NACS Executive Leadership Program at Cornell

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.

Michelle M. Duguid is Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and an associate professor of management and organizations at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. She received her MS and PhD in organizational behavior from Cornell University.

Professor Duguid has two broad, overlapping streams of research. Her primary area of research investigates the interplay of social status, power, politics, influence, and diversity in organizations, with a particular focus on the effect of social status, power, and inter- and intra-group relations on perceptions and interactions. Professor Duguid also does research which examines individual and group processes that affect creativity and the quality of decision-making. She serves on the editorial board of Organization Science, the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Review and Personnel Psychology.

Professor Duguid's research has been published in numerous academic journals, including Administrative Science Quarterly, The Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organization Science, and Psychological Science. Her research has also been cited in many media outlets, such as Forbes, The New Yorker, Fast Company, NPR, the New York Times, and the Economist.

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.

Michael Hostetler is a faculty member of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Mr. Hostetler's main research and teaching interests are in strategy, decision-making, leadership, high performance teams, innovation and change management. He has taught classes in the MBA program, Executive MBA program and the Cornell-Queen's EMBA program, as well as many non-degree executive education programs.

Mr. Hostetler is also the author of on-line courses in strategic thinking, scenario planning, leadership, and team effectiveness for eCornell, Cornell’s distance learning subsidiary. These programs have been used by corporations around the world to enhance their executive development programs, including IBM, CSC, AP Moeller Maersk, the U.S. Navy, Delta Hotels and Resorts, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police among many others.

Mr. Hostetler also consults with private and non-profit organizations, both domestically and internationally. In particular, he works frequently in the health care, financial services, manufacturing and food industries. Recent clients include the Lehigh Valley Health Network, the Community Health Foundation of Buffalo, New York, the P2 Collaborative of Western New York, Northern Trust, Schwan’s, LG, United Technologies, Driscoll’s, Philip Morris International, Citigroup, Victaulic Co., Anthony Marano Co., Nunasi Corp., Ahold Delhaize, Sun World International, Samsung, LG, Sony, NACS, United Fresh, Vantage Foods, OSRAM, Baldor, NGA, and SG Cowen. Mr. Hostetler has also designed and taught a number of executive development programs and strategy consulting projects globally, including the U. S., Great Britain, Holland, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Venezuela, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, India, Dubai, and Egypt.

Also, because of his strong interests in leadership and leadership development and high performing teams, Mr. Hostetler has been an active executive coach and has worked one-on-one with hundreds of managers and executives around the world.

As associate dean at the Johnson School from1992-2003, he had P&L responsibilities for managing all public and custom executive programs. In addition, he launched and managed the Johnson School's Executive MBA program during its first two years of operation and served on the committee that developed the Cornell-Queen's EMBA Program.

Prior to joining Cornell University, Mr. Hostetler was assistant dean for executive education at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. His prior experience also includes positions with St. Mary's Medical Center, the University of Tennessee, and the Office of the Governor of Kentucky. Mr. Hostetler is an emeritus trustee of the International University Consortium for Executive Education.

Professor Elizabeth Mannix is the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Management at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Her research and teaching is focused on effective organizational performance, and the factors that make individuals motivated, high-performing leaders and team members. Specific topics include:a uthentic leadership, principled negotiation and influence, the role of emotional intelligence in business settings, organizational change, women in leadership, and diversity.

Professor Mannix is the author of over 50 peer reviewed articles, published in such journals as Administrative Science Quarterly, Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Academy of Management Journal. She is the co-editor of the 15-volume book series, Research on Managing Groups and Teams. Her work has been recognized by awards from organizations including the Academy of Management, Small Group Research, and the International Association for Conflict Management.

Mannix served as the associate dean for Executive MBA programs at Cornell University from 2012-2017. She also served as the director of the Institute for the Social Sciences from 2005-2008, established to promote interdisciplinary research and to increase the university's prominence in the social sciences. Mannix is also the recipient of Johnson's inaugural EMBA Globe teaching award, as well as the Faculty Research Award. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Society, the Society for Organizational Behavior, and The Academy of Management. She is currently an associate editor of the Academy of Management Review. Professor Mannix teaches and consults with firms, universities, and professional societies around the world.

Barbara Mink is a Senior Lecturer of Management Communication at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. She is a management communication professional with a focus on intercultural communication, leadership, and persuasion. She teaches persuasive and informational writing for business purposes, as well as business presentations that are clear, concise, and compelling. She was news director of WHCU radio from 1978 to 1986, and taught radio journalism at Ithaca College and Cornell. Mink served on the Tompkins County Legislature for 12 years, and as its chair for five. She was also founder and director of the Light in Winter Festival of Science and the Arts from 1999-2011. Mink is a visiting lecturer at ESCP Europe in Paris, where she teaches effective leadership through communication. Mink is also an active painter with an international presence.

Kevin Smartt is CEO & President of Bonham, Texas-based Kwik Chek Food Stores Inc., which operates 47 convenience stores in Texas and Oklahoma. Over the past 15 years, the chain has doubled in size, and has developed a unique customer loyalty program, as well as currently implementing cutting-edge point-of-sale technology, while becoming a leader in charitable giving and programs. Today, Kwik Chek and its associated companies employ more than 600 professionals in retail convenience, petroleum wholesale, propane and fuel transportation.

Smartt also is the managing member of Taylor-Smartt LLC., an investment company that owns interest in a variety of companies ranging from fuel distributorships, propane companies, technology companies, banks, a real estate development firm and a food product company.

He began work with Kwik Chek in 1992. After forming Taylor-Smartt LLC in 2000, he bought Kwik Chek in February 2001. Previously, Smartt worked for Frito-Lay as region director, direct sales-southeast. He serves on several boards due to Taylor-Smartt’s investments.

Smartt currently serves as Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the leading global trade association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing. Founded in 1961, NACS ensures the competitive viability of the convenience and fuel retailing industry—which accounts for 165 million transactions daily and generates almost $650 billion in annual sales in the U.S. alone.

Smartt also is chairman of Conexxus, a non-profit, member-driven technology organization dedicated to the development and implementation of standards, technologies innovation and advocacy for the convenience store and petroleum market. Other association membership includes Texas Food & Fuel Association (TFFA) and the Oklahoma Petroleum and Convenience Store Association (OPMCA). He has served on various Texas Food & Fuel Association committees and as member of the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Petroleum and Convenience Store Association. Smartt also has interest in and serves on Boards involved in banking, technology, and healthcare.