Recap: EGBOK Mission at Cornell’s HEC 86

Earlier this month, EGBOK Mission founder Ben Justus gave a keynote address at Cornell University’s 86th Hotel Ezra Cornell conference.

This year’s HEC theme was Global Hospitality: The Core of International Business. It was a fitting context for Ben to host a discussion on how EGBOK Mission uses the hospitality industry to educate, employ, and break poverty cycles in underprivileged communities.

Ben gave a heart-felt presentation on ‘Living Globally, Serving Locally’, leaving attendees with something substantial to think about.  By using the hospitality training he received at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, he is providing service through service to underprivileged Cambodian youth by giving them the vocational skills they need for a sustainable future.

Ben engaged the audience by asking a simple question “What inspires you?” He aimed to compell those of all ages to think about how they can use their education on a daily basis to make a difference and serve others.

During the conference, the EGBOK Mission team — which included Annie Place, board members Bryan Justus and Chad Bernstein, and Ben — had the wonderful opportunity to engage with the Cornell University community.  The EGBOK Mission team hosted two student roundtable discussions to interact with students. The team also met with several organizations on campus, including Hotelies Serving Society and the Cornell Hotel Society.

HEC 86 is a great platform for the EBGOK Mission team to learn from those in the worldwide hospitality industry.  Other speakers included Ed Fuller, the president of Marriot International, Inc., and Lee Pillsbury, founder and CEO of Thayer Lodging, Inc.

A warm thank you to Cornell University and Hotel Ezra Cornell for hosting EGBOK Mission!

– Annie Place