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Compass Group’s Chief Diversity Officer Recognized by College of Business
Providence, R.I. (May 21, 2007) – Vincent L. Berkeley, Jr., Chief Diversity Officer at Compass Group, The Americas, was recently honored as the 90th Distinguished Visiting Professor to Johnson & Wales University’s College of Business, Providence Campus.
Introduced by Dr. David Mitchell, Dean of the College of Business, Berkeley’s keynote address was entitled ‘The Perfect Career Track’. Using examples from his varied career, Berkeley gave practical advice to business students on how to take charge of their career: whether to work for a company or start your own business, the changing landscape of having a job, how often one should change your career, and how to maximize opportunities that are presented.
“It’s important to communicate to these students who will soon graduate, that, though they cannot control their career, they can certainly manage it, by having a plan and by staying flexible and taking advantage of unplanned change”, explained Berkeley.
During his visit, Berkeley also addressed several business and hospitality classes including HR management, organization behavior, business expansion strategies & tactics, brand marketing.
In addition, he subsequently visited the University’s North Miami campus to participate in its first annual Hospitality Diversity Symposium. The theme of the event, ‘Transforming Minds’, was demonstrated through a variety of methods including roundtable discussions, question and answer sessions and workshops.
Berkeley, who spoke to students about the role that diversity has played in his more than 30 years in the hospitality industry, recommended that companies approach diversity by identifying a way to recruit a diverse workforce of entry-level employees, developing programs to target diverse associates and creating training for those already in the company.
Vincent L. Berkeley, Jr. was previously an executive with Burger King serving as Senior Vice President Diversity and Corporate Relations, and Senior Vice President Restaurant Operations in the Southeast. Prior to that, he was with PepsiCo and Marriott Corporation’s Gino’s restaurant chain. Berkeley holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from Friends University.
Vincent L. Berkeley, Jr. has served as past National Chairman of the Board of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Board of Directors of the Orange Bowl Committee, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Florida and 100 Black Men of Florida. He is the past Vice Chairman of 100 Black of America Inc. He has served on the boards of the Welfare to Work Partnership, Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi.
About Compass Group
Charlotte-based Compass Group, The Americas is the leading food management company with more than $8.4 billion in revenues. Its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC was ranked the 12th largest employer by Fortune magazine in 2006. It has worldwide revenues of $19.5 billion
About Johnson & Wales
Johnson & Wales — America's Career University® — was founded in 1914. It is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, education, hospitality and technology. Preparing students for successful careers is the cornerstone of the University's educational philosophy. A benchmark of the University has been its 29 consecutive year employment record — within 60 days of graduation, 98 percent of its students from the 50 states have jobs in their chosen career field. With an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, Johnson & Wales maintains campuses in Providence, R.I., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C.
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Media contact:
Sarah Hada
Compass Group, The Americas
(704) 328-1365
Sarah.Hada@compass-usa.com
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