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K-State Today

September 19, 2016

ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture Series presents George Fenich

Submitted by Tawny Ochs

Fenich

The ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture Series and Kristin Malek, assistant professor of Hospitality Management, will host George Fenich, professor in the School of Hospitality Leadership at East Carolina University, at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in 109 Justin Hall. Fenich will present "Stories from the Trenches: An Interactive Dialogue about the Depth and Breadth of Event Management."

Fenich earned his doctorate from Rutgers University, his master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Cortland. His teaching and research focus is on meetings, events and conventions. Fenich worked in the hospitality industry prior to joining academy and held positions such as division vice president and general manager.

Fenich has provided extensive service to hospitality education, especially the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education and was one of the first officers of the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. He has served on boards, commissions and task forces for industry associations such as the Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Professionals International, the Destination Marketing Association International, the International Associations of Events and Exhibitions  and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence.

Fenich is currently editor-in-chief of the Journal of Convention and Event Tourism, and serves on the editorial boards of six additional journals. He has authored three textbooks on meetings/events and published more than 60 articles in academic journals.

He has delivered education programs around the world, from China and Japan to Turkey, France, Mauritius and South Africa. He has been named the Professional Convention Management Association's Educator of the Year, is an inductee into the Destination Marketing Association International's Hall of Fame and most recently received the Fletcher Career Achievement Award from International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. His wife, Kathryn Hashimoto, also is a hospitality educator.