New director of USC hospitality announced

Dirk de Jong has been promoted to director of hospitality at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. De Jong will oversee the USC Radisson Hotel as the general manager as well as the USC hospitality restaurant division and USC hospitality special events and catering.

A member of the Auxiliary Services team since 2014, De Jong most recently served as senior associate director of USC hospitality, where he was responsible for all University Park Campus retail operations, purchasing, systems and the compliance office. He has held several positions within the department, including hospitality systems manager and senior manager operations for the Commons. According to the university’s announcement, his accomplishments include managing close to $20 million in volume annually across 18 venues, more than $17 million in annual purchases, opening 16 new venues and rebranding three, as well as oversight of implementation of new front- and back-of-house systems.

De Jong holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel management from Stenden University, in the Netherlands, and an executive MBA from USC. His hospitality experience is extensive, having held positions with Holland America Line, InterContinental Hotels Group and The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group prior to joining the team at USC. In 2008, de Jong received the university’s Annual Auxiliary Services Award and in 2014, the Excellence in Leadership Award.