April 22: Hospitality leader to give annual business lecture

By Sue McMurray, Carson College of Business

PULLMAN, Wash. – Rob Steigerwald, chief operations officer for the Americas-Western Region, Marriott International, Inc., will present “Reimagining Hospitality, Next Gen Now,” during the annual Burtenshaw Lecture at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, in the CUB auditorium at Washington State University. The public is invited.

Steigerwald oversees operations of the Americas-Western Region, which encompasses all Marriott brands including The Ritz-Carlton, across 18 continental states. Previously, he was chief operations officer for the southern region, responsible for all Marriott brands in seven southern states and 25 countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Prior to becoming chief operations officer, he held the position of executive vice president for the central region overseeing the operations of more than 880 Marriott Lodging products in 17 states and Canada. He began his career with Marriott in 1981 as a restaurant manager at the Crystal City Marriott. He moved through the food and beverage ranks in Tysons Corner, Va., and the Atlanta Marriott Downtown, where he was named food and beverage director of the year for Marriott Hotels, Resorts, and Suites.

Steigerwald later became the regional director of food and beverage in the southeast region. He co-developed and piloted the regional director of operations position. He then moved on to three general manager assignments at Chicago Marriott Schaumburg, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort—where he was named general manager of the year for Marriott Hotels, Resorts, and Suites—and Chicago Marriott Downtown. He then became area vice president for the entire Chicago market.

He graduated from the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics with a degree in hotel and restaurant administration. He is the recipient of the AHLA Most Valuable Volunteer Award. He served on the executive committee of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. He is past chair of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association as well as past chair of the Chicagoland Business Council. He serves on the Board of Governors for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

The Burtenshaw Distinguished Lecture Series is sponsored by alumnus DeVere Jerry and Angelina Burtenshaw in memory of their son, Calvin Brett. The lecture is presented annually by the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management.

Contacts:
Anita Young, WSU Carson College of Business, 509-335-3931, youngaf@wsu.edu
Sue McMurray, WSU Carson College of Business, 509-335-7578, sue.mcmurray@wsu.edu