Hotel Restaurant Management

Anne Sandhu has been a full-time instructor with Sullivan University since 1997, when she started her career at Sullivan University as a Chef Instructor.

After earning her MBA, Anne joined the Hospitality Management Department, where she currently teaches courses at both the Bachelor's Level and Associates Level. Anne holds an Associate of Science degree in Baking and Pastry Arts; a Bachelor of Science degree is Hospitality Management, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Sullivan University. She is a certified Hospitality Educator, CHE, as well as a CHS, a Certified Hospitality Supervisor by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Honors include being the 1997 Gold Medal winner in the National Restaurant Association's Culinary Arts Salon where she was also awarded a Special Judges trophy for Best Pastry in Category. She is a volunteer for the Salvation Army and the Dream Factory. She had served as the Educational Chair for the Louisville Chapter American Culinary Federation, as well as the Vice President for that Chapter.

As a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, she was featured in the 2001 "Celebrating Women Chefs" with Julia Child. She was on the planning committee for the 2008 Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Convention, which took place in Louisville. Her educational publications and culinary work have been featured in Chef Magazine, In Chef Educator Today, and in Southern Living. Anne was awarded Sullivan University's "2006 Instructor of the Quarter". She serves as the Library Liaison for the Hospitality Studies Department. She served in the Retreat Committee for the 2010 Faculty retreat at Belterra Resort.

Anne is the Committee Chair for the Academic Title Committee for the Fort Knox, Lexington, and Louisville campuses of Sullivan University. She serves on the Sullivan University Curriculum committee. She has been a student mentor since the inception of that program in Spring, 2009.

A Certified Online Instructor, COI, she has taught online since 2000. She has designed many online classes from inception, including HMS333, International Travel and Tourism, HMS401, Senior Seminar for the Hospitality Industry, and HMS402, Strategic Planning for the Hospitality Industry. She both designed and teaches HRM 115, Management by Menu, focusing on menu production, analysis and design. She presented her suggested best practices for online learning, at Belterra Resort during the Fall 2010 Faculty Retreat -- "Building an Online Community".

Anne is an active member of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education, is a nominee for the 2011 Chef Herman Breithaupt Award, and serves on the Sullivan University System Curriculum Committee.

Albert Schmid has over 25 years of professional and academic experience in the culinary, beverage and hospitality industries. Albert joined the Sullivan University Culinary Arts faculty in 1999. He currently chairs and teaches for the Beverage Management Department's associate degree program, the Hotel-Restaurant Management associate degree program and the Hospitality Management's bachelor degree program. Albert holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Charter Oak State College. He is the 2002 recipient of the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Le Cordon Bleu/University of Adelaide scholarship for graduate study in Gastronomy. In 2006, Albert was awarded a Master of Arts in Gastronomy, with a dissertation titled The History of Beer in Recipes in the United States. Albert also holds 10 professional certifications including Certified Culinary Professional, Certified Executive Chef, Certified Specialist of Wine, Certified Specialist of Spirits and Certified Food and Beverage Executive as well as three educator certifications.

Albert was the chairperson of the certification committee for the International Association of Culinary Professionals from 2005 to 2007, and has served on other committees including the scholarship and nominating committees. Albert was a featured speaker at the IACP Conference in Chicago (2007) and in Denver (2009). At the Denver Conference he moderated a panel, Bourbon: America's Native Spirit that also included, Adam Seger, Josh Hafer, and Master Distiller Parker Beam. He moderated a similar session at the 2010 Society of Wine Educator Conference in Washington DC with Josh Hafer and Master Distiller Craig Beam. Albert also spoke at the 2009 American Wine Society Conference in Destin, Florida on the History of American Winemaking. Albert was the featured chef at the 2010 & 2011 Jim Beam cooking school sharing the stage with Master Distiller, Fred Noe. He is the author of The Beverage Manager's Guide to Wines, Beers and Spirits, published by Prentice-Hall/Pearson Education and The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook published by the University Press of Kentucky, which won the 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Book for Cooking with Wines, Beers, and Spirits in the USA and lately won for Best Book for Cooking with Drinks in the world. Albert served on the editorial board for the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology from 2005-2010. He is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Culinary Federation, and the Society of Wine Educators.

Dawn McGiffen has over thirty years' senior management-level experience in the lodging industry. Her management responsibilities included full-service and limited service hotels, resort properties, and hotel infrastructures with office and condominium complexes. Dawn was recognized by Holiday Inns International as a specialized group identified as the Road Scholars Master Performers. The purpose of these assignments included new hospitality properties for pre-opening and training of supervisors and staff employees.

During high school and college, Dawn worked in many hourly hospitality positions. After graduating from college, she was a high school instructor for two years with concentration in Business Law and Business Management. She greatly missed the hospitality industry and accepted a position as a Sales & Marketing Representative. Within two years, she was promoted to the Director of Sales of the hotel division. Dawn and her sales and marketing team received the highest performance awards by Holiday Inns Worldwide, the Torchbearer Award. "To accomplish this as a group was the result of teamwork and the love of our industry. We continued to achieve several awards and special recognition, which exceeded our expectations."With years of sales and marketing experience, Dawn accepted the position of Vice President of Sales & Marketing, representing 12 hotels in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia. "During that period, the industry was experiencing franchise renewals, expansion, and major renovations… everyday encompassed change in all areas. Accommodating and maintaining our business segments, guests' services, and revenue goals were tough, however, we achieved our goals and the hotel properties received the Superior Hotel Award, the most prestigious service and product award by our chain."

Dawn has been with Sullivan University since1999, and she currently teaches courses in the Hotel/Restaurant Management associate's degree program and the Hospitality Management bachelor's degree program. She is past president and board member of the Greater Louisville Hotel and Lodging Association and past commissioner of the Louisville and Jefferson County Convention & Visitor's Bureau. Dawn challenges herself and each of her students to develop their abilities, talents, and skills for leadership. "I truly believe that instructors should positively challenge and coach each student and assist his/her professional development. The classroom is an exciting environment to inspire learning and direct a student's originality by creating a positive atmosphere and fostering perseverance. Dawn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisville, and she is a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the National Restaurant Association, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education. Dawn's professional certifications from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association include Certified Rooms Division Executive (CRDE), Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA). She is a contributing author to the Prentice-Hall textbook, The Hospitality Manager's Guide to Wines, Beers & Spirits.