Contact Our Leadership Team

Operator

Shane Todd has proudly served Chick-fil-A as an Operator in Athens, GA for over 20 years. Shane grew up in Athens and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1993 with a degree in Accounting. He had been working at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta when he picked up a book by a man named S. Truett Cathy. Once he read about a humble man with a simple vision to sell chicken and inspire people, he knew Chick-fil-A was in his future.

He began pursuing a career with the fast food chain as a Team Member at the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House in 1994. By December 1996, Shane became the Operator of a Chick-fil-A mall store in Raleigh, NC. In the summer of 2000, Shane moved back home to Athens and began operating the Chick-fil-A at Beechwood. He acquired Chick-fil-A Barnett Shoals in 2014 and opened the Downtown Athens In-Line in 2018. He also consults the Chick-fil-A restaurant on the UGA campus in the Tate Student Center.

Shane has been married to his wife, Carri Leigh, for 26 years and they have three children. Shane is an avid Georgia Bulldog fan, enjoys catching a UNC basketball game and loves being an active member of the Athens community.

Director of Operations

Sullivan Beasley has been the Director of Operations for Athens Chick-fil-A for more than 10 years. He attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where his Chick-fil-A career began before graduating from Truett McConnell College with a Psychology degree. He worked as General Manager of Chick-fil-A Beechwood for five years previous to becoming the Director of Operations.

He has thoroughly enjoyed his job of developing leaders and operators over the years. Chick-fil-A has given him the ability to give back to our Athens community through the Athens Rotary Club and 100%ers. He enjoys working out daily and spending time with his amazing family. Unless God has a bigger plan for his life, he hopes to retire here in Athens, Georgia.

Director of Sales

Haley Thomas began her journey with Chick-fil-A in March 2014 as a Team Member. Since then she has taken on multiple leadership positions including Crew Leader, Marketing Intern, and her latest role as Director of Sales for the entire Chick-fil-A Athens organization. She graduated from The University of Georgia in the spring of 2016 with a degree in Advertising from The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

When she’s not strategizing the best methods of building brand awareness and serving guests, she enjoys traveling and shopping, eating Mexican food, and spending time with her husband and their dog, Ace.

Food Truck Director

Jessi Frost started working for Chick-fil-A in her hometown of Lawrenceville, GA at the age of 16. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 with a degree in Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish. Since graduation, she has served in a variety of roles at Chick-fil-A, including Night General Manager, Catering Coordinator, and her current role as the Director of ADPs (Additional Distribution Points). When she’s not rolling around town on the Food Truck, she enjoys spending time with her Husky and family and finding new places to eat.

Director of People

Mary Ashley Baker serves Athens Chick-fil-A as the Director of People and Organizational Development. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2013 with a degree in Digital & Broadcast Journalism, Mary Ashley reported the afternoon news and traffic for the Cox Media Group radio stations in Athens. She transitioned into Public Relations in 2015 where she learned the importance of brand management and a culture of communication and development in the workplace.

She began working with Shane Todd at Chick-fil-A in the spring of 2016 where she began helping to streamline communication across the organization and coordinate the professional development of leaders and Team Members. Outside of work, she enjoys cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs and spending time with her husband and son.

Human Resources Director

Will Swan began his career with Chick-fil-A almost directly out of college. After graduating from Georgia College and State University in 2012, he began working for the Millegeville Chick-fil-A. After moving to Athens, he began working at Chick-fil-A Barnett Shoals as a Team Member.

Over the years he has held many titles, including Crew Leader, Assistant Manager, Talent Director, and most recently Human Resource Director. It is in this role that he obtains the best possible talent for both of our stores, while also helping engage and develop our team. When not at Chick-fil-A, Will enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, reading a good book, or exploring the outdoors.

Training Director

Kendra Gresham has served as the Training Director at Athens Chick-fil-A since February 2015. She previously worked as the Night Manager & has been at Chick-fil-A for a total of 16 years. In September of 2005, Kendra was recruited by the Operator of her local Chick-fil-A. Less than a year after she was hired, Shane Todd took over as Operator of that unit. She has had the privilege of working for Shane at four separate locations.

Chick-fil-A has truly been a blessing for Kendra. It has fostered her growth and development not only as a leader, but also as a person. When she is not at Chick-fil-A she enjoys writing prose and poetry. For Kendra, her greatest joy is seeing team members blossom and really find their way, then watching these team members use their skills to be successful at Chick-fil-A and beyond. She is so thankful for this opportunity and looks forward to continuing this amazing journey here at Chick-fil-A.

Food Safety Director

Jillian Tarver has been a member of the Athens Chick-fil-A team since September of 2018. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Food Science from the University of Georgia and now serves as the Athens Chick-fil-A Food Safety Director. She loves being able to pair her knowledge of food science and her passion for good food to ensure our guests’ meals are safe AND delicious.

When she’s not at work, Jillian still loves to be in the kitchen. She loves trying out new recipes and having friends over for dinner. She and her husband Adam enjoy game nights with friends and trying out all the local restaurants in town. She loves Athens and is thankful to be a part of serving such an incredible community.