ELKINS — Chef Melanie Campbell recently received the Excellence in Tourism Education award from the West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association (WVHTA). The Executive Chef and assistant director of Davis & Elkins College Dining Services and assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management, Campbell has spent more than 20 years working in the hospitality industry.

“Davis & Elkins College is honored to have both Professor Melanie Campbell and our Hospitality and Tourism Management Program recognized by the West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association,” said D&E President Chris A. Wood. “An award recognizing excellence in tourism education affirms the value D&E places on quality and transformation within our educational offerings. Professor Campbell’s recognition is a result of years of dedication to her field and unyielding commitment to her students.”

At D&E, Campbell teaches Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism Management, Resort Management and Basic Foods. Her Conference and Convention, Lodging Operations, Food Costs Control, and Planning and Quantity Foods classes all include hands on practicums. As advisor to the Hospitality and Tourism Club, she leads students on trips in the Mountain State and beyond giving them opportunities to experience tourism in action.

“Chef Mel’s positive attitude, creative approach to instruction and community involvement in the field made her the perfect candidate for this honor,” said Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB Executive Director Anne Beardslee, who nominated Campbell for the award. “We all know people that teach for a living. Chef Mel lives her profession every day in every way – not just when she is in front of students.”

Campbell also serves her community as vice president of the Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB Board of Directors, board member for the Rich Mountain Battlefield Association, Beverly Heritage Center and Randolph County Senior Center, and a member of the Randolph County Culinary Vo-tech Advisory Committee. 

A certified Executive Chef and member of the American Culinary Federation, Campbell is a graduate of the prestigious Greenbrier Apprenticeship Program mentored by ACF Certified Master Chef Hartmut Handke. She was named one of top High Five Chefs in 2008 by West Virginia Executive Magazine.  

A native of Buckhannon, Campbell holds an MBA in hospitality management from Lynn University in Bocca Raton, Florida, and a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

The WVHTA represents the hospitality and travel industry’s interests to both governmental and private sectors and serves as the connection between all those involved with the development of tourism in West Virginia.