CHICAGO, January 22, 2026 —The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) has named Kelli Valade, previously the head of Denny’s, as its new CEO and President.
Valade will assume the post next month. She succeeds Therese Gearhart, who announced her retirement from the WFF last year. Gearhart indicated at the time that she would continue to lead the group until a new chief was hired.
The announcement follows the completion of the sale of Denny’s last week to a trio of investors for $620 million. Valade had been named CEO of the family dining chain in May 2022.
Her appointment to the top job at the WFF rounds out a foodservice resume that began with working as a server in a restaurant in upstate New York. Valade’s career ladder would take her to the COO post at Brinker International and the presidency of Chili’s, its largest brand by far.
She would later serve as CEO and President of the research firm Black Box Intelligence and briefly as CEO of Red Lobster.
Valade has served as a director of the WFF since 2018.
"It is an honor to lead WFF—an organization that has played a significant role in my own professional journey and supports our industry in creating work environments where all team members can thrive," Valade said in a statement.
The WFF describes its mission as “advancing leadership excellence across the foodservice industry.”