The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) honored 10 distinguished individuals on Friday for their outstanding service to the association during an awards breakfast at the NACUFS 2024 National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Three awards were presented: the Richard Lichtenfelt Award, the David R. Prentkowski Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, and the Daryl Van Hook Industry Award.
Selected by the association’s chairperson, the Richard Lichtenfelt Award honors individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to NACUFS at the national level. This year’s winners are the 2023-24 NACUFS Regional Ambassadors, who represent the members from each of NACUFS’ six regions: Pacific, Continental, Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern.
2024 Richard Lichtenfelt Award winners:
o Jill Flores, Montana State University-Bozeman
o Emily Eason, The George Washington University
o Crista Martin, Harvard University
o Evan Olsen, Florida Institute of Technology
o Andy Simonsen, University of Washington
o Andrew Watling, The University of Alabama
Nominated by peers and colleagues, the Daryl Van Hook Industry Award honors an industry member who has provided educational support, product innovation, and outstanding service to the association.
2024 Daryl Van Hook Industry Award:
o Sojo Alex, Envision Strategies
The David R. Prentkowski Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, also nominated by peers and colleagues, honors individuals who have retired from college and university foodservice leadership or other positions that supported the betterment of college and university foodservices.
2024 David R. Prentkowski Distinguished Lifetime Member Award winners:
o Mona Milius, University of Northern Iowa
o Rich Neumann, Ohio University
o Cam Schauf, University of Rochester
Milius said she is amazed and honored to be included among past recipients, many of whom are friends and mentors. She added that her experience with NACUFS has developed her leadership, problem-solving, strategic planning, and other skills, while expanding her world view, culinary palate and perspective.
“I am deeply fond of my NACUFS journey and cannot comprehend what my career would have been like without NACUFS members and leaders who encouraged me, engaged with me, and created with me,” Milius said. “Each volunteer opportunity I had was not an individual endeavor, but a result of the collaborative work of the entire board, task force or committee. Over the years, I had a great time creating memories and enduring connections while also having a lot of fun.”
Neumann expressed pride that his peers found him worthy of being placed within this NACUFS legacy. Most proud to have worked with a great team at Ohio University for 32 years, he attributed his success to his wife, parents, mentors and to NACUFS for the development and networking opportunities.
“NACUFS provided me the opportunity to share my knowledge and help others succeed,” Neumann said.
Schauf, whose career in campus dining spanned 50 years and five institutions, said he is grateful to be joining the incredible group of past recipients—many of whom played key roles in his personal and professional growth.
“I am also touched and honored to be receiving an award named for David Prentkowski. Dave was a role model and a friend through much of my career,” Schauf said. “I know it has been the people I have worked with, mentored and served through the years that have made a tremendous difference in my life, and I believe I have made a difference in the lives of others as well. I owe a good deal of my success to NACUFS and all of my NACUFS friends. I love this association and couldn’t think of a bigger honor than being recognized by NACUFS and its members.”
About NACUFS: The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) was founded in 1958 by a group of college and university foodservice professionals from across the United States. Since its inception, NACUFS has focused on its mission to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining by providing members with the programs and resources they need to excel, from benchmarking and best practices to educational programming and professional networking.
NACUFS institutional members range from private colleges to large public universities, including two-year and four-year institutions, spanning the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and beyond. Industry members include food and equipment manufacturers, distributors, brokers, foodservice support companies, councils, boards, trade associations, advisory commissions and other professional groups. For more information, visit NACUFS.org.
