Titus Center Leadership & Staff

Dr. John P. Hayes
Director

Palm Beach Atlantic University’s former President William M.B. Fleming, Jr. appointed Dr. John P. Hayes, a veteran franchise practitioner and educator, as the Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership and Director of the Titus Center for Franchising effective August 2017.

Dr. Hayes was introduced to the franchise community in 1979 while an assistant professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After he was asked to provide marketing and public relations services for a local franchisor, he co-authored Franchising: The Inside Story, the first book written about how to buy a franchise.

Since then, Dr. Hayes has been a franchisee of several concepts, a franchisor of a major American franchise company, and a consultant for franchisors in the U.S. and abroad. For more than 25 years he has taught “The A to Zs of Buying a Franchise,” the most popular symposium at the International Franchise Expo, sponsored by the International Franchise Association. Each year he speaks and trains at numerous franchise events across the globe.

Dr. Hayes has written several books with franchisors, including You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar, with David Sandler, founder of Sandler Sales System, and Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start-and-Run Your Own Successful Business, with Fred DeLuca, the co-founder of Subway Restaurants. He is the author of several e-books devoted to franchising, including Take the Fear Out of Franchising, Buy “Hot” Franchises Without Getting Burned, and 101 Questions To Ask Before You Invest in a Franchise.

On numerous occasions, he has served on franchise corporate boards including The Dwyer Group in Waco, Texas, and HomeVestors of America, Inc. in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Hayes earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism at Kent State University in Ohio, and a doctorate in American Studies at Temple University in Pennsylvania.

1851 Franchise and SeoSamba list 2021 Franchise Influencers including Titus Chair Dr. John P. Hayes, CFE

Dr. John P. Hayes, CFE, Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership, was listed among the “most influential people in franchising” by 1851 and SeoSamba. 1851 said the list is a “collection of 100 influencers you should know.” The list includes the Linkedin contact for each influencer.

Dr. Christos Kelepouris
Associate Director

Dr. Kelepouris most recently served in the Department of Management at Michigan State University prior to becoming the Associate Director of the Titus Center for Franchising at PBA. He also holds the position of Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Franchising at PBA and has published numerous articles surrounding franchising and law. He has taught law and business at the graduate and undergraduate levels in the United States, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates where he was chosen by the Prime Minister’s office to be a UAE-Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellow.

He has also served in several executive positions including College Provost, Chief Legal Consultant, and Director of Compliance. He holds his real estate broker license and is an avid real estate investor among other hospitality ventures including a winery and distillery.