CEO at Smith

Each year, the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business brings in top CEOs to speak in the CEO at Smith speaker series. Follow online at #CEOatSmith.

Recent Event

Brett Schulman

CEO and Co-Founder, CAVA

November 6, 2024

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Brett Schulman is the co-founder & CEO of CAVA, a leading culinary brand that offers authentic Mediterranean cuisine nationwide in restaurants and grocery stores. CAVA has been nationally recognized for its company culture and as one of the most innovative brands in the food industry. Before co-founding CAVA, Schulman spent over a decade at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown and its predecessor. He later became COO at Snikiddy, where he grew the brand from concept to national distribution before its acquisition in 2015.

Schulman has been recognized as Washington Business Journal’s CEO of the Year and ACG’s Executive of the Year for a public company. He’s also been named to Nation's Restaurant News’ Power List, recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of their 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs and received the University of Maryland’s EnTERPreneur award. As a member of the Society of Fellows at The Culinary Institute of America, he champions healthier eating and supports organizations like the Garden School Foundation and City Blossoms.

He is a Washington, D.C., native, a graduate of the University of Maryland and resides in Bethesda with his wife Mary and children Sunny, Sadie and Luke.