If Jim Mazany's career had a soundtrack, it would open with Prince. His first concert was the Purple Rain tour at Nassau Coliseum. Since then, his path has run from washing dishes on Long Island to culinary school in Hyde Park to leading brands like TGI Fridays, Logan's Roadhouse and Joe's Crab Shack, and now to the CEO role at P.F. Chang's.
In this episode of CEOs You Should Know, iHeartMedia Region President Chris Long sits down with Jim Mazany, CEO of P.F. Chang's, to talk about hospitality, culinary craft and leading an iconic brand through a turnaround.
Jim traces the influences that shaped him, from a Marine father who taught him work ethic to a mother who made hospitality the center of their home. He shares how a chef's mindset still guides the way he leads, why "the speed of trust" matters when building a leadership team and how P.F. Chang's is working to turn "I like P.F. Chang's, but I haven't been there in a while" into "I love P.F. Chang's, and I was there last night." He also takes Chris inside the brand's turnaround, from renewed focus on the in-restaurant experience and culinary innovation to double-digit sales growth, rising guest traffic and plans to expand P.F. Chang's footprint in the U.S. and around the world.
Guest: Jim Mazany, CEO, P.F. Chang's
Host: Chris Long, Region President, iHeartMedia Dallas-Fort Worth & Central Texas
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5 May 2026
Andrew Medvedev, Weatherhead School of Management
Andrew Medvedev became dean of the Weatherhead School of Management on July 1, 2024. His focus is on cultivating a culture of trust and belonging in the school, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration and research, implementing impactful experiential learning, and creating a workplace in which innovation thrives. He envisions Weatherhead as the intellectual entrepreneur’s home of choice.
“I believe Weatherhead can be an audacious school solving the most urgent challenges in management,” Medvedev said. “I believe we get there by fostering a culture of excellence and innovation, attracting bold talent, making critical investments, and focusing on impacting how people think and act.”
Before returning to his alma mater, Medvedev was a managing director and portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. In 2016 Medvedev partnered with trustee Joe Sabatini (MGT ’82) to create the school’s Wall Street Trek. This alumni-funded program readies undergraduates for financial careers and links them with opportunities in NYC’s financial community. Since its inception, about half of the program’s 200 alumni have gone on to work on Wall Street. In 2018 Medvedev joined Weatherhead’s visiting committee.
Medvedev and his family immigrated to Cleveland from Russia in 1992. His ties to CWRU run deep: His mother, Irene Medvedev, served the School of Medicine for 22 years as a senior technologist, and he obtained his undergraduate degree in economics from CWRU in 1997. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2004.
Medvedev lives in Shaker Heights with his wife, Christine, and their three children.
24 Mar 2026
Amber Gibbs, CEO Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
As Superintendent and CEO of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Cuyahoga DD), Dr. Amber C. Gibbs and her team support more than 15,000 Cuyahoga County residents with developmental disabilities and their families each year to live, learn, work, and play in the community. Gibbs worked in mental health before moving into direct care, supporting people with DD at an agency provider before joining Cuyahoga DD in 2008. She served in a variety of supervisory and leadership roles before becoming Superintendent and CEO in 2023. Notable accomplishments include leading a major effort to eliminate the Medicaid waiver waiting list in Cuyahoga County and building collaborative relationships that enable the community to better support people of all abilities. Gibbs fosters a culture of service excellence among the agency’s 600 employees, and she champions the voices of people who receive services from Cuyahoga DD, making sure they have a say in decisions the agency makes that affect them. Amber ensures that Cuyahoga DD is an example of inclusion for other community organizations by employing people with disabilities and including people with disabilities on the Cuyahoga DD Board. In addition, she ensures that the work the agency does has input from people it serves through an innovative Leadership Council that advises directors on strategic projects. A leader at the state level with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and other county boards, Gibbs was recognized in 2018 with the Ohio Association of County Board’s Partners in Excellence Award for her groundbreaking work to eliminate the statewide Medicaid waiting list. She serves on a number of statewide workgroups focused on improving waiver services and fiscal sustainability. Gibbs serves on the board of directors of Community Fund Ohio, a nonprofit organization that serves as a Trust Advisor for people with disabilities throughout the state. A native Cleveland resident, she is an active volunteer in the community and has served on various nonprofit boards and as a certified foster parent. Gibbs is active in the Beaumont Parents’ Club and is a member of the Wittenberg University Alumni Board. Gibbs holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University, a master’s degree in social science and psychology from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Dayton. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and three daughters.
Who has been a guest on Cleveland's CEOs You Should Know
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Paul Abbey
Patty Starr
Katie Payne
William Wappler
Grace Gallucci
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
419,108,275
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
3.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
57
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
30
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