Washington DC – The National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) today announced their 2023 board leaders and directors. Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, will serve as chairman of the Board of directors of the National Restaurant Association, and James Fripp, Chief Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer for Yum! Brands, Inc., will serve as chairman of the board of trustees of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF).
“This is an industry of people who have worked hard to make their dreams come true. Scott’s dream of providing people with a safe, healthy, and fun dining experience has benefited guests across the country. His lifelong commitment to serving people is an inspiration and I look forward to working with him in the coming year,” said Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of NRAEF.
Vice President Jeff Lobdell, president and founder of Restaurant Partners Management, and treasurer Richard Schneider, chief operating officer of Areas USA, round out the leadership of the Association’s 2023 board of directors.
“The difficulty of recruiting and retaining workers in today’s incredibly competitive marketplace highlights the importance of strengthening and growing industry career paths. I look forward to the insight James will bring to his role with the Foundation and am confident that his experience will help us lead the industry workforce in the coming years,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.
Other Foundation officials include Vice President Shaun Beard, Senior Vice President of SAVOR Hospitality and Treasurer Bill Kohl, Principal of Greenwood Hospitality Group.
Each of the officers will serve a one-year term. Below is the 2023 board executive list for the National Restaurant Association and Educational Foundation:
National Association of Restaurateurs
Chair:Scott Redler is co-founder and COO of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Redler’s knowledge of restaurant ownership and operations has made him a sought-after industry professional. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Kansas State University Hospitality Management Program and the Hospitality Board of Butler County Community College (BCCC), where he and his wife Betsy also started a scholarship fund for high school students. hospitality. Redler’s commitment to the industry has been recognized with the IFMA Silver Plate Award, the Fran Jabara Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and Kansas Restaurateur of the Year, among others.
Vice president:Jeff Lobdell is the president and founder of Restaurant Partners Management, LLC. Lobdell has been passionate about the hospitality industry, its restaurant businesses and the communities they serve for over 35 years. He supports many local non-profit organizations focused on supporting local children and families. He is also a board member of the Grand Rapids Police Foundation and is active in the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. Lobdell is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality.
Treasurer:Richard Schneider is chief operating officer of Areas USA, a role in which he is responsible for business operations, IT, concepts/standards, brand development, purchasing, construction and risk management and shares development responsibility corporate. Over his career, Schneider has developed many strong culinary relationships across the country in multiple verticals to help design winning concepts. He helped create the Areas Cares program to support the communities they serve and also led the company’s community education program in support of local high school culinary programs to help create opportunities for students.
The National Restaurant Association has also added several new members to the board. The newly elected directors include:
- Damola Adamolekun, PF Chang’s China Bistro
- Anthony Anton, Washington Hospitality Association
- Greg Cook, Ecolab
- Steve Danon, Restaurant Brands International
- Tiffany Derry, T2D Concepts
- Matt Johnson, Barley’s
- Juan Martinez, Hospitality Martinez
- Roni Mazumdar, Unrepentant Foods
- Aileen Reilly, Beast + Bottle Group
- Peter Sclafani, Making Raving Fans Hospitality Group
- Kevin Spratt, rich products
- Joshua Suggs, Delta Restaurant
- John Tallichet, specialty restaurant company
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Chair:James Fripp is the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer of Yum! Brands. In this role, Fripp, working with the executives of Yum! Brands, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill, has global responsibility for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and practices across the company’s brands, workplaces and franchise system. Since 2011, Fripp has led diversity and inclusion efforts, where he has elevated Yum! Public commitments and brand partnerships. Fripp is a member of the Clemson University CDO business advisory board and chair of the business advisory board for the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance. He is also a member of the University of North Carolina’s Corporate Advisory Board on Diversity & Inclusion. He holds a BA in Business Administration and is a certified facilitator of unconscious bias.
Vice president:Shaun Beard is the senior vice president of SAVOR Hospitality, where he is responsible for building and growing the SAVOR brand for parent company ASM Global Facility Management while growing operating income through the management of restaurants, caterers, concessions and large special events. Previously, he served as a vice president at CENTERPLATE in Spartanburg, SC, where he led strategy planning and execution in the United States and Canada. Beard holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado, completed the Executive Management Program at the University of Florida, and earned certificates from the Culinary Institute of America.
Treasurer:Bill Kohl oversees the strategic and operational direction of Greenwood Hospitality Group’s hotel portfolio. In addition, he leads the company’s activities in restaurant development, concept design and repositioning. During his 35-year career, Kohl has received numerous honors, including the Pennsylvania Tourism and Lodging Association’s General Manager of the Year and the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s State Leadership Award. He is the founder of Très Bonne Année, a series of food and wine events and an international charity wine auction, which raises over $400,000 annually. Born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, Kohl graduated from Penn State University with a degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management.
In addition to naming its new board officers, the Educational Foundation also introduced its new trustees. They include:
- Louis Basile, Millefiori Bread Company
- Greg Cocchiarella, Ecolab
- Sarah Daulton Oates, Alaska Cabaret, Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Retailers
- Mark Erickson, The Culinary Institute of America
- Neil Sudaisar, DIRECTV
