• The �Lamp of Knowledge� award - Gene Coulson, director of the Office of Hospitality Education & Training, West Virginia Department of Education

• The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding General Manager - William F. Simpson, CHA, CRDE, vice president of the Hershey Park Group and former general manager of The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, Pa.

• The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Educator - Tom Lambrecht, CHA, CHE, executive director of the McClenaghan Center for Hospitality Training, Hocking College, Nelsonville, Ohio

• The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Student - Abdel Zouari, CHA, vice president of operations, Allegro Resorts, Aruba

Gene Coulson, director of the Office of Hospitality Education & Training, West Virginia Department of Education, is a 2002 recipient of the �Lamp of Knowledge� award presented annually by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.  The Lamp of Knowledge recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to hospitality education and training and whose efforts have consistently and exceptionally advanced the hospitality profession.  

�Gene�s initiative to take hospitality education and training into both the classroom and the workplace makes him an ideal recipient of this award,� said Faye Gayes, director of secondary educational program for EI. �Gene has been successful in forming a strong partnership between education and industry, which is the key to training future hospitality employees.� 

Coulson has been a champion of hospitality education for many years. He began working with the Educational Institute�s high school programs in 1997, in conjunction with the West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association. As new states implement EI�s high school curriculum, Coulson assists with program set-up, and also provides training for new directors.  He also chairs a national initiative to establish a �Hospitality Cluster� for the federal Department of Education. Once established, the Hospitality Cluster will enable more secondary schools nationwide to implement hospitality programs. 

In addition to introducing the hospitality industry to high school students, Coulson carries his commitment to hospitality education into the professional arena. He was worked with EI�s professional certification department to train the staff at the Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, W.Va., using the Supervisory Skill Builders series of workbooks, leaders� guides, and videos. Coulson is working to introduce a similar program at other West Virginia properties, which would include both Supervisory Skill Builders training and certification as Certified Hospitality Supervisors for those employees who qualify. 

�There is a huge need in the industry for trained people,� said Coulson. �We hope we are addressing future needs by working with high school students and articulating with college programs. We also recognize there are people already working in the industry who need their training updated. We are also addressing those needs.� 

The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding General Manager

William F. Simpson, CHA, CRDE, vice president of the Hershey Park Group and former general manager of The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, Pa., is the winner of the Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding General Manager presented by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. 
The Lamp of Knowledge Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional, long-term commitment to advancing hospitality professionalism through education and training. 

As general manager of The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Simpson championed the property�s participation in EI�s Performance Plus Training and Development System. He led the property�s training efforts and supported performance-based goals and achievement of professional certification among his staff. Under his guidance, The Hershey Lodge experienced record numbers for guest satisfaction, and underwent a dramatic expansion in 1998. 

Simpson began his career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago, where he became a rooms director. His career has taken him from the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., to the five-star Williamsburg Inn in Williamsburg, Va., to the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Houston, Texas. He has served on the AH&LA National Certification Committee, the Quality Circles Training and Steering Committee at Opryland, and the Greater Houston Hotel/Motel Association.

The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Educator

Tom Lambrecht, CHA, CHE, executive director of the McClenaghan Center for Hospitality Training, Hocking College, Nelsonville, Ohio, is the winner of the Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Educator presented by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The Lamp of Knowledge Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional, long-term commitment to advancing hospitality professionalism through education and training. 

Under Lambrecht�s leadership, the McClenaghan Center for Hospitality Training at Hocking College has become a premier destination for students around the world seeking a career in hospitality. Lambrecht instituted a requirement for all students to complete EI�s General Manager Assessment Tool upon entering the program and at graduation to gauge their knowledge of hospitality management competencies. In addition to benchmarking student progress, the results of the assessment tool will help prospective employers to see a graduate�s areas of strength, which could prove to be a valuable hiring tool. 

Lambrecht began his hospitality career as an internal auditor for Holiday Inns in Memphis, Tenn., and later went on to supervise more than 22 hotels as the president and COO of Hospitality Management Services, Inc., in Nashville.  His expertise in hospitality includes real estate, development, construction, accounting, mortgage packaging, international franchising, budgets, debt arbitration, marketing and sales, and culinary arts. 

Lambrecht holds the professional designations of Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE). 

The Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Student 

Abdel Zouari, CHA, vice president of operations, Allegro Resorts, Aruba,  is the winner of the Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Student presented by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The Lamp of Knowledge Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional, long-term commitment to advancing hospitality professionalism through education and training. 

Zouari joined Allegro Resorts in 1998, after a 15-year career with Club Med, where he had risen through the career ranks to the position of regional director of the Caribbean, in charge of operations for a dozen resorts.  Despite this experience, he decided that further education was necessary to excel in his new position with Allegro Resorts. 

Zouari earned the Certified Hospitality Administrator (CHA) designation, which only increased his desire to learn as much as he could in the field of hospitality management.  He began taking courses through the Educational Institute�s distance learning program, first completing the five-course Food and Beverage Management Certificate of Specialization.  He then earned the Marketing and Sales Management Certificate of Specialization, the Human Resources Management Certificate of Specialization, the International Hotel Management Certificate of Specialization, the eight-course Hospitality Operations, Certificate, and ultimately, the 12-course Hospitality Management Diploma.  Not content to stop there, he is currently working toward the Certificate of Specialization in Club Management. 

Zouari also encourages his entire staff to pursue educational and professional development opportunities through the Educational Institute.  He teaches the Supervisory Skill Builders program which leads to the Certified Hospitality Supervisor designation�numerous Allegro employees have earned the CHS under his direction.  Many of his department managers have earned the certification appropriate to their area of responsibility, and others have completed courses through distance learning. 

�Thousands of people in the hospitality industry have great experience and hard work, but they don�t have the proper diploma to get the job they deserve,� said Zouari.  �I believe the EI is the answer. Training and education is so important; it is a never-ending story.� 

Established in 1953 as a nonprofit educational foundation of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Educational Institute is the premier source for quality hospitality education, training, and professional certification, serving the needs and advancing the excellence of hospitality schools and industries worldwide.