Derek De Salvia, a two-time UCF graduate, is executive vice president and chief customer officer for Hilton Grand Vacations, where he is responsible for more than 200 resorts across 10 countries, 9,400 employees and $1.4 billion in revenue. He arrived at UCF in 1999 and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing.
His student years were marked by loss. Weeks before his first year began, his best friend died of an asthma attack, and a month later his brother George, an Orlando police officer, was killed in the line of duty at 29. De Salvia credits UCF faculty and administration with keeping him on track that semester so he did not have to drop classes or change his plans.
In 2004 he established the George De Salvia Memorial Endowed Scholarship at UCF, and he returned in 2009 to earn a master's in management. He resigned from his job two days after graduating and went on to spend eight years with Disney overseeing Vacation Club sales and marketing before joining Hilton Grand Vacations. He sits on the Entrepreneurial Leadership Board and the management board at the Barry S. Miller College of Business, mentors students, supports the Joint New Venture Competition and speaks at The EXCHANGE, and is working to establish the Hilton Grand Vacations Scholarship Fund to reduce financial barriers for hospitality students.
Press release issued by UCF Today:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/gratitude-and-giving-back-ucf-alum-hilton-grand-vacations-executives-journey-to-the-heart-of-hospitality/
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