Kelli Valade

Kelli Valade
Born (1969-10-11) October 11, 1969 (age 57)
Syracuse, New York
EducationBinghamton University (B.A.)
Syracuse University (MBA)
OccupationChief executive officer at Women's Foodservice Forum
PartnerDon Valade

Kelli Valade (born October 11, 1969) is an American businesswoman who was formerly the chief executive officer of Red Lobster, Denny's, and Black Box Intelligence (formerly TDn2K). She is also the former brand president of Chili's Grill & Bar and former executive vice president at Brinker International.

From June 2022 to February 2026, Valade was the CEO of Denny's. In January 2026 she was named as the CEO of Women's Foodservice Forum.

Early life and education

Valade was born on October 11, 1969, in Syracuse, New York. She was adopted at birth, raised in an Italian family, and spent her Sundays cooking meatballs and sauce with her grandmother. She grew up playing softball and basketball in New York state and had her first job as a hostess at TJ's Big Boy when she was 16 years old. From there, her love for the restaurant industry was born.

Valade received her Bachelor of Science in sociology from Binghamton University, where she ran an Italian restaurant while studying. She received her MBA from Syracuse University.

Early career

Valade started her career in restaurants and hospitality in 1993 when she worked as an intern at American Services Management Resources, now known as TDn2K. From there, she moved to Carlson Restaurants Worldwide where she was a manager of training and recruiting for Friday's Front Row Italiano, part of TGI Fridays. In 1996, she joined Brinker International as the director of On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina.

Tenure at Brinker

In November 1996, Valade was hired to Brinker International as the director for On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. From there, she held a number of senior and executive positions that included:

1997 - 2000: director, human resources, Brinker International
2000 - 2002: senior director, corporate human resources and diversity & inclusion, Brinker International
2002 - 2003: vice president, human resources
2003 - 2004: vice president, emerging brands
2004 - 2005: vice president, compensation & compliance
2005 - 2007: vice president, people & performance
2007 - 2009: senior vice president, PeopleWorks, Chili's Grill & Bar
2010 - 2016: chief operating officer, Chili's Grill & Bar
2016 - 2018: president, Chili's Grill & Bar and executive vice president, Brinker International

During her time as Chili's COO, Valade implemented the "Best Life" wellbeing platform with programs tied to improving team members’ career, social, financial, community and physical wellbeing, achieving all-time high team engagement scores.

Non-profit

Valade is on the board of directors of the Women's Foodservice Forum, an organization that is accelerating the advancement of women leaders. In January 2026, Valade was named CEO of the Women's Foodservice Forum, succeeding Therese Gearhart. Additionally, she is on the board of Shelton School, an organization focused on improving the education of individuals with learning differences.

Awards and memberships

Personal life

Valade has been married to her husband, Don Valade, since 1998.

References

  1. ↑ "Chili's Grill and Bar President Kelli Valade Joins TDn2K". TDn2K. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  2. ↑ Ruggles, Ron (September 11, 2018). "Chili's president Kelli Valade steps down". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Denny's Corporation (DENN) Leadership & Management Team Analysis". Simply Wall St. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Guszkowski, Joe (January 22, 2026). "CEO Kelli Valade leaves Denny's for Women's Foodservice Forum". Restaurant Business. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ Valade, Kelli. "Kelli Valade". LinkedIn. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KELLI VALADE". Chili's Jobs. Brinker International. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
    - "A Day in the Life of Kelli Valade". Chilis Jobs. March 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (June 30, 2016). "Kelli Valade is new Chili's head". Dallas News. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  8. ↑ Seepersaud, Steve. "BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY ALUMNA KELLI VALADE LEADS CHILI'S CHAIN". Binghamton University. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Kezar, Korri. "Five questions with Chili's new President Kelli Valade". Biz Journals. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  10. ↑ "HOW BRINKER INTERNATIONAL SERVES UP WHOLE-PERSON WELL-BEING TO TEAM MEMBERS AT CHILI'S AND MAGGIANO'S". Limeade Marketing. July 14, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  11. ↑ Women’s Foodservice Forum. "Board Of Directors". www.wff.org. Women's Foodservice Forum. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Accelerating the Advancement of Women Leaders". Women's Foodservice Forum. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  13. ↑ Kelso, Alicia (January 22, 2026). "Kelli Valade named CEO of Women's Foodservice Forum". NRN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Women's Foodservice Forum Names New CEO". Foodservice Equipment Reports Magazine. January 23, 2026. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  15. ↑ "About Us". www.Shelton.org. June Shelton School and Evaluation Center. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  16. ↑ Women’s Foodservice Forum. "Board Of Directors". www.wff.org. Women's Foodservice Forum. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  17. ↑ NRN (January 24, 2018). "The Power List 2018: Kelli Valade". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Kelli Valade, President, Chili's Grill and Bar, to Receive the Beacon Award at Next Week's Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo". Western Foodservice. Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo. April 28, 2017. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  19. ↑ Diversity Journal. "Kelli Valade". Diversity Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  20. ↑ "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KELLI VALADE". Chili's Jobs. Brinker International. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2019.