2010 Richard N. Frank Distinguished Lectureship Series Features President & Managing Director of International Lodging for Marriott

Edwin D. “Ed” Fuller, who has overseen significant growth for Marriott International Inc., will be the featured speaker in the 2010 Richard N. Frank Distinguished Lectureship Series on Wednesday, April 28. The president and managing director of international lodging will share his experience and industry knowledge during a discussion moderated by professor Dr. Edward Merritt from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in The Collins College of Hospitality Management’s Wine Auditorium.

Fuller’s commitment to the hospitality industry has enabled Marriott International, Inc. to become one of the largest and most recognizable lodging and food-service companies in the world after nearly 40 years experience with the company. Fuller joined Marriott in 1972 as a management trainee and has held numerous positions of increasing marketing, sales and operational responsibility. These include director of national and international sales and reservations; chief sales and marketing officer for Marriott International; and opening general manager of the Long Island (NY) Marriott and the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotels.

In 1985, Fuller was named regional vice president for Marriott’s Midwest Region, based in Chicago; four years later he was appointed regional vice president for the Western Pacific Region, based in Santa Ana, CA. He assumed leadership of Marriott’s international lodging operations in 1990 as senior vice president and managing director and later was promoted to executive vice president and managing director. He was promoted to president and managing director, his current position, in 1997, when he was also named corporate officer. Under his leadership, the business has grown from 16 properties outside the United States and Canada to 350 hotels in 70 countries with another 175 under construction.

Dr. Edward Merritt, who has authored six books, has begun work on a new book that will include interviews and oral histories of hospitality industry leaders. Transcripts of his discussion with Fuller will be included in the book.

About The Richard N. Frank Lectureship Series – The series was established in 1988 to allow students a unique opportunity to hear directly from the industry's leaders and legends as they bring hospitality management to life through their own real-world experiences. Lawry's Restaurants Inc. Chairman Richard N. Frank, a long-standing advocate and supporter of The Collins College, donated a grant to establish an endowment creating the lectureship series.

About The Collins College – Founded in 1973, The Collins College of Hospitality Management is the first and largest four-year hospitality management degree program in California and the only hospitality management college on the West Coast. More than 850 undergraduate students receive a superior education in the state-of-the-art Collins College facilities, where they learn to apply hospitality management theories and concepts to real-world settings. Part of this unique academic experience includes managing and operating the full-service Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.