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Nell Mondy Lecture to feature Chick-fil-A food scientist at Ouachita

March 24, 2026 - Office of Communications & Marketing

Ouachita Baptist University will welcome Cole Reesman, culinary lead at Chick-fil-A’s corporate office, as the featured speaker for the 2026 Nell Mondy Lecture Series on Monday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. The lecture, held in Walker Conference Center, is free and open to the public.

Reesman applies food science principles to new menu development, equipment innovation and product optimization at Chick-fil-A, where he helps maintain the quality and consistency of the brand’s chicken products. His work integrates food chemistry, meat science and processing technology to support the development of scalable, high-quality food products.

Reesman holds a B.S. in food science with a concentration in culinology from Mississippi State University and an M.S. in food science from Oklahoma State University, where his graduate research focused on meat science.

Cole Reesman serves as culinary lead at Chick-fil-A's corporate office.

Dr. Sharon Hamilton, associate professor and E.A. Provine Chair of Chemistry, is coordinating the lecture this year.

“Each year we strive to bring excellent and accomplished speakers to share their expertise with Ouachita students and the Arkadelphia community,” Hamilton said. “This year, everyone is excited about Cole’s lecture and eager to learn more about how he uses his food science background in his job at Chick-fil-A.”

The Nell Mondy Lecture Series was endowed at Ouachita in 1991 by the late Dr. Nell Mondy. It focuses on topics related to chemistry, food science and nutrition and features guest presentations from scholars who have achieved national prominence in their fields of study.

A native of Pocahontas, Arkansas, Mondy was a biochemist and 1943 summa cum laude Ouachita graduate who went on to spend more than 50 years on the faculty at Cornell University. Known worldwide as a consultant on food chemistry and nutrition, she presented papers and conducted research in 47 countries and was considered an international expert on the potato. Her 1987 proposal on potato marketing led to the formation of a national research program that generated millions of dollars in research funds for the study of potatoes.

Her legacy at Ouachita includes a chemistry scholarship, an organic chemistry laboratory, an endowed faculty chair and the lecture series that bears her name. She received the Centennial Achievement Award from Ouachita in 1986. Mondy died Aug. 25, 2005.

Ouachita Baptist University offers more than 80 academic programs for undergraduate students and offers six graduate programs, including a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship.

For more information on the Nell Mondy Lecture Series, contact Sharon Hamilton at [email protected].