IU Northwest business professor recognized for excellence in hospitality

Jokima Hiller began her career in hotels and was recently named a global influencer in hospitality

Hotels have a certain magic to them. You come back to your room after a long day, and the bed is made. You sit down for a full breakfast without swiping your credit card on your way out. Sometimes, the mini fridge is stocked with goodies.

Hotels make things happen, and so does Jokima Hiller.

Ever since she was young, the assistant professor of management has felt a special connection to these places. Her father was in the military, and that meant frequent hotel stays.

“If someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I could at least articulate that I wanted to work in one of those magical places,” she said.

Now, as a hospitality professional and academic, Hiller knows the work that goes on behind the scenes to make magic for guests. Her career in hospitality started when she was just 15, and her straight-A report card earned her a position as a human resources clerk. Before she was old enough to drive a car, she worked at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville.

From there, Hiller was all in. She earned her degree in restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management and was recruited to rescue a struggling hotel in Indianapolis. Hiller succeeded, building a strong team and mentoring an assistant manager who was ready to take the reins.

“It was time for me to move out of the way and do something else,” Hiller said. “But a general manager of a hotel is the epitome of being in the industry.”

Unsure where to go next, she called her mother for some guidance.

“My mom said, ‘I think you’re missing your calling. You think you need to be in a hotel; I think you need to be teaching it,’” Hiller recalled.

So, Hiller started her search for job openings in education and found a culinary college looking for someone to start a bachelor’s program in hospitality and restaurant management. Hiller ticked all the boxes.

Today, Hiller is all in on education. After earning her doctorate in hospitality management, she returned to her roots in Northwest Indiana to take a position in the School of Business and Economics at Indiana University Northwest.

Jokima Hiller, an assistant professor of management at Indiana University Northwest, was featured on the cover of the August 2026 issue of Global Hospitality magazine.

Her hard work in academia hasn’t gone unnoticed. In August, she was named among the Global 100 Influential Educators in Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.

“I look at other recipients and the institutions they work for, and these are all universities that are top-notch in hospitality,” she said. “It feels really good. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not just for me; it’s for our department and the university.”

Hiller was also recently published in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, an achievement she’s particularly excited about.

“The Cornell Hospitality Quarterly was the only journal I had access to before becoming an educator. I never imagined that one day I would have something in that journal,” she said.

Here at home, Hiller is continuing to share her expertise with the IU Northwest community. Along with a committee, she’s helping to design a brand-new minor in hospitality management, which includes an events planning and management course.

“The city of Gary has the Hard Rock Casino and has been approved for a convention center and hotels, so we need someone in the business department with that background,” she said. “I want to make sure this course is current, and we’ll kick off our first meeting in October.”

This new minor isn’t just for students who want to manage a hotel one day. Hiller said the things you learn in hospitality are applicable to nearly any industry.

“You also walk away with a beautiful, grounded foundation in customer service, and we all have customers in some fashion,” she said. “I want students to know how to treat people. Above all else, they need social intelligence.”

Hiller is dedicated to helping students learn whether they’re sitting in her classroom or not. Beyond teaching, she’s written books on hospitality and hosts a podcast, “Your Hospitality Moment that Mentors.”

“I’m going to do my best every day, all day. I’m doing everything I can because I want to impact everybody,” Hiller said.

With a wealth of knowledge and professional accolades to prove it, there’s no one better to bring that hospitality magic to IU Northwest.