UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2026 Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) Industry Awards and Reception will be held on Wednesday, April 8, at Penn State University Park, and registration to attend the event is open.
The event, a tradition of PSHRS and the Penn State School of Hospitality Management since 1960, will honor Leeny Oberg, chief financial officer and executive vice president of development at Marriott International, with the Hospitality Executive of the Year Award.
Oberg has played a pivotal role in Marriott’s evolution, including her leadership in the acquisition and integration of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Before assuming her current role, she held several key financial leadership positions at Marriott, including senior vice president of corporate and development finance and senior vice president of international project finance and asset management for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She joined Marriott in 1999 as part of its investor relations team.
In July 2025, Marriott announced that Oberg will retire effective March 31, 2026.
The PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception is the marquee fundraising event of scholarships for students studying hospitality management at Penn State and programming support for the School of Hospitality Management by its dedicated alumni society.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ben Jellison, director of industry and alumni relations, at bdj101@psu.edu or 814-865-6728.
Corporate sponsors and individuals as of March 5 and their levels are:
Old Main
- Marriott International
Nittany Lion
- Accenture
- PepsiCo
Blue
- Hilton
White
- Host Hotels and Resorts
- Noble Investment Group
- Penn Entertainment
- PwC
- Thayer Ventures
Mateer
- Aimbridge Hospitality
- American Hotel & Lodging Association
- Ecolab
- Encore
- Ernest & Young
- First American Title
- Nestle Professionals
- Rebel Hospitality
- Shaner Hotels
Patrons
- Anonymous Penn State alumnus
- Budge & Co LLC
- LW Hospitality Advisors
- Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
About the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society
The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society was founded to strengthen all hospitality professions and enhance the reputation of the Hospitality Management program (HM). PSHRS is an Alumni Group of the Penn State Alumni Association and the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society.
PSHRS provides a means for achieving closer fellowship among alumni, faculty and students. PSHRS serves those who are currently attending Penn State in HM or who are graduates of the program, as well as those who work within the HM industries and have attended Penn State or are "friends" of the program.
About the School of Hospitality Management
Established in 1937, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management is one of the nation’s earliest and most respected schools of hospitality management. Its top-ranked undergraduate and doctoral programs prepare global leaders with a rigorous, diverse curriculum focused on engaged scholarship, featuring partnerships with Penn State's Hospitality Services, Housing and Food Services, and top global hospitality brands. It is also home to the oldest Penn State alumni program group, the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society. The school’s portfolio features an innovative and focused Master of Professional Studies in Hospitality Management graduate degree program.