FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Andrew Lipson of Chartwells at the University of Arkansas and corporate chef Mario Valdovinos, from Tyson Foods Inc. are serving as executives in residence in the hospitality innovation program in the UA’s Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Lipson is the resident district manager for Chartwells and Valdovinos is the corporate executive chef and director of culinary innovations at Tyson Foods.

Lipson and Valdovinos are working with Kelly Way and Rhonda Hammond, respectively, to co-teach different classes during the spring semester in the Bumpers College’s School of Human Environmental Sciences. Lipson’s class involves redesigning retail food areas on campus while Valdovinos’ class has students creating products for a Tyson Foods specialty brand.

Hospitality faculty reviewed nominations and voted to have each serve as an executive-in-residence this semester.

ANDREW LIPSON

Andrew Lipson, resident district manager for Chartwells

Lipson has worked in the food industry for more than 35 years, going from dish machine operator, bus person, waiter, bartender and cook to several levels of food service management. He has worked in restaurants in New York and Florida, and moved into contract dining in New York City in the 1980s. He joined Chartwells, the Education Sector of the Compass Group, in 2004 and moved to Fayetteville in 2014.

“We are extremely grateful to Andrew and Chartwells for their support of our program and our students,” said Way. “This hands-on life-experience allows our students to utilize critical thinking skills they have learned throughout their time in the hospitality program. To have a working atmosphere, true statistics and knowledge to work with and design projects that can actually be implemented is priceless to our students. These experiences are what make our graduates more desirable in the hiring market.”

Lipson is co-teaching “Critical Issues in Hospitality” with Way, an associate professor. Student projects include working with Chartwells on redesigning retail food areas on the UA campus.

 “Andrew is a true teacher,” said Way. “He teaches and trains from the heart. His contribution to knowledge and leadership shows in how he treats our students with respect and encouragement. Andrew has become a mentor to more than a few students and he embraces this role with enthusiasm and pride. He is a true gem.”

MARIO VALDOVINOS

Mario Valdovinos, corporate executive chef and director of culinary innovations for Tyson Foods Inc.

Valdovinos develops and tests new products for Tyson’s Consumer Products and Food Service Business Units. He has worked on cruise ships, in bistros and hotel kitchens, as a corporate chef at Mallard’s Food Products and as a research chef at Culinary Foods in Chicago.

“Chef Mario is the epitome of the hospitality industry,” said Way. “His energy is contagious, his enthusiasm is infectious and his work ethic is unmeasurable. To have such a talent in Northwest Arkansas accessible to our students is simply amazing. The support and dedication we’ve received from Chef Mario and Tyson Foods will make a huge impression on these students as they continue their careers in the hospitality industry.”  

Valdovinos has been a guest judge of Food Network TV’s “Chopped” and authored Chef Formulation and Integration: Ensuring that Great Food and Food Science Work Together.

He is co-teaching “The Chef Mario Experience” with Hammond, an assistant professor. Students are designing specific products for Aidells, a Tyson Foods specialty brand, and pitching concepts to company executives. Students are also developing beverage concepts for MOD Restaurant and Social, which Valdovinos is preparing to open in Bentonville.

“Developing the best-tasting products comes from the heart and a deep-seated passion for food, not from a cookbook,” said Valdovinos. “To understand the foods eaten is to understand the culture of a people. And understanding the culture is what ultimately leads to innovation.”

The Bumpers College instituted the executive-in-residence program, a recommendation by the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board, to provide students with access to professionals for career development, advice and tips. 

Previous executives in residence include Jim Porter, a financial and risk management executive who worked on Wall Street and formed his own companies; Kelly Kemp, a broadcasting and public relations professional who is chief advancement officer for The Jones Center/Jones Trust; Bernie Murphy, president of Jones-Hamilton Co., an employee-owned chemical business in Walbridge, Ohio, with markets in food, pet food, poultry, steel, water treatment, oil and gas; and Jimmy Taylor, vice president of extended stay options with the Intercontinental Hotel Group.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.