Leadership of the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities consists of the Foundation's Officers and Board of Trustees.
Chairman Richard E. Marriott is chairman of the board of directors of Host Hotels and Resorts, one of the largest owners of lodging properties in the world. Mr. Marriott also serves as chairman of First Media Corporation, an independent broadcasting firm privately owned by the Marriott family.
Mr. Marriott joined Marriott Corporation full-time in 1965 as manager of a Hot Shoppes restaurant, having held part-time positions in the company since the age of 14. He subsequently served as eastern coordinator in the Roy Rogers division, corporate vice president for the Architecture and Construction division, and vice president of property development for Marriott Hotels.
In 1976, Mr. Marriott was promoted to group vice president of restaurant operations, and was named group vice president-corporate in 1978 with continuing responsibility for the company's restaurant business and theme parks. He was elected a director of the corporation in 1979, and also became responsible for its data processing operations in 1983. He was named an executive vice president in 1984 and vice chairman in October 1986.
Mr. Marriott is chairman of the board of trustees of the Marriott Foundation and the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities. He also serves on the Federal City Council, the Board of Associates for Gallaudet University, the National Advisory Council of Brigham Young University and the Board of Directors of the Polynesian Cultural Center. He is a former president of the National Restaurant Association, and is a trustee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Washington, D.C. area.
Mr. Marriott was born in Washington, D.C. in 1939. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, and holds an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School.
The younger of two sons of company founders J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, he resides with his wife, Nancy, in Potomac, Maryland. They have four daughters and thirteen grandchildren.
Mark R. Donovan, vice-chairman of the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities, served as its executive director from 1989, the year of its launch, through 2000. As vice-chairman, he continues to serve the foundation in an advisory role, participates in a number of related boards around the country, and is a recognized advocate for issues and opportunities surrounding the employment of people with disabilities.
Under Mr. Donovan’s direction, the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities in 1990 established “Bridges…from school to work,” a program which develops and facilitates employment opportunities for young people with disabilities as they leave high school. Over the following ten years, Bridges expanded to operate in six additional urban sites.
Before joining the Marriott Foundation and following ten years in management, Mr. Donovan filled several regional and national human resource positions for Saga Corporation and Marriott International, with responsibilities including management training and development, organization development, and initiatives to outreach to, and recruit from, non-traditional applicant pools.
Mr. Donovan is a 1972 graduate of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.
I. King Jordan made history in 1988 when he became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university with all programs and services designed specifically for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. That year Gallaudet students, with support from many alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University, protested the Board of Trustees' appointment of a hearing person to the presidency.
Called Deaf President Now (DPN), the week-long protest was a watershed event in the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people all over the world. At its conclusion, the Board reversed its decision and named I. King Jordan, one of three finalists for the position, the eighth president of Gallaudet and the first deaf president since the institution was established in 1864.
Since DPN, I. King Jordan's leadership has heightened public awareness of the important educational contributions Gallaudet makes to the nation and the world. He serves as an international spokesperson for deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as an advocate for all persons with disabilities. Much sought after as a public speaker, Dr. Jordan continues to challenge the American public to examine their attitudes toward people with disabilities and to open their minds, hearts and workplaces to them.
Dr. Jordan is a native of Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania, a small town near Philadelphia. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served four years. An automobile accident left him profoundly deaf at age 21.
Dr. Jordan earned a B.A. in psychology from Gallaudet in 1970. The following year he earned an M.A., and in 1973 a Ph.D., both in psychology and both from the University of Tennessee.
Upon receiving his doctorate, Dr. Jordan joined the faculty of Gallaudet's Department of Psychology. In 1983 he became chair of the department; three years later he was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
As professor, department chair, dean, and president, Dr. Jordan has made numerous scholarly contributions to his field. In addition, he has been a research fellow at Donaldson's School for the Deaf in Edinburgh, Scotland, an exchange scholar at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and a visiting scholar and lecturer at schools in Paris, Toulouse, and Marseille, France.
Dr. Jordan holds eleven honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards, among them: the Presidential Citizen's Medal, the Washingtonian of the Year Award, the James L. Fisher Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Larry Stewart Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Association for Community Leadership. In 1990, President George Bush appointed Dr. Jordan Vice Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (PCEPD). In 1993, President Clinton reappointed Dr. Jordan Vice Chair of PCEPD.
Dr. Jordan and his wife, Linda, live on the Gallaudet campus in the historic Edward Miner Gallaudet residence. They have two grown children, I. King III, a bioinformaticist at National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and Heidi, a teacher at the Florida School for the Deaf.
On September 1, 2005, Dr. Jordan announced that he will retire as president on December 31, 2006. In October 2005 the Board of Trustees began the search process for Gallaudet's next president.
Dr. Floretta Dukes McKenzie is Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of The McKenzie Group, Inc., a comprehensive educational consulting firm offering a range of direct-assistance services to organizations in both the public and private sectors.
Dr. McKenzie has a distinguished 40-year record of service to K through 12 and higher education, including significant experience in educational research, planning, and policy analysis. In the early 1980s, Dr. McKenzie began a successful seven-year term as Superintendent and Chief State School Officer of the District of Columbia Public Schools, the nation's 21st largest school system. Dr. McKenzie achieved many goals during her tenure as head of the D.C. school system including:
The last accomplishment not only enabled the school district to improve education in a comprehensive, planned manner, but also resulted in increased, tangible academic progress. Prior to becoming superintendent of the public school system in the nation's capital, Dr. McKenzie served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of School Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. There she managed 15 federal education discretionary programs and initiatives and supervised a staff of 100 employees with a $67 million annual budget.
She directed federal efforts to improve schools in areas ranging from basic skill instruction to women's educational equity to health education. Dr. McKenzie also served as Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of School Improvement, then a newly established federal bureau designed to increase the management efficiency and visibility of all discretionary grant programs with budgets under $40 million annually.
Dr. McKenzie also has served in several high-level administrative positions in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MD), including Deputy Superintendent and Area Assistant Superintendent. She began her career in executive-level educational leadership in the District of Columbia Public Schools, where she served in a variety of capacities, including:
Dr. McKenzie currently serves on the Boards of Regents of two major universities, the board of directors of the National Geographic Society, several major corporations, and several of the nation's leading educational organizations, including the Institute for Educational Leadership. In these roles,Dr. McKenzie has developed an extensive network of colleagues and contacts among educational researchers and education policy makers. Most recently, Dr. McKenzie was appointed Chairwoman of Howard University.
Dr. McKenzie holds a B.S. from D.C. Teachers College and an M.A. from Howard University in History. Her Ph.D. is from George Washington University in Education Administration.
Stephen G. Marriott is Executive Vice President, Culture. He is responsible for perpetuating Marriott’s core values and culture throughout the company. In addition he is Chairman of Marriott’s Business Councils and facilitates Marriott Sales School six times a year.
Steve’s first job with Marriott was at the Bethesda (MD) Roy Rogers as a cook in 1975 and then later at the Crystal City Marriott in 1976. From 1980 through 1984, he worked in various summer intern positions, ranging from front desk and housekeeping, to banquets, marketing and accounting at three hotels and a resort. In 1985, he became Sales Manager at the Mountain Shadows Marriott Resort and Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1986, he became Sales Manager at the Bethesda Marriott in Maryland, becoming the Director of Group Sales in 1987, the Director of Marketing in 1988, the Resident Manager in 1990, and the General Manager in 1991. In 1993, he became Director of Resort Marketing at Marriott Corporate Headquarters. He then progressed to Resort Brand Executive in 1994, Vice President of Lodging in 1995, Vice President of Corporate Marketing in 1996, and Vice President of Labor Market Positioning in 1998, Senior Vice President of Culture and Lodging Sales Recruiting in 2000. In 2001, he began leading the Meeting and Special Events Group. In May 2002, he won the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence which is the highest honor a Marriott associate can receive. He was awarded the Culture & Sales Achievement Award in March 2004 at the Global Leadership Conference.
Steve is a 1983 honor graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned a bachelor of arts in English. In 1985, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
Beginning in 1993, he served three-year terms on the board of directors for the American Speech, Hearing and Language Association Foundation (ASHA) and on the National Institutes of Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD). He also served from 1996 to 1999 on the BYU Marriott School of Management Alumni Board, and from 1995 to 1998 on the board of the BYU Management Society, Washington, D.C. chapter. He has served on the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Board since 1996. From 1996 to 1999, he served on the board of directors for Do the Write Thing: A National Campaign to Stop Youth Violence and on the board of the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities from 1997 to present. He had served on the board of trustees for Hospice Caring and had served on the board of advisors for D.C. College Access, a local group that helps secure college scholarships for underprivileged youth in Washington, D.C as well as the Advisory Board for the National Federation of the Blind Training and Research Center. Previously, he was Chairman of the Board of the Montgomery County (MD) Business Roundtable for Education. At this time, he is on the Board of Directors for the Washington area district of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and on the Board of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).
Steve is married and has three children. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His interests include church, family, golf, Washington Redskins football, Brigham Young sports, and teaching.
Tad Asbury joined the Foundation in 2003. In this role, Mr. Asbury oversees and directs all aspects of Foundation operations to ensure: adherence to the Foundation’s mission and underlying principles; achievement of established goals and objectives based upon a strategic plan; and long term organizational stability and growth.
Before joining the Marriott Foundation, Mr. Asbury held various management positions over 10 years of service with the MCI Foundation, and MCI Communications Inc. Mr. Asbury has extensive work experience in corporate communications and was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the MCI Foundation's signature program, MarcoPolo: Internet Content for the Classroom.
Mr. Asbury has a B.A. from Albion College and an M.A. from Georgetown University.
