Industry

Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards

“In just a couple of years, this event has become one of the largest and happiest and most important events that we have throughout the Cornell universe."

--David J. Skorton, President, Cornell University

The Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards honors the recipient of the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award and the recipient of the Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award. Contributions to the event help support the school's annual fund, which provides crucial funding to the school's scholarships and programs. Each year, over 800 of the most influential leaders and innovators in the hospitality and travel industry attend the gala awards celebration, making it one of the most anticipated events in both the Cornell and industry calendar. Click here to view a video from last year's awards gala!

Please join us at the

4th Annual Cornell Hospitality

Icon & Innovator Awards

and
90th Anniversary Celebration of the

School of Hotel Administration

June 5, 2012

6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
American Museum of Natural History
New York City

Business/Cocktail Attire

6:30 p.m. | Cocktail Reception, Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda

8:00 p.m. | Icon & Innovator Celebration Dinner & Awards,

Milstein Hall of Ocean Life

9:30 p.m. | Icon & Innovator Afterglow: Desserts, Cocktails,

Coffee/Tea, Milstein Hall of Ocean Life

VIP Ticket $1,000.00 - SOLD OUT - please contact Kim Stott at ks857@cornell.edu to be placed on the waitlist

Premier Ticket $500.00

Regular Ticket $350.00

THE 2012 CORNELL ICON OF THE INDUSTRY HONOREES

The Tisch Family

Photo (left to right): Jonathan M. Tisch, James S. Tisch '75, and Andrew H. Tisch '71

Join us in honoring the Tisch Family as the 2012 Cornell Icons of the Industry. This award will recognize the Tischs for their lifetime achievements in business and for their extraordinary contributions to educational, civic, and charitable communities. Andrew, James, and Jonathan Tisch will receive the award on behalf of the family at a gala dinner.

"The Tisch family is the ideal choice for the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award," said Michael D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor of Hotel Administration. "Not only are they titans of the hospitality industry, but their business success also extends far beyond hotels. As philanthropists, the Tisch family has had a tremendous impact on so many organizations and so many people across the country."

The family patriarchs, Laurence A. Tisch and Preston Robert Tisch, built Loews Corporation from a small hotel chain. Today the holding company is one of the largest diversified corporations in the United States. Its principal subsidiaries are CNA Financial Corporation; Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.; HighMount Exploration & Production LLC; Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP; and Loews Hotels.

For more on the Tisch Family's exceptional philanthropic contributions and their impact on the hospitality industry, please visit our webpage.

THE 2012 CORNELL HOSPITALITY INNOVATOR HONOREE

Kathleen "Katie" Taylor
President and Chief Executive Officer
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

We are pleased to honor Kathleen "Katie" Taylor as the recipient of the 2012 Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award, an honor given annually by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship. Taylor is president and chief executive officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

"We are delighted to recognize Katie Taylor for her outstanding leadership and innovation in the hospitality industry," said Michael D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor at SHA. "Katie's innovative approaches to building memorable experiences for guests and quality relationships with employees and business partners will solidify Four Seasons as the world's premier luxury hospitality company for years to come."

Since joining Four Seasons in 1989, Taylor has played a key role in its continued growth and success. The company's portfolio includes 86 hotels and resorts in 35 countries, and there are currently more than 50 projects in some stage of planning or development. Prior to assuming the role of chief executive officer in August 2010, Taylor was chief operating officer. She also served as president of worldwide business operations for seven years.

To learn more about Katie's extraordinary commitment to innovation and how she has impacted the industry, please visit our online press release.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Paula Zahn

Eight-time Emmy Award winner, recipient of the National Commission of Working Women Broadcasting Award, and an AWRT (American Women in Radio & Television) Award for reporting on gender bias in education.

"We are delighted to welcome such a luminary of the broadcasting industry to the Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards program," said Michael D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor at SHA. "Ms. Zahn is a personal friend of the Tisch family, making her participation at the event all the more special."

Zahn is the executive host and executive producer of On the Case with Paula Zahn, Investigation Discovery's primetime series that ducks beneath the police tape for an unflinching look at today's most fascinating crime investigations. An accomplished cellist who has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Zahn also co-hosts NYC-ARTS, WNET's weekly delve into New York's vibrant cultural scene.

To learn more about Paula's extensive commitment to journalistic excellence and her philanthropic work, visit our online press release.

Title Sponsor

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Diamond Sponsors

Strategic Marketing & Event Consultant

Strategic Brand Marketing & Design

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Download our sponsorship package for more details

For sponsorship information, please contact Rachel Ash '99, MBA '06, manager of corporate & foundation affairs, at 607-255-3742 or rep6@cornell.edu or Kathleen Bolton, corporate & foundation affairs associate, at 607-255-1204 or ksh11@cornell.edu.

Please view our latest print advertisement

which appears in leading publications such as Travel + Leisure, USA TODAY, Hotel Management, Hotel Business, HOTELS, and more!

Please view the feature article

from the April 18 issue of the Cornell Chronicle.

Celebrating hospitality leadership for 90 years, all year long!

2012 HONORARY COMMITTEE

Robert Alter '73; Richard Baker '88, Dean Emeritus Robert A. Beck '42, PhD '54; Richard Bradley '63; Former Dean David W. Butler; Professor Emeritus & Former Dean John "Jack" Clark PhD '69; Hubert E. Westfall Professor of Accounting & Former Dean David Dittman; Nancy Duber P'08, '11, '14; Kevin Fitzpatrick '76; Robert Fite '50; Julie Milligan Flik '63; Steven Haggerty '90; Larry Hall '81; Charles Henry '74; Steven Hilton; Caren Whiteman Kline '75; John Mariani '54; Jack & Hawley Hilton McAuliffe P'10; Charles Mund '51; Christopher Nassetta; Drew Nieporent '77; Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos '85; Lee '69 and Mary Pillsbury; Dale Whiteman Pinto '74; Richard Riley '63; John Rijos '75; Harris Rosen '61; Burton "Skip" Sack '61; Barbara Shingleton '75; Curt Strand '43; Chiaki Tanuma MPS '80; Ted Teng '79; Andrew Tisch '71; and Simon Turner '83.

Please click here for the 2012 PLANNING COMMITTEE