Parker’s, a nationally acclaimed convenience store company and food service leader that was named the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, recently hired experienced HR leader Katie Kerney to serve as the company’s Chief People Officer. In her new position at Parker’s, Kerney is responsible for the company’s culture as well as the overall safety, welfare and success of Parker’s team members.

”We’re delighted to welcome Katie to the Parker’s family,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “Katie is a people-first leader who understands the fact that our team members are the real secret to our success at Parker’s.”

An award-winning professional, Kerney brings 24 years of experience in human resources and talent development to her new position. She joins Parker’s after serving as the Vice President of  Learning for the Americas for Marriott International, where she developed and executed service, brand and leadership learning solutions for hotels in Canada, United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and South America.

A strategic thinker with strong project management skills, Kerney previously served as a Director of Human Resources for several premier properties from New York to Florida within Marriott International including the flagship New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan.

During her tenure with Marriott International, Kerney earned numerous Talent Development, Leadership Excellence and Special Achievement Awards for fostering a people-first culture and managing superior human resources departments in hotels across the country. A Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (DiSCⓇ) and MBTIⓇ Certified Practitioner, Kerney has also completed industry-leading professional training with DDI, FranklinCovey, The Predictive IndexⓇ and VitalSmarts.

Born in New Jersey and raised in Hawaii, Kerney earned an MBA in Human Resources Management and Development from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. and a B.S. in Food Systems and Economics Management and Hotel and Restaurant Management from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. In 2019, she attended the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Ascent Leadership Program in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Always on the cutting edge of talent development and continuing education, Kerney served on the eCornell Customer Advisory Board for Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. She recently relocated from Naples, Fla. to Savannah, Ga. to work at the Parker’s corporate headquarters.

Since its founding in 1976, Parker’s has grown from a one-store operation in Midway, Ga. to an award-winning company with state-of-the-art convenience stores located throughout Georgia and South Carolina, serving delicious, award-winning Southern-inspired Parker’s Kitchen food that’s made from scratch on-site. Parker’s was recently named the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, which is the convenience store industry’s highest honor, and was voted one of America’s top 10 gas station brands by USA TODAY readers. The company also earned a 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award, which is presented to the top 10% of restaurants across the United States.

Currently celebrating its 45th anniversary, Parker’s has been included on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for five years and has been honored by Food and Wine as one of America’s Best Convenience Stores, by The Shelby Report as the Southeast Retailer of the Year and by Convenience Store News as the Foodservice Leader of the Year. The Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 228,000 members, has saved customers more than $15 million to date.

Parker’s stands apart as one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. The company serves award-winning Southern-inspired food, offers an acclaimed Parker’s Rewards program and gives back to every community where it does business through the Fueling the Community charitable giving program and the Parker’s Community Fund. Parker’s employs more than 1,200 individuals throughout the region and completes more than 125,000 transactions daily.