Lansing Community College Man Recognized as Teacher of the Year

LANSING, Mich. — Chris Kibit, hospitality program coordinator and team leader at Lansing Community College (LCC), was recently recognized as the 2001 Teacher of the Year for post-secondary education by the Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA).

Kibit has taught hospitality classes for 10 years at LCC. In his role as an administrator, he is also responsible for administrative scheduling, student advising, and hiring and training part-time faculty.

“I am very proud to receive this award from the Michigan Restaurant Association,” said Kibit. “I have great respect for the MRA’s legislative work and the invaluable services they provide to their members.”

“We are proud to recognize Chris Kibit as our Teacher of the Year for the incredible job he has done in building bridges between the educational community and the restaurant industry,” MRA Executive Director Rob Gifford said.

Kibit has served as an officer of the Lansing chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and the council on Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Education (CHRIE). As a representative of CHRIE, he helped organize the Hospitality Educators Conference, which brought together more than 70 educators and restaurant industry representatives. Kibit is certified as a culinary educator by the ACF, and as a hospitality educator through the American Hotel and Motel Association.

Kibit received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business. He has previously worked as chef for three MSU presidents.

The MRA represents more than 3,500 eating and drinking establishments statewide. On a typical day, more than 4 million meals are purchased from Michigan foodservice establishments.