Dr. Deborah Gilboa Resilience expert Deborah Gilboa, MD (aka “Dr. G”) works with families, organizations, and businesses to identify the mindset and strategies to turn stress to an advantage. Renowned for her contagious humor, Dr. G works with groups across multiple generations, to rewire their attitudes and beliefs, and create resilience through personal accountability and a completely different approach to adversity. She is a leading media personality seen regularly on TODAY, Good Morning America and The Doctors. She is also featured frequently in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Authority Magazine, and countless other digital and print outlets. Dr. G is board certified attending family physician and is fluent in American Sign Language. She lives in Pittsburgh with her four sons.

David Bloom serves as the Chief Operating and Development Officer for Capriotti’s Subs and Wing Zone, both high growth franchise brands based in Las Vegas, Nevada. David’s background includes a long track record of strategically accelerating sustainable brand expansion and operational performance in a wide variety of industries on a global basis. David’s early career in the franchise industry began as a large multi-unit franchisee, area developer and as SVP of Brand Expansion for Quiznos, growing it from a small regional brand to opening over 5,000 locations in 28 countries. Subsequent senior roles included the rapid growth of numerous enterprises including; Clockwork Home Services with system wide revenues in excess of $2.5 billion, Bridge International Academies based in Nairobi, Kenya, the fastest growing education company in the developing world, Famous Brands International with approximately 900 franchised locations in over 30 countries and as President of Office Evolution, a high growth franchise in the shared work space sector. In his current role as Chief Development and Operating Officer for Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and Wing Zone, David is responsible for all aspects of franchise development, franchise training and support and company owned operations.

Mike Guinan has worked in many roles since he started at White Castle more than 38 years ago. He began behind the counter learning the grill, dressing sandwiches and cleaning while he was still in high school. Mike rapidly moved up into more prominent roles as shift manager, Castle supervisor, Regional Assistant Director, Director, Regional Vice President of restaurant operations and currently Vice President Operations Services. In his current position, Mike oversees Destination locations, Real Estate, Construction, Engineering as well as playing a lead role in shaping company strategies on the company work plan. Mike currently leads the company in Robotic and Automations. He enjoys building relationships and helping others grow as leaders. Mike also revels in helping people to be all they can be and says that is one of his greatest rewards at White Castle. Through the years, Mike has lead as well as attended seminars, workshops, and worked with business leaders to learn more about the restaurant industry. He currently lives in the south suburbs of Chicago with his family and where he grew up. Mike also is an avid runner completing several marathons. He is on the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Board as well as the YMCA Safe Place Services National Board. Mike has many favorite Craver moments, which include hearing memorable stories from customers, seeing a young Craver’s face light up when they enter the restaurant, and watching the many generations that visit the Castles daily. While he says there are too many items on the menu to choose a favorite, he would choose the White Castle Slider with cheese.

Being an innovator in Food and Technology means always staying a step ahead in the way the industry thinks and operates. Because of his constant pursuit for Innovation in the Food Industry, Massimo made the Top Ten in the 2020 Nation Restaurant News Power List of Restaurant Leaders changing the industry, placing at # 7. The list focused on technology and innovation, and featured individuals bringing game changing solutions and unrivaled creativity to the biggest issues facing restaurants today. Massimo was recently voted in NRN Readers Pick as one of Most Influential CEO’s in America in 2021 and 2022. Massimo’s goal is to bring Robotics and Automation into the Food Space. As a CEO and Co-Founder of Piestro, Massimo and his Team have developed a Fully Automated Pizzeria that makes Pizza from scratch in less than 3 minutes, called Piestro (The Pizza Maestro). Massimo also sits on the Board of Directors and brings Operational knowledge to the development of Miso Robotics, the Company that fathered Flippy the Robot, a Kitchen Assistant that has the ability to handle grilling burgers and frying food in a traditional fryer via AI, Cook Right a navigation System for the perfect cooking and other robotic solutions. In 2017 Massimo along with Jeffrey Kalt founded Kitchen United with the first outpost in Pasadena California. Now Massimo and Jeffrey are at it again and will be launching SOIGNE’ an evolution of the space with what they call EC Markets, for Epicurean Convenience Markets. Stay tuned for it. Prior to launching Kitchen United, Massimo owned and operated PH+E, a boutique consulting firm focusing on opening restaurants, hotels and bars across the US, Mexico and Europe. He served as Vice President of Operations for SBE Entertainment, controlling all operational aspects for the Restaurants and Nightlife division. Previously he covered the same role at Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, overseeing operations for all venues in S. California. Formerly, Massimo owned and operated restaurants in NYC and Los Angeles and ran the Food and Beverage Department for The Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey and Hillcrest Country Club in Beverly Hills. Massimo was raised in a seven-generation family in Hospitality in the Lake District outside of Milan, Italy.

Jesse Dundon is Managing Director of Restaurant and Convenience at Bounteous. Prior to joining Bounteous, Jesse was CEO of Hathway, a digital growth agency he co-founded alongside Kevin Rice (Bounteous acquired Hathway in 2021). As CEO of Hathway, Dundon led the company to become the go-to partner for a wide range of restaurant and convenience brands including Wingstop, Dutch Bros Coffee, Noodles & Co, Panda Express, and Dash-In Food Stores. Hathway’s digital ordering solutions drive over $2 billion in digital sales and over 200 million digital transactions per year across nearly 20,000 restaurant and c-store locations and join a portfolio of widely recognized Bounteous customers in these verticals. Jesse has also been featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 and under his leadership Hathway has ranked three times in the Inc 5000, topping out at #601.

Marcus Wasdin has been a notable leader within the hospitality technology industry, including in his current position as General Manager of the PAR Data Central Business Unit. Formerly, Marcus served as the Chief Information Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and served as the CIO of Church’s Chicken and Vice President of Sales Support for SumTotal Systems. Marcus also serves as an advisory board member for Hospitality Technology Magazine, the only media brand dedicated exclusively to covering technology trends and solutions in the lodging and foodservice industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in Computer Information Systems.

Will Emmons is the Chief Sales Officer at Restaurant365 where he is responsible for driving strategy and execution of our sales initiatives.  He has spent his entire career running sales organizations in both media and SaaS businesses spanning North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.  Before joining Restauraunt365 Will was the Chief Revenue Officer at Renaizant where he drove the company GTM strategy for their performance management SaaS solution.  Will has a finance degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.  In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, mountain biking, skiing or snowboarding, and international travel.  He is also a foodie at heart and is always up for trying new restaurants with his family.

Nicole West is the Vice President of Digital Strategy and Product at Chipotle Mexican Grill. As a proven leader with close to 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Nicole is responsible for the products that bring Chipotle’s digital ecosystem to life including Chipotle.com, award-winning Chipotle App and Digital Kitchens located inside Chipotle restaurants. Nicole oversees UI/UX design as well as the development and execution of Chipotle’s integrated ‘customer-first’ digital roadmap. Under Nicole’s leadership, Chipotle’s digital business has achieved significant growth reaching the $2 billion-dollar revenue milestone in 2020. During this time of rapid innovation, Nicole ensures Chipotle’s digital products connect consumers with the Chipotle brand driving exceptional user experiences, sales, convenience and access. In March 2020, Nicole received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hospitality Technology who recognized her dedication to the industry as an influential female executive at their ‘Top Women in Restaurant Technology’ awards. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geography and environmental studies and a Master of Public Administration and Environmental Policy degree from University of Colorado, Denver.

Russell Cotter is an Enterprise Architect for Restaurant Technologies at Chipotle Mexican Grill, joining the organization in March 2022. He is responsible for the implementation of enterprise architectures to advance Chipotle’s information technologies in support of future growth. Prior to joining Chipotle, Russell was a Digital Product Manager at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he served in various IT roles for nearly 12 years. His vast experience has been across IT systems and network engineering, and IT architecture across the Financial Sector, Telecommunications, Government, Education and Energy, as an employee or consultant. Russell also held the role of Senior Enterprise Architect for Bank of America’s Home Lending Division as well as posts with Sogeti USA, Bank One, Greenwich Technology Partners, among others. Russell attended the University of Canberra in Australia. Last year, he published his first book titled, “Just Motivate Me – for fitness” and is currently writing a follow-up.

Steven M. Elinson leads the Worldwide Restaurants and Food Service industry practice for Amazon Web Services (AWS), with a charter to support customers as they accelerate cloud adoption. Today’s restaurant must deliver a personalized and seamlessly connected guest experience while being operationally efficient with optimized assets, high utilization, predictive analytics and quality, health and safety standard compliance. As a trusted advisor, Steven utilizes his broad knowledge and 30 years of experience to drive guest experiences and to increase operational efficiencies. The AWS Restaurant team supports customers such as Chick-fil-A, Compass Group, Deliveroo, Delivery Hero, Domino’s, DoorDash, Jollibee, McDonald’s, Olo, Subway, Sweetgreen, Sysco and Upserve, together with members of the AWS Partner Network (APN). Before joining AWS, Steven held various leadership roles in restaurant and restaurant technology businesses. His experience ranges from operations, training, supply chain, technology and new concept creation having created and sold a restaurant concept. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management from Purdue University, and a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University.

Robert Peterson has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality technology industry. Following time with various hospitality technology companies and has worked across many positions throughout his career including technical, sales, and strategic roles. Robert joined Oracle in early 2021. Today with his passion to see our customers’ success Robert leads North American new business sales for Oracle Food and Beverage. He is also a contributing member of RTN’s Vendor Advisory Council. An 80’s BMX World Champion, he can still be spotted in San Diego with one of his four children showing off on his bicycle. Or experimenting with plant-based recipes at home with his wife, Julie.

As a technology thought leader, Courtney uses his unique skills and experience to provide real-world solutions and guidance for the retail vertical. As Retail CISO, Courtney leads architecture, design and go-to-market strategy for the retail vertical and is responsible for developing technologies that enable rapid innovation and secure digital transformation for retail customers. As a customer advocate and technology evangelist, Courtney works to instill the value of a broad, integrated, and automated security platform approach for retail. Before joining Fortinet, Courtney led network, security, and architecture practices for multiple retail and restaurant brands across North America and was responsible for guiding retail technology strategy, enterprise risk management, and strategic partnership development. This included the rapid expansion and management of MNSP (Managed Network Services Provider) programs to accommodate large-scale technology deployments and the creation and oversight of MSSP (Managed Security Services Provider) programs to secure them. Prior to working in retail, Courtney led several comprehensive network refreshes and was responsible for the design and oversight of multiple security programs in the construction and industrial services industry. Courtney serves on multiple technology advisory boards, has been featured in many retail and security industry publications, and is a regular speaker at industry events. Courtney is passionate about educating students and young adults on the importance of cybersecurity, being a founding member of cyber awareness campaigns aimed at eliminating cyber-bullying and shaping the next wave of technology leaders. Courtney is also an active member of multiple disaster preparedness and recovery organizations.

With over 20 years of professional experience developing enterprise solutions, Tim Tang offers a broad scope of technology expertise in AI/ML, digital signage, SD-WAN, cybersecurity and more. As a director at Hughes, Tang analyzes and anticipates industry trends, engages with organizations to understand their needs, and collaborates with ecosystem partners to design solutions. He actively participates in various standards and trade organizations to help make technology more accessible.

Marybeth Pearce is Executive Director, Hospitality Technology for Comcast Business Enterprise Services. In her current role, Marybeth leads an organization focused on providing network technology solutions and digital transformations for the largest hotel and restaurant brands in the United States. Marybeth and her team act as trusted advisors to drive a differentiated dining experience and enhance systems performance with innovative technologies from Comcast Business, including serving some of the top quick service and fast, casual dining restaurants in the United States. Marybeth has been in the cable/telecommunications industry for over fifteen years. Since joining Comcast in 2015, she has been part of the introduction of Comcast’s Managed Enterprise Solutions organization. Before moving into her current role, Marybeth helped launch the Financial Services Vertical to focus on creating and delivering solutions to address Banking and Private Institution’s technology transformations. Prior to joining Comcast, she served in several sales and client services roles at AT&T, developing and delivering network, security and hosting solutions for Fortune 300 companies. Marybeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and International Business from Villanova University. She is an active member of Women in Cable Telecommunications and Philadelphia’s Young Professionals. She also actively participates with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in support of fundraising and sponsorship efforts. She lives in Princeton Junction, NJ with her husband, Mark and their son.

Dr. Daniel Connolly is dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and a recognized global thought leader in the area of hospitality information technology. His teaching, research, and consulting interests focus on the strategic application of information technology and electronic commerce for business advantage. He frequently presents his work at academic and industry conferences around the world and has authored or co-authored numerous publications. His book Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry (now in its second edition) is the industry’s first book on technology strategy. Prior to joining Drake, Daniel served as dean of the School of Business Administration at Portland State University and on the faculties of several major universities including the University of Denver, Michigan State University, and Virginia Tech, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in information technology, strategic management, finance, and hospitality administration. Before joining academia, Daniel spent nearly 8 years working at Marriott International’s corporate headquarters as an information systems analyst. In addition, he has consulted with numerous organizations in the hospitality, health care and technology sectors, and has more than 10 years of experience in hotel and restaurant operations.

Zach Goldstein is the CEO and Founder of Thanx. Founded in 2011, Thanx is a leading guest engagement and retention platform helping restaurants and retailers become more digitally agile to maximize customer lifetime value. Prior to earning his MBA from Stanford, Goldstein honed his experience in the customer loyalty space at Bain & Company, helping companies perfect their retention and reward strategies as early as 2005. Goldstein was recognized by Nation's Restaurant News on it's 2020 Restaurant Power List and has earned a reputation as a vocal thought leader in the restaurant-tech space through his Food Fighters podcast and authorship such as the widely-revered Four Horsemen of the Restaurant Apocalypse?. The San Francisco resident is an avid cyclist and die-hard Sacramento Kings fan.

Rom is the Founder & CEO of OneDine, a single commerce cloud platform that solves all of the restaurant industry’s digital dining needs. OneDine augments a merchant’s existing technology, providing omnichannel solutions for the labor, operational, and guest satisfaction challenges facing the industry today. OneDine was named #3 on Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Dining Companies for 2021. https://onedine.com. Rom is an Official Member of the Forbes Dallas Business Council, and has been named to The Power List: Reader Picks (2020, 2021 and 2022) by Nation’s Restaurant News - The most influential solutions providers and operators in the country .

Dani Kimble is the great-great-grandaughter and niece of the inventors of the hamburger, Charles and Frank Menches. In the early 90s, her family discovered the original burger recipe first served in 1885 - and decided to open a restaurant in honor of their ancestors’ legacy. Nearly 30 years later, Menches Bros. Restaurants remain family-owned and operated, with 3 locations in Northeast Ohio. Growing up in the restaurant industry, Dani found herself gravitating toward the marketing side of the business. From making PowerPoint restaurant flyers at age 11 to building a professional marketing career, Dani has found her passion in digital marketing and strategy. Former Chief Marketing Officer for an insurance firm, she recently launched a marketing consulting firm. Today, she helps small businesses like Menches Bros. prepare for the future of the digital world, building profitable brand and marketing strategies designed to drive innovation and growth across all sectors of their business. In partnership with Metaversal, Dani and her family are building one of the world's first restaurant NFT / web3 programs - with the goal to expand the Menches Bros. story and brand from a local hero to a global one and give the world a taste of history!

Geoff Alexander joined Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) in 1993, and after working on multiple concepts within LEYE’s portfolio, Alexander took over LEYE’s three unit Wow Bao concept in 2009. Being a pioneer in technology and social media, Alexander implemented mobile ordering, self-ordering kiosks, bicycle delivery, nationwide shipping, and made Wow Bao one of the first Chicago brick & mortar restaurants to take to the streets with its BAO-Mobile Food Truck. Alexander has overseen Wow Bao’s inclusion into airports, NFL/MLB/NHL/NBA stadiums, university campuses, music venues, and more than 300 grocers sell Wow Bao’s frozen retail line. In 2017 Alexander changed the landscape for fast casual dining by introducing Wow Bao 2.0 – a fully tech enabled front of the house environment, where guests order via an iOS or Android device, and pick up their food from an animated personalized cubby. Shortly after being named to both Nation’s Restaurant News Power List (2020) and Most Influential Restaurant CEOs in the country (2021), Alexander evolved the restaurant industry once again by creating Wow Bao Now; launching 500 Wow Bao Dark / Virtual Kitchens in more than 400 cities in less than 18 months. This new extension of the business is not only allowing Wow Bao to grow its national footprint, Wow Bao is also helping restaurant operators across the nation grow top line sales and increase bottom line profits.

Kevin Seo is the Co-Founder of Bored and Hungry, Food Fighters Universe and Secret Sauce Society! As one of the creators of the first Web3/NFT Restaurant, Kevin and his team is now global. His passions are, community building, creating incredible moments and bridging the digital space to the physical!

Scott Lawton, Co-founder and CEO, bartaco Scott Lawton serves as CEO and Co-Founder of bartaco, a coastal-inspired restaurant serving fresh, upscale street food in a relaxed environment. Bringing over twenty years of leadership experience in the hospitality arena, Lawton rejoined bartaco, under the new private ownership of L Catterton, overseeing the concept’s overall vision and growth. Prior to becoming CEO, Lawton was Chief Operating Officer of Barteca, managing development, day-to-day operations and personnel recruitment. For over seven years, Scott led bartaco’s growth from zero to fifteen stores, 60+ million in sales operating in eight different states. While at the helm, the brand achieved five consecutive years of double digit, same-store sales growth while maintaining 29% store level EBITDA. Lawton previously held key leadership roles with Tribeca Grill, Buckhead Life and Big Time Restaurants.

Vadim Parizher's career in Technology and Software Engineering spans 25 years. Currently Vadim is leading Engineering and Analytics teams at Taco Bell, the nation's leading Mexican-inspired quick serve restaurant (QSR) brand. As Taco Bell strives to grow business in the increasingly digital world, Vadim’s focus is on identifying and implementing next generation systems for Order Processing, Data Analytics, eCommerce, CRM and B2B data integration. Prior to Taco Bell, Vadim held various IT leadership and management positions with some of the world’s leading organizations, including biotechnology leaders Amgen and Allergan, financial giant AIG and NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Vadim holds a Bachelor and Master in Computer Science from CSUN and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Vadim lives in Irvine, California, enjoying cycling, beaches and competitive table tennis.

As a technology thought leader, Courtney uses his unique skills and experience to provide real-world solutions and guidance for the retail vertical. As Retail CISO, Courtney leads architecture, design and go-to-market strategy for the retail vertical and is responsible for developing technologies that enable rapid innovation and secure digital transformation for retail customers. As a customer advocate and technology evangelist, Courtney works to instill the value of a broad, integrated, and automated security platform approach for retail. Before joining Fortinet, Courtney led network, security, and architecture practices for multiple retail and restaurant brands across North America and was responsible for guiding retail technology strategy, enterprise risk management, and strategic partnership development. This included the rapid expansion and management of MNSP (Managed Network Services Provider) programs to accommodate large-scale technology deployments and the creation and oversight of MSSP (Managed Security Services Provider) programs to secure them. Prior to working in retail, Courtney led several comprehensive network refreshes and was responsible for the design and oversight of multiple security programs in the construction and industrial services industry. Courtney serves on multiple technology advisory boards, has been featured in many retail and security industry publications, and is a regular speaker at industry events. Courtney is passionate about educating students and young adults on the importance of cybersecurity, being a founding member of cyber awareness campaigns aimed at eliminating cyber-bullying and shaping the next wave of technology leaders. Courtney is also an active member of multiple disaster preparedness and recovery organizations.

Jon Tryzbiak is the Vice President of Information Technology for Checkers & Rally’s. Jon has over 15 years of industry experience and has an extensive background in solution architecture, software development, enterprise applications, business intelligence, and operations technology. In his current role, Jon focuses on enabling data-driven decisions across the organization and deploying solutions that maximize operational efficiencies and facilitate innovation in all areas of the business. Jon holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Central Florida and currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his family.

Justin Skelton is a transformational leader who has multi-industry technology leadership expertise. As Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Dine Brands Global, he is accountable for delivering technology solutions to the enterprise which includes regional support centers and over 3500 stores / restaurants domestic and International. He is currently driving key digital and business intelligence programs that allow for alternate forms of revenue growth required due to the pandemic. He previously served in senior and executive level IT roles at large publicly held organizations including: Allstate Insurance (NYSE: ALL), Bank of America / Merrill lynch (NYSE: BAC), and CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) During his lengthy career, he has successfully led teams through technology strategy development / modernization, mergers / acquisitions and divestitures. Justin holds an MBA from the University of Illinois, Chicago Liautaud’s School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, San Bernardino.

Responsible for the unique technology strategy enabling delivery at Starbucks, Flavio is an expert in retail digital transformation. As head of retail software engineering, the systems he designs handle all sales flowing into retail stores. His journey in digital transformation began with McDonald’s in 2003, leading the global systems replacement program. Flavio has worked with many other brands and industry solution vendors planning and executing mergers and acquisitions, implementing technology transfers and scaling business powered by digital solutions.

Kevin brings over 20 years of leadership experience, building teams and directing projects. He is a highly strategic individual who has a knack for seeing the big picture, and his highly diverse background, along with his creative and collaborative approach to business and relationships, fits well in just about any culture. Kevin brings a unique perspective to his technology leadership role due to his background in Brand Mar-Tech, where he worked for Johnson & Johnson, as well as his experience as a Collegiate Athlete and an NFL professional athlete, where he served as a Multi-year Team Captain. Prior to joining NEAE, Kevin’s most recent position was at Inspire Brands as Director of Automation and Innovation, where he oversaw technology for over 32,000+ restaurants and created the first corporate owned 5 brand ghost kitchen. Other experience includes Tropical Smoothie as a restaurant tech consultant, Infosys as an IT consultant, Owens Corning, where he rolled out CRM globally, and Arby’s, where he rolled out PAR-POS to over 1100 corporate restaurants and oversaw the franchise business for two years. Kevin is a devoted husband to his wife, Christina, and (proud father of four daughters (Kennedy, Kayden, Kendal, and Kaylani) and a son (Kevin Jr). He attained his MSIS from Northwestern, MBA from Rice University, and undergrad degree in Communications and Business Institutions, with a focus on Organizational Leadership from Northwestern University. Kevin’s distinctive life and career experiences have helped him become a skilled problem solver, fostering productivity, positivity, creativity, and efficiency among his direct reports, cross functional teams, vendor partners, and peers.