Nov. 5, 2001
University Park, Pa. – Valerie Ferguson, regional vice president and managing director, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, will deliver the Penn State Forum lecture at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Nittany Lion Inn. The topic of her presentation is “’Hospitality’ in Our World.”
Ferguson arrived in Philadelphia in 1998, with a mandate from Loews Corporation to direct the $115 million conversion of the landmark Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) Building into the luxury, convention-driven Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The transition called for an industry veteran with the business savvy to position the hotel against the competitive onslaught of some 50 new hotels in the greater Philadelphia market. Ferguson proved to be a visionary strategist, armed with an inclusive agenda for the 21st century toward stronger diversity and more effective mentoring in the hospitality industry.
Before joining Loews Corporation in 1998, Ferguson served as general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, and held general manager positions at Hyatt properties in Atlanta, Chicago, and Flint, Michigan. She is the past chair of the American Hotel and Motel Association and has served as director on the boards of the Pennsylvania Travel Council, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Historic Philadelphia, and Urban League of Philadelphia.
With 23 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ferguson was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Travel for 1998 and 1999 by Travel Agent magazine and one of the Top 100 Women in Corporate America by Ebony. She received a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of San Francisco.
The Penn State Forum is a lunchtime speaker series offered by the Faculty Staff Club and is sponsored in part by the Penn State Bookstore. It is open to the public. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for non-members and include lunch. Reservations can be made by mail or by stopping by the Faculty Staff Club office at 103 HUB-Robeson Center. Tickets will be on sale at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the speech and a question-and-answer session at noon. For more information call (814) 865-7590.
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Contact: Amy Neil, Department of Public Information, at (814) 865-7517 or e-mail aen4@psu.edu.