Faculty/Staff Bio's

It is a pleasure to present you with some information about the background of our innovative chefs, instructors, and staff, who are part of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program at Lane Community College. To send an e-mail to a faculty or staff member just click on their name.

Mat Kline - Division Dean, Conference and Culinary Services
Phone: (541) 463-3510
Email: klinem@lanecc.edu
Office Location: Building 19, Room 202C

Dawn Rupp – Administration Coordinator, Conference and Culinary Services
Phone: (541) 463-3515
Email: ruppd@lanecc.edu
Office Location: Building 19, Room 202B
Bio: Dawn Rupp has been in the position of Administration Coordinator, which also includes acting as Financial Specialist for the Conference and Culinary Services Division since May, 2008. Dawn is primarily responsible for the daily bookkeeping operations and any financial and administrative services needed to run the Division smoothly. She assists the Dean in developing financial tracking systems, analyzing financial data, and reporting financial status to the managers with the purpose of insuring fiscal accountability for all programs within the Division. Dawn leads the work of the Division administrative support specialists by establishing office procedures around fiscal and other matters and by ensuring the enforcement of procedures, including establishing audit trails and reconciling accounts for the purpose of consistency and accountability across the Division. Dawn graduated from Lane with an A.S. in Business Management with the Accounting/Bookkeeping option in 1999.

Wendy Milbrat - Project Specialist 
Phone: (541) 463-3518
Email: milbratw@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: 8:00AM-4:30PM; M-F
Office Location: Building 19, Room 204
Bio: Wendy Milbrat starting working for the department in 2010 and was appointed Project Specialist for the Conference and Culinary Services Division in July, 2014. She supports the Dean in a variety of special projects for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program including curriculum development and class scheduling; faculty instructional support; program policy and procedure; student recruitment events; the coordination of student appointments as ambassadors, peer tutors, and teaching assistants; conducting program surveys and assessments; and maintaining Alumni connections. Wendy is also the program liaison to the ACFEF and ACPHA Accreditation Commissions.

Clive Wanstall, CEC - Chef/Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3507
Email: wanstallc@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Center Building, Room 127
Bio: Chef Clive Wanstall has been a chef instructor for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program since 1998. An ACF Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator, Chef Clive instructs in the culinary arts core curriculum including the 2nd-year student culinary arts course sequence of Advanced Cooking Theories; and Kitchen Fundamentals for Hospitality Management students. Chef Wanstall passionately operates the showcase, student-run restaurant, The Renaissance Room with a lighthearted approach to the learning experience. Chef Wanstall graduated from the Thanet Technical College's Professional Cookery Program in Kent, England in 1972. He brings with him well over 24 years of culinary and management experience. He was the restaurant manager at Eugene's Ambrosia restaurant from 1987-1998. Chef Clive has held many titles over the course of his culinary career from General Manager, Chef de Cuisine, Executive Chef, Catering Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Chef Poissioner, and Chef Saucier. He is actively involved in the community and heralds many volunteer activities for the program.

Chris Crosthwaite, CEC, CEPC, CCE, ACE - Chef/Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3505
Email: crosthwaitec@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Building 19, Room 208
Bio: Chef Chris Crosthwaite has been involved in the culinary world since 1979, and is a Professional Cooking graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His career has led him through a variety of countries, a multitude of restaurants, and several hotels, as well as owning his own artisan bakery and café, The Village Baker. While performing the duties of Executive Chef at the Delta Whistler Hotel in Whistler, B.C., he decided to make the transition into teaching in order to make an impact on aspiring culinarians. Chef Crosthwaite first began instructing at Lethbridge Community College (Canada), and then at New England Culinary Institute (Vermont, USA). He has been instructing in the core curriculum of both the Culinary Arts and Hospitality programs at Lane Community College (Oregon, USA) since 2004. A dynamic instructor, Chef Crosthwaite primarily conducts the 1st-year culinary arts students' core curriculum course sequence, Introduction to Cooking Theories 1, 2, and 3. He was instrumental in creating two additional core curriculum courses required for culinary student’s graduation: Concepts of Taste and Flavor, and Culinary Leadership (a capstone class for Second-year culinary arts students).

During the summer months, Chef Chris still works in the culinary industry cooking, baking, leading kitchens, consulting, and food styling. Chef Crosthwaite is an ACF Certified Executive Chef, Certified Culinary Educator, Certified Executive Pastry Chef, and a ServSafe instructor/exam proctor.

Joe McCully, CHE - Hospitality Management Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3516
Email: mccullyj@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Building 19, Room 210
Bio: Mr. Joe McCully has been one of the full-time hospitality management instructors since 2003. He teaches a variety of courses primarily in the core curriculum of the hospitality management program, and well as for the culinary arts program such as HRTM 105 Restaurant Operations, HRTM 265, 275 Financials I, II, and the capstone course HRTM 290 Hospitality Leadership. Joe was instrumental in developing and creating the current hospitality management curricula for both the Second-year AAS degree and the 1-year Certificate of Completion. He also created an elective course CA 130 Oregon Wine Country, which is highly popular with both program students and the Lane student and staff community. Joe is a seasoned professional with over 40 years of restaurant management and ownership experience encompassing all facets of concept design, marketing, advertisement as well as hands-on operational leadership. An accomplished journalist, Joe writes frequent articles about current trends in the culinary arts and hospitality management industry, which are published locally. He has also written food and wine articles for regional publications in Oregon and Florida. In 2010 Joe completed a three-month sabbatical in China where he taught hotel operations at Tianjin University. He is an active volunteer in the Eugene community and a passionate advocate supporting Oregon Education and Lane Community College. Joe is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) through the American Hotel Lodging Association, and holds the following degrees:
MS, Hospitality Management; Florida International University, 2003
BS, Business Administration; University of Denver, 1969

Dr. Lisa Benson, PhD - Hospitality Management Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3504
Email: bensonl@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Building 19, Room 206
Bio: Dr. Lisa Benson has been a full time Hospitality Management instructor since 2008, and she oversees the Meeting, Convention, and Special Event Management certificate program.  Dr. Benson sits on several executive boards: Travel Lane County, Lane Community College Foundation, CAHM Advisory, Camas Country Mill, and was previously on the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition board. 
Prior to her tenure at LCC, Dr. Benson was an Assistant Professor in the Resort & Hospitality Management program and in the MBA Sustainable Business program at Green Mountain College in Vermont.  She previously taught in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management in the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.  Additionally, Dr. Benson has taught at University Center Cesar Ritz Hotel School in Brig, Switzerland as well as Washington State University.  Prior to teaching, Lisa spent twelve years in the hospitality industry.  Her experience includes several management positions for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, including Convention Services Manager, Food and Beverage Manager, and Banquet Manager.  
Dr. Benson holds the following degrees:
PhD., Education: Emphasis in Adult & Organizational Learning;  Minor: Resource Recreation & Tourism; University of Idaho, May 2007
M.A. Education: Emphasis in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership; College of Santa Fe, May 2003.
B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management; New Mexico State University, May 1995.

Keith Ellis - Chef /Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3502
Email: ellisk@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Center Building, Room 127
Bio: Chef Keith Ellis has been a part-time instructor for the Culinary Arts program since Fall, 2006. Chef Ellis conducts the course CA 110 Guest Chef Series, and provides instruction for other classes if needed. Chef Keith comes to the food industry naturally as his dad was a specialty cheese and delicatessen supplier in the New York area. Keith is a respected Chef, having held positions at the Oregon coast destination resort of its time, The Windward Inn, as well as The Bridgewater Restaurant, and Fettucine & Company Catering. In 1995, Keith and his wife Kathy opened a cookware store and cooking school, Cook's, Pots, and Tabletops in Eugene, with a focus on sustainability in fine as well as everyday cuisine. The cooking school was a 2nd-time nominee and finalist for the Cooking School of the Year award from IACP. Chef Ellis offers specialty cheese education classes in the community, as well as teaching a range of technical cooking skills specializing in Northwest cuisine. Chef Ellis is a member ACS, IACP, Oregon Cheesemakers Guild, and Slow Food. He attended the State University of New York at Brockport and the University of Oregon.

Peter Lohr - Chef /Instructor
Phone: (541) 463-3502
Email: lohrp@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Center Building, Room 127
Bio: Chef Peter Lohr began his teaching career in the Culinary Arts program at Lane Community College in 1995 and taught part-time for ten years teaching baking and pastry in the core curriculum. Chef Lohr recently retired from his industry position as Chef, and has come back to teach baking and pastry evening courses for the Career Pathways Certificate program. Chef Lohr's specialty is artisan breads and he developed the course CA 122 Artisan Breads to share his passion with students. A master bread baker and pastry chef, Chef Peter brings with him to Lane an impressive background of classical German culinary training. He received his first Chef Degree (Journeyman's Certificate) in 1968 in Wurzburg, Germany and has been working in the field ever since. Chef Lohr has conducted over one thousand catering events from weddings to company banquets and picnics. He was the production manager at the Grateful Bread Bakery creating the unique recipes that has made this bakery famous in Eugene. Chef Lohr is still an active member of the ACF and is planning to continue his professional technical development to further his expertise.

Duane Partain - Instructor Emeritus, Hospitality Management
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: TBA
Email: partaind@lanecc.edu
Bio: In Duane Partain's 30 year career in the hospitality industry, he worked at jobs from night desk clerk to International Research Institute Director and everything in between on four continents and a dozen countries. The Hospitality Industry provides great opportunities, he says. Duane has owned restaurants, managed university food service operations, managed 4- and 5-star properties, and learned all the hospitality jobs from the inside out. Having been the chief steward for Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons, managed a dude ranch in Arizona, and resorts in California and Oregon, he has an extremely varied experience and has held nearly every position in the industry. He found his true calling, however, as an educator. Whether teaching English as a second language in the former Soviet Union; teaching hospitality cost controls at the Hotel Cesar Ritz in Switzerland; helping students understand wine and spirits at Lane Community College; or teaching business concepts to executives at the Mongolian Chamber of Commerce, Duane is in his element helping others learn. Duane is an author of magazine and newspaper articles, has been called on to be an expert witness in hospitality matters, and regularly consults for the industry. Duane earned his undergraduate degree from UW and an international MBA from Thunderbird. A retired professor emeritus, he still teaches at LCC. He has also taught hospitality-related courses at Oregon State University, Washington State University, Chemeketa Community College, Southern Oregon University, and the Hotel Cesar Ritz in Switzerland.

Adrienne Dombrosky - Hospitality Management Instructor
Office Hours: TBA
Phone: (541) 463-3502
Email: dombroskya@lanecc.edu
Office Location: Center Building, Room 127
Bio: Adrienne Dombrosky joined the CAHM program Faculty as a part-time instructor during the 2010-11 academic year. Specializing in personnel development and supervision, and cost control management, Adrienne brings over twenty-five years of industry experience and expertise in the field to students. She taught numerous courses last year such as Restaurant Operations, Buffet and Banquet Planning, Restaurant and Menu Management, and Travel and Tourism to name a few. Adrienne's last industry position was as at Three Rivers Casino as the opening Food & Beverage Director where she was also responsible for training management and staff in alcohol awareness and customer service. She currently works part time as a crisis counselor and mental health evaluator.
Adrienne holds the following degrees:
Currently working toward licensure as an LPC (licensed professional counselor)
MA in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling; Northwest Christian University  
BA in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies; University of Oregon
AA in Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts (With certificates in catering and fine wine)

Nancy Schwoerer – Purchasing and Receiving Specialist, Conference and Culinary Services
Phone: (541) 463-5021
Email: schwoerern@lanecc.edu
Office Location: Center Building, Campus Food Services
Bio: Nancy Schwoerer is the Purchasing and Receiving Specialist. Appointed to this newly-created position in the Conference and Culinary Services Division since September, 2007, Nancy handles all food, materials, equipment, and supplies purchasing for the Division through one central location in Campus Food Services. She is in charge of ordering quality products while maintaining fiscal responsibility; supervising quality control and accurate inventories; manning daily operations of receiving product and its distribution; routing all equipment work orders and maintenance requests for Campus Food Services and other instructional kitchen areas; and creating sound relationships with our purveyors, contractors, and delivery staffs. Nancy was the initial Banquet Chef for The Center for Meeting and Learning in 2003. Nancy has extensive experience in Hotel and Resort kitchens and graduated from Scottsdale Community College with an AAS Culinary Arts degree in 1990.

Carolyn Litty - Program Counselor
Phone: (541) 463-5236
Email: littyc@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Bldg. 12 Rm. 202

Claudia Riumallo - Program Advisor
Phone: (541) 463-5378
Email: riumalloc@lanecc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Office Location: Bldg. 12 Rm. 202