Junehee Kwon

Dr. Junehee Kwon serves as Professor and Department Head of the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management department within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), a position she assumed in August 2022 after holding professorial roles at Kansas State University and Texas Woman's University.

She earned her Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Seoul National University (1991) and Master's/PhD degrees in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management from Iowa State University (1995, 1999). Her pre-academic career included administrative dietitian roles in Seoul and foodservice management positions at Iowa State University.

Her research program focuses on critical food system challenges, with primary expertise in food safety protocols, food allergy management, sustainability practices, food security frameworks, and consumer behavior analysis within hospitality contexts. These interconnected domains drive her extensive publication record exceeding 50 scholarly articles.

Dr. Kwon has secured over $5.2 million in competitive funding, including two UTK grants totaling $790,000 for food security/sustainability initiatives using food4VOLS, and currently leads three federal grants: a food security certificate program (2024-2027), sustainability education integration (2021-2025), and local beef producer support systems (2021-2024). She actively mentors graduate students and faculty in research development and grantsmanship.

She directs the food4VOLS initiative and oversees grant-funded projects developing food safety training for diverse stakeholders, food allergy curricula for academic programs, and school foodservice reimbursement evaluations, demonstrating applied research impact across community and industry settings.