Business & Hospitality

Nathan J. Breen, JD

Nathan J. Breen teaches Hospitality Law at Lexington College. He is an associate with Howe & Hutton, Ltd. Prof. Breen earned his undergraduate degree from DePaul University and his Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in 1999. While in school, Mr. Breen served on the editorial board of The John Marshall Law Review as Executive Lead Articles Editor and externed for a judge in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

His legal practice is concentrated primarily in hospitality law and association intellectual property and Internet law, including trademarks, copyrights, domain names, e-commerce, and privacy issues. Breen also maintains a practice in commercial litigation, contracts, and employment discrimination. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and is former Chair of its Trade and Professional Associations Law Committee.

Patty Coen, MBA, CMM

Professor Coen is professor of Event Planning. Coen received a BS in Business Communication from Rockhurst College and an MBA in Marketing and International Business from the University of Notre Dame. Additionally, she holds a prestigious Certification in Meetings Management designation from Meeting Professionals International.

Coen has been in the meetings industry for over a decade years. She is an independent meeting planner and president/owner of Great Chicago Events, which plans events for groups between 20 and 2000 people. Before starting her own company, she served as associate director of the University of Chicago's Alumni Association.

She currently serves on the Board of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago, is a committee member of the Meeting Professionals International Chicago Area Chapter, and a committee member of the Association Forum of Chicagoland.

Kathy Dornhecker, MS

Kathy Dornhecker is the faculty director of Lexington’s much-praised Internship Program. She also is the Director of Career Services, an academic advisor, and the international student office's Primary Designated Official. Lexington has awarded her the Front Runner Award twice for innovative programming concepts.

Dornhecker holds a master's and a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Governors State University and an associate degree in liberal arts from Prairie State Community College. At Governor’s State University, Dornhecker received the Amoco Fellowship Award through the Institute for Public Policy and completed additional coursework in Public Administration.

Dornhecker joined Lexington College in 1993 after working in higher education as a faculty, researcher, and conference coordinator. Her background in hospitality began with work in the restaurant industry as a high school student and later for upscale catering companies while attending college, gaining a decade of practical experience in the field.

Beth Dugan, MS

Professor Dugan teaches Hospitality Management courses at Lexington, including the senior capstone portfolio course. Currently pursuing a PhD in Education, she earned her Master of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Travel Administration from the University of Massachusetts.

Ms. Dugan has three decades of experience working in the hospitality industry, and teaching at the college level. When she not teaching at Lexington, she is working on her next publication. An entrepreneur, Dugan is owner and principal writer for Food Write, in Kenosha, WI.

Kimberly LaBounty, MA, CMM

Kimberly LaBounty received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Illinois State University in public relations and communications respectively. She also holds a Certificate of Meetings Management designation from Meeting Professionals International.

An award winning event professional, LaBounty has been a meeting industry leader for two decades. Her clients and experience come primarily from the nonprofit and association arena. She has managed a variety of meetings and events throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

LaBounty is a member of her local chamber of commerce, as well as the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits. She is also a member of the Chicago Association of Direct Marketers, and serving as conference chair for the Direct Marketing Conference for Nonprofits, organized by the Direct from the Heart committee.

Kelly O'Leary, MLA
Hospitality Area Coordinator

Professor O'Leary holds a M.L.A. in Gastronomy from Boston University and a B.A. in Music from Furman University. She has also completed post-graduate coursework in the culinary field at the Culinary Institute of America.

Her scholarly work has been published in the World History Bulletin and the Encyclopedia of World Cuisines. She is presently co-authoring a book on the use of wheat in culinary history.

Prior to teaching in higher education O'Leary was Executive Chef and General Manager of Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center in Boston, where she was profiled in Cooking Light magazine. She is the founder and executive director of the Art of Living conference and club program that engages young women from around the globe in hospitality fields and practice.

Grace Wisowaty, MBA

Professor Wisowaty teaches Accounting and Financial Management at Lexington College. She earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University, specializing in corporate finance and a BS in psychology from Swarthmore College.

Wisowaty has held a number of executive positions, including director of international finance, director of financial systems, and director of sales and marketing analysis for Premier Farnell, an international distributor of electronic components. She also worked in a wide range of roles from product management in distribution to operational analysis for manufacturers.

Wisowaty's areas of scholarly interest include the effective use of financial and operational data in business decision making. She has devised numerous private sectors analyses and proposals concerning productivity and commission programs, operational reorganizations, and improved product pricing models. After her study findings were implemented each company showed improved profitability.