Vikki Hodgkins
“I appreciate the opportunity to help give students the tools and confidence to identify and achieve their goals. I applaud Gary and Learn to Start for filling a critical gap in the modern education system and create future-ready students.”
Vikki Hodgkins-Beears is the Chief Financial Officer and part owner of Celebration Restaurant Group, headquartered in Celebration, Florida. CRG was founded in 2009 and is one of the largest Yum! franchisees, operating 136 Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC restaurants in Florida. The company is also one of the largest employers in Central Florida. CRG has been recognized by the Orlando Business Journal as one of the Top Philanthropic Companies in the area, partnering with Children’s Home Society, Boys & Girls Club, The Sharing Center, Miles to Go, and a number of food banks.
In her thirty-year finance career, Vikki has held positions with several large multi-unit restaurant and retail companies, including Blockbuster, Footaction, Guess?, and California Pizza Kitchen. Her areas of expertise include M&A, Treasury, FP&A, and Real Estate.
Vikki maintains the title of Internal Security Assessor (ISA) and is responsible for her company’s PCI compliance. She is Chairman of the Pizza Hut PAC and serves on the Government Affairs Committee, organized to ensure that restaurant industry positions, issues and concerns are raised with important lawmakers in Washington, D.C. She holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Florida, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Stetson University, and a Certificate of Accounting from UCLA. Vikki participated in the HBS Sustainable Business Strategy Program and is working with a team from YUM! to bring sustainability initiatives to the restaurants.
