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
CARVING OUT SOME GOOD NEWS OCTOBER 2026
VISIONARY TRAINERS TRANSFORMING HOSPITALITY
Doing What is Yours to Do: Meet Our San Antonio Keynote
If you’ve read her book, Lessons from the Drive-Thru: Real Life Wisdom for Frontline Leaders , you already know why we’re so excited to have her in San Antonio. Monica spent years in restaurant operations with Taco Bell and KFC, so she doesn’t just talk about the realities of running an operation – she’s lived them. She understands the pressure, the pace, the staffing
challenges and, most importantly, the people who make the business work. The book also features a familiar CHART name: Sandi Spivey. Monica devoted an entire chapter, “Be Like Sandi,” to our past CHART president and legendary leader. That connection made us like Monica even more! She gets us. In San Antonio, Monica is bringing a message that is especially relevant: Doing What is Yours to Do. How often have you heard a manager say, “I don’t have time to hire a new cook, train my shift manager, grow sales, or engage with guests?”
If you haven’t read Lessons from the Drive Thru yet, you might want to add it to your reading list before San Antonio. The lessons apply to all of us in hospitality!
Monica Rothgery Friend of the Frontline Author and Keynote Speaker
The truth is, they really don’t have time. Not when they’re doing everyone else’s jobs. Monica will challenge us to look at how managers are spending their precious time and help them recognize the work that is uniquely theirs to do: run the store and lead the team. Through stories from the real world and a practical three-step process, she’ll show us how developing self-sufficient hospitality teams can give managers back the time they need to lead. You’ll leave with a whole new way to talk with operators about how they spend their time, along with a practical approach for stronger leadership, greater team engagement, and business growth. Plan now to join us in San Antonio! Registration is open at chart.org.
Lindy Bagby is our San Antonio Conference Director!
She leads with a hospitality heart! A member since 2024, Lindy wasted no time in getting involved. She has previously served on conference teams as Registration Co-Director in New Orleans and Service Event Co-Director in Boston. We can’t wait to see what she and her conference team have in store for us in March!
Lindy Bagby Director of People & Development Five12 Restaurant Concepts
Community Service Event in Boston: Emerald Necklace Conservancy
A “day in the dirt” feels so good. Especially when you are working shoulder-to-shoulder with your hospitality training peers! For our community service event in Boston, we partnered with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Boston's historic network of parks and green spaces. Together, we removed litter and debris, making a meaningful impact on one of Boston's most treasured outdoor spaces. Thank you to our volunteer service event co-directors Sarah Roha and Lindy Bagby for organizing!
PresidenTalks Turning Moments into Momentum
As I write this article, it’s been five weeks since the CHART Boston conference ended. I left Boston with so many implementable ideas and good intentions, but too quickly I found myself falling back into my everyday challenges and losing sight of what I thought I had learned at the conference.
I say I “thought” I had learned, because in truth, if we want learning that sticks, we have to apply what we learned. The question we need to ask ourselves is not “what did I learn,” but instead, “what did I do with what I learned?” If the learning isn’t used, does it really matter? Of course that goes not only for our own self-development, but also for the training programs that we design and deliver. We have to build intentional, directed application opportunities, both inside and outside of
CHART President Jennifer Belk White, Ed.D., SPHR, CHT
the training experience, to ensure that the skills and knowledge that were taught will be retained. Training happens in the moment , but we have to be intentional about building momentum to keep driving the learning forward. To be honest, while reflecting on what to write this month, I realized that in the past few years I have become a bit too complacent about my own self-development. When sitting in a session, I will capture a screen shot with my phone and think “I’ll remember that,” without being thoughtful about how and when I will use the information. When reading, I may flag a paragraph or page as important, but I am not always focused on applying that important topic. These reflections led me to revisit the book The Practicing Mind , by Thomas Sterner. Sterner differentiates between learning and practice, noting that practice requires “awareness and will” in a way that mere learning does not. He goes on to say that practice involves the “deliberate repetition of a process with the intention of reaching a specific goal,” highlighting the importance of deliberateness and intentionality as the key to achieving the desired goals of learning. Today, I am recommitting myself to being deliberate and intentional about my own learning and development journey, as well as creating opportunities for deliberate practice and application in the training programs I design and deliver. And, I’m recommitting myself to applying the long list of action items and improvements I came home with from Boston. What about you? What might you choose to recommit to this month to support your own self-development? Have a great month!
Investing in the Future of Our Industry
$15,424 Raised in Boston for Scholarships!
Among the silent auction items, our 50/50 raffle, and raffle basket, you all outdid yourselves with generosity in Boston and bidding from afar! Thank you so much to all who bid, donated, and especially to our Silent Auction Co-Directors Philip Pinkerman and Anna Mason!
A Note to CHART from our 2027 Scholarship Recipients Excerpted from their video message in Boston
Learning Legacy Fund (LLF) Recipient Tony Bellinaso in Boston It was so great to see Tony Bellinaso of Dutch Bros Coffee jumping
“I am truly honored to receive the CHART scholarship, and I want to thank CHART and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for believing in me and investing in my education. Gerald Estrada Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston, Conrad Hilton College
right in by participating in the Community Service Event! He’s pictured here with Myisha Smith of Parable Hospitality.
This scholarship allows me to focus on completing my degree and gives me confidence as I prepare for the next chapter of my career. My goal is to become a hospitality leader who develops strong teams and creates environments where both employees and guests feel welcomed, respected, and supported. Please know how grateful I am. Thank you again for believing in students like me and for investing in my future.”
Are you Taking Advantage of Ask My Peers? There is some robust discussion going on in there! Ask My Peers, CHART’s online, members-only discussion forum, is arguably one of your most valuable member benefits. Whether you post a burning question, or answer someone else’s, join the conversation!
NyJaiha DeBourg Hospitality Management, Morgan State University “I am proud to be a recipient of the CHART and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation scholarship, and I am truly honored to accept this award. Scholarship is a stepping stone in my
academic and professional journey and represents more than just financial support. It is an investment in my education, my professional development, and my journey as an emerging leader in the hospitality and tourism industry. The organizations’ commitment to developing the next generation of hospitality leaders is truly inspiring, and I am thankful to be a recipient of your generosity. My ultimate career goal is to become a leader within the hospitality and tourism industry with a focus on human resources management. I am passionate about creating inclusive, supportive work environments and paving the way for underrepresented individuals in hospitality. Thank you again for this incredible opportunity. Your support means more than you know, and I'm excited to continue growing, learning, and making the most of this investment in my future.”
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 Website Gets a Makeover Check out the glow up of the new CHART website!
"Light the Way" Lyrics, CHART 110 Boston Hospitality Training Conference Light the way, lead the change! Check out the CHART Boston general session opening video at YouTube > CHARTtube1 > Conference Highlights playlist. Pretty cool, right? Great energy by creator, CHART’s own Susan Diepen! -- From the harbor to the open sea, We’re gathered where we’re meant to be. Boston lights and a rising tide, CHART one-ten is here — come alive. Every guest, every story, every spark in the room, Every connection that helps someone bloom. Through the storm, through the noise, through the changing day, There are trainers holding fast, lighting up the way. Light the way, lead the change,
You know that moment when you see someone and think, “Hmm… something’s different. Did they get a haircut?” Well, that’s kind of what happened to the CHART website. We didn’t expect the move to WordPress to make that much of a difference. But somewhere along the way, CHART.org got a fresh style and a whole new bounce. The new site is cleaner, a bit easier to navigate, and more streamlined in places, so you can spend less time searching and more time exploring what you came for. It’s the same website you’re familiar with; just looking a little more refreshed. Take a look around the new site. It’s up and running, and we can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been working on these past few months!
Turn the spark into a flame. Ignite, empower, illuminate, Chart the course and set the pace. From the waves to the skyline, we’ll carry the day, Together we rise — we light the way. Hear the bells, hear the voices, hear the harbor sing, Every person, every team, every dream we bring. We train with purpose, we lead with grace, Building skills that make a difference every day. Like a lighthouse burning through the midnight blue, We shine a path for others to step into.
Side by side, we’ll make it bright, One bold spark becomes the light. Light the way, lead the change,
Turn the spark into a flame. Ignite, empower, illuminate, This is the moment we create. From Boston’s shore to the world we serve each day,
Together we rise — we light the way. Together we rise — we light the way.
Join us in San Antonio! Register at chart.org
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