Fox Valley Technical College announced its 2016 Outstanding Alumni of the Year recipient during a Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, April 19. Duane Rohm, a 1985 graduate of the college’s then-named Restaurant Hotel Cookery and Restaurant Management programs, earned the award for demonstrating the value of technical education through career advancement, community service, continued personal and educational growth, and support of the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Rohm currently serves as regional sales manager for Reinhart Food Service. He has remained proactive in initiatives and activities related to both FVTC’s Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, and Food Service Production programs by serving on multiple program advisory committees. Rohm also donates his time to help the Culinary Student Club and by assisting at FVTC’s annual Cultural Cuisine event, in addition to supporting the development of the college’s Jones Dairy Farm Culinary Theatre as a past donor.

In the food service industry, Rohm has served on both the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Big Four Chapter and the Fox Valley Culinary Association Boards of Directors. He started his venture in the career field at the age of 16 by working as a dishwasher for a local supper club.