Ricci Wins 鈥楽outh Florida Tourism Professional of the Year鈥 Award
Peter Ricci accepts the South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year award from (left) Julissa Kepner, general manager of the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, and Wendy Kallergis, CEO of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association. (Photo by Shoot My Travel Photographer Nathalie in Miami)
, Ed.D., director of 澳门六合彩历史记录鈥檚 , was named the 30th annual South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year by the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT).
Judges were asked to consider the seven finalists鈥 responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, an area where Ricci shined. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, he organized a offered by that allowed industry professionals who were furloughed, terminated or had hours reduced to continue their education during the down time and position themselves for new opportunities.
Ricci thought a few hundred people may sign up for the certificate, which normally costs $899, but it attracted 77,000 people in 165 countries and territories. More than 61,000 registrants fully completed the certificate -- more than double 澳门六合彩历史记录鈥檚 full-time enrollment of 30,000 students.
鈥淲e were delighted to reach so many people affected by this worldwide crisis,鈥 Ricci said. 鈥淢any workers said how grateful they were that the certificate was free at a time when their personal finances were so uncertain, and it helped boost their resumes so they could stand out to employers once the job market opened back up.鈥
AOHT is a partnership between the local travel, tourism and hospitality industry and the nonprofit NAF program through Miami-Dade County Public Schools. A three-person panel of judges not associated with AOHT rated the finalists and selected the winner.
Previous winners include William Talbert III, CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Wendy Kallergis, CEO of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association.
鈥淭his award is not really about professional accomplishments,鈥 said Julie Kennedy, NAF director and liaison to AOHT. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about what people are doing to give back to the community.鈥
In 1991, Ricci taught in the NAF program at Miami Springs Senior High School. Many of those students now are tourism industry leaders across the globe.
Before entering academia, Ricci was a hospitality industry executive and also had roles in the airline, destination marketing, meeting planning and restaurant industries.
He started at 澳门六合彩历史记录 in 2005 as a visiting associate professor. The 澳门六合彩历史记录 program is ranked among the nation鈥檚 Top 30, and the university also has one of the nation鈥檚 top MBA programs for hospitality and tourism.
鈥淭his honor is particularly meaningful to me, considering it鈥檚 the 30th year of the award and 30 years since I taught in one of the earliest NAF programs,鈥 Ricci said. 鈥淪ince that time, I've seen tourism become a revenue force for the state, and I鈥檝e had the pleasure of leading large hospitality businesses in the region and also grooming future leaders. I鈥檓 honored and grateful for this recognition.鈥-澳门六合彩历史记录-
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