
During the week-long program, NACS Executive Leadership Program attendees get to experience Cornell’s campus, in addition to immersive convenience-industry-specific classroom learning and collaboration with a network of peers.
Designed for senior-level retail management, this program will enlighten, inform and level up your leadership skills. Foster new ways of thinking, respond to the challenges of an evolved marketplace today and own your position as a visionary leader.
This program helps convenience leaders:
- Reflect on and refine their leadership skills
- Prepare for the demands of key company roles
- Access 360-degree feedback assessments and individual executive-level coaching
- Engage in group case studies that build a network of peers to help address tomorrow’s business challenges
- Hear from top industry leaders speaking to today’s biggest challenges in leadership and the workforce
The program has been customized for the convenience and fuel retailing industry, and is administered by faculty in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, recently ranked in the top 15 best business schools by U.S News and World Report – providing a once-a-year opportunity for high-potential convenience industry executives to engage in peer case studies and prepare for the demands of key company roles.
For any questions or to request more information, please contact:
Brandi Mauro
Education Program Manager
bmauro@convenience.org
(703) 518-4223

Endowed by
“The course was amazing, from start to finish. The content is top notch! The Cornell faculty did an amazing job keeping all participants fully engaged— which is not an easy task given our fast-paced and ever-changing landscape.”
-Matthew Solly, Fuel Operations Director, Circle K Stores, Inc.
Not sure which program to attend?
Please contact NACS Education to schedule an advising session.
Schedule Consultation >
(703) 518-4223
The NACS Master of Convenience designation acknowledges the hard work and investment NACS members have made in their personal leadership development. It is awarded to convenience retailers who have attended 3 or more of the 5 NACS Executive Education programs. For questions, contact Brandi Mauro, NACS Education Program Manager: bmauro@convenience.org or (703) 518-4223.
“It was one of the most educational trainings I’ve ever had. Meeting so many people from the industry, from across the globe, made the experience truly unique!”
– Kerstin Meier, Head of Key Account Management, Lekkerland SE & Co. KG
Geared towards high-potential convenience industry executives preparing to take on key leadership roles in NACS retail member companies. This program provides opportunities to supplement experience with formalized instruction on skills needed to drive long-term organizational performance. Past participants include:
- Presidents and CEOs
- CFOs and Controllers
- Vice Presidents
- Directors of Store Operations
- Operations Managers
- Territory Managers
Participant Roles

Participating Companies Include
- Casey’s
- Circle K
- Love’s Travel Centers
- OXXO
- Sheetz
The NACS Executive Leadership Program will take place on Cornell’s campus Sunday, August 3 through Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Here is a sample curriculum and schedule (PDF) for an idea of what to expect. Attendees should plan to arrive no later than 4 PM on Sunday, August 3 and depart after 12:30 PM on Thursday, August 7.
During the week, attendees will spend a few hours at the Hoffman Challenge Course—one of the largest collegiate challenge courses in the country, with over 50 low and high ropes elements—to put their leadership skills around team-building, negotiation, strategy and giving/receiving feedback into practice. In addition to the hands-on elements, the curriculum will explore key leadership competencies: how to think critically and how to motivate others effectively. Attendees will gain practical tools to make sound decisions amid uncertainty and shifting priorities, avoid analysis paralysis, and coach their teams to do the same. They’ll also uncover what truly drives performance—learning how to recognize and adapt to different motivational drivers to bring out the best in each team member.
Attendees will also attend a live-virtual kick-off webinar scheduled to take place on Monday, June 23 from 11 AM – 1 PM EDT. During that time, attendees will receive an introduction to the Benchmark Assessments that will be an integral part of their one-on-one feedback and coaching session to take place prior to arriving to campus. Specific details will be shared with participants once confirmed. Cornell will work with participants directly to schedule their individual coaching sessions.
The NACS Executive Leadership Program is administered by faculty in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, recently ranked number three in Bloomberg BusinessWeek's rankings of undergraduate business programs.
This program combines the exclusivity of an Ivy League education with world-class experts tailoring the training specifically towards the convenience industry. Meet the professors lined up to present at the program.
Show Bio...
Henry Armour is the president and CEO of NACS. He grew up working in his family’s retail businesses, Armour Oil Company, rising to the position of vice president and COO in 1977. In 1980, he joined The Standard Oil Company of Ohio, where he served as manager of development strategies. He later founded West Star Corporation, which grew to include 59 NOW! convenience stores, truck stops and quick-service restaurants in the Pacific Northwest until he sold the company in 2004. In 1988, Armour founded Epoch Corporation, which operated retail enterprises in California.
He became president and CEO of NACS in July 2005, having also served as the association’s chairman in 2002 and 2003. Armour earned a BA in economics from Stanford University, an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics, and an MBA and PhD in economics from Stanford University.

Show Bio...
Dan is a global retail and consumer packaged goods executive with broad experience across diverse business environments and formats, leading traditional food retail operations and merchandising, as well as product development, consumer and category analytics, sourcing and procurement, global trading, national sales and ecommerce. Dan is an outstanding strategist and general manager, and he has led the successful startup of multiple diverse businesses. Known for and recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on retailers’ proprietary brands, he has shaped clients’ programs across four continents and eight classes of trade. His passion is in helping companies see their unique DNA and positioning and creating actionable marketing and sales strategies essential for their success.
After earning a degree from Cornell University in Agribusiness and Marketing, Dan plunged headlong into retail joining Aldi Foods as a District Manager. In the early 1990’s Wakefern/ShopRite was very concerned about Aldi’s expansion east and Dan jumped at the opportunity to start a business, and moved to West Springfield, MA and opened the first Price Rite Store. Today there are over 70 Price Rite stores that generate over $1 Billion in annual revenue and they are a strategic growth driver for Wakefern.
After spending two years at Arthur Andersen as a retail consultant Dan spent fourteen years at Daymon Worlwide working with manufacturers and retailers across the world. Dan’s career at Daymon progressed rapidly, and In 2011 Dan was appointed to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as the Chief Supplier Officer (CSO). As the CSO Dan was responsible for Category Management and Analytics, Supplier Relationships, Global Sourcing and Procurement and ran Daymon’s import and export businesses. As a member of the ELT Dan was instrumental in re-inventing Daymon from consulting/brokerage company to a broader retail services company. Dan left Daymon at the end of 2013 and joined Trilliant Food and Nutrition in January of 2014 as the Vice President of Sales for national accounts and ecommerce.
For the last four years Dan has focused on the digital channel selling to ecommerce retailers and running multi-million-dollar businesses for Walmart.com and Jet.com.
And today, Dan is on the Faculty at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University where he teaches both graduates and undergraduates in Food and Consumables Marketing, Supply Chain Strategy, and he is the Director of External Education for the Food Industry Management Program.
Dan has an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
Show Bio...
Risa Mish is a professor of practice and the Day Family Senior Lecturer of Business Ethics at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. She created and teaches the MBA and Executive MBA core courses in Critical and Strategic Thinking; created and taught the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA core course in Critical and Strategic Thinking; has taught elective courses in leadership and influence; and was the founding faculty director of the Johnson Leadership Fellows program.
Mish is the inaugural recipient of the Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs at Cornell University created to "recognize excellence in teaching among faculty who teach primarily at the professional school and/or graduate program level". She has also received the MBA and Accelerated MBA Core Faculty Teaching Awards, selected by classes to honor the teacher who "best fosters learning through lecture, discussion and course work in the required core curriculum"; the Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the MBA graduating class to honor a faculty member who "exemplifies outstanding leadership and enduring educational influence"; the Best Teacher Award, selected by the graduating class of the Cornell-Tsinghua dual degree MBA/FMBA program offered by the Johnson School and the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University to recognize "a faculty member whose teaching was the best in the classroom"; the Stephen Russell Distinguished Teaching Award, selected by the five-year MBA reunion class to honor a faculty member whose "teaching and example have continued to influence graduates five years into their post-MBA careers"; the Globe Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the Executive MBA graduating class to honor a faculty member who "demonstrates a command of subject matter and also possesses the creativity, dedication, and enthusiasm essential to meet the unique challenges of an EMBA education"; and the Star Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the Executive MBA Americas graduating class to honor the faculty member whose "exceptional performance made the most significant contribution to the student learning experience".
Mish serves as a keynote speaker and workshop leader at global, national, and regional conferences for corporations and trade associations in the consumer products, financial services, health care, high tech, media, and manufacturing industries, on a variety of topics, including critical thinking and problem solving, persuasion and influence, and motivating optimal employee performance.
Before returning to Cornell, Mish was a partner in the NYC law firm of Collazo Carling & Mish LLP (CC&M), where she represented management clients on a wide range of labor and employment law matters, including defense of employment discrimination claims in federal and state courts and administrative agencies, and in labor arbitrations and negotiations under collective bargaining agreements. Prior to CC&M, Mish was a labor and employment law associate with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in NYC, where she represented Fortune 500 clients in the financial services, consumer products, and manufacturing industries. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and state and federal courts in NY and MA.
Mish is a member of the board of directors of SmithBucklin Corporation, the world's largest trade association management company, headquartered in Chicago. She formerly served on the board of directors of TheraCare, Inc., headquartered in NYC, as a trustee of the Tompkins County Public Library, vice chair of the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, and member of the board of directors of the United Way of Tompkins County.
Show Bio...
Stephen Sauer is a dedicated scholar and educator whose research and teaching interests revolve around leadership, team dynamics, entrepreneurship, and diversity in management. His work has been published in a number of academic journals including Leadership Quarterly, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management. His research has also been featured in a variety of mainstream media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes.com, and USA Today, among others.
Sauer's teaching experience includes courses in leadership, strategy, negotiations, and organizational behavior at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and he has extensive experience leading executive education workshops and seminars for a number of major corporations. He is also an entrepreneur in residence at Cornell's Center for Regional Economic Advancement and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and is a member of the teaching team for the NSF Innovation Corps national program.
Sauer earned his PhD in management, along with an MBA and a master's in business and policy administration, all from Cornell University. He also holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Before transitioning to academia, he gained valuable experience as an organizational change consultant and plant manager, following seven years of service as an armored cavalry officer in the US Army.
Show Bio...
Kyle Vowinkel is founder of Elite Mindsets, keynote speaker, and corporate leadership trainer who elevates teams to extraordinary performance levels.
He provides practical and actionable insights on leadership, communication, and negotiation strategies based on over 30 years experience in high stakes situations. Kyle served on two different elite U.S. National assets, each responsible for handling the most volatile situations: first as an operator on the Department of Justice’s counter-terrorism unit, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) capturing the nation's most dangerous criminals; and then as a hostage negotiator on the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) where he matched wits with kidnappers, pirates, and terrorists.
Notably, Kyle persuaded the Boston Marathon bomber to peacefully surrender.
Leveraging his multifaceted experiences across HRT and CNU, as well as his distinguished roles as an FBI Senior Executive and U.S. Army officer, Kyle weaves captivating and powerful stories intertwined with invaluable lessons and mental frameworks that are transferrable to leaders across diverse industries.
Multiple Fortune 500 companies received Kyle's impactful presentations, along with esteemed academic institutions such as West Point and Cornell University.
His thought leadership extends beyond the stage, with hundreds of thousands of downloads garnered across prominent podcasts and media features, including Fox News True Crime and FBI Retired Case File Review.
Show Bio...
Sarah Wolfolds is the Andrew Paul Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Before joining Cornell in 2016, she received her doctorate in strategy from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics from Swarthmore College. Wolfolds has spent time working at both the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors prior to attending graduate school.
Wolfolds' research examines the interaction between for-profit and nonprofit organizations in industries where they coexist. While nonprofits may want to differentiate themselves when faced with additional nonprofit competition, it is unclear whether they would want to differentiate themselves or converge towards for-profit competitors. Her research addresses this issue by considering the different financing models, human resource systems, and objectives of nonprofit organizations, as compared to for-profits, in the mixed industry of microfinance. Her recent research also examines issues surrounding financial exclusion in the United States.
Wolfolds was awarded a grant by the Strategic Research Foundation to further pursue her dissertation research.
Registration for the 2025 NACS Executive Leadership Program is open. Register today to secure your seat!
Register Now
Registration Pricing:
NACS Member - $4,850
A tuition endowment from Reynolds makes this program most affordable for all NACS retail member companies. With financial support from Reynolds, program tuition is $4,850, which includes instruction, course materials, assessments, lodging, scheduled meals and entertainment. A portion of each registration fee goes to support NACS Alumni Network activities.
Please note: Registration is limited to retailer, distributor, and state association member companies only. State Associations, please contact Brandi Mauro at bmauro@convenience.org to register.
Classroom & Lodging
Cornell University
Statler Hotel
130 Statler Drive
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-254-2500
Lodging at Cornell’s Statler Hotel and scheduled meals are included in the total cost of the program. NACS will handle the booking of your room for program nights only. The program fee includes 4 nights (Sunday, August 3 – Wednesday, August 6). If an Early Arrival (the evening of Saturday, August 2) or Late Departure (the evening of Thursday, August 7) is needed, then contact Brandi Mauro at bmauro@convenience.org. The Cornell team will also collect travel information via a travel survey as the program approaches. Evenings outside of the program dates are at the participant’s expense. Payment for the additional night is due at the time of check-in.
Classes are scheduled to take place within the Statler building as well.