University of North Texas 
CMHT Symposium: Transformational Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber
2026 Transformational Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber
Leadership Lessons From the Drive Through: Real World Insights in Modern Hospitality
Date: 2/12/2026 (Thursday), 11:00 am-12:20 pm
Location: Union 333
The Transformational Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber team, supported by the USDA-NIFA-HSI, is proud to invite you to the 2026 College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism (CMHT) Leadership Symposium. Hosted by the CMHT Leadership Academy, this year’s event, titled "Leadership Lessons From the Drive-Thru: Real World Insights in Modern Hospitality," features the powerful industry duo Adam and Ashleigh Griffith.
As a distinguished HETM alumnus and current VP of Technology at Uncommon Brands (overseeing concepts like Fuego Tortilla Grill and The Rice Box), Adam brings a wealth of expertise in digital transformation and operational excellence. Ashleigh Griffith, Senior Marketing Manager at Quality Brand Group, leads strategic branding for major franchises including Dunkin’, Baskin Robbins, and Buffalo Wild Wings GO. Together, they will share unique perspectives from their leadership journeys, offering students and professionals alike a front-row seat to the innovation and adaptive leadership driving today’s hospitality and retail landscapes.
Ashleigh Griffith
Senior Marketing Manager, Quality Brand Group
Ashleigh Griffith is a strategic brand builder for Quality Brand Group, the largest Inspire Brands Dunkin’ franchise network in the Western U.S. A 2023 Brand Innovators “40 Under 40” honoree,
Ashleigh has built a career defining the narratives of global leaders across the foodservice, hospitality, and entertainment sectors, including Yum! Brands, Wingstop, and Well Go USA. At Quality Brand Group, she spearheads industry-leading innovation, having pioneered the organization’s first enterprise-wide AI analytics program to maximize local store ROI and a drone delivery partnership that reduced fulfillment times to nine minutes. By integrating a frontline SMS communication suite, she has bridged the gap between corporate strategy and field execution, driving double-digit comparable sales growth.
Her previous tenure at Yum! Brands was marked by the creation of “The Originals,” the first-ever global employer brand playbook for KFC, used to recruit team members across 145 countries and 30,000 locations. A graduate of Drew University and an alum of the McKinsey Management Accelerator, Ashleigh is a former board member of the IABC Dallas Chapter and a frequent speaker on adaptive leadership for the University of North Texas. A Texas resident and advocate for the Plano Public Libraries, she continues to shape the next generation of marketing leaders through her seminar work and community engagement.
Adam Griffith
Vice President of Technology, Uncommon Brands
Adam Griffith is a veteran technology executive with nearly two decades of experience scaling high-growth restaurant brands through digital transformation and enterprise-level innovation. Currently serving as the Vice President of Technology at Uncommon Brands, Adam oversees the technological strategy for a portfolio of "uncommonly good" restaurant concepts.
Throughout a career spanning 20 years, Adam’s leadership has been instrumental in major brand evolutions, including scaling Original ChopShop from 3 to 25 locations, laying the digital groundwork for 900+ Smoothie King franchises, and driving the nationwide expansion of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill. A former consultant for Radiant Systems (now NCR), Adam specializes in building robust IT infrastructures that enhance guest experience and operational profitability. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas and an MBA from the University of Utah.
2024 Transformational Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber
Date: 3/27 (Wednesday), 11am-12:20pm
As the world grapples with pressing environmental and social challenges, leaders in the food and fashion industries are stepping forward to drive meaningful change. We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Symposium on Transformational Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber, a groundbreaking event set to inspire, educate, and catalyze action towards a more sustainable future.
Hosted by the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, this symposium invite Lewis Perkins, President of Apparel Impact Institute and Dr. Priscilla Connors, Associate Professor at UNT, to discuss the journey towards a more responsible and ethical food and fashion industry.
Lewis Perkins
President of Apparel Impact Institute
A passionate advocate for “doing the right thing,” Lewis Perkins is the President of the Apparel Impact Institute (AII), an organization launched by leading brands and apparel sector industry associations to identify, fund, and scale programs to drive positive impact in the fashion sector.
Previous to this Perkins was President of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute(C2CPII) where he launched the Institute’s Fashion Positive initiative, which engages designers, manufacturers, brands and influencers in creating Cradle to Cradle Certified TM materials and products with the circular economy in mind. Prior to joining the C2CPII, Perkins led sustainability for The Mohawk Group and consulted with corporations and organizations on their social and environmental programs. He has served as an Ashoka and Laudes Foundation Strategy Thought Partner, a member of the H&M Global Change Award Expert Panel, and a Design Mentor for both the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), as well as the IDEO & Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy “Circular Design Competition.” Perkins has also been a participant of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Consumption. Perkins holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus on social responsibility from Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington & Lee University. In 2018, he was recognized by his undergraduate alma mater, with the Distinguished Alumni award.
Priscilla Connors, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Hospitality, Event and Tourism Management
Let’s design out food waste! Dr. Priscilla Connors, Associate Professor, Department of Hospitality, Events and Tourism Management, is working on just that idea.
Her food packaging research on date labels revealed that most people interpret these labels as a safety warning telling them to “throw it out!” while the intent of the food industry is to optimize food quality in a retail setting.1 How do we prevent this waste of safe, edible food? Study respondents recommended education on food practices in the home and packaging that clearly described the purpose of the label. Interested in what college students thought about food waste, Dr. Connors asked them to write about it and what they would do to prevent it.2 Students who worked in grocery stores, restaurants, movie theatres, catered events, and school dining halls were frustrated about the waste that they witnessed. They also revealed inexperience in shopping, storing, and preparing foods and how it resulted in waste in their apartments. Donating food and composting waste was advised with limited insight into how to do it. Overall, there was a sense of the value of food and concern about the unsustainability of this level of waste. One student put it succinctly, “We need to gain respect for food, as well as for the farmers who produce it, the natural resources that go into it, and the people who go without it.”
- Connors, P. L. (2023). College Students Observe Waste of Edible Food & Make Recommendations. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. DOI:10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105833
- Connors, P. L., Schuelke, W. C. (2022). Date Labels and College Student Perception of Milk Drinkability. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 105, DOI:10.1016/j.jfca.2021.1042
