↑ Return to About Us

FSTEC Advisory Board


Helping to shape the new FSTEC NexGen, the leading, one-stop conference and showcase
for the latest in foodservice technology, will be:

Foodservice Operators

Jeff Chasney – CKE Restaurants Inc.

EVP Strategic Planning & CIO
Jeff Chasney has been with CKE restaurants for 11 years, he organizes and manages the CKE Strategic Planning process while also overseeing all technology matters for the company. Jeff has 20 years experience in the restaurants industry having been VP and CIO over brands such as Carl’s Jr., Hardees, Long John Silver’s, Village Inn, Baker’s Square and Fazolli’s. Known as both a business strategist and a technologist, he stays keenly abreast of the restaurant technology industry; what works/what doesn’t and effectiveness of the various restaurant technology companies. Jeff is best known for his work in the Business Intelligence arena. He has brought psychology/neuroscience consideration to the design and he has delivered multiple solutions that have been publicly recognized by the CEOs and Chairmen of the corresponding companies.

 

Amy Cross – ARAMARK Sports & Entertainment

Chief Information Officer & VP

Amy Cross is the Chief Information Officer for ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment.  As the CIO, Cross is responsible for strategically leading the IT function for this business with a focus on driving consumer centric initiatives, insights and analytics, bringing partners the best in new technology and accelerating business growth through innovation.

Prior to joining ARAMARK, Cross held other senior roles, with both HMSHost Corporation, where she was responsible for the development, integration, and implementation of major applications for this multi-billion dollar business as well as with the Walt Disney Company where she lead the strategic roadmap and implementation of many business solutions.
Amy is a graduate of The Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she received a B.S. in Communications Media.

 

Lori Kittle – Landry’s Restaurants

VP of Information Technology

 

Kelly Maddern – Burger King Corp.

CIO

Kelly Maddern is Chief Information Officer for Burger King Worldwide (BKW), where she leads the Global Information Technology organization and the company’s overall IT operations. Maddern currently provides direction and oversight of domestic and international corporate technology initiatives, network/telecommunications, IT security/compliance, architecture, disaster recovery planning, applications support and global data consolidation for business intelligence.  Additionally, Maddern is responsible for identifying and utilizing technologies that will advance BKW corporate objectives on a global scale.

Prior to joining BKW, Maddern was vice president of technology, Solutions Delivery at Abercrombie & Fitch, where she led several strategic IT programs including the design and development of multiple enterprise integrations and POS applications. Maddern streamlined the company’s technology platforms both domestically and internationally. Moreover, Maddern directed the successful execution of an IT strategy that included more than 100 projects across an array of business areas including international store systems, mobile, supply chain, design and sourcing, loss prevention and merchandising.

Prior to Abercrombie & Fitch, Maddern was head of technology for Hard Rock Café International, where she led company-wide initiatives including CRM, e-Commerce and business intelligence, while driving the organization’s evolving IT framework. Under her leadership, Maddern’s team achieved significant success advancing global system capabilities, driving business efficiency and top line growth.

With more than two decades of industry experience, Maddern holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from University of Saint Thomas, Minnesota.

 

 

Patti Reilly White – Darden Restaurants

SVP & CIO
Patti Reilly White was named Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Darden Restaurants in October 2007. She oversees information and data integrity for Darden as well as all information services and technology functions. Her organization is responsible for providing IT strategy, portfolio management, development and support of business and finance information processing, computer services, network communications, and management information services to accomplish corporate goals and objectives.Darden is the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company with annual sales of $8.0 billion. The company owns and operates more than 2,000 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Eddie V’s restaurants in North America, employs 180,000 people and serves more than 400 million meals annually. In 2012, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the second year in a row.

Patti joined Darden in 1988 as Project Leader of Point of Sale Systems. She subsequently held the positions of Manager of Restaurant Systems, Director of Data Center Operations and Director of Systems Development. In 1998, she was promoted to Vice President of Restaurant Systems.

In 2002, Patti pursued an opportunity to be Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer for RTM Restaurant Group where she was a member of the Executive Team. She returned to Darden in 2004 as Vice President of Restaurant Systems where she spearheaded the strategic planning, development and implementation of Darden’s next generation Point of Service system which broadened the view from traditional Point of Sale to providing the foundation for future business building innovations to enhance the guest experience. Patti was promoted to Senior Vice President of Information Technology in 2006.

Prior to joining Darden, Patti was a Manager Consultant with Price Waterhouse.

Patti serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools. She received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting Information Systems from the University of West Florida.

 

Steve Schell – Starbucks Corp.

VP, Retail Technology & Enterprise Collaboration

Steve has worked at Starbucks for 15 years in varying roles. Most of these roles have involved store business solutions (POS, Labor Scheduling, Time & Attendance, Store Order & Inventory Management, etc). Over past 6 years, Steve has helped lead the Starbucks ERP project that successfully deployed to our EMEA and North America Regions.

In his current role, Steve is accountable for enterprise store technology solutions (POS, Labor, Inventory Management, etc.) that are deployed to all stores in North America, and are in varying phases of deployment in Europe (currently only serving in a consultant capacity for Asia Pacific and Latin America markets). In addition to store technology solutions, Steve is accountable for our Enterprise Collaboration program, which involves a significant upgrade to our SharePoint Platform for the enterprise, and the implementation of our internal Social Networking solution for the company.

 

Shelly Theiss – Papa John’s International

Director of Restaurant Systems

Shelly Theiss is an experienced IT Professional with sixteen years experience in PoS Software Development, Hardware Implementations, Application Design, Quality Assurance and Large Scale Deployments.  Currently responsible for the development and maintenance of all Restaurant Technology initiatives in Papa John’s North American Restaurants, including Proprietary POS software (PROFIT™), back office software, hardware, polling and online ordering integrations.

 

Don Vietti – Carlson Restaurants Worldwide

VP & CIO

As senior vice president and chief information officer for Carlson Restaurants, Don Vietti is responsible for all aspects of the I.T. organization, including the day-to-day operations of the I.T. infrastructure, telecommunications, application portfolio management, QA, deployment and support of all store technology solutions, corporate technology strategy, compliance, innovation and serving as a member of the Executive Team.

Prior to joining Carlson Restaurants, Vietti was vice president and CIO for RadioShack Corporation where he provided the vision, leadership, planning and management of the I.T. function. During his tenure he led the establishment of a governance model and a project management office which helped to align major I.T. initiatives with the overall business strategy and improved the effectiveness as well as efficiencies of the I.T. organization.

Vietti has also held other key information technology positions throughout his career, including executive management positions for Mrs. Baird’s Bakeries USA, Duck Ventures, Inc., JDA Software Inc., and Doubletree Hotels Corp.  He started his career as a systems consultant for Arthur Andersen and Company.

Vietti received his Bachelor of Science degree in Quantitative Business Analysis from Arizona State University and received his Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in 2005.

Carlson Restaurants employs more than 23,000 team members and operates or franchises T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants in 60 countries.

 

 

Rob Watkins – Compass Group North America

CIO

Compass Group is the world’s largest contract foodservice and support services provider, with worldwide revenues exceeding $24Bn and over 470,000 associates.  In North America, Compass Group revenues are approximately $10Bn and employ over 175,000 associates.

Rob joined Compass Group in 1994, moving to the North American corporate office in Charlotte, NC from the UK in 1997 to assist with a major ERP implementation.  Subsequent project and line management positions culminated in Rob becoming CIO in 2001.  Rob continues to have overall responsibility for leading and aligning the North American technology resources to enable Compass’ continued growth and change.

Rob obtained a BSc(Hons) from the University of Wales, qualified as a Management Accountant and obtained an MBA from Cranfield University.  Rob’s career transitioned from finance to technology during his early years with Compass Group.  Prior to joining Compass Group, Rob worked for a number of blue chip organizations in the UK including Pirelli, Reuters and Somerfield.

Rob is 2012 Chair of NPower Charlotte’s CIO Council, a member of Charlotte Mecklenburg School s Technology Advisory Board, a member of the CIO Forum Executive Advisory Council and Co-Chair of the Charlotte CIO Executive Summit.

Rob is married with two daughters, and lives in Charlotte, NC.

 

David Weick – The McDonald’s Corporation

CIO

Mr. Weick is the Senior Vice President, Shared Services and Chief Information Officer for McDonald’s Corporation.  In this role, Mr. Weick is responsible for improving McDonald’s business results by providing information and process improvements through the efficient use of technology and optimization of shared services.  The functional scope of Mr. Weick’s role is expansive, as it involves responsibility for all information technology functions within the corporation—serving our business in over 118 countries and with technology applications in all functional areas.  Mr. Weick joined McDonald’s in 1997 as Vice President of U.S. Technology Services.

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Mr. Weick was general manager, marketing, finance & HR systems for Ameritech where he led two corporate re-engineering efforts.  Prior to Ameritech, Mr. Weick was at Specialty Foods Corporation where he served as president of the Bagel Place, a southern California based wholesale baking concern with both fresh and frozen product distribution.  Additionally, Mr. Weick spent over 12 years with Kraft Foods in a variety of roles in technology management, as well as quality management.

Mr. Weick is a member of the board of directors for Trustmark Insurance Company in Lake Forest, IL, and El Valor Corp., a charitable organization that provides services to needy children in Chicago, IL.

 

Don Zimmerman – The Wendy’s Company

CIO

Don Zimmerman currently serves as chief information officer of The Wendy’s Company, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.  The Wendy’s Company is the third largest quick service hamburger company in the United States.  The Wendy’s system includes more than 6,500 restaurants in the U.S. and 25 other countries and U.S. territories worldwide.

Prior to the sale of Arby’s, Zimmerman served as chief information officer of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc., which was the nation’s third largest quick service restaurant company and was comprised of the Wendy’s® and Arby’s® brands.

Zimmerman joined Arby’s in 2005 with more than 20 years of information technology experience. His expertise with business solutions, data warehousing, business intelligence, technical infrastructure and operations made Zimmerman a seasoned, well-rounded leader of the Arby’s information technology team.

Prior to Arby’s, Zimmerman provided IT leadership to Sears, Roebuck and Company, PepsiCo, and General Dynamics in numerous capacities, both domestic and international in nature.

Zimmerman graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas with an MBA, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri.  He is relocating to Dublin Ohio with his wife and three daughters.

Educators/Media/Associations

Ron Blum, M.S. – Johnson & Wales University

Professor & Faculty Advisor, Hospitality College
Ron Blum’s experience includes over twelve years experience with Darden Restaurants, serving in both back of the house and front of the house management positions. He also worked as sales manager and training person for the director of operation’s nine stores in New England.Blum also worked for Decas Cranberry Products as quality assurance manager where he supervised the Quality Assurance Department and the Quality Control Lab. He also owns his own consulting business, The Organizational Guru, where he offers organizational and technology solutions for business and residential clients. And he lectures to high school students on transitioning to college and with elderly clients looking to downsize.

 

Cihan Cobanoglu, Ph.D., CHTP – University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee

Dean, School of Hotel & Restaurant Management

Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu (pronanciated as G-Han Choban-oglu) is a Professor and Dean of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM). He is a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) commissioned by Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals and Educational Institute of American Hotel & Lodging Association. Prior to his appointment at the USFSM, Dr. Cobanoglu served as an associate professor at the University of Delaware. He founded and managed eXperimental Guestroom (X-Room) from 2007 to 2010. He is a renowned Hospitality and Tourism Technology expert.

He is a co-author of four textbooks and two conference proceedings.

Dr. Cobanoglu served as the chair of American Hotel and Lodging Association’s (AHLA) Technology and E-Business Committee between 2009 and 2011. Dr. Cobanoglu served as a member of the board of directors of Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) from 2003 to 2006. Dr. Cobanoglu is a member of CHTP Advisory Council and Editorial Advisory Board of HFTP. In addition, Dr. Cobanoglu is a visionary board member of Hospitality Technology magazine and editorial board member of International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, and Information Technology in Hospitality (formerly known as International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology). Dr. Cobanoglu is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology and served as Internet Editor of International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration between 2008 and 2011. Dr. Cobanoglu also serves the industry as consultant.

His research involves the use and impact of technology in hospitality industry. Dr. Cobanoglu writes a column called “Last Words” in Hospitality Technology Magazine. Dr. Cobanoglu’s work has been featured in national and international media outlets such as BBC, NBC, ABC, CN8, Futurist Magazine, New York Times, Boston Globe and Lodging Magazine. Dr. Cobanoglu published in scholarly journals such as Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Journal of Information Technology in Hospitality, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and International Journal of Market Research. His articles have been cited in more than 300 refereed articles. He has made numerous presentations in national and international conferences. Dr. Cobanoglu is the founder of HospitalityITCompliance.com and chair/co-founder of the Payment Card Industry Compliance in Hospitality Conference.

Dr. Cobanoglu is the recipient of University of Delaware’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009 and International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education’s (I-CHRIE) John Wiley & Sons Innovation in Teaching Award in 2009. He received “Best Advisor for Student Clubs” from Student Government Association of University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee in 2011. He also received 12 best paper awards from International conferences.

 

Fred DeMicco, Ph.D. – University of Delaware

Professor & ARAMARK Chair, Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management

Dr. Frederick J. DeMicco is Full Professor and ARAMARK Chair in the Lerner College of Business & Economics and the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at the University of Delaware.  Dr. DeMicco is also a Penn State University Conti Professor.

Dr. DeMicco‘s interest is international strategic management, technology, medical tourism and innovation.    He has worked on projects with ARAMARK for the last four Summer Olympics (Atlanta, Australia, Athens and Beijing).  He leads global study abroad trips and teaches the cruise ship management Study@Sea courses. He is on numerous boards, as well as author and co-author of more than 100 publications in the area of hospitality and tourism management.  Dr. DeMicco is ranked 12th among the 119 most cited international hospitality faculty.  Dr. DeMicco is co-author with Dr. Marvin Cetron and Owen Davies for the book Hospitality 2015:  The Future of Hospitality and Tourism.

Dr. DeMicco received the 2008 AH&LA Educational Institute’s Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding United States Educator and recognized by LODGING Magazine as the Lodging Industry’s Top Education Innovator in 2006.  He is the Immediate Past President of International CHRIE – NENA Federation 2010-2011.

 

Mehmet Erdem, Ph.D., CHTP – UNLV

Associate Professor Hotel Administration
Dr. Mehmet Erdem is an Associate Professor of Hotel Operations and Technology at the Hotel College of University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) as well as the President of International Hospitality Information Technology Association (iHITA). Prior to UNLV, he taught in the College of Business at University of New Orleans and in the School of Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University.Dr. Erdem has over 10 years of lodging operations experience. As part of his industry tenure, he was responsible for training and development, rooms division, and information systems. A technology and instructional design consultant, he also serves as an executive program trainer for the International Gaming Institute (IGI).He is the recipient of the 2011 International CHRIE Innovation in Teaching Award. As a hospitality scholar, Dr. Erdem has authored over sixty research articles and conference proceedings. He regularly presents his research findings at professional and academic conferences.

 

Joe Finizio – Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)

President & CEO

J. Joseph Finizio is the President & CEO of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), the industry association representing the vendors and resellers of retail technology. RSPA provides education, industry certification, print and electronic publications, services, industry wide events and advocacy on issues such as Transaction Data Security and Channel Sustainability.

During his six year tenure, RSPA has evolved into an inclusive industry association for manufactures, software developers, resellers and service providers in all vertical markets and multiple technologies including: POS, security and digital signage. During this period RSPA Membership more than doubled to over 800 companies associated with thousands of individuals involved in the industry association.

 

Cathy Hotka – Hotka & Associates

CEO

Cathy Hotka knows most of the retail chief information officers in North America, and creates opportunities for retail IT leaders to network with one another. Her firm creates networking events, summits, and parties for retailers, and helps technology companies create go-to-market strategies for the retail. Clients include the largest technology companies, retail media and event companies, and associations.

She created the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s IT Committee and the National Retail Federation’s CIO Council, and staffed the American Petroleum Institute’s IT Committee and its Telecommunications subcommittees, after six years in the White House and Capitol Hill. She has extensive experience in working with senior-level IT decision-makers and in coalescing clients and providers around technology approaches. She has been honored by Computerworld, CIO, Executive Technology, and Infosys Technologies.

Cathy serves on the Board of Trustees of the Retail Orphan Initiative. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from the Catholic University of America and resides in Washington, DC with her family.

 

Mike Jarvis – Chain Store Guide

Publisher

 

Mike Kasavana, Ph.D., CHTP – Michigan State

NAMA Endowed Professor in Hospitality Business

 

Alan Liddle – Nation’s Restaurant News

Managing Editor, Special Projects

 

Pete Nyheim, Ph. D – Penn State University

Senior Instructor of Technology, School of Hospitality Management
Prior to Peter Nyheim’s specialization in hospitality technology, he spent 10 years in hotel and restaurant managerial operations in the Eastern United States, Argentina, and Venezuela. He has been working and teaching in hospitality technology for over 10 years.His teaching is primarily in hospitality technology, strategy, and environmentally sustainable foodservice with a focus on managerial technology training and business intelligence.Mr. Nyheim has an M.B.A. with a concentration in Management Information Systems and a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Drexel University. He also earned a B.A. in Government from Lehigh University. Mr. Nyheim is a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) and is the lead author of the textbook Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry 2nd edition from Prentice Hall.

 

sobrave

Ron Paul – Technomic

President & CEO

Ronald N. Paul is president of Technomic, Inc., a marketing and management consulting firm that lists among its clients many of America’s largest and most prestigious companies. Technomic is primarily active in the foodservice field, offering consulting and market research services to suppliers, distributors and chain restaurant organizations. Its study types include strategic planning, concept development and evaluation, acquisition identification and evaluation, competitive analysis, new product concepts, new product planning and trade and consumer market research.

Since its inception, Technomic has conducted more than $100,000,000 worth of client funded research on the foodservice industry. Technomic’s current client list includes several of America’s premiere chain restaurant companies and, in addition, Technomic is the publisher of the Technomic Top 500 Report, an annual analysis of the chain restaurant market. Technomic’s tracking of the chain industry goes back to 1972. Technomic recently completed its second major study of the Quick Casual market segment, as well as a consumer driven analysis of the impact of the Age Wave on the restaurant industry. Major programs now underway include an in-depth analysis of opportunities in the breakfast daypart, a study analyzing how to capitalize on the increased demand for takeout, and a major consumer research program focusing on tracking and understanding occasion based trends and developments.

Mr. Paul is a Certified Management Consultant, a former director of the Institute of Management Consultants, and has been a frequent speaker at both industry and professional meetings, including 12 prior Elliot Annual Hospitality Conferences. He is the co-author of “The 100 Best Performing Companies in America” published by Probus and has also authored other articles which have been published in such journals as the Harvard Business Review, Business Marketing, and Sales and Marketing Management. Ron also co-authored with Charles Bernstein “Winning the Chain Restaurant Game – 8 Key Strategies” published by Wiley. Mr. Paul has appeared on CNN, NBC, and CNBC and is frequently quoted by such sources as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S.A. Today, and Business Week.

Ron received his B.S. Degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. in marketing from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business.

 

Peter Romeo – CSP Information Group (Restaurant Business, Foodservice Director)

VP of Content, Foodservice Group

Peter Romeo is the VP of content for CSP Information Group, the parent company of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director magazines, Monkeydish.com, and Restaurant Leadership Conference. The multi-media job caps a 33-year career as a business journalist, including 27 years as a chain-restaurant specialist for such information channels as Nation’s Restaurant News,  QSR magazine, and the website of the National Restaurant Association. Romeo’s columns during an earlier stint at Restaurant Business earned him two Jesse H. Neal Awards, business’ publishing’s equivalent of the Pulitzers. He graduated from New York University in 1979 with honors in history and journalism, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He resides in the New York City suburb of Port Washington with his wife, Holly Klokis, a Financial Times employee; five rescued greyhounds; and four ne’er-do-well cats.

 

Greg Sanders – QSR Magazine