Miami Dade College’s Hospitality Center hosted the Thought Leadership in Hospitality: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion conference on April 22, 2021. The online conference provided information on current trends and a predicted industry forecast for the hospitality industry. The keynote speaker was Alvin L. West, CFO & Senior Vice President of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
MDC President Madeline Pumariega, Wolfson Campus President Dr. Beatriz Gonzalez, and Hospitality Center and Miami Culinary Institute Chairperson Shelly Fano were among the speakers and panelists for the conference. The event featured an education panel, hospitality experts, a keynote speech and a live sustainable cooking demo.
The conference was sponsored by MDC’s Hospitality Center, a leader in education driving the future of hospitality professionals built on diversity and inclusion. The Hospitality Institute at MDC is a widely respected program of the Hospitality Center that provides students a practical and theoretical foundation for skills and leadership in a variety of fields with the hospitality industry. Students may obtain industry certifications in continuing education, earn an associate degree and can go on to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in supervision and management with a concentration in hospitality.
MDC’s Hospitality Institute also offers hands-on hospitality, culinary, job readiness and customer service training completely free of charge. It was established to connect Miami’s low-income and under-represented residents to job opportunities in the local culinary, hospitality and tourism industry. Since its inception in 2008, the Institute has graduated several thousand participants and assisted them in finding sustainable employment.
Learn more about the Hospitality Institute at MDC.