Chief Guest Experience Officer

Location : Copia in Napa, CA or Hyde Park, NY

About the Organization

Since its founding in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America has been widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college – setting the standard for excellence in professional culinary, food, beverage, and hospitality education for almost eight decades. Originally created as a cooking school to train returning World War II veterans in a vocation, the CIA has over the years evolved into a mature, special focus college, with multiple locations in the US and internationally, including its flagship campus in Hyde Park, NY, two campuses in the Napa Valley, one in San Antonio, TX, and one in Singapore.

CIA’s motto, “Cibus Vitae Est,” meaning both “food is life” and “life is food” in Latin, reflects the essential fact that food is the heart of the CIA’s existence and is fundamental to shaping cultures and communities. The CIA has been at the center of understanding and promoting food’s relationship to health, the environment, and a vibrant equitable economy. The college’s 60,000 alumni worldwide—many of whom have become household names—have transformed the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, not only as chefs, but as entrepreneurs, business owners, global F&B leaders, R&D scientists, educators, writers, content creators, and more.

The CIA’s student-run restaurants serve as an incubator for tomorrow’s top chefs and restaurateurs and garner visitors from far and wide. Its recreational classes and immersive boot camps (CIA Foodies) help novice and confident home cooks get a taste of what it’s like to learn in a commercial kitchen, taught by CIA professionals.

Role Summary

The Chief Guest Experience Officer is a visionary, entrepreneurial leader responsible for designing, delivering, scaling and driving revenue growth through exceptional consumer-facing experiences that showcase the Culinary Institute of America’s excellence in food, beverage, hospitality, and storytelling–in effect, they will help turn the CIA into a coveted lifestyle brand. This senior level role will report directly to the VP, Branch Campus Operations and Non-Degree Programs and will serve as the Institute’s strategic leader for consumer engagement, driving innovation, brand affinity, and sustainable revenue growth through immersive experiences that span the CIA’s global footprint.

This individual will lead initially four critical consumer business lines : Food Enthusiast Programs, Retail, Visitor Experience, and the Museum Experience, ensuring they deliver best-in-class engagement, deepen brand loyalty, and support the CIA’s broader mission as the world’s premier culinary and food innovation institution. The Chief Guest Experience Officer will blend operational excellence with guest experience design, programming innovation, and revenue growth strategy, while honoring the CIA’s legacy and educational roots.

The Chief Guest Experience Officer will develop and execute a holistic, integrated strategy for CIA’s public-facing consumer businesses with full P&L accountability. They will build and maintain a consistent, high-quality consumer experience across all campuses, outsourced venues, and digital platforms, ensuring alignment with CIA’s mission and brand standards. The Chief Guest Experience Officer will act as both internal catalyst and external ambassador for pioneering food and hospitality experiences, advancing CIA’s role in food and beverage experience design, craftsmanship, and cultural leadership.

Ideal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality management, marketing, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of leadership experience in consumer-facing operations, retail, hospitality, or experience design—ideally within a cultural institution, food business, or lifestyle brand.
• Deep passion for food, beverage, and hospitality and an appreciation for CIA’s educational mission.
• Track record of building high-impact visitor or guest experience programs.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering results across multiple P&Ls.
• Strong skills in experience design, storytelling, programming, and consumer insights.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong execution and financial acumen.
• Experience working within or collaborating with cultural institutions, lifestyle brands, museums, or academic environments preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead digital transformation initiatives and engage diverse, multigenerational audiences.

Key Responsibilities

Salary range of $200,000-$225,000 per year

The Culinary Institute of America is an equal opportunity employer.

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