Join us for the annual CSU Hospitality & Event Management Distinguished Speaker Series at The Elizabeth Hotel.
This year’s Fireside Chat features Chase Usry, Deputy Director of the Drala Mountain Center, and Carl Pratt, General Manager of The Elizabeth Hotel.

Together, Chase and Carl will explore themes such as:

This conversation aims to offer meaningful insights you can integrate into both personal well‑being and professional hospitality leadership.
A Q&A session will follow the discussion.

📅 Wednesday, April 8, 2026
🍹 Welcome Reception: 6:30 PM
🔥 Fireside Chat: 7:00 PM
📍 The Elizabeth Hotel

All are welcome—we look forward to seeing you there!

Chase Usry is the Deputy Director at Drala Mountain Center, in Northern Colorado, and a practitioner within the Kagyu Lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism. The Drala Monitan Center is a sacred meeting place and sanctuary for deep spiritual practice, transformation, and peace. Through meditation, community, and land stewardship, Drala Mountain Center serves to impact the world – one awakened heart at a time. Previous to this current role,  Chase worked in the concert touring industry for over a decade, with touring crews for acts such as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Slipknot, and Panic! at the Disco. Chase’s focus is bringing the wisdom of Vajrayana Buddhism into the daily lives of anyone who could benefit and providing space for people to explore their own minds.