Dine America, a conference for restaurant industry and foodservice executives, announced today that the April 2008 keynote speaker for the conference, Dr. Jerry Newman, a distinguished professor at SUNY Buffalo, has had his book, My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons in Leadership Guaranteed to Supersize any Management Style, named as one of the best books of 2007 by the Wall Street Journal.

In January of 2007 the book was reviewed by Andrew Card, President Bush’s chief of staff from January 2001 to April 2006, and transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush from 1992-93. Of Dr. Newman’s book, Card wrote, “It is refreshing that Mr. Newman shows considerable respect for the daily pressure of fast food and for the workers and managers who get the job done. Unusual for a business book offering management advice.”

My Secret Life on the McJob was chosen from hundreds reviewed in the pages of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ )throughout 2007, and was named in the December 28th WSJ article as “…[one of] the dozen that we found the most memorable of 2007.”

In preparation for his book, Dr. Newman worked in seven fast-food restaurants across the country, observing operations. Dr. Newman is also author of approximately 100 articles on compensation and rewards, performance management, and other human resource issues.

Dr. Jerry Newman will serve as the opening day (Monday, April 7, 2008) keynote speaker at the fifth annual Dine America executive idea exchange conference being held April 6–8 at the Hilton Americas-Houston in downtown Houston, Texas.