Moira McDonald joined Royal Roads University in 2016 as the program head for the Bachelor of Arts in International Hotel Management and the Bachelor of Arts in Global Tourism Management second-year programming. With twenty years of experience in academia and the hospitality and tourism industries, her senior-level hospitality experience and teaching experience provide exciting classroom discussion, problem-based learning and discovery, relevant topic analysis and inquiry. In 2019, McDonald accepted the duties of program head, overseeing the third and fourth year programming of the Bachelor of Arts in International Hotel Management (BA IHM) program. In July 2023, McDonald became the Tourism and Hospitality Management School's Director and continues in that role. In April 2025, Moira accepted the duties as program head for the Master of Arts, Tourism Management graduate studies program.
McDonald is passionate about teaching and supporting a sense of belonging for undergraduate and graduate students. Her research interests include generative AI in education and tourism, intercultural adult education, and leadership practice in hospitality and tourism. Focusing on leadership, her research area includes women executives’ pathways to success, mentorship in the workplace, and internationalization at home.
Experience
Before joining Royal Roads University in 2016, McDonald held senior-level leadership positions in the luxury brand sector of the hotel industry as director of operations in city and resort properties, and executive director for the Global Reservations Center for Accor Hotels, earlier with Four Seasons Hotels, and in academia at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology in the nation’s capital.
McDonald has a penchant for understanding consumer behaviours and guest-centred growth opportunities. Driven by sales and revenue growth, McDonald led and developed fellow hoteliers. McDonald led a company-wide transition from the United States-based global reservation call centre to a successful Canadian-based operation in Atlantic Canada with a team of hotel management and technology professionals chosen from across Canada.
She holds a Doctor of Education (EdD), specializing in educational research and adult learning theory, focusing on academic cultural preparedness, a Master of Arts in Tourism Management, and a Diploma in Hospitality Management. In 2023, McDonald was awarded the Kelly Outstanding Teaching Award. McDonald's dissertation was nominated for the Patricia Cranton Transformative Learning Theory Award and the George L. Geiss Dissertation Award.
Education
2024
Doctor of Education
University of Calgary
2015
Master of Arts in Tourism Management
Royal Roads University
Awards
2015
Ted Wilson Memorial Award for Lifelong Learning
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2023
Kelly Outstanding Teaching Award
The Kelly Outstanding Teaching Awards recognize teachers who promote Royal Roads' learner-centred philosophy and make positive contributions to teaching excellence.
Publications
McDonald, M. A. (2024). Cultural preparedness of adult educators: A changing dynamic in higher education [Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada]. Open Theses and Dissertations. https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118101
McDonald, M., Noble, M., Cortes, V., Jeffery, K., Harris, B. (February 2024, in press). Fostering a Teaching and Learning Opportunity, Toward Equity in Student Feedback of Teaching. Papers on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching.
McDonald, M. (2023). The importance of playing with your qualitative data: Get messy! In D. Hamilton, E. Childs, & R. Kool (Eds.), Active Learning for Real-World Inquiry. Royal Roads University.
McDonald, M., & Wilson-Mah, R. (2022). The role of mentorship in internships. Papers on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, 5, 42-50. https://doi.org/10.11575/pplt.v5i.73268
McDonald, M.A., & Wilson-Mah, R. (2020, May 2-4) Student perspectives on the role of mentors in internship [Presentation]. Taylor Institute, University of Calgary 2020 7th Annual Conference, Mentorship in Higher Education, Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, Calgary, AB, Canada. (Covid-19 Update: postponed until May 2021)
McDonald, M.A., Cortes, V., & McNab, D. (2021, May 31). Women in executive leadership roles, post-pandemic views and successful pathways, an appreciative inquiry.
McDonald, M. A. (2019, June 1-4). A changing dynamic: Cultural preparedness of adult educators. [Research Round Table presentation]. 38th CASAE Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
McDonald, M.A. (2017, May 2-3) Why a sense of belonging matters–the international student experience [Workshop]. Taylor Institute, University of Calgary 2017 5th Annual Conference, Conversations That Matter, Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, Calgary, AB, Canada.
