LOUISVILLE, KY (June 9, 2009) – The board of directors of the Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) has voted to pursue contract negotiations with FSA Management Group, the management company currently serving the American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators (ASHFSA). The vote took place on June 4 at a special meeting called by the AHF board at the conclusion of the ASHFSA conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
The AHF Board is made up of representatives from AHF’s consolidating organizations, ASHFSA and the National Society of Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM), including industry suppliers. Key positions include HFM president-elect Kris Schroeder, administrative director of support services at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Wash., who will serve as AHF president; ASHFSA president-elect Denisa Cate, director of food and nutrition services at Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tenn., who will serve as AHF president-elect; and Marty Rothschild, vice president, sales and marketing, Aladdin Temp-Rite, who will serve as chair of AHF’s Industry Advisory Board. The board of directors will be guided by legal counsel as contract negotiations with FSA Management Group begin next week.
“The AHF board is pleased to have accomplished this important step in fulfilling our vision,” noted Kris Schroeder, AHF president. “We are well-positioned to move into the future as a single strong association advocating for self operated healthcare foodservice.”
Headquartered in Louisville, Ky., FSA Management Group is an association management company focused on the culinary and foodservice industry for more than four decades. AHF’s management team will be lead by FSA veteran Keith Howard, who currently serves as ASHFSA’s executive vice president.
“FSA is proud to serve as the management company during this exciting time in AHF’s history,” said Keith Howard, interim EVP. “For the past seven years we have supported ASHFSA in furthering its mission, and are now poised to support and grow the only national association serving healthcare foodservice professionals at self operated facilities.”
The selection of an association management company was a critical first step as AHF works towards fulfilling its mission of advancing healthcare foodservice professionals by assuring food and nutrition is a core competency, with a vision of self-operated healthcare foodservice operations being recognized as industry best practice. AHF will leverage the success of both ASHFSA and HFM, with existing members of the consolidating organizations who meet the membership eligibility guidelines automatically rolling into AHF membership this month. AHF will host its inaugural conference the week of June 6, 2010, at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas.
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The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) is a professional society for foodservice operators and industry suppliers born from the consolidations of two leading healthcare trade associations, the National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM) and the American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators (ASHFSA). AHF’s mission is to advance healthcare foodservice professionals by assuring food and nutrition is a core competency, with a vision of self-operated healthcare foodservice operations being recognized as industry best practice. AHF’s membership will include leading healthcare foodservice operators and business partners across North America, led by a unified national board of directors, an industry advisory board, a past presidents’ council, and working committees. Operator membership in AHF is restricted to members of self-operated healthcare foodservice facilities, and will also include (but not be limited to) students, educators, administrators, business partners, chefs, and consultants.
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