Bert Thornton is the retired President/COO and the Vice Chairman Emeritus of Waffle House, Inc. Thornton has board roles and advisory positions with many organizations including the Studer Community Institute in Pensacola and educational organizations such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, The Museum School of Avondale Estates, GA., and the University of West Florida where he is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the College of Business, Center for Entrepreneurship. Thornton is also the author of Find an Old Gorilla: Pathways Through the Jungles of Business and Life, and co-author of High Impact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People’s Lives.