Meet The Speaker: Dee Ann Turner

CEO Zones

Dee Ann Turner understands the importance of stewarding talent.

A 33-year veteran of Chick-fil-A, Inc, she was selected as the company’s first female officer in 2001 and served as the Vice President, Talent and Vice President, Sustainability. During her long career, she worked closely with Chick-fil-A’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, and other key leaders as an architect of their organizational culture. Additionally, she led Staff Learning and Development, Diversity and Inclusion, and Culture and Engagement, and Talent Management. More recently, Dee Ann launched and led Chick-fil-A’s sustainability function focusing on a strategy to implement sustainable practices at the then $10.5 billion company.

Dee Ann was instrumental in building and growing Chick-fil-A’s well-known culture and talent systems, responsible for selecting thousands of Chick-fil-A franchisees and corporate staff members. Under her leadership, Chick-fil-A enjoyed industry-leading employee engagement scores and became known for selecting the best talent in the hospitality business, maintaining a 95% retention rate for corporate staff and franchisees. She has also mentored and championed hundreds of people to discover their unique vocational callings and build careers they love.

Dee Ann Turner
Today, she leads her own organization, Dee Ann Turner & Associates, LLC, focused on writing books and speaking to audiences both virtually and in-person on how to steward extraordinary talent. She's the author of two best-selling books covering the topics of corporate culture, customer service and career success. It’s My Pleasure and its newer version, Bet on Talent, teaches leaders how to find and keep extraordinary talent. Her latest book, Crush Your Career, teaches talent how to be extraordinary. Additionally, Dee Ann serves as Executive in Residence at High Point University teaching students career development skills and serving in the Access to Innovators Program. In 2023, Dee Ann was named to the Georgia Titan 100. Representing both the private and public sector, these leaders are Titans of industry who demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field.

Website: https://www.deeannturner.com/

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