Hotel Ezra Cornell

HEC 101 invites you to explore with us how to cultivate a bespoke experience that makes every guest feel seen and valued through this year’s theme. In Hotel Ezra Cornell’s new era, the organization aims to approach every detail behind the scenes with purpose, from line items in spreadsheets to the production of plated dinner. The team is honored to craft a detail-focused experience that reflects true hospitality and helps write the next chapter of innovation and leadership in the hospitality industry.

HEC 101 Board of Directors

• Managing Director, Jason Orenstein ‘27
• Beverage Director, Thea Ackerman ‘27
• Philanthropy Director, Teddy Andres ‘27
• Marketing & Media Director, Annabelle Bann ‘28
• Executive Chef, Jessica Bellm ‘28
• Design Director, Vannetta Helland ‘27
• Food & Beverage Service Director, Nora Laureano ‘28
• Conference Services Director, Vivian Lee ‘27
• Procurement Director, Lily Miller ‘28
• Communications Director, Lorenzo Morales-DuBois ‘27
• Sales Director, Ishan Patel ‘28
• Rooms & Guest Experience Director, Sofia Vergara ‘28
• Programs Director, Lucas Vilas-Boas Oliviera ‘28
• People & Culture Director, Max Wadha ‘28
• Donor Relations Director, Willie Yao ‘28
• Food & Beverage Director, Lance Zeligson ‘27

Programming

• Dean’s Welcome by Dean Kate Walsh, MPS ’90.
• Entrepreneurship panel Jen Collins ’99, Kristen McClellan ’12 and Chris Kirby ’14. Moderated by Professor Christy McDowell, Director of the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship.
• Food Education Fund Discussion Chayil Hyland ’25, Dr. Danielle Beam and Professor Lilly Jan.
• Standardizing Excellence: The Details that Define Quality with Sehaj Singh ’14.
• Hawai’i to Hotelie: Stories of Culture and Community Shaping Hospitality
  Baron Ah Moo ’93 led a conversation featuring Jennifer Chun ’95, Jennifer Tom ’00 and Collin Hoo ’12.
• Luxury Reimagined: The Intersection of Ecotourism and Experiential Design with Luca Franco and Keith A. Brenan ’98, moderated by Kristen McNamara ’10.

Celebrating 100 years of tradition and Cornell Nolan’s impact on the hospitality industry.

HEC 100 Board of Directors

• Managing Director, Kelly Cobb ‘26
• Beverage Director, Isabelle Louis ‘26
• Communications Director, Madison Cohen ‘26
• Conference Services Director, Lance Zeligson ‘27
• Design Director, Lillian Hammam ‘27
• Executive Chef, Evelyn Wu ‘27
• Food & Beverage Director, Alicia Scott ‘26
• Food & Beverage Service Director, Vegas Chiddick ‘27
• Marketing & Media Director, Esha Patel ‘27
• People & Culture Director, Amelia Clevenger ‘26
• Philanthropy Director, Beverly Kleinman ‘27
• Procurement Director, Jason Orenstein ‘27
• Programs Director, Spencer Kim ‘27
• Rooms & Guest Experience Director, Jessica Wang ‘26
• Sales Director, Alexander Wright ‘26

Programming

• Dean’s Welcome by Dean Kate Walsh, MPS ’90.
• Yours in Service, HEC former Board of Directors Liv Gussing Burgess ’91, Kristen McNamara ’10, Peter Tischmann ’95 and Robert Mandelbaum ’81.
• Server Derby
  The 89-year-old tradition was held on Ho Plaza.
• Raise Your Glass: Savor the Classics and Sip the Future panel led by Cheryl Stanley ’00, Senior Lecturer in Food & Beverage.
• Holistic Hospitality: The Evolution of Wellness
  with Amanda Al-Masri, Hilton’s Global VP of Wellness.

Igniting Joy: Embracing the Emotion That Ties Us Together and Transcends Industry Lines.

For hospitality leaders, the concept of joy is twofold. We derive joy from curating once in a lifetime experience for our guests, and our guests feel joy through the memorable moments we create for them. Given the complex relationships between people, organizations, and political and social forces, we often lose sight of the pure joy embedded in our daily interactions and efforts to deliver genuine, attentive service.

We are reinvigorating the feeling of joy in its simplest form, and embracing the childish element of happiness that transcends logic and reason. Igniting joy is a transformative experience that unites all different businesses and reveals the true essence and omnipresence of hospitality. Our digital world may be relying heavily on automation, but no machine has the potential to evoke the joy we feel when we come together as a community and foster authentic connections with those around us. For this, HEC 99 will IGNITE these emotions within our guests and honor the ways we uplift, inspire, and encourage each other.

HEC 99 Board of Directors

• Tatiana Barelli ‘24 Managing Director
• Theresa Boulos ‘24 Design Director
• Katie Carlson ‘25 Communications Director
• Heidi Gaensbauer ‘25 Conference Services Director
• Chayil Hyland ‘25 Impact and Inclusion Director
• Megan Lindsey ‘25 Beverage Director
• Sebastian Matte ‘25 Programs Director
• Tara McWilliams ‘25 Finance and Procurement Director
• Rani Mukherjee ‘25 Donor Relations Director
• Sarah Newcomb ‘25 Food and Beverage Director
• Sam Otto ‘25 Executive Chef
• Matthew Ricketts ‘24 Marketing and Media Director
• Yolanda Rodriguez ‘25 Rooms & Guest Experience Director
• Sarah Schiffgens ‘24 People & Culture Director
• Isabella Suffredini ‘25 Sales Director
• Andrew Zhang ‘25 Food and Beverage Service Director

Programming

• Dean’s Welcome by Dean Kate Walsh, MPS ’90.
• Igniting Joy in Darkness: Partnerships Considerations in Crafting Meaningful Moments in RMH-NY’s Family-Centered Care Spaces by Ruth Browne.
• From the Barrel to You: Whiskey Sampling with First Cut Barrel Co. by Daniel Mann and John Livanos.
• Wine and Hip Hop by Professor Douglas Miller.
• Learning the Game by David Grolman.
• Tech for Transformation: Revolutionizing HR Training with Natalie Egan
• Hospitality in Healthcare Panelists: Peter Yesawich, Dr. James Merlino and Dr. Greg Burke.
• Fusing Technology with Hospitality by Eben Hewitt.
• Food, Brand, and Business: A Conversation with Christine Ha with Matthew Merril
• Keynote: Exploring the Evolving Landscape of the Restaurant Industry with Meli James and Abe Ng, moderated by Professor Douglas Miller.

Envisioning a Sustainable and Equitable Future Through Global Hospitality.

The last few years have been unprecedented, making the friend next door feel like they are in a neighboring city, neighboring cities feel like faraway countries, and faraway countries, lands uncharted. Today, we stand with a newfound understanding of the importance of community and the strength that lies in learning from one another.

At the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, we believe that the future of the hospitality industry lies in our collective diversity. HEC 98’s conference program has been curated to provide a space for the global faces of our industry to come together, connect, share, learn, and innovate.

HEC 98 Board of Directors

• Lillian Pinheiro ‘23 Managing Director
• Lucas Arulpragasm ‘24 Programs Director
• Tatiana Barelli ‘24 Conference Services Director
• Evan DeVirgilio ‘24 Rooms and Guest Experience Director
• Hali Dietsche ‘24 Food and Beverage Director
• Adam Hollingworth ‘24 Executive Chef
• Shea Kinander ‘24 Media Production Director
• Emily Michaels ‘23 Donor Relations Director
• Jessica Molitor ‘23 Beverage Director
• Amanda O’Leary ‘24 Design Director
• Jonathan Oshrin ‘23 Procurement Director
• Ellie Scherping ‘24 Food and Beverage Service Director
• Katie White ‘24 Philanthropy Director
• Alli Wicklund ‘24 Sales Director
• Billy Youstra ‘23 People and Culture Director
• Audrey Andrews ‘24 Marketing and Communications Director

Programming

• Dean’s Welcome by Dean Kate Walsh, MPS ’90.
• Fireside Chat: What’s Next for Hospitality Real Estate? with Gilda Perez-Alvarado.
• The Culture of Coffee with Maria Cleaveland.
• Wine Tasting with St. Supery with Emma Swain.
• Flying Higher: Innovative Loyalty in the Airline Industry with Mark Nasr.
• How Would Your Employees Rate You? Analyzing HR in Hospitality with Vaibhav Garg, Steven Schuller, Amanda Nguyen and Rob Thorpe, moderated by Liz Ngonzi.
• An Untouched Experience: Hospitality on the Seventh Continent with Mindy Roberts.
• Diverse Leaders, Diverse Hotels: The Leading GMs of the World with Bernd Pichler, Yvette Thomas-Henry, Matthew Felix, moderated by Anthony Capuano.
• It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere: Cocktail Workshop with Campari with Eddie Hansel.
• HECBD: The Future of Wellness in Food and Beverage with Michael Harney.
• Consulting the Future of Hospitality with Jeanelle Johnson, Patrick Parodi, Brandon Berman.
• Keynote: Let’s Blow Up the Boundaries for an Equitable Future with Aradhana Khowala.