Dr. Emily Knight will now represent restaurants across the country. The National Restaurant Association announced earlier this week that it has hired the Texas Restaurant Association CEO and Southlake mom into a brand new position: chief collaboration officer and EVP of industry relations.
Dr. Knight joined the TRA in May 2019. There, she has assisted those in the food and beverage industry across the Lone Star State. Now in this new role, she will be able to represent more restaurants and amplify the industry’s unified voice. She will assume the position with the Washington D.C.-based association starting May 3.
“It’s surreal,” Dr. Knight says. “It was a call of duty that won me over.”
In this position, Dr. Knight says she will not only build bridges for local restaurants but also bring together large chains to ensure the entire community can be heard on a national scale.
“It plays to my strengths,” Dr. Knight says.
While Dr. Knight will be jetting from Chicago and D.C. to Austin and Atlanta, she’s excited that she will still be able to handle her workload from her home in Southlake.
“Our girls are Dragons, so that was a nonnegotiable,” Dr. Knight says. “I’ll just be spending a lot of time with American Airlines.”
As restaurants continue to serve more diners and people start to feel more comfortable going about their normal lives, Dr. Knight hopes Southlake, and the rest of the country, continues to support its area eateries.
“Our community has been remarkable in helping restaurants in the pandemic,” Dr. Knight says. “But we can’t forget what these businesses have been through. As you start to feel more comfortable, you have to continue supporting your local restaurants.”