Renaissance Award
HRIM announces Michael Waite as 2011 Renaissance Award winner
11:15 a.m., Dec. 9, 2011--The University of Delaware’s Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management recently announced Michael Waite, former on-air radio personality at WJBR, as its 2011 Renaissance Award winner.
Waite, who now serves as the director of marketing and community relations for Blood Bank of Delmarva, was honored at a special dinner held Friday, Dec. 2, at Vita Nova, the HRIM-student-run restaurant in the Trabant University Center.
Honors Stories
National Medal of Science
Warren Award
HRIM has presented the Renaissance Award annually since 2006 to an individual who furthers town and gown relations by making Newark a better place to live and learn.
Waite joins past winners Newark Mayor Vance Funk; David E. Hollowell, UD executive vice president and treasurer emeritus; restaurateurs Ryan German and Bob Ashby; and Bill Sullivan, managing director of the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware.
Established by Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Professor in HRIM and former chair of the department, the award honors someone who exemplifies community service in the city of Newark.
The award dinner raises money to support an HRIM student who works on projects to benefit the community at the city of Newark's Office of Planning and Development.
Francis Kwansa, interim chair of HRIM, noted the department takes special pride in the Renaissance Award and prominently displays the names of the winners on a plaque in the HRIM office to serve as an example for students.
“The Renaissance Award is unique because it recognizes an individual's efforts to improve the quality of life in Newark, while putting a student in a position to do the same,” said Kwansa.
About Michael Waite
Since February 2011, Waite has served as the Blood Bank’s primary media spokesperson and collaborates with executive management on strategic initiatives to improve organizational performance.
As the manager of community relations and all internal and external communications, he oversees a team of account executives and school blood drive coordinators in enhancing recruitment and retention of Blood Bank members and group sponsors.
Waite has significant media, marketing and management experience, much of which comes from his tenure at WJBR-FM in Wilmington, Del. Waite spend the last 18 years with the media outlet, where he was general manager, program director, vice president of operations, and morning show and afternoon host.
He is the immediate past president of the board of directors of the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware and a former board member for the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. He is also a 2011 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Volunteerism and a longtime member of Blood Bank of Delmarva.
A graduate of Butler University in Indiana, Waite and his wife, Kathy, reside in Wilmington, Del. They have two sons, Matthew and Jonathan, and a new grandson, Ayden.
Article by Kathryn Meier
Photo by Doug Baker