Meet Our Team
Martha Tomas Flynn, J.D.
Director, Titus Center for Franchising
& Assistant Professor of Franchising
Effective August 2025 Martha Tomas Flynn transitioned from a corporate career in Franchising leadership roles to a focus on business education as Director of the Titus Center for Franchising, and Assistant Professor.
Prior to joining the Titus Center, Professor Flynn was the Vice President, Franchise Business Development and Administration for Panera Bread. Core areas of focus include development strategy, FDD, franchise administration, franchisee recruitment, candidate qualification and transfers. Prior to joining Panera, Professor Flynn led the teams responsible for supporting the franchising expansion strategies across Inspire Brands’ portfolio which include Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and Sonic. Inspire encompasses more than 32,000 restaurants, 3400+ franchisees and is the 2nd largest restaurant company in the U.S.
Professor Flynn has more than 20 years of experience in the franchise QSR segment. Prior to her role with Inspire, Martha held several roles with Dunkin’ Brands, including Senior Director of Global Franchise & Development Services, and at Burger King® including Senior Director of Marketing Impact, Senior Director of Premium Purchasing, and Senior Corporate Attorney for Restaurant Services, Inc. (the Burger King® Franchisee owned purchasing cooperative).
Professor Flynn holds a J.D. from University of Miami Law School, and a B.S. in International Business from Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. John P. Hayes
Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership
& Professor of Franchising
Dr. John P. Hayes, a veteran franchise practitioner and educator, established the Titus Franchise Center in August 2017, and led the center for it’s first eight years, establishing it as a leader in franchise education nationally. Today Dr. Hayes remains the Titus Chair, focused on educating the next franchise generation.
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, a consultant for franchisors in the U.S. and abroad, and has served on franchise corporate boards including The Dwyer Group and HomeVestors of America, Inc.
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.
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.