Women To Watch 10.12.25 - Flipbook - Page 10
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Women in Hospitality Group at
Atlas Restaurant Group Helps Women Thrive
introduced our group to his daughters
and said, ‘You know, they are paving the
future for you.’ It was really touching and
genuine.”
By Greg Alexander
for Atlas Restaurant Group
W
hile the hospitality industry
historically has been male dominated
in leadership positions, Atlas Restaurant
Group differentiates itself in the
industry with 50 percent of its executive
leadership team being female. Jennie
Harman, Manager of Corporate
Training at Atlas, which has restaurants
in Baltimore, Annapolis, Houston,
Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del., Rehoboth,
Del., and Boca Raton, Fla., aims to
continue growing the ranks of female
leaders through an innovative Women in
Hospitality group to help foster the next
generation of leaders.
“For many of us coming up in the industry, we didn’t
have mentorship from other women leaders or the
opportunity to work closely with other women who
shared similar experiences and a similar voice. At
Atlas, we want to make sure that when you look
around a room, you see somebody that looks like you,
so we created a group that is inclusive for women
leaders to be solution-oriented and to help with the
development and betterment of future generations
and current women leaders,” says Harman. She adds
that the group not only assists with professional
development but also provides social engagement
opportunities.
“We want to create an environment where people
feel empowered to share their ideas and challenges
openly. By bringing our collective experience and
resources together, we can find thoughtful, effective
solutions. Our goal is for everyone to feel supported,
understood, and part of a safe, collaborative space
where they can connect with others in similar roles
and work together to inspire positive change,” she says.
Another key component of the Women in Hospitality
10 | 2025 | WOMEN TO WATCH
group, Harman says, is mentorship where current
female leaders work closely with younger women to
help them develop their career path and assist them in
achieving their goals.
Harman notes that she started at Atlas as a server.
Due to her management experience at a previous
employer, over the years she says that Atlas presented
several different opportunities to her. “Then our
current COO, Brian McCormack, came to me and he
said, ‘OK, Jennie, what do you want to do?’ I said that I
would like to help open restaurants by designing the
training, and it turned into a career for me,” she recalls.
“It’s amazing how many people, especially women,
come to me and say, ‘How can I do what you do?’To
be able to say, here are some things that you can do to
create your own path and how can I help you figure it
out? It’s really inspiring for me.”
Harman, who has been with Atlas for eight years,
says that she is grateful to work for a company where
the leadership is committed to being an ally for the
Women in Hospitality group. “At a recent event, Brian
McCormack brought his two young daughters and
As Atlas continues to grow, even more
leadership positions will be available
to women. “I brought in a program to
Atlas called the Certified Trainer Program
where you can move from being a server,
bartender, or food runner to being a
certified trainer of that position. That
is the first stepping stone into moving
up into management and develop
leadership skills. We have several women
who started in an hourly position and
then became certified trainers and are
now managers,” says Harman, who adds
that the hospitality industry provides
lifelong skills such as time management,
multitasking, and conflict resolution.
The Women in Hospitality group is actively engaged
in community outreach, including visiting local
high schools to introduce them to opportunities in
hospitality, whether it be working in the restaurants,
marketing, graphic design, interior design, and more.
“Just like Atlas Restaurant Group focuses on serving
the community, the Women in Hospitality group
has community as one of our core values. We are
committed to working with local groups and schools,
and we are consistently offering volunteer activities to
the women in our group by creating partnerships with
local organizations,” she says. “We want to make sure
that we are bridging the gap between ourselves and
our local community. The community does so much to
support us, and it’s important that we are continuing
to foster those relationships and giving back to the
community that supports us so much.”
This paid post is supplied by Atlas Restaurant Group. The
newsrooms or editorial departments of The Baltimore Sun
are not involved in the production of this content.
