Located in Kansas’ business hub and with significant ties to the business community,
the W. Frank Barton School of Business provides extensive applied learning opportunities.
With in-person and online options, Barton School undergraduate and graduate programs
are tailored to transform the lives of its students. It also holds a double AACSB
accreditation for business and accounting, which puts it in the top 1% of business
schools worldwide. The Barton School was established as the university’s College of
Business Administration and Industry in 1926 and has thousands of graduates around
the world.
The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University is adding John
Cantele, co-founder and principal at Lexima Hotel Management Services, to its Dean’s
Advisory Board.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my perspective to the board as we help prepare Barton
School students for successful careers in business,” said Cantele.
As principal at Lexima, Cantele leverages his extensive 35 years of industry experience
to provide third-party management services for the company. Prior to co-founding Lexima,
he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for CorePoint
Lodging Inc., a publicly traded real estate investment trust created to own the La
Quinta real estate assets. In 2016, he served as the Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer for La Quinta Holdings, LLC, where he was the operational,
sales, and revenue management lead for the company and pivotal in positioning the
business for sale to Wyndham in 2018. In 2000, Cantele helped launch LodgeWorks and
worked as the company’s Senior Vice President of Operations. During his time there,
he led the operation repositioning Sierra Suites into Hotel Sierra and co-led the
company’s shift into the boutique hotel market with the AVIA brand, while successfully
managing more established brands including Hilton, Starwood and Hyatt.
He has also served as the Global Head Select Hotels and Senior Vice President of Hyatt
Hotels Corp., Vice President of Operations for Patriot American Hospitality, Inc./Wyndham
and Vice President of Operations at Summerfield Hotel Corp.
“John has built a career of success in the hospitality industry by creating relevant
brands and moving them forward in providing unparalleled levels of service quality
and enterprise value,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the Barton School. “His unique
experiences and expertise will be essential as the Barton School continues to bloom.”
John holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of
Wisconsin, Stout. He is a sub-committee member for the American Hotel & Lodging Association
(AHLA), and a member of the Board of Directors and president for the Wichita Country
Club. He is a former member of the La Quinta Brand Council and Hyatt Brand Council
as well as the former co-chair of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Brand Councils.
“John is a transformative leader in the industry,” said Margaret Dechant, chair of
the Barton School Dean’s Advisory Board as well as CEO and partner at 6 Meridian.
“He is a forward thinker who draws upon his unique experience as an owner-operator,
franchisor, franchisee, investor, management company executive, and member of public
company brand councils. We look forward to embracing his perspectives.”
The Dean’s Advisory Board, which consists of 50 diverse industry leaders from around
the world, works to advance the mission and strategic priorities of the Barton School
through strengthening, enriching and enhancing the student experience.
