Mark Young, brand senior vice president for Ramada Worldwide Inc., a global hospitality
provider, will be the featured guest speaker of the Syracuse University Hotel and Lodging
Organization on Wednesday, March 4. The presentation is free and open to the public, taking
place from 5-6:30 p.m. in Room 214 of Slocum Hall. A question-and-answer session is included.
Students will have a chance to meet Young prior to his formal presentation.
As brand leader, Young is responsible for setting strategic direction and managing financial
and operating results for Ramada; leading the Ramada franchise advisory boards; and
interfacing with franchise sales.
Young's visit to SU is part of the Department of Hospitality Management's focus on helping
students learn the intricacies of the industry through hands-on experiences and opportunities to
interact with leaders in the field. Students pursuing a bachelor's degree in hospitality
management can pursue three career path tracks in the major: a food and beverage
management track, a lodging track, or an events and conference planning track.
The purpose of the newly created SU Hotel and Lodging Organization is to expose students to
aspects of the hospitality lodging industry that they may not normally observe in their regular
course offerings, as well as to help them explore career opportunities within the hospitality
industry and assist them in self-development of their skills. The organization will help students
facilitate broader connections with those in the local and national hospitality lodging industry.
Young has spent nearly 30 years in the hospitality industry. Prior to his current position, he
served as Ramada's senior vice president of operations, responsible for planning and
implementing programs to assist franchisee performance and profitability. Before joining
Ramada, Young served as senior vice president of hotel services for AmeriHost Inn and group
vice president of hotel services for Cendant Hotel Group, where he was responsible for
providing operations support to the company's AmeriHost Inn, Super 8, Wingate Inn, Knights
Inn and Villager brands.
Young received a bachelor's degree in marketing from the Boston College School of
Management. He earned the prestigious Certified Hotel Administrator designation through the
American Hotel & Lodging Association's Educational Institute in 1990.
Ramada Worldwide Inc. is a member of the Wyndham Worldwide Hotel Group, one of the
world's largest hospitality companies, with nearly 875 hotels in more than 35 countries.
For more information about Young's presentation, contact the Department of Hospitality
Management at (315) 443-2386.
About the College of Human Ecology at Syracuse University
The College of Human Ecology is dedicated to excellence in professional academic education
and integrates Scholarship in Action as a philosophy and method in all of its degree programs.
The college brings together a rich history of academic programs whose signatures of social
responsibility and justice join new and evolving majors reflective of educating global citizens
whose leadership can-and does-change the places and peoples where they live and work.
Previously known as the College of Human Services and Health Professions until it was
renamed in 2007, the College of Human Ecology hosts seven departments with strong roots in
SU history: Child and Family Studies; Health and Wellness; Hospitality Management;
Marriage and Family Therapy; Nutrition Science and Dietetics; Sport Management; and the
School of Social Work.
