Dr. Sandra Kay Lee, MBA, U.S. Army Veteran

Experience

• 

  Olive Garden

  Oct 2001 - Oct 2003

  Director of Operations

  Improved operations, training and development strategy. Earned recognition as a top 10% organization-wide restaurant operator, followed by the Michelangelo Award for the most reduced employee turnover in the division.Increased guest count and sales throughout the region. Mentored more than half of the restaurants into producing unprecedented profitability through sound P&L management.

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  Darden

  Oct 2003 - Jan 2005

  Regional Manager at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse

  Successfully opened 3 locations with record-level sales.Utilizing a two-pronged approach of developing people and systems, increased sales and guest count in under-performing units while fostering a culture of commitment and accountability through personal behavior and ongoing mentoring.

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  Ruby Tuesday

  Mar 2005 - Mar 2007

  Earned 2 training industry BEST awards.Established the Area Training Manager program to support excellence in teaching at the multi-unit level.Implemented E-Learning and leveraged other digital platforms to support learning and ensure visibility of learning activities by all stakeholders. Learning activities positively impacted the customer-perception surveys related to speed of service, friendliness of service, restaurant cleanliness, and sales opportunities.Developed and delivered training programs for both franchise and company leadership, while remaining a contributing director/instructor at the Leadership University. Show less

  • Director of Training

    Mar 2006 - Mar 2007

  • Director of People Standards and Results (Operations)

    Mar 2005 - Mar 2006
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  Denny's

  Oct 2007 - Jan 2011

  Led major three-pronged business transformation through holistic change initiatives during a critical company phase; entrusted with re-defining organizational development, shepherding cultural shift, and creating innovative training frameworks built on best practices.Developed and led critical initiative to increase franchise and company sales and service levels through a layered approach; culled resources from across several departments (HR, Training, Real Estate, Marketing, Finance, and IT) to implement the program.Championed and implemented eLearning: Vetted eLearning vendors to establish 'best in class' digital learning platform and leveraged expertise in Learning Management Systems (LMS) to build infrastructure which would remain relevant for the future.Advanced training programs from lecture-based training to interactive e-learning training. Developed on-brand printed collateral that aligned with organizational strategy. Show less Established a Leadership University (Denny's U.) as a Capstone for the Manager in Training (MIT) program and the foundation for ongoing leadership development for company and franchise team members.Updated training programs to provide a more engaging learning experience for front-line users while supporting the business mission and long-term strategy.Leveraged Human Resources acumen to develop and deliver leadership development programs for high-potential candidates. Fostered and taught foundational succession planning in preparation for business growth spurt which occurred as the result of a strategic acquisition. Show less

  • Senior Director, Training / Senior Director, Operations

    Dec 2008 - Jan 2011

  • Director, Talent and Organization Development

    Oct 2007 - Dec 2008
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  Au Bon Pain

  Feb 2011 - Jan 2016

  Translated Au Bon Pain’s performance criteria and business mission into tactical operations through the establishment of policies and procedures and critical initiatives to support excellence in operations.Leveraged technology to improve communications and operations. Established transparent metrics to evaluate critical business results. Motivated business growth using sound business practices while maintaining a focus on team member learning and knowledge application to provide exemplary Guest service.Led brand implementations successfully, minimizing disruption to the field teams while maintaining positive metrics during the evaluation of short-term and long-term impact. Show less Established the training department as its sole member, helming it from the ground up and molding it into an exemplary training program using cutting edge instructional design; considered a critical company asset recognized for its quality and efficiency. Improved the Manager in Training (MIT) program by standardizing and strengthening the teaching of the skills necessary to improve management performance and prepare managers for future career development.Standardized New Store Opening (NSO) training processes, positively impacting new restaurant sales and profitability immediately upon opening. Show less

  • Vice President,Training / Vice President, Operations Services

    Aug 2012 - Jan 2016

  • Vice President, Training

    Feb 2011 - Jan 2016
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  Boston Catering Center for Delta Airlines

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2017

  Operations Leader, Airline Catering

  The Boston Airline Catering Center is ABM Aviation's entry into the the airline catering business providing service to Delta airlines.Our team caters food and beverages to all Delta flights, both domestic and international, originating in Boston. We developed this business using a 'people first'​ model: Building a team passionate about taking care of the customer and doing things right the first time. While our business is complex involving transportation logistics, warehouse and manufacturing elements, financial accountability, aviation security, and supply chain vendor management, our approach is simple: Inspire our team to define the standards of service excellence. We are able to do this because we understand every team member has a story. We recognize and develop the professional and life skills our team needs to write their success story. Show less

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  Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services

  Mar 2017 - now

  Inspiring teams to provide excellent service and top quality food and beverages."Great people, great service, great results."

  • Division President

    Oct 2022 - now

  • Senior Vice President

    Mar 2020 - Oct 2022

  • Regional Vice President

    Mar 2017 - Mar 2020