William Rogers, CEC, CCA, is the Executive Chef of The Cosmos Club (Washington, D.C.), where he leads a club-wide food-and-beverage operation consistently ranked among the top city clubs in the United States. Since joining the Cosmos Club in 2015, Rogers has overseen strategic planning and execution for an $8.6 million annual F&B program spanning five dining outlets, catering, procurement, and stewarding, with a strong focus on member satisfaction, financial performance, and long-term sustainability.
Originally from New Freedom, Pennsylvania, Rogers grew up on the docks of the Chesapeake Bay, an early influence that shaped his appreciation for hospitality, place, and craft. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and began his professional career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, where he spent eight years working across multiple properties nationwide. During that time, he trained under elite culinary leaders and completed management-in-training rotations across hotel operations, finance, and guest services.
From 2011 to 2015, Rogers served as Senior Restaurant Chef at Augusta National Golf Club, playing a key role in culinary operations for the Masters Tournament. He led a high-volume, three-meal venue serving more than 2,000 daily covers during the event and managed a 30-person team across culinary, procurement, and stewarding. Concurrently, he held a senior leadership role with Good Tidings Catering, directing a $9 million operation and launching a new catering division that generated $800,000 in its first year while significantly improving profitability through operational restructuring.
At the Cosmos Club, Rogers has driven measurable growth and transformation. Under his leadership, annual F&B revenue increased by $2.5 million through targeted program innovation, cross-department collaboration, and enhanced member engagement. He has directed more than $7 million in capital improvement projects, including major kitchen, restaurant, wine bar, and fitness center renovations, delivering each on time and within budget. Rogers is equally invested in talent development, having mentored multiple managers to Executive Certification status and established an externship program to strengthen diversity and long-term staffing pipelines. In 2025, he also supported the General Manager in senior leadership roles across housekeeping, front desk, and engineering, further broadening his operational scope.
Rogers holds the Certified Executive Chef designation from the American Culinary Federation and is a Certified Culinary Administrator. He has earned multiple ACF culinary competition medals and was a NACUFS Mid-Atlantic Regional winner. Beyond the kitchen, Rogers serves in a volunteer leadership role as Vice President of Conference & Programs for the Project Management Institute’s Washington, DC Chapter, overseeing large-scale events, budgets, and cross-functional teams.
