UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —Emily Sheetz, assistant vice president of strategy at Sheetz, has joined the Penn State School of Hospitality Management (SHM) Industry Advisory Board.
Sheetz is a third-generation family member and one of 11 active in the company. She previously served as director of talent development, responsible for all training and leadership development across the company. Sheetz has participated in a leadership rotation program within the company and has held positions in real estate, human resources, operations and store development.
Sheetz also helped launch the Sheetz Cafe project, which is an innovation concept that reimagines the Sheetz experience without gas, with one of the first locations in State College. She also serves on the Sheetz Family Council.
“I am honored to be a part of this prestigious Industry Advisory Board and forward-thinking institution,” Sheetz said. “I am passionate about education and the innovations that come from a partnership with industry and academic institutions.”
The board invites industry experts to strategically advise SHM on industry trends and guide students who are studying hospitality management. The members are leaders in the field, including vice presidents and senior vice presidents of large companies and executive vice presidents, chief operating officers and CEOs of smaller companies.
“Emily has a unique perspective to add to our work about the future of hospitality higher education,” said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Director of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. “She deeply appreciates the role of education in our communities and has actively created opportunities both outside and inside her company to accentuate how education can positively impact lives and livelihoods.”
Previously, Sheetz helped found Knightsbridge Schools International, a private, for-profit K-12 school in London, an affiliate of Knightsbridge School. There, she spent five years heading up business development and finance, and helped open schools in Turkey, Montenegro, Columbia and Panama. Additionally, Sheetz previously worked at Deutsche Bank in New York in debt capital markets and at Huron Consulting Group. She first began working for Sheetz at age 15, and over the years has held various positions in marketing, finance and operations.
Sheetz holds a masters of business administration from Columbia Business School and a bachelor of science degree in economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Justin, and their three children, Felix, Lila and Naomi.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz Inc. is a family-owned and operated convenience store chain with more than $6.9 billion in revenue and 17,000 employees. The company operates more than 550 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.