The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf appointed Tara Hinkle to serve as its president and head of Americas for the global specialty coffee and tea house.

Tara HinkleBefore joining The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Hinkle served as senior director of franchise finance and strategy at Taco Bell, where she led the brand's franchise finance and recruitment initiatives. Hinkle also served as the director of strategic partnerships at Starbucks.

At The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Hinkle will drive the overall growth strategy in the Americas, working closely with the franchise development team to support expansion efforts.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf operates more than 1,200 locations, across more than 20 countries.