I sat down for a conversation with Anthony Cherwinski (Program Manager), who recently resigned from his position after dedicating 8 years to ACC and the Ready for American Hospitality program. The RAH program is a collaborative training program that operates as a partnership between the University of Denver and ACC. Refugee participants are paired with students from DU’s Human Capital Management course, housed in the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. The program is offered three times per year, and each cohort meets everyday for five weeks of classes and hand-on trainings. The 28th cohort of RAH is currently in session.

Q: What first led you to ACC?

“After being in the Peace Corps and living abroad, I knew I wanted to work with global populations domestically. What really drove that desire was my personal experience with my own cultural integration in the Peace Corps in Mongolia. My hindsight taught me that it was a very challenging experience for me- mentally and emotionally. I did well, but it was an amazingly intense experience. I saw plenty of people in my group who struggled- some who had to go home because they couldn't handle it. It drove me to want to support cultural integration- and I thought, what better group to support than refugees? I chose to do that experience [Peace Corps]- I had the choice. A refugee doesn't have that choice- they are thrust into the position. I knew that's who I wanted to support. I started looking into the refugee resettlement agencies in Denver.”

Q: What year did you start at ACC? What did your position look like?

“I started in January of 2014. My title was "Training Coordinator," and I was working with the first iteration of the RAH program, before the name change, so it was known as the CFASST program (Commercial Food Safety And Service Training). I was also supporting other ACC programs as needed in between cohorts, assisting with Cultural Orientation classes and Job Club classes. The first CFASST class was held in 2012, so I came onboard in cohort 5 or 6.

In 2016, I became the Program Manager for RAH- working full-time at the University of Denver campus. Our collaboration with DU was strong and they recognized the positive impact that the program had on their students. To further embed the program in DU's curriculum, finding more permanent funding seemed like a logical next step for the program. Unknowingly, this funding switch made it possible to serve folks without a refugee status. Going into the Trump administration, we knew refugee numbers would be slashed. I began to think strategically about who else the program could serve- individuals who were in the middle of applying for legal status to stay in the U.S., English Language Learners, etc. With our funding now, we aren't as restricted as before.

Q: How would you describe the evolution of the RAH program over the years?

“Last week when I was meeting with David Corsun (Director of the Daniels College of Business' Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management), I told him that there's nothing else I can do with this program- the partnerships are strong, the curriculum is strong, the job placement rate is strong.

I enjoyed being able to look at the curriculum and decide what things we should be focusing on- adapting the program to best serve the participants. RAH is an opportunity for newcomers to have some extra time- to ask questions, to interact with U.S. culture, to grow their network and their knowledge of Denver. That's a big part of the program for me- newcomers experiencing a different part of the Denver community.

For the program to live, we needed to be responsive to the needs of both the employers and the refugees. We learned lessons along the way that informed our decisions. We learned that large companies are typically better equipped to hire refugees thanks to their more established HR procedures and employee training programs. We took this knowledge and established a partnership with a large company- Sage Hospitality Group- that now offers job placements to the vast majority of RAH participants.

Q: What are you most proud of?

“The program is a collaborative partnership between two very different organizations, and it is mutually beneficial. For universities, there's a lot to learn from that. The fact that we are able to impact young professionals (students at DU) as well as refugee newcomers.”

Q: What are you excited for in your new role?

Anthony recently began a newly created position within The Office of New Americans as their Global Talent Advisor.

"There are a lot of people across Colorado doing great work to support refugee and immigrant community members. All of those people tend to be focused on serving one group of people. This role pushes me to engage with the full landscape of all the support networks of folks supporting New Americans and to also engage with the workforce ecosystem to identify opportunities for New Americans and employers to create additional pathways."

Q: Anything else to share?

“I really valued my time working at ACC. I enjoyed the diversity of the staff, and as a result of this diversity, how we approach the work. There was a special warmth about working at ACC and the people were supportive- that’s something I’ll always appreciate.”

Written by Maria Farrier, Development Manager (maria@acc-den.org)