With more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, James Overall has completed two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Calgary — one in Commerce and another in Hotel and Resort Management — along with a diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from SAIT.
After working at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman, on an island renowned for its exceptional hospitality and tourism, Overall returned to Calgary to expand his knowledge of the industry. Always a believer in lifelong learning, he completed a Master of Business Administration through Queen’s University and a Sommelier program.
His professional career has included being a part of the opening teams of several restaurants, leadership roles at the Hyatt Regency, downtown Marriott and the Calgary Stampede. Through the years, he’s consulted on various projects including the opening of Mosaic Stadium in Regina and the plan to relaunch the King Eddy at the National Music Centre.
Based on his academic and professional experience, joining SAIT as Dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism was a natural next step for Overall, who has come full circle to work alongside an incredible team of faculty and staff — all in service of developing the next generation of talent for industry.
Overall is also a founding member of the board of the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, representing post-secondary education.
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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.