Raphael R. Kavanaugh, Ed.D., FMP was professor and head; Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University. He led a department that is ranked in the top five nationally for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in hospitality and tourism management. Dr. Kavanaugh was well respected throughout the restaurant and lodging segments of the industry. He was a Conti Distinguished Professor at the Pennsylvania State University’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management. He was a founding fellow of the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation and served on the Board of Trustees for the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA). Dr. Kavanaugh served ten years as a trustee for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). During this time, he served as chairman of the NRAEF Board of Trustees He also served as chair of its Certification Governing Board for four years. He was one of fifteen invited members of the International Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (IACVB) Educators Think Tank. Dr. Kavanaugh was granted the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers’ Honorary Doctorate of Foodservice.

He was also awarded the Howard Meek and Champion of Education awards from the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE), that association’s two top awards for lifetime contributions to hospitality and tourism education. The NRAEF named Kavanaugh as the Michael E. Hurst Lifetime Achievement in Education Award winner. The award is to honor the dedication to educating and enhancing the lives of young people. It is awarded to an outstanding educator who has made an indelible contribution to restaurant and foodservice education. He was also named as an Anthony G. Marshall Award winner by the Educational Institute of AH&LA for making tremendous contributions to hospitality education by effectively incorporating Educational Institute materials into the academic curriculum. His college alma mater named him to receive its Alumni Award of Merit. It is the Coe College Alumni Association's highest award.  It recognizes success after college in one’s chosen career as well as involvement in the community and Coe College.

Dr. Kavanaugh was also a major voice in the academic community. The author of over 90 publications, he co-authored the textbook Supervision in the Hospitality Industry (available in five languages).  He also co-edited Hospitality with a Heart: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Lodging, Foodservice and Tourism. His research concentration was human resources management and strategic planning in the hospitality and tourism industry. His academic experiences prior to Purdue included the University of Central Florida followed by Florida State University. During that time, he was also a principal consultant on the Human Resources Management II project for the Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to Purdue University, Dr. Kavanaugh was professor and director of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at Oklahoma State University. There he led a three-year, $426,000.00 project that developed, tested and implemented an employability skills program for unemployed Native American males in Oklahoma funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to his academic experiences, Dr. Kavanaugh served five years as director of human resources with Red Lobster Restaurants, Inc., responsible for company wide training, employment, management development and employee assistance programs. Later, as vice president of product development with the Educational Institute AH&LA; he was responsible for the development of video training programs, textbooks, seminars, instructional software and interactive video. Dr. Kavanaugh was a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and a Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE).  He also held the Foodservice Management Professional^® (FMP^®) certification from the NRAEF. Prior to beginning his career in hospitality and education, Kavanaugh served four years as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Internationally, Dr. Kavanaugh worked to implement educational programs in Poland, Belize and Asian countries (China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand). He served as a hospitality consultant to the Belize Tourism Industry Association and was a visiting scholar at the Inter University Center of Food and Nutrition, Institut Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia. Dr. Kavanaugh was frequently an invited lecturer in China over the last ten years. He served as both president and chair of the board for I-CHRIE, the major association for hospitality and tourism educators.

On the state level, Dr. Kavanaugh served on the Board of Directors for the Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana and the Indiana Hotel and Lodging Association. Dr. Kavanaugh also served as an appointee of the governor to Indiana’s Tourism Council.

Dr. Kavanaugh held a doctorate in educational psychology with an emphasis in organization development from Temple University, a master’s degree in counseling from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Coe College. Born in Springfield, Ohio and raised in Dayton, Ohio; he is survived by his wife Judy Rechberger. She teaches for the English Department at Purdue University. Ray and Judy have two sons. Ryan and Quinn are in the early years of their management careers for nationally known restaurant chains.