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PROVIDENCE, R.I. - August 27, 2001 - Michael Downing, executive director of Practicum Properties at Johnson & Wales University, has been named as vice president of the Massachusetts Lodging Association (MLA).          Downing is currently the president of the MLA's foundation and previously served as the chairman of the education committee for several years. Under Downing's leadership, the association hired its first full-time director of education and established the Roger Saunders Lodging Institute.  The MLA is the only state hotel program that offers two semesters of continuing education programs for employees in the industry.          "I am pleased to continue working with the leadership of the Massachusetts Lodging Association as we serve our local and national membership," Downing said.          Downing is responsible for all operational and educational aspects of the University's Practicum hotels and restaurants including, the Johnson & Wales Inn in Seekonk, Mass., the Radisson Airport Hotel in Warwick, R.I., and the Bay Harbor Inn, located in Bay Harbor Island, Fla.          The MLA is the trade association of Massachusetts' dynamic lodging industry. A member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), MLA provides leadership and unity to its members in areas of marketing, government relations, educational programs, and other benefits and services designed to strengthen this vital Massachusetts industry.          Johnson & Wales - America's Career University® - was founded in 1914. It is a private, non-profit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, foodservice, hospitality and technology. With an enrollment of more than 13,000 students, Johnson & Wales is based in Providence, R.I., and maintains campuses in Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Gothenburg, Sweden.