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About Us

The pressure is on! The food service industry is expected to address the strong demand for wellness.  But there lacks an easy, convenient way to access credible tools and resources to support their wellness endeavors... Until Now.

"One of the biggest obstacles is the confusion and lack of credible information in the marketplace.

This prevents foodservice employees from truly understanding how to address wellness and maximize success. Until now, we have lacked nutrition and wellness education, tools and resources that are strictly focused to food service. This institute fills the gap by providing food service professionals the knowledge and expertise they need to deliver wellness solutions with command and confidence."

Franceen Friefeld, RD., LD., P.H.Ec. CEO, Board Chair,

The Food Service Wellness Institute™

Meet our Executive Board of Directors

Franceen Friefeld, RDN., P.H.Ec.

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Franceen’s work is backed by over 34 years of experience as a dietitian-nutritionist in the foodservice arena, motivational speaker, 3-time published author, media professional, and TV food show host.

Franceen has implemented healthy dining and wellness programs in over 6,000 locations across North America and supports organizations with wellness strategy, positioning and programming. She offers consumer-centric solutions that drive participation, sales, and customer retention and ensures that organizational changes to incorporate wellness are sustainable, and profitable.

Cited as one of the top speakers and wellness strategists for the foodservice industry, Franceen is an empowering and entertaining speaker who presents at conferences nationwide. She brings her food industry knowledge to audiences through her public speaking, books, and broadcast media appearances.

Franceen is the co-author of "The Healthy Weigh" (featured on bestsellers) and "Fill Up Not Out®", which has been rated one of the top nutrition books by aboutnutrition.com. Her third, most recent book is titled "Healthy Meals for Your Busy Life Cookbook".

Rebecca Johnson, MS, CHWC, TWCC

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Rebecca Johnson is a seasoned expert in individual and organizational wellbeing. Blending her educational background in psychology and mental health with the practical knowledge she has gained from 25 years of experience in health promotion, Rebecca brings a unique perspective and skillset to her work with companies ready to transform their culture.

 

Rebecca is the co-founder and Chief Integration Officer of ViDL Solutions, a company that works with employers looking for meaningful solutions for improving both organizational culture and employee wellbeing. She is recognized as a leader in her industry and can often be found speaking at conferences, contributing to professional papers or delivering trainings for peers.

 

At work and in her personal life, Rebecca is an innately energetic and positive person interested in learning, growing and contributing to the lives of others. When she’s not working, Rebecca enjoys the simplicity and contentment of time with her children, family and friends; books, podcasts; yoga; running and nature. 

Robert Maluso, CEC

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Robert Maluso is the executive chef and vice president of culinary at SSP where he is responsible for driving culinary innovation and creativity within each of SSP America’s brands throughout the United States and Canada. He leads the formation of new, in-house creative brands, takes leadership of SSP America’s culinary staff, and nurtures and develops further relationships with local chefs and restaurant partners. 

Maluso is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has more than 30 years of experience in catering, fine dining, event management and corporate services. He previously served as culinary director for Sodexo; while there, he was responsible for developing wellness and culinary programs that supported more than 1,000-plus corporate services account nationally. He has spearheaded the development and implementation of wellness initiatives, including Mindful by Sodexo which received the Best Concept Award from Food Management. Prior to joining Sodexo, he was division executive chef for Eurest Dining Services, a division of Compass Group.

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Tony Morro, MBA, B.A. Foods & Nutrition

Tony Morro is currently Category Director, Human Experience in JLL’s Supply Chain and Procurement Group. Based in Southern California, Mr. Morro has 35 years of experience in the corporate dining, hospitality, and the workplace service industry. In his current capacity, Mr. Morro provides leadership and direction to JLL food/hospitality programs globally and leads the strategic supplier relationships in this category which has grown to roughly $400 million in managed volume across more than 90 accounts. He also manages the office services category that includes services such as security, mail room, reception, and managed print in support of all JLL America’s business lines and clients.      

 

Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Morro was Principal of Food Industry Solutions, LLC (FIS), a consulting organization that helped clients achieve success in areas such as food safety, operational efficiency/profitability, business development, and vendor management. 

 

Over his career, Mr. Morro has also held food service executive positions in 3 distinct industries, including Commercial Banking, Pharmaceutical, and Computer Software. Organizations he has worked for include Bristol Myers Squibb, Microsoft, Marine Midland Bank (now HSBC), and Compass Group.

He is a current board member of IFMA’s Hospitality Council and a former board member of the Society for Hospitality and Food Service Management (SHFM).

 

He can be reached at 425.293.1337 or via email at Tony.Morro@am.JLL.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sherie Nelson, MBA, RDN

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Sherie Nelson, MBA, RDN, believes food service is the gateway to teaching Americans how to eat for their health. As the Wellness Director at Elior North America, she has the remarkable opportunity to bring her strong belief that food influences health to a large audience – over 1 million customers daily. With over 16 years of nutrition, wellness, and food service experience, she currently leads all nutrition and wellness programs and initiatives within all Elior groups, including healthcare, higher education, business dining, and K-12, plus employee wellness. Sherie is a registered dietitian nutritionist and has an MBA and Masters in Arts of Management from the College of St. Scholastica. 

 

When not promoting wellness, Sherie is practicing it in her daily life. Cooking and eating well takes the center of her plate next to the time she spends on a mountain bike, chasing her beautiful red and white Siberian husky down dirt and snow-covered trails. 

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Zora Warren, B.S.,  M.Ed.

Zora Warren, has dedicated her career to enhancing teaching and learning. With over 20 years of experience in the areas of teaching, program evaluation, teacher preparation, consulting and public service, Zora understands that quality education requires a collaborative spirit, openness to innovation and change, and a trusting relationship between stakeholders. 

 

Through her work at Endicott College, Zora successfully partnered with dozens of schools to provide high quality field experiences for preservice teachers and designed and delivered high-quality training programs for all stakeholders. Zora lead the School of Education in preparing students for professional internships and successfully expanded the opportunities in non-traditional education settings. At Sun Associates, Zora was the project lead for the evaluation of numerous Teaching American History Grants. Through these partnerships, Zora provided grant recipients with quantitative and qualitative data and analysis to enhance their programming and outcomes.

 

Zora holds a Masters in Technology in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BS in Secondary Education Social Studies from the University of Illinois.

 

In her free time, Zora enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters and puppy heading north skiing and enjoying the family lake house. 

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