San Francisco.  April 19, 2004.  The University of San Francisco�s Hospitality Management Program at the McLaren College of Business today presented its seventh annual Richard L. Swig Hospitality Leadership Award to Mary Jo Martin, a Senior Vice President with national hotel consulting firm PKF Consulting.  The award was presented at the Richard L. Swig Hospitality Leadership Luncheon, held at the Hilton San Francisco.

Ms. Martin was recognized for her three decades of service to the Bay Area hotel industry through mentoring two generations of hospitality students and tireless participation in internship programs.  Professionally, she has for many years overseen the work of young hotel consultants, whom she refers to as �my kids,� at the hotel divisions of both Laventhol & Horwath and PKF Consulting.

�Dozens of Mary Jo�s �kids� have turned out to be the leaders of our industry in their own right,� says Patrick Quek, Chairman of PKF Consulting.

Previous recipients of the Swig Award include Robert Begley of the Hotel Council of San Francisco; Holger Gantz, General Manager (now retired) of the Hilton San Francisco; and Thomas Marshall of the Joseph Drown Foundation.  Ms. Martin is the first woman to receive the award.

Richard L. Swig (1925-1997) was for years a major figure on the hotel scene in San Francisco and nationally.  He was the Vice-Chairman of Fairmont Hotel Management, LP and co-founder of the University of San Francisco Hospitality Management Program.  Mr. Swig was well known for his community and philanthropic efforts.

Presenting the Award to Ms. Martin was Kathy �K.O.� Odsather, Professional Development Director of the USF Hospitality Management Program.

The leadership luncheon is part of the annual USF Hospitality Industry Symposium, the largest educational venue of its kind for students and executives collaborating on issues affecting the hospitality industry.  USF, founded in 1855, is a private Catholic Jesuit university and the oldest institution of higher learning in San Francisco.

PKF Consulting is an international consulting and real estate firm specializing in the hospitality industry.  Together with its affiliates, The Hospitality Research Group (HRG) and the PKF Capital Markets Group (CMG), the firm has offices in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

 �K.O.� Odsather
USF Hospitality Management Program
(415) 422-6721
[email protected]