The School of Hotel Administration (SHA) at Cornell University announces that Robert Mandelbaum is the new president of the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS) for 2016. Mandelbaum will lead the executive board of CHS, the 87-year-old alumni association that represents SHA graduates in more than 53 active chapters worldwide. Mandelbaum’s twelve-month term as president began January 1, 2016.
In 2016, CHS will continue their fundraising efforts to support SHA student scholarships, as well as faculty visits to chapter events around the world. CHS will offer more professional and social networking events, and hopes to increase alumni engagement through the revival of chapters that have been dormant in recent years.
“I am privileged to work with an executive board of highly accomplished and dedicated CHS leaders that will assist me in the implementation of my personal goal to invigorate and grow our local chapters,” said Mandelbaum.
Mandelbaum is the director of research information services for CBRE Hotels Americas Research. He oversees production of the annual Trends® in the Hotel Industry statistical report, along with customized financial and operational analyses for client projects. He helps produce five-year forecasts of performance for six national chain-scales and 59 major U.S. cities using the firm’s proprietary Hotel Horizons® econometric forecasting model.
Since graduating from SHA in 1981, Mandelbaum has given back to the school in many ways, including guest speaking in multiple classes, and as contributor and author for the Center for Hospitality Research and Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.
An active member of CHS, Mandelbaum has served on the boards for the Northern California and Georgia chapters; as president of both the Georgia and Memphis chapters; as the Southeast regional vice president; and on the executive board as second vice president in 2014, and first vice president in 2015. Additionally, Mandelbaum serves as the CHS liaison and on the board of directors of the Cornell Alumni Association of Atlanta.
