DEDICATED CONTRIBUTOR
2017 ISPA CONFERENCE & EXPO
have been tough to develop a compre-
hensive spa management curriculum.
Without my ISPA family, launching and
making our on-campus spa a success
would have been a much more difficult
task. ISPA helped me achieve many of
the tasks I faced after reentering the
industry as a professor. ISPA helps me
succeed every day so, naturally, I wanted
to do my part to help ISPA succeed.
What was the most rewarding part
of compiling the ISPA Academy?
With a project this size, I think the launch
in March was the most rewarding. We
had been working on the project for
nearly two years, so to finally see the
fruits of our labor was very exciting. To
finally have a comprehensive collection of
spa industry resources all in one place is
really fantastic.
Who do you hope benefits from the
ISPA Academy?
I think anyone interested in the spa
industry will benefit from the ISPA
Academy. The resource contains so much
interesting and enlightening content, that
I believe anyone from new students to
seasoned industry leaders can learn
something. Academy content, including
textbooks, industry articles, research,
inspirations, and the new Spa Offerings
(treatments and services) Encyclopedia
content (found in the “Glossary Terms”
section) has informative and inspirational
content for all.
What do you think is one of the
biggest hurdles the spa industry
currently faces?
Limited growth in the number of
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August 2017
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36)
academic programs available to educate
future spa leaders in an industry that
continues to grow at a rapid pace.
As an educator, you get the oppor-
tunity to teach the future leaders in
the spa industry. What is one
common trait you see in the
spa leaders of
tomorrow?
Passion for wellness
and the desire to help
people live healthier
lives. When I started
in the industry spa-
ing was a luxury. I love
that today’s spa
management students
understand that spa services are
an important part of a wellness
lifestyle, not just a luxury.
huge smile on my face and enthusiasti-
cally jump to my feet. Her business-sense,
philanthropic efforts, wellness activism,
support of the arts, energy-level at age 95,
and her prominent place in spa industry
history makes her my favorite part of any
ISPA Conference.
This year’s ISPA
Conference & Expo
theme is IGNITE.
What do you hope
your work will
“IGNITE” in the
future leaders of
the spa industry?
As an educator, it is
always my desire to IGNITE
Deborah Szekely is a
student passions and I do this
major inspirational figure
primarily
through teaching,
for Dr. Wisnom.
research, and sharing infor-
mation. My work with ISPA has included
committee volunteering, textbook editing,
Who was the most influential ISPA
speaker mentoring, and, of course, the
Conference & Expo speaker you’ve
recent work developing the ISPA
ever seen?
Although I’ve been inspired by many ISPA Academy. It is my hope that my work
with ISPA will kindle the flames of
Conference speakers over the years, the
individual that most inspires me year-after- knowledge for my fellow spa industry
year is Deborah Szekely. Whenever she
enthusiasts and IGNITE their passion to
enters the stage I, like many others, get a
never stop learning. n
WHAT MAKES A DEDICATED CONTRIBUTOR TICK?
Dive deeper into Dr. Wisnom’s personality at pulse.experienceispa.com.
2017 ISPA
CONFERENCE & EXPO
Join the rest of the ISPA community as we recognize
Dr. Wisnom for her contributions.
GENERAL SESSION H TUESDAY, OCT. 17
9:30 – 11 a.m.