HALA MODDELMOG
President, Church's Chicken, Atlanta

Age: 41. Why she's rising: In her first year as president, grew Churchs EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) by 16% annually. Ladder climbing: Senior vice president/general manager; vice president of marketing; vice president of product marketing and strategic planning. Schooling: M.A., journalism and mass communication, University of Georgia; B.A., English, Georgia Southern College. Wins praise for: An expert marketer who is generally credited for boosting compounded comparable sales at Churchs by 32% (1992 to 1996). Mentor: Names Larry Krueger (Arby's) and Frank Belatti and Dick Holbrook (AFC Enterprises). First job in foodservice: Sales and consumer research analyst for Arby's, age 25. What the future holds: To work towards "mentoring women for leadership roles in the foodser-vice industry and beyond."