General Manager of Kalahari Resorts and Conventions to be Keynote Speaker at 2020 MLK Celebration Breakfast at ESU

Arthur Keith

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on October 21, 2019, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania selected Arthur Keith, general manager of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, to be the keynote speaker for the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast. The 23rd annual celebration honoring Dr. King is scheduled for Monday, January 20, 2020, at 8 a.m. in the Mattioli Recreation Center on ESU’s campus. The theme of this year’s breakfast is “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”

Mr. Keith joined Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in 2018 as the general manager of the brand’s Pocono Mountains property. Keith oversees all day-to-do operations, as well as provides leadership and guidance to the Poconos on-site management team, while serving as liaison to the regional Pocono Mountains community.

As a hospitality veteran who has managed marquee properties throughout the world, Keith has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Previously, he worked as the general manager of Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, and Stratosphere Casino, Hotel and Tower, and The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. He was named General Manager of the Year for the U.S. hotels by the American Hotel & Lodging Association in 2006.

Reserve a Space Today

Reservations are now being taken for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast at a cost of $40 per person, $15 per student and $300 for a table of eight. Proceeds will benefit the Mary Gertrude Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund at ESU, which provides financial assistance to undergraduate students of color. In 1904, Ms. Boddie was the first African-American student to graduate from what was then known as East Stroudsburg State Normal School and ultimately became East Stroudsburg University in 1983. Reserve your seat today.

As a result of the breakfast, three Boddie Scholarship awardees will each receive a $3,650 scholarship award for the Spring 2020 semester. Scholarship winners are selected based on their ability to demonstrate through community service work or university involvement, a commitment to Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity, and a respect for humanity.

Breakfast organizers are asking regional business organizations to consider becoming a sponsor of this community event. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, call the ESU Foundation at 570-422-7000.

For more information about the Celebration Breakfast or for special accommodations, contact Cornelia Sewell-Allen, D.Ed., assistant vice president for inclusive excellence at 570-422-4017 or email csewell@esu.edu, or Emily Brennan, special events coordinator, at 570-422-3156, or email ebrennan8@esu.edu.