Thaise “Thai” Jennings began her Exchange journey in 1987 as a part-time Burger King worker at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Now, Jennings is the chief of food operations. Her journey shows how one first step can grow into a meaningful career of service and leadership.
At Fort Sam, she helped open the restaurant and learned store operations, one station at a time. Jennings later transferred to nearby Lackland Air Force Base, where she advanced to production leader for Burger King, where she learned that effective managers stayed close to the work.
“The managers were on the floor,” Jennings said. “They were training people, asking questions and being hands-on.”
Jennings stepped away from the Exchange in 1989, but she found her way back.
Around 1994, while living in Germany, she ran into a former high school classmate managing an Exchange Burger King. He told her about the Exchange management training program, benefits and opportunities to work around the world.
Then, in 1996, while living in San Antonio, Jennings saw a newspaper advertisement for a Burger King junior assistant manager position. Remembering her earlier conversation with her former classmate, “I can do this,” she thought.
Jennings applied for the position. Less than two weeks later, she was at Exchange headquarters beginning the Burger King management training program, where she learned every restaurant station, equipment care, customer service, food safety and financial management.
Jennings advanced through food management positions in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, before moving to Japan.
As Burger King manager at Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) base located in Misawa, she led her team through one of its busiest days — the annual air show.
The restaurant normally recorded about $5,000 to $6,000 in daily sales. During the air show, sales reached nearly $30,000 daily, as the team served visitors for hours. Jennings learned to call order numbers in Japanese to keep customers moving.
“We were dog-tired by the end of the day, but the energy was there,” Jennings said. “Seeing how happy the customers were made it memorable.”
Next, Jennings moved to Hawaii as Burger King manager at Schofield Barracks. About five months later, she was promoted to food court manager at Hickam Air Force Base. She went on to lead high-volume operations at Fort Benning and Fort Hood, then served as food court manager at Grafenwoehr and Ramstein before serving as the Europe Region food program specialist.
Each assignment taught her to adapt her approach to the people and culture around her.
“I learned to adjust my management style to fit the team I was working with, instead of expecting the team to totally match my style,” Jennings said. “You have to adapt and lead.”
Jennings pursued her education while advancing through the Exchange ranks. She earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2008 and an MBA from Wayland Baptist University in 2016, using the Exchange tuition assistance and reimbursement programs.
Jennings said her education strengthened her strategic and analytical thinking.
In her role today, Jennings provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for Exchange food programs. Her team connects brand partners with field locations and supports training, contracts, product ordering and operational changes. She also participates in the Exchange’s Executive Leadership Development Program.
Serving the military community is personal for Jennings. Her father is a retired Army Veteran, and her sister served as an Air Force officer. Other close relatives have both Army and Air Force ties.
“I wanted better for myself and better for my daughter,” Jennings said. “I saw the opportunity and thought, ‘I can do that.’”
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