Michael and MaryAnn Laporte have been a part of the Johnson & Wales University family for several years. Before JWU, Mike served over twenty years in the United States Coast Guard; for his last assignment, he ran the top recruiting office in the country for five consecutive years. MaryAnn came from the medical field, as office manager of a large medical and dental group, dealing with doctors, dentists and patients. Their careers with JWU began as admissions representatives in the south. Originally from Massachusetts, Mike and MaryAnn set down roots in New Jersey in 2000 and have been admissions reps for all of New Jersey since that time. They have seen New Jersey student enrollments at JWU increase from 300 students each year to more than 500 during the past several years. In their free time, they love to travel, work on their home and gardens, and spend time with family including their daughter who is a high school teacher in NJ and their granddaughter, who they report is “the best granddaughter in the world!”