Dr Kamilla Swart

Associate Professor - Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Kamilla Swart is an Associate Professor in the newly established Masters in Sport and Entertainment Management, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (a joint degree with the University of South Carolina). She served as Professor and Program Director of the Masters in Sport Management in the College of Business Administration, American University in the Emirates (AUE) from 2017-2019. Prior to joining AUE, she headed up the Centre for Tourism Research in Africa (CETRA), Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT, from 2003). Her research interests include sport, tourism and events, with a specific focus on mega-events, event policies, strategies, monitoring and evaluation, sustainability and women in sport. Her work has been focused on contributing to sport, tourism and event knowledge in the developing context, and in the global South in particular. Kamilla also serves as a Senior Research Associate, School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kamilla is a C3 National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher (established researcher with a sustained recent record of productivity in the field) in South Africa which she obtained in 2012. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, 25 book chapters and numerous conference presentations and technical reports related to sport tourism and mega-events. Kamilla co-authored the first U.S. text on sport tourism in 2002. She has co-edited three special issues on the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Kamilla served as Regional Editor (Africa) for the Journal of Destination Marketing and Management and was subsequently appointed as Associate Editor. She also serves on the editorial boards of International Journal of Sport Marketing & Sponsorship, Alternation and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.

Prof. Jay Hays

Professor Jay Hays is an international authority in individual, team, and organisational learning, along with recognised expertise in domains of leadership development, team-building, and change management. With a doctorate in education and having served in academic development and quality assurance roles, Jay is an educator’s educator, studying and teaching pedagogy and adult learning. Known as a wisdom scholar, Jay’s research in recent years has focused on the development of higher-order thinking skills and dispositions, with a stream of articles and book chapters published around what he and his colleagues refer to as RJRA—Reasoning, Judgement, and Reflective Action. The RJRA model continues to evolve as does Jay’s interest in one of its main elements: Critical Thinking and its development and measurement. Jay’s current work is in sustainability, specialising in sustainable learning and innovation, particularly important in an era of continuous and disruptive change. The dovetailing of these topics is evident in Jay’s recent publications concerning creativity and criticality, sustainable learning and education, and critical learnership.

As an academic, Professor Hays has 15+ years teaching and senior management and administrative experience. He is author of two books, two research monographs, and over 60 peer-reviewed articles; creator of numerous industry and academic innovations; and recipient of international awards and recognition for service, teaching, and scholarship. Jay is acknowledged by colleagues and students as an exceptional teacher, his teaching wholistic, immersive, experiential, and participative, designed to promote creativity, autonomy, and love of learning. Jay is an advocate of Work-Integrated Learning, and has instituted and expanded programs in the US and in Australia. In addition to the practical merits of WIL, such as preparing for professional employment upon graduation and development of key generic skills, Jay has a keen interest in Service Learning and other strategies to foster development of citizenship, democratic values, service, and social ethics.

In the private and public sectors, Jay has over 10 years international leadership, program management, and cross-cultural experience, having lived and worked in Asia, Australia, Dubai, Europe, New Zealand, North America, and Africa. Making the most of his training, research in socioecological systems, and international work experience, Professor Hays is currently engaged in sustainable development initiatives with worldwide application. His mission in life is to help others become more than they ever thought possible.