Women’s Foodservice Forum CEO Hattie Hill to retire
The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) announced March 13 that Hattie Hill will retire as President and CEO. She will remain with the organization until a new successor is hired. Hill has been CEO and president since 2013.
“My six years at WFF have been the most impactful of my entire career,” Hill said. “WFF has given me the opportunity to champion gender parity in the workplace and introduced me to thousands of talented women who, I have no doubt, will run not only the food industry, but the world, in my lifetime.
“WFF is celebrating 30 years in 2019, and I will stay on to celebrate with them and pass the baton to the next president and CEO,” Hill continued. “I will always advocate for the success of this organization and am confident our next leader will make significant strides in her tenure.”
An industry ‘icon’
Denny Marie Post, president and CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews and current WFF Board Executive Committee Chair, considers Hill an industry icon.
“Without Hattie, WFF wouldn’t be where it is today,” Post said. “She pushes the industry to participate in seminal research which showed that while we’ve made progress, progress isn’t parity. That work is helping us create a roadmap for action. I thank Hattie for leading WFF and for advancing women in our industry.”
Prior to joining WFF, Hill was founder and CEO of Hattie Hill Enterprises, a management consultancy. She’s a professional speaker and the author of several corporate books, including “Smart Women, Smart Choices.” Her accolades span her entire career, including being named one of the “40 under 40” top business and community leaders by the Dallas Business Journal and being recognized by Working Women magazine for “Entrepreneurial Excellence.”
Hill is active in several industry organizations and her current and past board memberships include: the Federal Reserve, Emory University Gozuieta Business School, National Restaurant Association, Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, and past chair of VisitDallas. She previously served on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and the Society of International Business Fellows. Hill holds bachelors and masters degrees from Arkansas State University.
