Jessica Mente serves as the Director of Training and Leadership Development at Royal Farms, a convenience store chain headquartered in Baltimore, MD, with approximately 300 stores spanning 7 states across the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast regions. With the organization expanding by approximately 20 stores annually, Jessica plays a pivotal role in shaping its training initiatives and leadership programs.
In her capacity, Jessica is responsible for developing and deploying comprehensive training strategies and tools tailored for various levels within the organization, ranging from line-level associates to District Leaders. Her oversight extends to the Support Center training, ensuring alignment and effectiveness across all operational fronts. She divides her role into three key areas: managing the Field Training support team, which collaborates closely with District Leaders and Training Store Leaders to enhance leadership development; leading the New Store Development team, which orchestrates the entire training process for new store openings, from pre-launch preparations to post-opening support; and directing the Office Support Team, which focuses on training content development, HR project management, managing our apprenticeship program, and standard operating procedures across all departments.
Jessica has been with Royal Farms a little over six years, having previously worked in the food service and hospitality sectors, where she honed her expertise in operations and HR within the fast-casual industry. She holds a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management from Penn State University, complemented by her PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification obtained in 2017. Her educational background also includes a degree in Theatre Arts with an acting emphasis, reflecting her dynamic personality and natural inclination towards leadership and communication. Jessica also serves on two boards, an Advisory board member for ANAB certification of a food handler course administered by a prominent food training vendor as well as a member (and executive committee appointee) of the Maryland State Governor’s Workforce Development Board, appointed by the governor for a 4-year term to help strategize and implement workforce development solutions for the state.
