Paul Wise Executive In Residence Guest Lecture Series
Paul Wise Executive In Residence Guest Lecture Series
Fall 2009 Guest Lecture Schedule
All Lectures are Thursdays, 3:30-5:00 PM, 204 Kirkbride Hall unless otherwise noted.
September 17th, 2009
Kathleen O. Smith
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.
Kathy Smith is the Senior Vice President, Human Resources for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. In this role, Kathy provides leadership and strategic direction to the human resources organization worldwide. She is also a member of the Corporate Executive Committee.
Prior to joining the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., Kathy held various positions with Marriott International over an 18 year career, most recently as Senior Vice President, Talent Management and Organizational Capability. In this role, Kathy was responsible for Marriott’s centers of expertise in talent acquisition, performance management, training, compensation, workplace environment and organizational capability. Kathy was also the HR representative on the Marriott Service and Relationship Strategy group, where she lead the design and execution of key deliverables that impact service such as selection, orientation and service excellence training. In addition, as HR Generalist for two organizations within Marriott, Kathy worked with senior leaders on their development as well as the development of their teams.
Prior to joining Marriott, Kathy was a consultant for Towers Perrin, a human resource consulting firm.
Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Delaware and an MBA from George Washington University. She serves on the University of Delaware’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management Advisory Board, the Conference Board Talent Management Committee and is a member of the Human Resource Planning Society.
John Timmerman
Corporate Vice President, Operations
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.
John Timmerman is currently the Corporate Vice President of Operations for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. He is responsible for Food & Beverage, Culinary, Meetings & Special Events, Rooms, Purchasing, Retail, and Customer Relationship Management. John graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a major in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management and is a certified Hotel Administrator by The American Hotel & Lodging Association.
An accomplished speaker, John has provided over 200 lectures on the topic of service quality and performance improvement. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality, recipient of the Ishikawa Medal for his contributions to the human aspects of quality, and is a certified Quality Auditor, Quality Engineer, and Manager of Quality & Organizational Excellence. He served as a Senior Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2005 – 2008) and Co-Chair of the United States Quality Council (2007 – 2008). He has actively been involved in supporting healthcare improvement with organizations such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Denver Health, and the Center for Healthcare Transformation.
John has over twenty years of leadership experience, held numerous operations management positions, and worked at several Ritz-Carlton properties. He has implemented re-engineering projects that have helped improve profitability and change management initiates that have demonstrated a continued improvement trend for customer satisfaction and industry rankings. John has also served as the Corporate Vice President of Quality & Program Management, Vice President of Labor Management, Quality Advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and U.S. 2nd Force Reconnaissance Marine.
October 1st, 2009
Burton "Skip" Sack
Bio Sheet
Burton M. “Skip” Sack was the National Restaurant Association’s Chairman of the Board for the 2004-2005 term. Sack was elected as a voting director on the National Restaurant Association Board in May 1995 and served continuously until being tapped for officer service in 2002 as Treasurer and then Vice Chairman.
Skip Sack initiated what was to become an illustrious career in the restaurant industry with a job as a dishwasher for Howard Johnson’s when he was freshman in high school. He worked part-time during the school year and full-time on weekends and during the summer. At the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps where he spent three years at various duty stations throughout the United States, in Japan, Korea and Okinawa. He received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of Sergeant.
Within days of his discharge from the Marine Corps, he matriculated into the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at Cornell University and worked his way through school as a full-time Deputy Sheriff and graduated — with distinction — in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Upon graduation, Skip joined the Howard Johnson Company as an Advertising Assistant, worked his way into the position of Assistant Director of Marketing and then became its Director of Public Relations. In 1967, Howard Johnson’s sent Skip to the Harvard Business School to attend the Program for Management Development, an intensive 16-week course for middle managers. Upon graduation, Skip was named General Manager of Howard Johnson’s Fast Food Service Division.
He was later charged with the responsibility of developing Ground Round Restaurants and was then promoted to Vice President/Specialty Restaurants which included Ground Round Restaurants and Red Coach Grills. In 1976, he was promoted to Group Vice President/Corporate Development and Real Estate. In 1980, he was promoted to Senior Vice President/Corporate Development, Real Estate Architecture, Design and Construction.
In 1983, Skip left Howard Johnson’s and through a leveraged buyout, acquired the Red Coach Grill Division of the company, a chain of 15 dinner house restaurants. In 1984, he gained the New England franchise rights for Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants and in 1986 opened the first Applebee’s in the New England area in Newton, Massachusetts.
In October 1994, Skip merged his company (on a pooling of interest basis) with Applebee’s International, Inc., the franchisor. At the time of the merger, Skip’s company, Pub Ventures of New England, Inc., operated 14 restaurants in three New England states and had two under construction. Upon completion of the merger, Skip became an Executive Vice President of Applebee’s International and currently is a member of the company’s board of directors. He is a former boardmember of several other restaurant chains.
In April 1997 he joined with a group of investors to create Classic Restaurant Concepts, comprised of individual restaurants having an “authentic” Irish Pub that includes a 100-150 seat dining room. As of August 2002, three restaurants in the Boston area are open, with future plans for additional locations.
Skip Sack is past national president of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen and past president of the New England Chapter of NACORE (National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives).
October 15th, 2009
Marian Jansen op de Haar
Director of Wine
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is the ultimate steakhouse destination for lovers of fine wine. Director of Wine, Marian Jansen op de Haar is responsible for overall management of Fleming’s award-winning wine program. Jansen op de Haar has developed a wine-by-the-glass program that is renowned for its depth and an innovative wine program that has set Fleming’s apart from all other American steakhouses.
“Selecting a wine for dinner can be an intimidating experience, so making it customer friendly was our first goal,” says Jansen op de Haar. “We know that our guests enjoy wine. While they know what they like, they are also eager to learn more about the subject.” Jansen op de Haar educates the entire Fleming’s wait staff and oversees a wine list with 100 selections available, every day, by the taste, glass, flight and bottle. “We have no need for showy sommeliers,” she says. “And by offering our guests a large number of accessible choices, we keep the wine selection process flexible and fun.
We consider every detail of wine service and selection. Our wine program is very important to us and to our guests. We want Fleming’s to offer the best wine value and the best wine experience in the country.”
Jansen op de Haar began her career with Paul Fleming and his restaurants as the manager of the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona. Previous to that, she developed her knowledge of fine wines as the sommelier for two highly regarded restaurants in Phoenix: Café de Perouges and Mr. Louie’s.
A native of the Netherlands, Marian Jansen op de Haar began her food and wine career in 1978, when she immigrated to the United States and began working in gourmet shops such as Scottsdale’s former C. Steele & Co. and Marche Gourmet.
October 22nd, 2009
Sam Calagione
Founder & President
Dogfish Head
When Sam Calagione opened Dogfish Head in 1995 it was the smallest commercial brewery in America making 10 gallons of beer at a time. Today Dogfish Head is among the fastest growing breweries in the country. Dogfish Head has focused on brewing stronger, more exotic beers since the day it opened as the motto “Off-centered ales for off-centered people” attests to. Dogfish Head has grown into a 110 person company with a restaurant/brewery/distillery in Rehoboth Beach and a production brewery in Milton, Delaware, selling beer in 27 states and three countries. Dogfish Head was the only brewery in America (out of 1400) to be named to the Inc. magazine list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country for 2004, 2005, 2006. Sam authored “Brewing up a Business” and “Extreme Brewing” and co-authored “He Said Beer, She Said Wine.” He lives in Lewes, Delaware, with his wife Mariah and children, Sam and Grier.
October 29th, 2009
Alice Elliot
CEO
The Elliot Group
Recognized nationally as one of the foremost advisors in executive search, human resources and leadership, Alice Elliot is highly sought after for her insight and advice on trends in the industry and human capital issues. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Elliot Group, consisting of Elliot Associates Inc., Elliot Executive Source, Ltd., and Elliot Productions LLC.
For more than 25 years, the Elliot name has been universally recognized as a premier retained search and consulting organization focused exclusively within the hospitality, foodservice, manufacturing, distribution and retail industries. Most recently Alice co-founded The Elliot Leadership Institute, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization solely dedicated to executive leadership development and advancement in the foodservice and hospitality industries and committed to the “Next Generation of Leadership.” Alice, the Institute’s namesake, is Co-Chair of the Elliot Leadership Institute’s Advisory Council.
Throughout her career Alice has been active in the hospitality industry and has spoken at many industry highlights including the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference (MUFSO), International Foodservice Management Association’s Chain Operators Exchange Conference (COEX), the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) Annual Conference, The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance Conference (MFHA), The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s Salute to Excellence, and the Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen. She is the founder and master of ceremonies of the highly acclaimed annual executive forum, “The Elliot Leadership Conference” which is celebrating its 24th Anniversary Conference. Alice was featured in the February 2002 cover story of Chain Leader Magazine and is also frequently quoted in many other prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business and Restaurants & Institutions.
Alice is a member of and sponsor of many prestigious industry associations including the Women’s Foodservice Forum and the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance where she serves as a member of their Founders Board. Additionally, Alice is a member of the Advisory Board of The Norman E. Brinker Institute for Hospitality and Restaurant Management at the SMU Cox School of Business. Alice has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Women's Foodservice Forum and was one of its earliest members and supporters; she has also been a member of the Advisory Board of Catalyst, a non-profit research and advisory organization that works with businesses professionals to advance women. Additionally, Alice is a past board member of The Briarcliff Manor Education Foundation and was recently honored by them for her energetic volunteer efforts and devotion to education. Alice is the 2001 recipient of the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s coveted “Trailblazer” award and also the 1991 recipient of the prestigious Roundtable for Women in Foodservice “Pacesetter Award.” Alice is a designated “Certified Personnel Consultant” from the National Association of Personnel Consultants.
Alice graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She resides in Westchester County with her husband and two sons.
November 5th, 2009
Xavier Teixido
Xavier Teixido was born in Asuncion, Paraguay and moved to the United States as a child with his family. While attending the University of Delaware where he studied agriculture, Xavier began his restaurant career as a cook with the Harry M. Stevens Company at the Brandywine Racetrack in Wilmington, Delaware. From there, he went on to positions of Chef and General Manager at the Frog and Commissary restaurants in Philadelphia and served as Managing Director in New Orleans at Ella and Dick Brennan's Commander's Palace (it was here that he worked with Chef Emeril Lagasse). Xavier returned home to Wilmington in 1984 where he co-founded the 1492 Hospitality Group which included Harry's Savoy Grill, which he purchased outright in 1993. In 1998, Harry's expanded to include Harry's Savoy Ballroom and in 2003, Xavier opened Harry's Seafood Grill in partnership with Chef David Leo Banks on Wilmington's Riverfront.
Teixido has served as the Chairman of the National Restaurant Association (2002-2003), is former president of the Delaware Restaurant Association and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. In 1999, he was named the Delaware Restaurateur of the Year and was recipient of Delaware's first Cornerstone Award in 2003. Xavier also serves at the pleasure of the Governor of Delaware on the state's Tourism Advisory Board and is a member of the University of Delaware's HRIM Advisory Board. Past service includes acting as the NRA/NRAEF's representative to the Multi-Cultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance Board of Directors and serving the Riverfront Development Corporation.
Xavier chairs annually the Harry's Hospitality Scholarship Golf Outing benefiting the Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management Department at the University of Delaware and with David Leo Banks is co-chair of Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation in Delaware.
November 17th, 2009
Tuesday, 2:00 PM, 204 Kirkbride Hall
MICHELE ROLLINS
ESQUIRE CHAIRMAN,
ROLLINS JAMAICA
Michele Metrinko Rollins graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Law Center, earning a B.S.F.S. in 1965, a J.D. in 1968, and an LL.M in Taxation in 1970.
She was staff attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Corporate Regulation, from 1968 to 1971. From 1971 to 1972 she did trial tax work at the Department of Justice, Tax Division, in the U.S. Court of Claims. In February 1972, Ms. Rollins joined EPA to serve as a Special Assistant to the Administrator, William D. Ruckelshaus and later Russell E. Train. Following a brief detail to the Federal Energy Office in 1974, she became the first female “Associate Solicitor for Conservation and Wildlife” at the Department of Interior from 1974 to 1977. From 1977 to 1980, she was Sun Company’s Associate Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
Ms. Rollins has been admitted to the DC Bar, the DC Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania State Bar, the Delaware State Bar, and is a member of the Federal Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Ms. Rollins is currently Chairman of Rollins Jamaica, Ltd., the holding company for Rose Hall, Ltd. Rose Hall includes the Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort, a 430 room luxury hotel and spa and the Ritz-Carlton White Witch Golf Course, designed by the world renowned Robert Von Hagge. Rose Hall also has the Von Hagge redesigned Wyndham Course, now known as the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course, the Rose Hall Great House, an 18th century authentic architectural restoration depicting plantation life under the famed “White Witch of Rose Hall,” Annee Palmer, and the Cinnamon Hill Great House, home of famed country music legends John and June Carter Cash.
She is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the University of Delaware’s Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management, Chairman of the Board of the First State Series–Winning Women, Trustee of Goldey-Beacom College, member of the Board of Visitors of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Lifetime Partner of the Horatio Alger Association, member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Advisory Council for the Delaware Children’s Theatre. Ms. Rollins’ background in public relations includes extensive media experience in radio and television. As Miss USA, she represented the United States in the Miss USA-World contest in London in 1964. In 1977, Ms. Rollins married John W. Rollins and had four children, now ages 27-31. Ms. Rollins also has two grandchildren.
