As vice president of operations for Petersen Hotels, Jill K. Crowder is responsible for the day-to-day operations of each of Petersen Companies’ six central Illinois hotels, overseeing everything from sales performance and quality initiatives to financial management and business relationships. Having previously served as director of dietary operations for Petersen Health Care, Crowder immersed herself in the hospitality industry upon assuming her current role in 2009, attending a range of workshops and seminars that enabled her to successfully head the area’s largest local hotel chain.
In addition to leading Petersen Hotels to surpass its occupancy and revenue goals, she recently took on the task of supervising the planning, construction, staffing and opening of the chain’s newest property, the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Morton. She is also credited with using her creativity to build a team that has successfully implemented a campaign to rebrand individual trademarks into the Hotels at Grand Prairie, allowing it to become one of the most recognized hotels in downstate Illinois.
Devoted to her community, Crowder is a member of the Peoria Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, currently serving on its executive search team and marketing subcommittee; a member of Bradley University’s Hospitality Leadership and Braves Club boards; vice president of the Heart of Illinois Hospitality Association; and a past member of the Mattoon Area YMCA, having served on its marketing and membership committees. Crowder volunteers for Junior Achievement of Central Illinois and the American Red Cross, aiding in disaster relief alongside her husband, Jason, and serving as the central Illinois chapter’s fire safety house coordinator.
An avid runner, Crowder competed in the 2013 Boston Marathon, finishing the race in three hours and 20 minutes, shortly before terrorists set off multiple deadly explosions. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in dietetics from Eastern Illinois University, and maintains her Registered Dietitian certification. She is also a 2012 graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. iBi
Original Article: http://www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2013/nov/jill-k-crowder
