Mary Gregoire has been appointed professor and department executive officer of the department of hotel, restaurant and institution management in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Gregoire replaced Thomas Walsh as the new DEO on Aug. 1. Walsh, who held the position from 1982 to 1997, has gone on phased retirement but will be teaching fall semesters.

Donna Cowan served as interim DEO prior to Gregoire’s appointment.

Carol Meeks, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said the department needed someone with teaching experience, research background, graduate education experience and work experience with either the hotel or food service industry.

“[Gregoire] has lots of experience,” Meeks said. “She came to us from Rush-Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago, where she was involved not only with teaching in the graduate program there as a university person, but she also oversaw the whole food service for the hospital.”

Gregoire received a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and a master’s degree in institutional management from North Dakota State University in 1974 and 1975, respectively. She earned her Ph.D. in food service and hospitality management in 1985 from Kansas State University.

Between 1993 and 1994, Gregoire worked in the National Foodservice Management Institute as an associate director of applied research and published her research findings.

Gregoire said she is happy to be at Iowa State.

“It is such a good program,” Gregoire said. “It’s one of the key programs in the country, and it has degrees of all levels. It has an undergraduate program, but it also has a strong master’s and Ph.D program.”

Gregoire said she plans to expand hotel, restaurant and institution management’s undergraduate program and strengthen its graduate program.

“I would like to continue to develop links between Iowa State and the industry … and also keep in touch with alumni,” she said.