Cheryl Meyer-Thompson Named Nebraska’s 2016 ProStart® Educator of Excellence

Cheryl Meyer-Thompson, Family and Consumer Science Instructor, FCCLA Advisor, and ProStart® Educator at Milford Junior- High School, has been named Nebraska’s 2016 ProStart National Educator of Excellence.  Meyer-Thompson has been nominated for this prestigious award by Fayrene Hamouz, Nebraska’s ProStart Coordinator, because she demonstrates excellence in the classroom and passion, commitment and creativity in all aspects of the ProStart program (www.nebraska-dining.org).

Meyer-Thompson will be honored at the Education Excellence Awards (EEA) dinner in Chicago on May 19, held in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association 2016 show.  She’ll participate in special programming for award winners, including a walking food tour of Chicago’s Gold Coast and Old Town.  She was also an honoree at the Nebraska Restaurant Association’s annual gala, the “Taste of Nebraska” held April 18. In addition, she has been nominated for the James H. Maynard Award, presented annually to two ProStart educators by Golden Corral. Maynard Award winners will be announced at the EEA Dinner on May 19; each will receive a check for $5,000.

Nebraska ProStart is the educational program of the Nebraska Restaurant Association’s Hospitality Education Foundation. More than 50 Nebraska high schools and over 700 students are enrolled in the program. Ninety percent of the graduated ProStart students either continue their education or start jobs in the hospitality industry.

For more information on the Nebraska Restaurant Association (www.nebraska-dining.org), please contact Brandy Nielson at (402) 488-3999 or bnielson@nebraska-dining.org.