R. (1988). Massachusetts Outdoors: For Our Common Good (Massachusetts Recreation -SCORP – Two Volume Publication, Massachusetts Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan – creation of the GIS data for MA SCORP – Massachusetts Department of Environment Affairs).