Bernardo Aguiar

Director, US Procurement; Global Concessions & Retail
Regal Cineworld

More InfoBernardo Aguiar leads US Procurement & Global Food, Beverage, & Retail supply chain strategy for Regal Cineworld, one of the largest theater chains in the world. His responsibilities span sourcing, procurement, distribution, planning, and commercial execution. He works across the company’s five brands and ten countries, focused on improving planning cycles, supply continuity, commercial performance, and operational readiness. Prior to joining Regal Cineworld, he held leadership positions at brands that include Nestlé, Red Lobster, and mostly recently Cracker Barrel. His experience spans restaurants, entertainment, and CPG, with leadership across more than $700M in spend. He has been an active member of IFMA’s Foodservice Leadership Council since 2024.
AGUIAR, BERNARDO

Kesha Alexander

Co-Owner - Founder
Supper

ALEXANDER, KESHA

Demar Anderson

Chief Marketing Officer
Bader Rutter

More InfoDemar Anderson leads agency marketing at Bader Rutter, overseeing marketing strategy, execution and the evolution of the BR brand across audiences. An award-winning marketer and trained journalist, she brings 15+ years of experience leading integrated marketing and growth at global agencies. Today, her focus is bringing Bader Rutter’s Mental Equity™ story to market, helping shape how the agency shows up with a point of view built around memory, meaning and behavior, and what it takes for brands to become the reflex choice. She has been recognized by Ragan PR Daily as one of its Top Women in Marketing, judged The Drum and ANA B2 Awards, produced events at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and is a Clio award-winning creative and board member for Craft in America.
ANDERSON, DEMAR

Eric Anderson

Senior Director of Category Marketing
Conagra Foodservice

ANDERSON, ERIC

Kevin Baum

Product Manager - Digital Commerce
Dot Foods

BAUM, KEVIN

Leisa Bryant

Executive Director, Food, Nutrition, & Patient Transportation Services
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

BRYANT, LEISA

Nate Carney

Associate Director, Food Service Operators
Abbott

More InfoNate Carney is Associate Director of Food Service Operations at Exact Sciences, where he leads a culinary team focused on enhancing workplace experience through sustainable, community-driven programming. A trained chef and passionate advocate for local food systems, Nate built the company’s self-operated dining model from the ground up—enabling deep partnerships with regional vendors and meaningful impact in the local economy. With a background that blends hands-on culinary expertise and strategic leadership, he brings a unique lens to how food can drive employee connection, well-being, and organizational values.
CARNEY, NATE

Kristine Cotton

Global Workplace Experience Lead
JLL

More InfoKristine Cotton, Global Workplace Experience, helps companies improve employee engagement through improved retention & recruitment and connectivity to Company values. Kristine oversees a wide range of programs and services, from foodservice to mail service to transportation, with the goal of solving what’s the drive behind program asks or realized gaps and how new programming can help elevate the workplace. Drawing on almost 20 years’ experience in managed food services in the Hotel, University and Corporate sectors, working for Fortune 500 companies like Compass Group and The Coca-Cola Company, Kristine now focuses on holistic Workplace Experience and delivering elevated amenity programs that engage and excite employees while supporting overall Company strategy.
COTTON, KRISTINE

Joy Dubost

PhD RD, Owner & Consultant
NJOY Health & Nutrition

More InfoDubost holds a PhD in food science and is a registered dietitian. Much of her 20-plus-year career in the food industry has been spent at the convergence point of nutrition science, regulatory, and policy. Her prior positions include five years as Senior Director of Nutrition for the National Restaurant Association, and two years as Senior Director of Science & External Affairs for the Beer Institute. Her work within the private sector includes leading global health and scientific affairs positions at Unilever, Lipton, and PepsiCo. She currently is the owner of NJOY Health & Nutrition, LLC, a consulting firm focused on food policy, scientific strategy and health communications. Dubost is a frequent source for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and NPR, among others. She has testified a number of times before governmental agencies on health and science-related issues. Dubost earned her doctorate at Penn State and a master’s in food science from the University of Georgia.
DUBOST, JOY

Sharon Eliatamby

Senior Program Manager
World Bank

ELIATAMBY, SHARON

Cheryl A. Fabrizi

Associate Vice President, Auxiliary Services
Syracuse University

More InfoCheryl Fabrizi was named the Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services at Syracuse University in May 2023. In her role, Fabrizi oversees a wide range of mission-critical services aimed at enhancing campus life for students, faculty, staff and guests. Auxiliary Services provides a comprehensive list of services, including dining services, housing, meal plans, lodging, Syracuse University Campus Store, and more. Cheryl has more than 15 years of experience in collegiate hospitality, food services, strategic and capital planning, and undergraduate/graduate student marketing communications. Most recently, she served as the Assistant Vice President of Housing and Food Services for The Pennsylvania State University where she oversaw one of the largest collegiate housing and dining programs in the U.S. and the largest in Pennsylvania.
FABRIZI, CHERYL

Beth Fehrenbacher

Sr. Brand Manager Hormel Natural Choice Brand
Hormel Foods Corporation Foodservice Group

FEHRENBACHER, BETH

Conall Gallagher

Senior Sales Manager
Coca-Cola Foodservice

More InfoConall Gallagher is a Senior Sales Manager based in Atlanta, Georgia, with extensive experience across multiple functions within The Coca-Cola Company. Originally from Ireland, Conall earned his education at Queen’s University Belfast and Northeastern University in Boston, building a strong international foundation that has shaped his global business perspective. In his current role, Conall leads Foodservice and On-Premise sales, managing a portfolio of strategic customers and driving growth through strong partnerships, commercial execution, and customer-centric strategies. His cross-functional experience within Coca-Cola has enabled him to develop a well-rounded approach to leadership and business development. Now residing in Atlanta with his wife, Caitlin, and their son, Brendan, Conall combines professional ambition with a commitment to family and community.
GALLAGHER, CONALL

Steven Giardini

Senior Director
University of Michigan

GIARDINI, STEVEN

Amanda Grimm

Director of Food and Nutrition
Des Moines Public Schools

GRIMM, AMANDA

Sloane Heffernan

Founder
Storymore

More InfoSloane Heffernan is a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist turned brand storyteller. After a successful career as a television news anchor and reporter, Sloane made a bold leap during the pandemic to launch Storymore. Storymore helps organizations connect more deeply with their audiences through the power of story. As the founder of Storymore, Sloane leads an award-winning video production team specializing in cinematic, story-driven mini documentaries. She also delivers keynote talks and workshops that inspire leaders to harness the emotional power of storytelling to amplify their impact. A proud Massachusetts native, Sloane once cheered on the sidelines as a New England Patriots Cheerleader and even performed at the Super Bowl. Today, she lives in North Carolina with her high school sweetheart (now husband), their three children, and beloved rescue pup, Milton.
HEFFERNAN, SLOANE

Teddy Heidt

Senior Director of Marketing
Founder's Table Restaurant Group

HEIDT, TEDDY

Dan Henroid, MS, RD

Regional Hospitality Director
HumanGood

More InfoDan is the system director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health system where he is responsible for patient meal services at five hospitals totaling 1562 licensed beds, ten retail food operations with a combined sales of $16 million, catering and conference services with annual sales of $2 million, 5 gift shops with annual sales of $2.5 million plus oversight of inpatient and outpatient nutrition services. He has overseen the creation or renovation of all retail food outlets at UCSF and oversees other nontraditional programs such digital signage, an interactive patient experience system, a patient self-service meal ordering program, and a fleet of 33 robots. In addition to these responsibilities, he serves as the UCSF Health system sustainability officer.
HENROID, DAN

Steve Hoyser

Executive Vice President, Business Development
Affinity Group, LLC

HOYSER, STEVE

Matt Jalove

Sr Director of Procurement
HTeaO

JALOVE, MATT

Patti Klos

Senior Director of Dining Services
Tufts University

KLOS, PATTI

Muriel Bartelme Kreske

Executive Creative Director
JT Mega Food Advertising

More InfoAs Executive Creative Director and Partner at JT Mega, Muriel Bartelme Kreske pairs 30 years of industry-spanning experience with a genuine love for the creative process. She has been a driving force behind the agency’s growth, specializing in the food and beverage category where she blends storytelling with sharp strategic insight. Muriel’s longevity in the field is fueled by her drive for creative excellence and an infectious energy for building brands that matter. Whether she is leading a pitch or shaping agency culture, her focus remains on the future of the craft and the success of her clients.
KRESKE, MURIEL

Adam J. Letizio

SVP of Foodservice
A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing, Inc.

More InfoAdam Letizio is the Senior Vice President of Foodservice for A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing. A fifth-generation food industry expert, Adam Letizio began his professional career as a publications specialist with A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing when he was in high school and college. Adam holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business, a Bachelor of Science in Society, Technology, and Policy from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, certificates from the New England Culinary Institute, and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. With a decade of service as a Naval Aviator, Adam uses his outside experience in organizational development as a catalyst for growth. Adam lives in Windham, NH, with his wife and two children, and enjoys competitive running, flying, and volunteering with the Scouts. He draws inspiration from the fact that he represents a long family tradition of excellence in the world of food.
LETIZIO, ADAM

Charlie McConnell

Vice President, Industry Insights, Education & Research
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

More InfoCharlie’s foodservice career includes experience with both manufacturers and with US Foods. His career began with The NPD Group where he managed clients’ consumer research needs. He translated that experience into consumer and operator insights roles with Unilever Foodsolutions and Sara Lee Foodservice before joining US Foods. At US Foods, he managed their research needs and developed their one-to-one marketing promotion, My Kitchen.
MCCONNELL, CHARLIE

Julie Meddles

Director, Nutrition Services and Gift Shops
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

MEDDLES, JULIE

Sam Newman

Director Enterprise Accounts
Tastewise

NEWMAN, SAM

Kate Pachmayer

Director, Social Content & Engagement
Bader Rutter

More InfoKate is a dynamic social media leader with deep expertise in crafting award-winning strategies for Fortune 500 companies across energy, tech, agriculture, and food & beverage. Her notable experience includes brands like Whirlpool, Maytag, Jimmy Dean, BP, McCain Foods, Corteva Agriscience, Kimberly-Clark, and SC Johnson, guiding all of them to new levels of social media relevance. A natural collaborator, Kate excels at building engaging paid, owned, and earned content across every major social media platform. Her mission is focused: make brands resonate on social media and turn audiences into active engagers.
PACHMAYER, KATE

Bernice Radaideh

SVP; Food & Conference Services Director
Bank of America

RADAIDEH, BERNICE

Peter Romeo

Managing Editor
IFMA The Food Away From Home Association

More InfoPeter Romeo has covered the restaurant industry since 1984 for a variety of media. Prior to joining the association, Romeo served in various capacities at Informa, beginning as an Editorial Director in 2011 and culminating in Editor-at-Large, a position he held for nine years. His past experience includes writing for Nations Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, and QSR Magazine. He has been awarded numerous Jesse H. Neal Awards, the B2B media’s equivalent of the Peabodys. A seasoned content strategist, Romeo has 46 years of journalistic experience in covering government affairs, business, innovation, entrepreneurship, employment issues and more.
ROMEO, PETER

Laoise Rubio

Food Service Practice Lead
Bader Rutter

More InfoChef Laoise “lee-sha” Rubio brings decades of firsthand culinary expertise to her role as Food Service Practice Lead at Bader Rutter. Trained at the renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, she honed her craft in kitchens across Europe and the U.S. before opening her own Italian restaurant near Chicago. After transitioning into marketing, Laoise has partnered with leading brands including Kraft, Kellogg’s, Campbell’s, ConAgra, Lamb Weston and McCain Foods. With a rare blend of culinary insight and strategic acumen, she helps food and beverage brands solve complex challenges, create audience-centric campaigns and build growth with sharper taste, sharper strategy and, yes, very sharp knives.
RUBIO, LAOISE

Mike Schwartz

Senior Vice President - Chief Engagement & Innovation Officer
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

More InfoMike Schwartz is the SVP - Chief Engagement & Innovation Officer at IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. He leads the strategy and direction for the association’s programs, services, and member engagement, overseeing the team responsible for delivering value through insights, connectivity forums, and innovative initiatives. Since joining the association in 2014, Schwartz has played a pivotal role in developing, launching, and leading the association’s insights platforms, supply chain best practices and conference programming. Prior to joining the association, Schwartz spent six years at Technomic, where he led custom market research and consulting engagements for suppliers and operators, focusing on market analyses, performance benchmarking, and industry trends. He has been a featured speaker and moderator at major foodservice industry events across the U.S. and Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from The Ohio State University.
SCHWARTZ, MIKE

Elizabeth Sertl

Sr. Director, Supply Chain Visibility
GS1 US

More InfoLiz Sertl is Sr. Director, Supply Chain Visibility, at GS1 US and has more than 20 years of experience in the CPG industry. Working closely with supply chain partners, Liz facilitates collaboration best practices and guidelines that help companies improve product traceability and supply chain visibility through the adoption of GS1 Standards.
SERTL, ELIZABETH

Micheala Sharp

Sr. Manager, Content Marketing
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

More InfoOnline matchmaker between brands and their audiences. I keep a brands’ integrity alive, through listening to all who engage with it because great ideas come from anywhere. ??
SHARP, MICHEALA

Rahul Shrivastav

Executive Director of Dining & Hospitality
Indiana University

SHRIVASTAV, RAHUL

Aaron Smith

Director of Culinary Services
Seattle Public Schools

SMITH, AARON

Eric Span

Director of Nutrition Services
Sweetwater Schools

More InfoEric Span is the Director of Nutrition Services for Sweetwater Union High School District. Eric has served in this role for 12 years. Eric has 19 years in K-12 School Nutrition as well as being a trained chef. Having graduated culinary school 34 years ago, Eric has vast knowledge in recipe building, procurement, and leading large teams . His passion and love for serving great food guides him as he provides the highest quality and nutritious meals for Sweetwater students. Eric is a proponent of the Farm to School movement and is currently working to build a bridge between school food service and classroom education. Eric is currently serving as a Board Member for SNA. Eric served two years as the Public Policy and Legislative Committee Chair for the California School Nutrition Association. Eric was named 2023-24 Director of the Year by SNA and the California School Nutrition Association. Eris is an awardee of the Center for Ecoliteracy Innovative Leadership award for 2023-24.
SPAN, ERIC

Kevin M. Steffes

Director of Food and Nutrition
Carle Hospital

More InfoKevin Steffes is the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Carle Health. Kevin is a food service lifer, working in any food service venue you can imagine. He has found a home in self-operated healthcare foodservice. For the last 8 years, Kevin has led the food and nutrition services department at Carle Foundation Hospital. His team is responsible for serving around 3,000 meals per day between the retail and patient populations. Kevin serves as the second vice-chair with the IFMA Healthcare FLC. At his core, Kevin believes that the food and nutrition services team is responsible for more than just nourishing his patrons. Through purposeful efforts, menus can (and should) be mindful of wellness for both the individual and the planet.
STEFFES, KEVIN

Sarah Stewart-Schultze

Vice President of Purchasing
International Dairy Queen, Inc.

More InfoSarah Stewart-Schultze is the vice president of purchasing at Unified Supply Chain, Inc. (USCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of International Dairy Queen, Inc. She leads a team that manages strategic relationships with more than 120 worldwide suppliers essential to meeting current and long-term Dairy Queen® system goals. Stewart-Schultze and her team manage over $1 billion in annual purchases and 700 SKUs. Prior to joining USCI in 2014, Stewart-Schultze held leadership positions at Sonic Drive-In; The Steak ‘n Shake Company; ABG, Inc.; and Farm Bureau. In these roles, she led demand planning for multiple limited time offers, innovative commodity strategies, mergers and acquisitions, labor scheduling development, market research, price discovery, and government lobbying. Stewart-Schultze earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and holds a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
STEWART-SCHULTZE, SARAH

Julie Swift

Founder
Julie-Swift, LLC

More InfoJulie Swift is a longtime foodservice executive, industry connector, and founder of Foodservice Women's Alliance, as well as principal of Julie Swift, LLC. With more than 30 years of experience spanning both the manufacturer and broker sides of the business, she brings a unique perspective on the partnerships, relationships, and strategies that drive growth across foodservice. Julie has held executive leadership roles in business development, sales strategy, marketing, and customer engagement, and is widely recognized for her ability to connect people, build collaborative solutions, and navigate the evolving broker-manufacturer landscape.
SWIFT, JULIE

Mike Tigani

Director of Marketing
King & Prince Seafood Corporation

More InfoMike Tigani is a strategic marketing and innovation leader currently serving as the Director of Marketing at King & Prince Seafood, one of the leading seafood suppliers in the United States. With extensive experience in the foodservice industry, Mike has built a reputation for driving brand growth, leading successful product innovation initiatives, and delivering customer-focused marketing strategies. Throughout his career, Mike has specialized in B2B marketing, new product development, brand strategy, and commercialization within highly competitive food categories. Prior to his work in seafood, Mike played a key role in the development and growth of the Big Az® burger platform 25 years ago. Mike earned his MBA from Xavier University and holds a BS and MS in Food Science from University of Delaware. He teaches Marketing Research at the College of Coastal Georgia as an adjunct professor. An avid marathoner, he has run a marathon in 48 out of the 50 states.
TIGANI, MIKE

Renee Lee Wege

Trendologist & Senior Publications Manager
Datassential

More InfoRenee Lee Wege is a Trendologist and Senior Publications Manager with Datassential, the leading global food and beverage intelligence company. Renee (literally) grew up in the restaurant industry and is an expert and lover of all things related to food, drink, and the color pink (if you ever want to say hello at a conference, just look for her signature color!). Through over a decade with Datassential, Renee has researched, written, and edited hundreds of food and beverage trend reports and is a regular co-host and presenter on Datassential’s Simply Smarter webinars, where she’s shared her expertise with peak audiences of 2,000-plus industry members. When she's not researching, writing, or spotting trends, Renee polishes her presenting prowess with Toastmasters and serves as the Vice President of Public Relations with Toastmasters of Lincoln Park. She has been quoted in Food Business News and The New York Times.
WEGE, RENEE

Dana Whitney

Director of School Nutrition
Henrico County Public Schools

WHITNEY, DANA

Kevin Wilson

CEO
Esrock

WILSON, KEVIN