SOURCE: Kendall College
January 18, 2012 17:01 ET
Kendall
College Board of Directors Names Emily Williams Knight President
CHICAGO,
IL--(Marketwire - Jan 18, 2012) –
The Kendall
College Board of Directors has named Emily Williams Knight president of Kendall
College. Ms. Knight brings more than 15 years of experience in the education
and hospitality industry to her role at Kendall College. Dr. Karen Gersten, who
served as president of Kendall College since 2010, has been named Vice
President of Academic Affairs in the Institutional Quality and Integrity Unit
of the Global Products and Services Group at Laureate Education, Inc. Both
positions are effective as of Monday, January 16, 2012.
Ms. Knight
joined Laureate Education, Inc. in 2011 as a vice president responsible for
globally expanding access to the company's hospitality management, culinary
arts, and art and design programs. She previously was the CEO of New England
University LLC. Ms. Knight formerly worked at Pearson Education for more than
10 years, most recently serving as vice president of marketing and sales
strategies for Pearson Teacher Education and Development.
Early in her
career, Ms. Knight taught business courses at Montgomery County Community College
in Pennsylvania. She also worked as an executive meeting manager at Marriott's
Key West Resorts in Florida.
"Emily's
experience and leadership skills make her a natural choice for the role of
president. Her passion and relentless energy will undoubtedly have a
significant impact on the future of Kendall College," said David Graves,
chief executive officer of Laureate Hospitality, Art and Design. "We are
fortunate to have Emily at the helm, continuing to make Kendall College a
leading institution of higher education in hospitality management, culinary
arts, business and early childhood education."
"Dr.
Gersten has worked tirelessly on behalf of the students, alumni and faculty at
Kendall College," said Paula Singer, chief executive officer of Laureate's
Global Products and Services division. "We are pleased to have her move
into a position where her skills and expertise in student assessment can be
leveraged not just at Kendall but at our other institutions of higher
education."
Ms. Knight
graduated from Troy University with an M.S. in Management. She holds a B.S. in
Hospitality Administration from Boston University, where she was an academic
trustee scholar, and an A.S. in Hospitality Administration from Newbury College,
where she was a presidential scholar and graduated first in her class. Ms.
Knight and her husband Alec have six-year-old twin girls.
About Kendall
College:
Kendall
College, founded in 1934, is located in Chicago, Illinois. Kendall offers
undergraduate degrees in business, culinary arts, early childhood education, foodservice management andhospitality management to a diverse and passionate community of more than 2200
students. The curriculum combines strong academics with practical experience
and international educational opportunities that help give students in
business, hospitality and culinary arts programs the skills and expertise to be
leaders in their professions. Kendall College was ranked the number one program
in Chicago for preparing students for careers in hospitality management and culinary
arts in a survey of management at Chicago's leading hotels and Michelin Guide
restaurants (ORC International - 2011 Survey).
Kendall College, a member of the Laureate International Universities network, is accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools (NCA),www.ncahlc.org. For
more information, visit www.Kendall.edu.
Contact Information
·
Media Contacts:
Amber Cerda
312-752-2472
amber.cerda@kendall.edu
David Zapata
312-771-1271
david@zapwater.com