NACUFS has renamed its Distinguished Lifetime Member Award to honor longtime member and volunteer David Prentkowski, the director of food services at the University of Notre Dame. The award, now known as the David R. Prentkowski Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, was created in 1990 to honor retired members who have supported the betterment of college and university foodservice and the association. Winners of this award earn an honorary lifetime membership in NACUFS and their annual membership dues and conference registration fees are waived. The annual award is presented at the association’s national conference each July.
“Dave’s leadership, guidance, and tireless efforts to advance the mission of NACUFS have been instrumental in shaping the association,” says Nona Golledge, NACUFS president and director of dining at the University of Kansas. “He truly embodies the spirit of this great organization, and the board of directors is enthusiastic about recognizing his legacy in this way.”
Prentkowski has been active with NACUFS for more than three decades, serving in various volunteer roles, including as the association’s president in 1996-1997. NACUFS recognized Prentkowski's outstanding service to the association by presenting him with the Richard Lichtenfelt Award in 2001. He received the association’s top honor, the Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award, in 2006 as recognition of his exemplary contributions to NACUFS and the foodservice industry.
“NACUFS has meant a tremendous amount to me during my career" Prentkowski says. "I am truly honored to have this prestigious award named after me and I thank the board of directors for the acknowledgment.”
Prentkowski joined Notre Dame as its director of food services in 1990, having previously held positions in collegiate foodservice at the University of Utah, Purdue University and the University of Michigan.