Yolanda Benitez Receives 2018 School of Management Distinguished Alumni Award
Rochester, NY (04/24/2018) — The Nazareth College School of Management (SOM) is pleased to announce that Yolanda Benitez '84 is the recipient of the 2018 SOM Distinguished Alumni Award. Benitez has served in various leadership roles at Wegmans Food Markets since 1990 and serves as a model for Nazareth students due to her service to others and the College. Benitez accepted her award at the SOM Business and Economics Honor Society Induction Ceremony on April 15th where she spoke to Nazareth students.
Benitez is currently the director of Priority Projects and Workforce Initiatives at Wegmans Food Markets. Wegmans has been named one of the '100 Best Companies to Work For' by FORTUNE magazine for 20 consecutive years, ranking #2 in 2017.
In her current position with Wegmans, Benitez is responsible for leading collaboration with Store Operations, Marketing, and Merchandising areas to champion Knowledge Based Service (KBS) priority initiatives and events. She provides project management, and coaching support on four Disciplines of Execution (Franklin Covey) on select company priorities. She is also responsible for supporting Community Culinary Middles Skills Workforce Initiatives.
During her more than 27 years at Wegmans, she has held several positions: store manager, director of Training & Development, and director of Skin Care. Benitez also spent five years on special assignment as a Loaned Executive to Hillside Work Scholarship Connection (HW-SC) a program that Wegmans started in 1987 to improve graduation rates of students in the Rochester City School District. Benitez served as Director of the Jobs Institute overseeing the strategic start-up and development of the HW-SC Jobs Institute Concept. She was responsible for creating a regional model for youth job readiness skills training, job placement, job development, career service, and contractual training services for Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, N.Y., as well as, Prince George's County, Md.
Benitez, a member of the Nazareth College Board of Trustees, has a strong and long-standing commitment to serving the Rochester community on several other boards: Foodlink: Community Kitchen Institute Work Group Advisory Board, The Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES) Culinary Advisory Board, Borinquen Dance Theater Board, United Way Latino Leadership Development, and Council Member for Circulo Latino Leadership.
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2018 School of Management Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Nazareth University
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