The schedule below is subject to change. All events are located at Silver Legacy Resort Casino unless otherwise indicated.*

The Learning Sessions for the NACUFS 2022 Continental/Pacific Regional Conference will focus on delivering content in the domains aligned with the NACUFS Collegiate Dining Body of Knowledge™ . Additional details on the domains can be found at the bottom of the page.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Learning Sessions

Unlock Your Magic
Mike Donnelly

In 1955 Walt Disney knew that consistent and outstanding customer experiences could lift his company to greatness. The opening of Disneyland began the organization's first venture into face-to-face Disney experiences. Disney's inspirational leadership created deep emotional connections with his guests and cast members that endure to this day. This hyper focus on customer experience is easily applied to all business models; not just theme parks. Join Michael J. Donnelly, CEO of The Donnelly Group for this special keynote address. Learn adaptable Disney-style strategies that inspire every employee to learn, care, and deliver delightful customer experiences that keep customers not only coming back, but begging for more!

Five Key Solutions for Special Dietary Needs
Betsy Craig, chief executive officer, MenuTrinfo®, LLC

When you have students with allergies, the food they love may not love them back. During this session, Betsy will bring her experience to the table and provide you with five key takeaways to implement on campus immediately and how to sustain them into the future. This interactive session will include small group discussions to learn best-in-class solutions for food allergy success on any campus.

Culinary Strategies for Developing Healthier Menus
Lindsey Pine, MS, RDN, CLT, registered dietitian, USC Hospitality, University of Southern California

Students are asking for healthier menu items, but where should you start to create healthy, delicious, and trending menu items that guests will be excited about? With so many interpretations, what does a word like "healthy" even mean to your dining community? The food we feed our students daily can affect their likelihood of developing a chronic disease later in life. In this session, Lindsey Pine will offer ideas in creating a culinary roadmap that takes nutrition principles from theory to the plate, sharing examples from USC Hospitality along the way.

Thursday, March 3, 2022 Learning Sessions

Find The Edge Again: Rekindle the Spark That Makes You Energized, Engaged & Bold
Antonio Neves

Whether you’re a leader at the helm of an organization or a professional at a crossroads in your career, you know a simple truth – in these complicated times, it’s more challenging than ever to feel motivated. But that feeling of disengagement and low morale is pernicious—once it sets in, it rarely just blows over. And if left unchecked, it can lead to burnout that has a long-term effect on a company’s success. So how do you hit the reset button to rekindle excitement, increase focus, and get clear again on what’s most important? Antonio helps audiences find that edge again with three critical steps to boost workplace engagement, establish a culture of allies, and create systems for personal accountability and measurable results. Backed by research and proven results detailed in the bestselling book, Stop Living on Autopilot, this highly rated program helps leaders, teams, and employees recommit to a shared vision in a way that aligns with their own goals as individuals, too. Finding this alignment of passion helps improve performance, combat complacency, and encourage creative decision-making. Join Antonio for this talk to refuel energy, rekindle excitement, and recommit to being bold.

Stewards of Sustainability
Bremen Leak, associate director, sustainability & continuity, Brigham Young University

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, human activity has warmed the earth’s air, land, and water. That means a changing climate, which impacts everyone. As we learn to live with more severe and unpredictable weather, manage increasingly precious resources, and elevate our role as stewards of our campus communities, we require a clearer understanding of sustainability and stewardship. This session will provide a helpful overview, share tools and best practices from our industry, and challenge participants to engage in this important conversation.

Developing Innovative Menus that Engage Your Customers
Jeff Palmer, director of dining services, University of California - San Diego
Leo Acosta, assistant director of dining services, University of California - San Diego
Justin Martinez, dining systems specialist, University of California - San Diego

Join presenters from the University of California - San Diego as they review their approach to creating innovative and inclusive menus through utilizing survey data, menu analytics, food trends, sales data, and the cost of commodities to guide the decision-making process. In addition, they will share how they built staff buy-in, improved the menu development process, created new tools, and incorporated students into the decision-making process.

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Efficiency & Guest Experience
Ben Anderson, director, Grubhub Campus

Get an in-depth look at leading foodservice programs across the country and how they use technology to increase efficiency and enhance the guest experience. Take a deep dive into their implementation of delivery robots, lockers, and other technology solutions to meet customers where they are while optimizing for the evolving labor environment. Understand the critical considerations driving innovation across campus and the foodservice industry as a whole.

Staff Leadership Development - Individualized Journeys
Denise Payton, assistant director dining services, Central Washington University

Creating professional development learner opportunities that resonate with dining employees can be challenging in University Dining programs. In this session, learn how to connect with your team’s needs and where to begin in developing a successful Leadership Program. The session will share how the employee development approach was successfully implemented to meet the specific needs of dining employees. Participants will partake in an affinity brainstorming activity that can be taken back to their programs to develop leadership programs.

Making the Case for Data Analytics in Dining
Tim Schulz, technical services manager/dining, North Dakota State University

Do you know when to prepare food based on when customers will arrive or is it simply experience? This session will explain some operational data analytics, including how your operation can become more data-driven. Data analytics will answer questions such as: is your staff effectively scheduled based on customer patterns, how your staffing is really doing, and how you know. This session will also include how to enable metric-based leadership through key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational performance metrics (OPM).

Communicating with Generation Z: Technology Solutions
Trail Bundy, marketing and communications manager, University of Montana Campus Dining, University of Montana

As Generation Z embarks on its journey through higher education, colleges and universities face finding new ways to communicate with the students they serve. Using a variety of technological solutions, the University of Montana Campus Dining (UMCD) has transformed how they engage with students. From digital signage, text-based communication, mobile ordering, and customer-controlled music systems, UMCD has found new ways of getting impactful content in front of students' eyes while gauging their perceptions.

Stop Recycling! Take Back Control of Your Water Program
Drew Hamilton, managing director, Vivreau Water

Water, the foundation of life and wellness for all of us, is a resource so precious that we can scarcely afford to lose a drop. Join our experts in an exploration of how filtering and dispensing local water can result in a staggering reduction in single-serve plastic bottles and campus carbon footprint while positively impacting the health and wellness of your community. Along the way, you’ll learn how a sustainable water program for your foodservice operation results in real-world cost savings and a measurable gain in operational efficiencies.