HFM, ASHFSA Merger Approved

The memberships of The American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators (ASHFSA) and The National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM) have approved the formation of the Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) through the merger of the two organizations. The vote followed a conference call in which ASHFSA President Deanne Carlisle and HFM President Bruce Thomas outlined the history, rationale and plans for the consolidation and new organization. In the vote, required by each group’s bylaws, more than 94 percent of ASHFSA respondents and 100 percent of HFM respondents voted for the merger.

“The leadership and membership of both ASHFSA and HFM are very excited about the formation of this new organization and are energized by the enhanced, unprecedented and unparalleled opportunities it will provide for our industry,” says newly appointed AHF President Kris Schroeder, who is also administrative director of support services for Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center. “AHF will provide self-operating healthcare food and nutrition professionals with the industry’s absolute best practices, tools and resources.”

To succeed Schroeder, ASHFSA President-Elect Denisa Cate was named AHF president-elect. She is director of food and nutrition services at Henry County Medical Center in Paris, TN.

AHF has been incorporated in Delaware with a board of directors equally drawn from the ASHFSA and HFM boards, plus members of the ASHFSA-HFM Consolidation Task Force to lead the group through its inaugural year. The board members include...

• Treasurer Beth Yesford, MS, FACHE, senior director, Providence Hospital;
• Secretary Patti Oliver, MS, RD, MBA, director of nutrition services, UCLA Medical Center;
• Deanne Carlisle RD, LD, MBA, DHCFA, chief, nutrition and food services, Portland VA Medical Center;
• Joyce Hagen-Flint, MSA, FHCFA, director, food and nutrition, Regional Medical Center at Bayonet Point;
• Barbara Kane, AVP, industry relations, Ecolab, Inc.;
• Mary Angela Miller, administrative director, Ohio State University Medical Center;
• Marie Nelson, director of marketing, Hot Stuff Foods, LLC;
• Bill Notte, MBA, director, food and nutrition services, Shands at the University of Florida;
• Bruce Thomas associate vice president-guest services, Geisinger Health System;
• Laura Watson, administrative director, patient support services, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Marty Rothschild, vice president, sales and marketing, Aladdin Temp-Rite, will serve as chair of the Industry Advisory Board. There will be an AHF Board meeting in Chicago in conjunction with the National Restaurant Show.