Former Taco Bell leader Ellie Doty named WFF chief brand officer

Ellie Doty’s move to the Women’s Foodservice Forum puts a former Taco Bell leader in a role that is meant to shape how the industry develops its next generation of executives. WFF announced on April 21 that Doty will join as chief brand officer, a position the group says will help expand partnerships, grow membership and widen professional development offerings.

The hire follows WFF’s recent appointment of Kelli Valade as president and CEO, signaling a broader leadership reset at an organization that has long focused on who gets a seat at the table in foodservice. For Taco Bell shift managers and restaurant managers, the significance is less about a title change in Dallas and more about what Doty represents: a career that moved from restaurant brands into leadership work across the industry.

Doty brings more than 20 years of foodservice experience, with brand and marketing leadership roles at Denny’s, Burger King, Chili’s, KFC and Taco Bell. One source said she had been serving as chief brand officer at Denny’s since May 2025 before taking the WFF role. That kind of cross-brand resume matters in foodservice, where operators who understand labor pressure, customer flow and service standards often have the strongest credibility with people still working the line or running shifts.

WFF has framed its own mission around that same idea of pipeline and advancement. The organization says it began in 1989 as a conversation about whether women had enough opportunities in foodservice, and now counts more than 9,000 individual members, 70 partner organizations and more than 5,000 annual event attendees. Its Change Makers program is designed to build a strong pipeline of women leaders and support their professional growth, while its events focus on career development and networking.

The Taco Bell connection also runs through Yum! Brands. Yum! said more than 80 leaders from across its brands attended the 2026 WFF Leadership Conference in Dallas, showing how large restaurant companies are treating groups like WFF as part of leadership development rather than a side project. For crew members and managers thinking beyond the next raise or promotion, Doty’s appointment is a reminder that restaurant experience can lead to brand-side influence, not just another shift or another store.