Courtnay Dittbrenner is associate dean of Restaurant Education, Service, and Beverages at CIA, overseeing the college’s restaurant operations and beverage programs in which students apply their classroom learning to real-world settings in its student-run restaurants and breweries. She is also associate professor of Hospitality and Service Management on CIA’s New York campus. Her students learn about the psychology of service, professional standards, the service sequence, order taking, and guest relations while practicing fundamental table service and participating in catering seminars.
Since joining the CIA faculty in 2011, Dittbrenner has taught several business management, hospitality, and service courses and served as instructor and maître d’ in The Bocuse Restaurant, CIA’s award-winning, student-run French fine-dining establishment.
Before joining CIA, Dittbrenner built a career in hospitality and leadership. She was CEO of Triple A Supplies Inc. in Newburgh, NY, and restaurant manager at Taverna Banfi at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She also owned and managed Dijon Bistro and Mustard in Ithaca and Epernay in Montclair, NJ.
Earlier in her career, she was with the BR Guest Restaurant Group in New York City, where she was general manager of Isabella’s and manager of Atlantic Grill and Blue Water Grill. Dittbrenner was also assistant manager for food & beverage and housekeeping at the Pierre Hotel in New York City, a flight attendant training officer for Delta Airlines Business Express, and a concierge at the Radisson Hotel in Burlington, VT.
A Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and a Certified Sommelier, Dittbrenner earned her MBA from Phoenix University. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and an associate degree in travel and tourism from Champlain College in Burlington, VT.
Dittbrenner is a member of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration Alumni Association, the National Association of Professional Women, and the Society of Certified Etiquette Trainers.
Beyond the classroom, she contributes to her community in management and execution of fundraising events to benefit Backpacks for Food with the Cornwall Central School District, St. James Episcopal Church in Goshen, and the Good Shepherd Soup kitchen in Newburgh, NY. She is passionate about teaching students and youth about professional presentation and attire and supports Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County and the Dress for Success programs.