Jennie deCarrier Benzon named Industry Advisory Board Member at Penn State School of Hospitality Management (SHM) in University Park
Jennie deCarrier Benzon, vice president of distinctive franchising brands at Marriott International, has joined the Penn State School of Hospitality Management (SHM) Industry Advisory Board. As vice president of the brands AC Hotels, Aloft, Element, and Moxy, Benzon is responsible for leading franchise advisory councils, achieving key financial metrics, growth distribution, and product and guest service metrics.The board invites industry experts to strategically advise SHM on industry trends and guide students who are studying hospitality management. The members are leaders in the field, including vice presidents and senior vice presidents of large companies and executive vice presidents, chief operating officers, and CEOs of smaller companies. Benzon has a track record of increasing sales, improving quality, exceeding financial projections, and successfully tackling tough projects. Previously, Benzon served as vice president of franchising for the Fairfield Inn and Moxy brands, where she was responsible for working closely with Marriott’s global brand team to continue Fairfield Inn’s rapid growth trajectory and launch the Moxy brand in North America. Benzon also previously served as vice president of renovations and product integrity for the Americas at Marriott, where she was responsible for creating a Center of Excellence for Product Integrity. She was accountable for strategizing with a cross-brand team to improve both renovation execution and the renovation cost model. She also created and led an executive leadership board that included the president of Americas at Marriott and several executive vice presidents and senior vice presidents. Before joining Marriott, Benzon was director of operations at McDonald’s, where she was responsible for $770 million in sales, 110 franchise organizations and 550 franchised restaurants. While there, she developed and oversaw the now famous advertising campaign of “Made For You” for the Northeastern U.S. This involved creating and implementing the operating systems, training programs, tracking and measurement systems, and then rolling out a road tour to introduce it.
