Colleen Sisk: Systems and Training Specialist

Colleen joined VSAG in 2011 as a Systems and Training Consultant. With her diverse and service-centric background, she brings more than 20 years’ worth of restaurant, talent-development, and marketing and public relations experience to the team.

Previously, Colleen was the Director of Talent Development for Great American Restaurants. There, over the course of 15 years, she established training programs for all departments, from the hourly front-line team to the culinary staff to the financial managers and support management. Colleen negotiated contracts for, designed, and oversaw systems-training plans for both operational aspects and the technological pieces of all new company initiatives. During her tenure, she was an integral part of the company’s expansion to 12 sites from four and the tremendous growth of the $100 million corporation. This experience allowed Colleen the opportunity to coordinate interdepartmental instructional and operational strategies for new restaurants, as well as existing ones.

Colleen’s degree in English and technical writing translated into the ability to write all Great American Restaurant employee handbooks, which defined the company overview as well as job descriptions, expectations, standards, and benefits. Her ability to establish and transcribe the expectations for the heart of a business and its employees is unparalleled.

A passion for great people and great service led Colleen to establish an outstanding Manager in Training program for management candidates, from entry- to high-level talent. She expanded on the concept of employee education by developing corporate training guides that blended classroom and e-learning programs for all areas of operational and cost responsibilities. Additionally, Colleen has been sought out locally and nationally as a speaker on customer service, hospitality, and corporate technology training.

Colleen graduated from James Madison University in 1991. She lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband and two children.

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