Rosealee Lee Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Rosealee Lee, an instructor in the Meeting and Event Management program at Dakota County Technical College, was inducted into Minnesota Meetings + Events Hall of Fame, winning the magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Featured with six other Hall of Fame inductees in the Minnesota Meetings + Events Spring 2009 issue, Lee was honored at the magazine's annual Best of Readers' Choice Awards and Hall of Fame induction ceremony Feb. 26, 2009, at The Hotel Minneapolis.

"It was a magical evening," said Lee, who was also selected to join Minnesota Meetings + Events Editorial Advisory Board. "The who's who of our industry attended the party. I felt like a queen for a day."

Lee's husband David Lee and her daughter, Jessica Bartram, another instructor in the DCTC Meeting and Event Management program, accompanied Lee to the awards party, braving near-blizzard conditions to share in the festivities.

Previously honored as the DCTC 2008 Outstanding Instructor of the Year, Lee has more than 30 years of industry experience and has served DCTC students for more than five years in adjunct and full-time faculty positions. She teaches at the college's Apple Valley site.

Lee points to partnerships with industry employers and professional associations as the reason for the continued growth in hospitality careers. "We are thrilled to be educating our students for employment," she said. "Hospitality is a dynamic business and maintaining responsive communication with employers is important to the success of our students."

Rosealee Lee's other achievements include:

Certified Association Executive
Founder and board member of the ARDEL Group
Partner in Global Success, a training and consulting company
Chair of Meeting Professionals International Student Initiative Committee
Active memberships in the:
American Society of Association Executives
Professional Convention Management Association
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
International Special Events Society
American Society of Travel Agents

The Meeting and Event Management program prepares students to enter a truly exciting industry. Individuals already employed as meeting planners or in tourism, hotel, and convention service positions will expand their career opportunities with the program's comprehensive curriculum.

The program serves as the missing ingredient for individuals who want to offer premier services and guest satisfaction to many different types of customers in a variety of industry businesses:

Convention and visitor bureaus
Travel agencies
Meeting, conference and event management businesses
Marketing and public relations firms
For-profit and nonprofit corporations
Golf and country clubs
Zoos
Resorts
Guest-centered attractions offering food, lodging or meeting spaces

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for meeting and convention planners is expected to grow 20 percent through 2016, which is faster than the national average. Job openings will result from employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the workforce or transfer to other occupations.