CHART's monthly flipCHART newsletter is a quick, light, and fun read that keeps you in the know about the latest member news. #CHARTtrainers
CONNECTING THE CHART MEMBER COMMUNITY
MAGICAL SPRING NEWS APRIL 2026
VISIONARY TRAINERS TRANSFORMING HOSPITALITY
Step into The Lobby - CHART’s Learning Hub
Your LMS for Achievement & Connection Announcing CHART’s new custom
Learning Management System (LMS), your central point of learning, connection, and celebration! Track your achievements, print your competency certificates, and unlock members-only perks like the Trainer Toolbox, icebreakers, High 5 ideas, wellness tools, and partner resources. Whether you’re checking in on your progress or connecting with fellow trainers, we’ll meet you in The Lobby! This dynamic learning platform is powered by our partner Wisetail. Ever expanding, The Lobby is designed to support your entire CHART journey, today and into the future. Thank you to the team at Wisetail for helping us bring The Lobby to life! How to enter The Lobby Getting started is simple. Access the platform at chart.org > Trainer Development & Events > Competency LMS or go to chart.wisetail.com. We use Single Sign-On (SSO), so you can log in using your existing CHART credentials. No separate username or password required.
Domenic Bartolini is our Conference Director for Boston!
CHART Shop
He stands out from the crowd, plus he’s wicked smaht! With Dom lighting the way, we can’t wait to see what he and his conference team plan for another valuable (and lively!) CHART conference. Interested in being on the conference team? Email Corban at cnichols@thepiadagroup.com.
Domenic Bartolini Field Training Manager & Restaurant Experience Business Consultant, Buffalo Wild Wings - Inspire Brands
Logo merch for learning leaders (and CHART fans)
Kicked off in style with a silly fashion show that had us laughing in New Orleans, the new CHART Shop, featuring logo merch, is now open. You too can flaunt your CHARTy-ness with shirts, mugs, and more! Visit chart.org/shop.
Jen Belk White & Myisha Smith Named to HM’s 40 over 40 for 2026
Myisha Smith Director of Corporate Training Parable Hospitality
Dr. Jennifer Belk White, Ed.D. Vice President of Human Resources General Hotels Corporation
April Virtual Competency – Free for CHART Members We know that these two are exceptional leaders, and now the world does too! Congratulations to our own President-Elect Dr. Jen Belk White, Ed.D. and New Orleans Conference Director Myisha Smith for being recognized by HM for shaping the future of the hospitality industry.
Hospitality Training 360 Report – Newly Released! Get the key findings and full report at chart.org > Training Tools & Resources > Training Trends Study.
Executive Track: Communication & Influence Two, 2-hour sessions from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST Tuesday, April 21, 2026 | Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Space is limited. FREE for CHART Members; enter the discount code MEMBER-COMP at checkout. $149.00 for non-members. Register at chart.org > Trainer Development & Events > Training Competencies > Virtual Workshop Schedule
PresidenTalks The Magic We Create Together
Every moment of CHART109 in New Orleans was ✨ magic ✨ . In fact, on the last evening we were amazed by Aaron Baca, a local magician who reminded us that magic is something we can create for others. As explained in the movie “The Prestige,” a magic trick has three parts. The Pledge shows us something ordinary. The Turn makes the ordinary thing do something extraordinary. The Prestige brings it all together with a final surprise. Aaron began a trick by showing us an empty cloth bag. Two volunteers inspected it and even turned it inside out. This was The Pledge , a grounding moment of familiarity. Then came The Turn . Aaron reached into the empty bag with a flourish and produced an egg - voilà! The room gasped. He even walked us through the trick in slow motion as if revealing the secret. Finally, Aaron stepped aside and had the two volunteers walk through the steps: inspect the bag, flip it inside out, and then the moment of truth… a hand went in the bag and to their amazement (and ours), emerged
CHART President Kelly McCutcheon
holding an egg. They had performed the trick on their own! The Prestige! Their faces shifted from disbelief to confidence. The magic had transferred to them.
Isn’t this what we do in training? We show the ordinary, for example checking in a Guest at registration or cooking a burger. We demonstrate the skill so they can see it. We slow it down, exaggerating each movement so learners can see how it works and
imagine themselves doing it. We introduce the ordinary, guide them through the extraordinary, and then let them step forward so the moment becomes theirs, transferring the skill to them. CHART 109 reminded us that the real magic is not the trick. It is the transformation. And that transformation is even more impactful when we experience it together. When people share a sense of wonder, it brings them closer. At the end of Aaron’s performance, he placed the spotlight on us and asked everyone to thank the people at their table for being part of the magic. It was a simple gesture that created a wave of connection across the ballroom. Moments like that remind us how essential a sense of community is to CHART…and to our work in training. We teach skills, yes. We also build belonging, spark curiosity, and help people feel part of something bigger than themselves. That is the magic we create together.
Colorful Photos from New Orleans
See many more on our Facebook page’s photo albums.
Competency Program Completers got a standing ovation for their achievement, left to right: Erin Flynn-Renner, Steven Haynes, Caitlin DuMars, Domenic Bartolini, Heather Murray, Tresa Wells, Kevin McCarthy, Anna Mason, and Dylan Bitticks
Activities Co-Director Kate Stiteler and Registration Co-Director Lindy Bagby got that #CHARTtrainers feeling
So much more than *just* a magician, Aaron Baca created a wave of connection throughout the audience. We laughed, we cried, we were moved together!
We paraded down to the lobby with our own Second Line band to close out the conference on a high note!
B E THE S PARK CHART 109 New Orleans February 2026
Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers P.O. Box 2835 Westfield, NJ 07091 chart.org (800) 463-5918
Please send content to flipCHART Managing Editor | Lisa Marovec, lisa@chart.org Deadline is 1st of the month for the next month’s issue | Back issues: chart.org CHART Represents at Industry Events! Workforce Management in Fast Casual & QSR Summit • Held Feb 2-4 in Dallas
Ashley led a breakout on overcoming language barriers
Dylan had his breakout attendees cracking up with an Oreo challenge
Corban rocked a keynote from the mainstage
Front row, left to right: Dr. Felicia White, Audrey Benet, Lisa Marovec, Corban Nichols Middle: Ashley Helkenn, Kim Aldrete, Steven Haynes Top: Matthew Steele, Dylan Bitticks (Not pictured: Nicole Holiday led a lunch roundtable, and Kathleen McMurray facilitated a panel)
Women in Restaurant Leadership (WiRL) Summit Held Feb 25-26 in Charleston
Felicia, Steven, Audrey, and Dylan were featured in a pre-event panel
CHART Resources for Industry Speakers Are you speaking at an industry event? We would love it if you could help promote CHART as part of your talk and while you are networking. If you are out in the wild, we have slides, materials, and buttons for you. Email Lisa at lisa@chart.org if you would like some sent to you. We appreciate it so much!
Live Ask My Peers for 500 anyone? Myisha and Rachel expertly facilitated CHART’s signature sharing session for WiRL attendees from the mainstage
Rachel Richal, Ashley Helkenn, Myisha Smith, Shannon Desperes-Adams, Michele Lange, Tammy Calhoun, Lisa Marovec, Kimberly Johnson, and Meshell Liette (Not pictured: Lexi Burns)
You’d look like a smahty pants for attendin’. Register today!
KEYNOTES
Redefining High Performance: What Hospitality Can Learn from the Ninja Course Ty Bennett
Speaker, Bestselling Author, and Entrepreneur This isn’t just a keynote; it’s a live-action masterclass in redefining high performance. What does it really take for hospitality teams to perform under pressure? You’ll find out live, as two elite athletes tackle a Ninja Warrior-style course right on the CHART mainstage. Every leap,
slip, and recovery becomes a metaphor for how high-performing hospitality teams move, learn, and adapt together. Come and learn what it really takes to elevate people, performance, and purpose in hospitality.
Own Your Moment: Rock the Power of Connection, Collaboration, and Commitment Brant Menswar Keynote Speaker, Best-selling Author of Black Sheep and Designing Momentum, Founder, Black Sheep Foundry He’s back to double the impact – moving from inspiration to implementation. Most teams don’t stall because of skill, they stall because people are waiting for the perfect moment instead of owning the one in front of them. Come and learn how to build trust, master the true metrics of momentum, and apply a tested framework to uncertain situations. Our favorite rock star is back to teach us how to serve others in a way that lifts the room, strengthens culture, and creates movement where others would have paused.
PRE- AND POST-CON WORKSHOPS
Trainer Track: Presentation Effectiveness Manager Track: Project Management Hospitality Training Competency Workshops
Maximize your conference ROI.
Certified Hospitality Trainer (CHT) Review and Exam Articulate Storyline 360
20+ BREAKOUTS
Technology & AI Training Skills & Certification Effective Instructional Design Authoring Tools High-performing Teams Interpersonal Communication
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership & Culture Retention & Engagement Strategies Talent Acquisition & Onboarding Upskilling & Career Pathing Change Management & Agility
Register by June 18 to Save $150!
CHART AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS Spring Nomination Deadlines
Commitment to People Award
Due May 1
Spirit of CHART Award Shines a spotlight on your stellar CEO or President who has shown an outstanding commitment to the development of people in your organization. Due June 1 Recognize a member who exemplifies CHART’s guiding principles of Learning, Sharing, Growing, and Caring.
Celebrate the Good
BE the Good for Rising Stars
Due May 15
Learning Legacy Fund Nominate an up-and-coming trainer for a grant to attend the CHART Boston conference for FREE.
Be part of the success story!
Now for July
Silent Auction to Fund Scholarships Donations of any kind are welcome in the silent auction to help fund our scholarship program! Hotel stays, gift cards, gift baskets...the only limit is your imagination! Donate now for the summer conference. Contact chart@chart.org
Nominations are quick and easy!
chart.org - Membership & Community - Awards & Scholarships
An Association of Hospitality Trainers
April 30 - May 1, 2026 The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, FL https://hrinhospitality.com
CHART members get an exclusive $100.00 additional discount Use Code: CHT1202
“The must-attend event for HR professionals shaping the future of hospitality talent and culture”
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker