About 1,500 student employees work for Culinary Services at Ohio University alone, but one stands out from the rest both on campus and in the Midwest.
Jesse Adams, a senior studying restaurant, hotel and tourism, works in the central hiring department of Culinary Services and was named in February “Employee of the Year” at OU for the 2012–13 school year. Shortly after, he was named the best in the region by the National Association of College and University Food Services.
Adams is in charge of hiring and scheduling student employees at 17 different food venues and operations across campus, said Rich Neumann, director of Residential Dining at OU.
“It takes someone with phenomenal organization skills and attention to detail to be able to do (hiring and scheduling across campus), and (Adams) has those skills,” Neumann said.
Adams will receive a Destination Dining meal plan worth $450 in flex points for being named OU’s student employee of the year and a $1,000 prize for winning the Midwest regional award. He is now qualified for the national competition; one winner is selected from the six regional winners to receive a $5,000 prize.
NACUFS comprises six different regions. OU is just one of 130 total colleges and universities in the Midwest region of NACUFS. National membership totals around 550 schools, Neumann said.
NACUFS’ executive board, headquartered in East Lansing, Mich., and comprising five members, voted a winner on Friday, but the announcement will not come for a few more weeks, Neumann said.
Adams, who started working for Culinary Services in 2009 at the old Nelson Dining Hall, is the third regional winner in a row for OU and hopes to be the second of the three to win the national competition.
“Jesse joined Culinary Services early in his collegiate career and has worked with us in a variety of capacities,” Dan Pittman, assistant director of Auxiliary Sales said. “His prior knowledge of our venues and high service standards has helped him when selecting the ideal students for each culinary position.”
Adams hopes to translate his current success into his future.
“My biggest goal now is to work my way up to a human resources department at a hotel or resort, preferably somewhere warm,” Adams said.
jr200009@ohiou.edu
