IFA Board of Directors
The IFA Board of Directors is made up of 75 franchise executives from across industries and representing each section of the IFA membership—franchisees, franchisors, and suppliers. This dedicated group of leaders guides the Association’s strategic direction and ensures that the issues of greatest importance to the membership are always at the forefront of IFA’s efforts.
To learn more about serving on the IFA Board, please contact Catherine Bartley Darden.
Executive Committee
Mary Kennedy Thompson, CFE
IFA Chair; CEO, BNI
Sam G. Ballas, CFE
IFA Vice Chair; CEO & Co-Founder East Coast Wings + Grill/ Sammy’s Sliders
Gary Robins
IFA Second Vice Chair; President, The G & C Robins Company
Steve Hockett
IFA Past Chair; CEO, Great Clips, Inc.
Bill Hall, CFE
IFA Treasurer; CEO, Treats Investments, LLC and CEO, Align Capital, LLC
Ron Feldman, CFE
Chair of IFA Foundation Board of Trustees; Brand Ambassador, ApplePie Capital Inc.
Catherine Monson, CFE
Vice Chair of IFA Foundation Board of Trustees; CEO, Propelled Brands
Rob Branca
Chair of IFA Franchisee Forum; President, Branded Management Group, Inc.
Marcia Mead
Chair of IFA Supplier Forum Advisory Board; President, M Squared Franchise Consulting
Robin Gagnon, CFE
Chair of IFA Franchisor Forum; Co-Founder and CEO, We Sell Restaurants
Matt Haller
President & CEO
202.662.0770
mhaller@franchise.org
Board of Directors
Tushaar Agrawal
Chief Franchise Officer, Marriott International
Jerry Akers
Owner, Great Clips
Tiffany M. Atwell
Executive Vice President, Government Relations, Ecolab
Tom Baber
Multi-Unit Franchisee IHOP
Marcus Banks
SVP, Litigation, Employment Law & Government Relations Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Mitch Cohen
Franchise Owner, Jersey Mike's Subs and Sola Salon Studios; Partner, PerforMax Franchisee Advisors
Ashley Coneff
VP, Government Affairs & Impact, Inspire Brands
Adam Contos, CFE
Partner, Area 15 Ventures
John Crawford
Chief Operating Officer, Jani-King International, Inc.
Randy Cross
President, Fish Window Cleaning
Kimberly Crowell
Principal & CEO, Kalo Companies
Steve Danon
Vice President, Head of U.S. Government Relations & Community Affairs, Restaurant Brands International
Emma Dickison, CFE, CSA
CEO & President, Home Helpers Home Care
Jay Duke
Global Head of Advisory, BDO Global
Clint Ehlers
Owner, FASTSIGNS of Willow Grove, PA and Cherry Hill, NJ
Tim Evankovich
Chairman, Oasis Senior Advisors Franchise System, LLC
Shane Evans
Co-Founder & CEO, Heights Wellness Retreats (Massage Heights Franchising)
Sean Falk, CFE
Sean Falk, CFE, President & COO, Careertopia Franchise Executive
Rocco Fiorentino, CFE
CEO, Benetrends Financial
Greg Flynn
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Flynn Group
Nate Garn
CEO, Sizzling Platter, LLC
Daniel Halpern
CEO & Co-Founder, Jackmont Hospitality
Dustin Hansen, CFE
Global Board of Directors, InXpress
Jon Hixson
Chief Sustainability Officer & Vice President of Global Government Affairs, Yum! Brands
Harvey Homsey, CFE
Vice President of Franchise Systems, Express Services, Inc.
Earsa Jackson, CFE
Member, Clark Hill Strasburger
Tamra Kennedy
President, Twin City's T.J.'s, Inc.
Jesse Keyser
CEO, Keyser Enterprises 1, LP
Aslam Khan
Chairman, Falcon Holdings
Lillian Kirstein
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for 7-Eleven, Inc.
Rolf Lundberg
Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Head of External Affairs and Global Public Policy, Choice Hotels International, Inc.
Ned Lyerly, CFE
CEO, Starheel Ventures, LLC
Dave Mortensen
Board of Directors - Purpose Brands, LLC; Co-Founder - Anytime Fitness
David Ostrowe
President & CEO, O&M Restaurant Group
Caroline Miller Oyler
Chief Legal and Risk Officer, Papa John’s International, Inc.
Sarah Powell
EVP, General Counsel, and Secretary, GoTo Foods
Todd Recknagel
PCRK Group, National Envy Development
Laura Roberts
Founder and CEO, Lali Ventures, LLC
Meg Roberts
CEO, Head to Toe Brands
Al Rodriguez
Franchisee, Sport Clips
Azim Saju
CEO & President, HDG Hotels
Jyoti Sarolia
President and CEO, Ellis Hospitality Group
Karen Satterlee, CFE
Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Asia Pacific Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Heidi Schauer
Vice President, Communications, Public Affairs & Customer Care, The Wendy's Company
Abby Schmidt
Franchise Partnership Development Manager, Paychex, Inc.
Michael Seid
Managing Director, MSA Worldwide
Stephen Shields
Franchisee, Express Employment Professionals
Omar Simmons
Managing Director, Exaltare Capital Partners
Lynette Eaddy Smith
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Chick-fil-a, Inc.
Richard Snow
Vice President, National Specialty & Franchise Banking Relationship Manager, Bremer Bank
Christine Son
Senior Vice President, Legal, General Counsel and Secretary, Dine Brands Global
Jeff Sopp
Founder and CEO, Kensington Hill Partners
John Teza, CFE
CEO & President, Hand & Stone Franchise, LLC
Carolyn Thurston, CFE
CEO & Founder, Wisdom Senior Care
Larisa Walega, CFE
Chief Growth Officer, Ziebart International Corporation
Charles Watson
CEO, Smalls Sliders Franchising LLC
Steve White
President & COO, PuroClean
Tim Williams
Chief Franchising Officer, Williams Fried Chicken
Gabby Wong
Chief Executive Officer, FranConnect
Tony Zaccario
President & CEO, Stretch Zone