A Sweet Job

Kat Cole

Kat Cole (M.B.A. '10) has always viewed the world with no borders or boundaries.

She went from being recommended as one of the best young employees serving wings at a Hooters of America restaurant in Orange Park, Fla., to eventually rising to vice president of the company.

When she was just 19, Cole was hand-picked by the company to travel to Sydney, Australia, to help open the country's very first Hooters. By the time she was 20, Cole was supervising all employee training at all Hooters, traveling the world and opening new restaurants.

Cole, 33, left Hooters in January to take over as chief operating officer of Cinnabon, a company that sells cinnamon buns and sweet baked goods at more than 800 locations.

"Both are powerful global brands but have very different business models," Cole said. "In my role with Cinnabon, I have more responsibility over the entire company. It's a multi-brand corporation that provides more opportunities to learn and grow with a large licensing division."

Cole has a long list of goals for Cinnabon, including building the team, growing the company's licensing division, increasing its philanthropic presence and reinvesting in the core of the brand as the company extends beyond the traditional bakery.

Cole's efforts at creating success stories aren't just in the business world. She also is passionate about her work in Rwanda - she worked alongside novelist Elizabeth Dewberry during the first Miss Rwanda pageant since the 1994 genocide there - and she has volunteered and helped to raise awareness and funds for organizations such as the Atlanta Union Mission and Families First, a transitional program for homeless young mothers.

"I've experienced constant dissatisfaction with the status quo, and I have a natural curiosity to learn and grow," Cole said. "I also have an affinity for other cultures and joys in helping others grow and succeed."