National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Name 2025 Boards

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) today announced their 2025 board officers, directors, and trustees.

Richard "Rich" Schneider, chief development officer of Areas USA, will serve as chair of the National Restaurant Association Board of Directors, and William "Bill" Kohl of Greenwood Hospitality Group, will serve as chair of the NRAEF Board of Trustees.

Vice Chair Mike Axiotis, CEO and president of Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands, and Treasurer Jeanne Cretella, co-founder and president of Landmark Hospitality, complete the Association's 2025 Board leadership.

"The restaurant industry is a $1.1 trillion driver of the U.S. economy. The opportunities for business and workforce growth within the restaurant industry have a significant impact on the strength of the U.S. economy," said Michelle Korsmo, president & CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the NRAEF. "The incoming leadership of our Association and Foundation Boards bring extensive experience in successful industry growth and passion for community connections that will ensure our Association and Foundation are indispensable partners to the restaurant industry in its success. Along with our new chairs, Rich and Bill, the newly elected Board members collective knowledge, experience, and passion for the restaurant industry will be critical as we advance a thriving restaurant and foodservice industry."

Other NRAEF officers include Vice Chair Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, and Treasurer Susannah Ryan, Head of Sales, National Restaurants for PepsiCo Foodservice.  

"With jobs for more than 15.5 million Americans, the restaurant industry is America's training ground and a source of long-term career opportunities. I look forward to working with Bill Kohl and the entire 2025 Board of Trustees to utilize the strength of our industry to build the restaurant workforce now and into the future," said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.

Each of the officers serves a one-year term. Following is the list of 2025 Association and NRAEF Leadership, along with new Board Directors and Trustees. 

National Restaurant Association

Chair: Richard "Rich" Schneider is chief development officer of Areas USA, where he is responsible for company growth, government affairs, community affairs, brand and concept development, and construction. Throughout his career, Schneider has developed many strong culinary relationships in multiple verticals to help design award-winning concepts. He helped to create the Areas Cares program to support the communities they serve and has also led the company's community education program supporting local high school culinary programs to help build opportunities for students. Schneider is also a member of the Texas Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and a member of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) Board of Directors and a Trustee of FRLA Educational Foundation. He also serves as a Trustee of the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Vice Chair: Mike Axiotis is CEO and president of Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands. Through tireless hard work, love of the hospitality business and people, and his commitment to excellence, Axiotis worked his way up the ranks at LVRG, eventually being elected as CEO in 2018. Since becoming CEO, he has strategically diversified the business from one brand to multiple major brands, growing revenue through the new business streams. His history in the industry extends back nearly 40 years, starting with his family's restaurant. Axiotis believes his success is an opportunity to give back through impactful community involvement and support of the team members of LVRB.

Treasurer: Jeanne Cretella is co-founder and president of Landmark Hospitality, a multi-faceted company which owns and operates fine dining restaurants, event spaces, and boutique hotels throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Cretella believes strongly in the connections built in the hospitality industry, focusing on creating a business culture based on making memories, and connecting with the communities where their businesses are located through a corporate-giving program, "Help Us Give." She devotes much of her time to supporting education programs and partnerships. She serves on the Foundation Board of Hudson County Community College, is a past Chair of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, where she is currently a Board Member, and serves as a Board Member for the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce.

Newly elected Board directors include:

• Marisa Carona, Wingstop Restaurants, Inc.
• Dave Dittenber, Downtown Restaurant Investments
• Scott Dolch, Connecticut Restaurant Association
• Angela Melton-Fray, Dat Jerk Caribbean Chargrill
• Daniel Ramirez, Ramirez Hospitality Group
• Jackie Tornes, Valls Group, Inc.
• Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D, Texas Restaurant Association
• Justin Winslow, Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Chair: Bill Kohl oversees the strategic and operational direction of Greenwood Hospitality Group's portfolio of hotels. Additionally, he directs the company's activities in restaurant development, concept design, and repositioning. During his 40-year career, Kohl has received several 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 founder of Très Bonne Année, a series of wine and food events and international wine auctions for charity, which raises more than $400,000 annually. A native of Springfield, Pa., Kohl is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management.

Vice Chair: Carrie Leishman is president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association (DRA) and the Delaware Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Leishman is a passionate and fearless advocate for the industry and is credited with strengthening the DRA into one of the most influential business organizations in the state. The DRA created the first industry training for substance abuse awareness and prevention, and for this work, received recognition from the White House in 2018. Leishman grew up in upstate New York and graduated from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Treasurer: Susannah Ryan leads National Restaurants for PepsiCo Foodservice. Her team is responsible for developing and executing annual operating plans across all lines of business for PepsiCo's strategic national chain restaurant customers. Ryan has held several sales leadership roles across Foodservice and Retail since joining PepsiCo in 2000. She is also a member of the Women's Foodservice Forum and the Society of Fellows of The Culinary Institute of America. Before joining PepsiCo, Ryan held several sales and customer supply-chain roles with Ralston Purina Co. and Phillip Morris USA.

New board trustees include:

• Trona Balkissoon, Nestle Professional Solutions
• Mookie Golden, PG1 Capital
• Barbara Poremba, The Coca-Cola Company
• Sonia Riggs, Colorado Restaurant Association

About the National Restaurant Association

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises nearly 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 14.5 million employees. Together with 52 State Associations, we are a network of professional organizations dedicated to serving every restaurant through advocacy, education, and food safety. We sponsor the industry's largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) mission of service to the public is dedicated to enhancing the industry's training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community-based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. 

SOURCE National Restaurant Association