Jenn Bushby named Director of the Hospitality Institute of Ohio, Sonya Delaney promoted to Senior Manager of Workforce Programs & Operations
Jenn Bushby has been named Director of the Hospitality Institute of Ohio, the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance (ORHA) workforce development foundation. Jenn began her ORHA career in the Membership Department before serving most recently as Senior Manager of Communications. As Director of Hospitality Ohio, Jenn will lead programs and initiatives that strengthen Ohio’s hospitality workforce by expanding career awareness, workforce education, industry training and employer engagement. Her leadership will help position Hospitality Ohio as the state’s premier workforce development resource for the hospitality industry.
As part of this organizational transition, Sonya Delaney has been promoted to Senior Manager of Workforce Programs and Operations and Abby Del Riesgo is assuming the role of Events & Engagement Coordinator. Sonya has assumed additional responsibilities since Patty’s retirement and has done an outstanding job ensuring the continuity of our workforce initiatives, including ProStart, CTOS, HOPES, Restaurant Ready and other key programs. This promotion recognizes both her contributions and the important leadership role she will continue to play as Hospitality Ohio grows. Abby has continued to expand her impact through her work supporting events, engagement and organizational initiatives.
Data Collection
It’s time to complete the data collection for ProStart. Completing the survey ensures your students are eligible to earn the COA, provides you (the educator) the opportunity to apply for grants such as the Rachael Ray grant, Educator Scholarships/Grants, incentives and more. When you receive the link, please make this a priority. It takes about 10 minutes to complete. You will be receiving the survey next week.
Ohio Department of Education & Workforce (ODEW) Update Industry-Recognized Credentials for Class of 2030 & Beyond
ODEW has recently updated the Industry-Recognized Credentials (IRC) process for the Class of 2030 and beyond. Our team is working directly with ODEW as we re-certify ProStart as an IRC pathway to graduation. The new changes do not impact the Class of 2027, 2028 and 2029.
Read more here.
Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant application is now Open!
Funding from Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant provides schools the opportunity to upgrade or purchase new resources, build up their classrooms in preparation for return to school, and support teachers with whatever they need to help their students learn career-building skills. Apply here.
Normandy High School and Ohio Valley Career Center both received $5000 in the fall of 2025!
Teacher Institute - Friday, September 25
Mark your calendars – Teacher Institute is being held September 25 at Zink Foodservice in Columbus. Registration is open! Sign up HERE.
A big thank you to the following educators who have already signed up:
- Tracey Funk
- Katie Mosher
- Sarah Elston
- Andrea Sheerin
- Nick Shuler
- Christopher Olsewski
- Tamera Burnett-Penny
- Christie Gibbons
- Iann Johnson
- Susan Zeyer
- Terra Dahlhausen
- Lauren Bondrowski
- Glen Zalenski
- Stephanie Kunkel
- Kathy Diederich
- Daniel Esquivel
- Emily Lewis
- Shanequa Crowe
- Nick Linthicum
- Frank Lawrie Minear
Please take the survey HERE to let us know what topics you want to go over at Teacher Institute.
Ohio Hospitality CTSO Open for Registration!
Sign ups for the Ohio Hospitality CTSO are available! The pricing is remaining at $5 per student for the 2026-2027 school year. Invoices for this will be sent in the Fall. Please take the time to review the Guidebook HERE for refreshers on the program, and begin plans for your students to hold officer ellections for Leader, Vice Leader, and Social Ambassador in the fall. Register HERE.
Educator Portal
There is a new educator portal password. Please reach out to info@oraef.org for access. Let us know if there are resources you would like to see.
2026-2027 Calendar
2026
September 25 Teacher Institute
October 20 Ohio Hospitality CTSO Leadership Lab
October 27 Burger Battle, Creative Cakes, Mocktail Madness
2027
March 9 Ohio ProStart Invitational
Virtual events coming soon!
Pre-apprenticeship Program
Students can earn their COA (Certificate of Achievement) and Pre- Apprenticeship designation. Both are work-based learning opportunities. A COA earns 9 points toward graduation, and Pre-Apprenticeship earns 12. The process is simple, with just a few forms to complete each month.
Email info@oraef.org with any questions.
This is a great opportunity for your students! We currently have 3 schools enrolled: Tri-County, Ohio Valley, and Stow Munroe. Please register your students so we can submit to the state of Ohio!
Click HERE to view the Pre-Apprenticeship Guidelines & Click HERE for the Pre-Apprenticeship Application. Are you interested in bringing pre apprenticeship to your school next year? Email Abby Del Riesgo adelriesgo@ohiorestaurant.org
Show your students the limitless opportunities available in the Hospitality Industry!
RestaurantsWork does just that! Students can search by position and see the growth available. They can also search by zip code to see how many opportunities are available where they live. Check it out here!
The 2026 ProStart Passport is Here!
The 2026 ProStart Passport is now available for ProStart students nationwide. The Passport includes information about post-secondary schools that offer college credit and/or scholarships to ProStart students who have earned the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement (COA). The updated Passport can be found here.
We are excited to announce three new partnerships:
- August Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
- Johnson & Wales University
- Unity Environmental University
Why it Matters
The ProStart Passport offers students a clear outline of where they can take the skills they gained in ProStart and apply them to the next step in solidifying their career pathway.
