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As the excitement and enthusiasm of the fall semester inches closer, Kent State's dining, catering, and residence services teams prepare to serve students as a newly unified department - University Housing and Culinary Services (UHCS). 

Shortly after transitioning from Aramark to in-house dining on July 1, efforts began to operationalize the unification of the areas, driving home the commitment to being a student-ready college whose decision-making, programming, and focus support a seamless housing and dining experience for students.  

The creation of UHCS provides the opportunity for dining, catering, and residence services to share resources and streamline support services such as human resources and marketing. However, many forward-facing interactions with the university community will still see the units presented individually. Those unit-specific names are now University Culinary Services, University Catering, and University Housing.

Jill Jenkins, Senior Executive Director for University Housing and Culinary Services, served as the Director, Residence Services for nine years before taking on this new challenge.

“Residence Services does an amazing job connecting with, listening to, and responding to student needs,” she said. “One of the most important, initial pieces to my role and this transition is ensuring we can create the same opportunity to leverage student voices in our dining program.”

Assistant Vice President for Student Services Gary Goldberg believes Jenkins is a true asset to the new leadership realignment.

Jill is a campus leader held in high regard for her honesty, hard work, and leadership of a high-functioning area with many ties to student success and retention,” he said. “Dining will benefit from that success, and that was a factor in this reorganization."

UNIVERSITY HOUSING AND CULINARY SERVICES PERSONNEL ADDITIONS

University Housing and Culinary services recently onboarded new staff members who will support all units within UHCS.

Bradley Halverson, who previously served as a residence hall director at Kent State, was promoted to Assistant Director, Staffing and Training for UHCS.

Another dual role hired to support all units within UHCS is Sommer Dunlevy, the new Assistant Director, Marketing. Dunlevy completed her BS in Advertising/Graphic Design/Public Relations at Clarion University. She most recently served as the Marketing Specialist at Salisbury University, where she supported their dining, catering, and bookstore operations. 

UNIVERSITY CULINARY SERVICES PERSONNEL ADDITIONS

Leading the charge on the University Culinary Services side is the new Associate Director and Executive Chef, Eliot Norris. Originally from North Carolina, he previously served as Executive Chef at the University of Washington and worked in the hotel industry for several years where he was known for infusing creativity into catering. 

Goldberg says having an Executive Chef like Norris brings a wealth of experience to the position, which will benefit everyone. 

"Eliot brings the required culinary pedigree to Kent State via his degree and years of related experience; his positive demeanor, as well as his continuous learning, making him an ideal fit,” he said. “He understands the value of the student experience, which will bode well for him here.”

Laura Roach returns to �鶹��ѡas the Associate Director, Operations. Roach is a �鶹��ѡAlum who brings with her over 25 years of sales and hospitality experience. She most recently served as the Director for Dining Services at Walsh University. While at Walsh, and for much of her tenure, Laura worked under Sodexo Campus Services. 

Jenkins said the hire of Roach brings a lot to Kent State, thanks to her seasoned past.

“Laura is one of the key hires for our culinary team with [many] years of university dining experience,” she said. “She is a strong, dedicated leader focusing on ensuring staff has the resources and skills to be successful in each of their units; Laura’s ability to hit the ground running has been critical to our transition.”

UNIVERSITY HOUSING PERSONNEL ADDITIONS

Dr. Leah Shaw has been named the new Director for University Housing. Not only does she bring more than a decade of experience in student affairs, but she most recently served as the Associate Director of Leadership Programs at Case Western Reserve University. Shaw, too, is an alum of Kent State, having earned her Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel from �鶹��ѡwhere she began her professional career as a residence hall director.

Senior Director for University Housing, Dave Taylor, is impressed with Shaw's credentials for the position. 

“Leah brings to our team a decade-plus of experience,” he said. “In a sense, [she] has come home to help us carry out our mission of supporting student success.”

For more information on University Housing, visit the website.

For more information on University Culinary Services, visit the website.