Foodservice Women's Alliance - FWA

🎉 📣 Full circle moment for FWA Board Member Kareema Goodwin, MBA, recently name PRESIDENT of the same company where she began her Foodservice career, The Ryan Group Inc. Join all of us at Foodservice Women's Alliance - FWA in congratulating Kareema and celebrating her hard-earned, well-deserved accomplishments that led to this appointment! We are so proud of you! 👏🏿 👏🏾 👏🏽 👏🏼

FWA Board Member on the M O V E - - - > > > Crystal Duncan, MBA, FMP is the NEW Chief Strategy Officer - Fourriere Hospitality Group From ALL of us at Foodservice Women's Alliance - FWA - CONGRATULATIONS! No doubt your contributions to Fourriere will have a profound impact and the multiplier effect of aligning your expertise to your passion for building a better, more inclusive Foodservice industry where everyone can belong! #WellDone

"When women connect, they create a powerful force for change.” Heck, yes. In Erica Keswin’s article, she emphasizes the importance of these connections in fostering . . . 🌱 GROWTH 💫 INNOVATION 🏋🏼♀️ RESILIENCE Women supporting women is not just beneficial; it is essential for progress. YET, research tells us most women feel they're too busy to network but if we want to move forward in our careers – that needs to change. By building strong networks and deepening our connections, we ensure that more women can take their rightful place in leadership and beyond. Let us continue to support and uplift each other, for real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time. Join us (it's free)! No gimmicks or gotcha's. Just a grassroots, organic environment where women are networked to women, horizontally and vertically, offering one another connections, introductions, job offers and promotions, advice and mentoring. We imagine an industry changed by that network of diverse women, with equitable gender representation at every level. LET'S. GO.

📣 Join us for another FWA Meet Up this month This time we’re in DENVER, CO at Dot Innovations! 📆 When: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | 7:00 am ➡️ Where: Dazbog Coffee in the CO Convention Center, Denver – on site where Dot Innovations 2025 is being held 💘 We would love to have you join us. Whether you’re a FWA member or not, you’re welcome. Stop by or stay awhile! Bring a friend. Please reach out to our FWA Meet Up host, FWA Board Member Alison S.with any questions. Sound off in the comments if you'll be there. See you there!

We round out #WomensHistoryMonth by lifting another voice, another lived experience. The foodservice industry is a vibrant space, driven by passion and hard work. But for many women—especially women of color—it can also be a space fraught with challenges, bias, and unfair practices. Meet “Mere” As a woman in this industry, I've faced dismissals, undermining behavior, and inequitable opportunities. From being overlooked for roles to having my ideas dismissed, and even enduring targeted actions meant to stifle my growth, the journey has been anything but easy. My most recent boss . . Placed his feet on my desk while I was working Stated “when a woman forgets something, it’s nothing good” Didn’t acknowledge or support my application for a promotion Didn’t advertise for a new director role (which I was qualified for), rather hired one of his friends Attempted to sabotage my role Failed to show up (or cancel) one-on-one meetings While every challenge has strengthened my resolve, and I've continued to excel, I know I’m more than capable of reaching incredible milestones and championing initiatives that create opportunities for others, so I left a job I once loved because of my most recent boss. 💡 To every woman facing these struggles: Your resilience is remarkable. Your contributions are valuable. You belong here. No bias or dismissal can diminish your worth. Keep pushing boundaries—you are the foundation of this industry’s success. ✨ And to those in positions of power: Let’s do better. Let’s hold each other accountable to foster inclusive, respectful workplaces that uplift rather than harm. Reflect on actions that may unintentionally perpetuate unfairness and commit to creating an industry where everyone has an equal chance to shine. When we stand together—when we listen, learn, and lead with empathy—we make the foodservice industry stronger for everyone. 🌍💪🏾 #WomenInFoodservice #EquityMatters #AmplifyHerVoice #CreateChange

JOIN US FRIDAY, MARCH 28th at 12:00 PM CST for: Prioritizing and Supporting Your Mental Health at Work CELEBRATE #WOMENSHISTORYMONTH with the ultimate self-care! Your mental well-being matters—both in and out of the workplace. Join us for an important conversation led by Alexa Pickering, LSCSW, as we explore practical strategies to manage stress, set boundaries, and cultivate a healthier work-life balance. Alexa is a Licensed therapist who specializes in helping clients work through anxiety, stress, burnout, life transitions, and more. This session will equip you with actionable tools to prevent burnout, build resilience, and create a workplace that supports mental health. What to Expect: ✔ Understanding workplace mental health challenges and how to recognize the signs of stress and burnout ✔ Practical strategies for self-care: practices you can put into place immediately to support your mental health in the workspace and ways you can leave the stress at work when you head into your evenings ✔ Strategies for Small workplace initiatives (mental health check-ins, open-door policies) that can create big CHANGE As a reminder, 2025 Meetings require a new registration. For members, check for the link in your email. FWA Board Member Alicia Paliuca will kick us off and we would love to have you be our guest. Registration link in comments! All are welcome.

Shout out to Foodservice Women's Alliance - FWA Board Member, Monica Johnson, Senior Director of Supply Chain at First Watch Restaurants! Our favorite quote from Monica: "Be bold! Be strategic and have confidence in your voice. Your ideas matter, and you have a unique perspective to contribute. Boldness isn't about being the loudest in the room; it's about strategically bringing your best self to the table." Bravo, Monica. Thank you for lifting your voice during #WomensHistoryMonth

#WomensHistoryMonth is a time for acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments of great women and their allies who helped bring the industry forward to where it is today. But it is also a time to bring stark awareness and acknowledgement to the reality of the environment many are still facing today. Through this awareness we transparently and vulnerably ASK for change. Read "Shar's" story: I worked for a Fortune 100 food manufacturer praised for diversity but plagued by discrimination in hiring. There was running joke that the company only hired jocks and cheerleaders. On a three-person interview panel, we assessed two candidates. Candidate 1, the daughter of a famous athlete, was unprepared, stalled answering questions and required relocation. Candidate 2, a highly qualified Arab American, gave an outstanding presentation, even showcasing successes he had achieved with these customers and was currently living in market. Because of travel schedules one member of the interview panel had to fly out before we could discuss and reach a decision. The hiring manager called me and stated he had spoken to the other interviewer. They decided to offer Candidate 1 the role stating Candidate 2 was rejected for being "arrogant" and exceeding time. Despite my concerns, Candidate 1 was chosen, and my objections were dismissed as "emotional.“ My opinion was never even taken into consideration. Years later, a similar situation arose when a more qualified gay candidate was denied a role for not fitting the "customer culture." Reporting these issues to HR and the VP of DEI resulted in no change. As a high-performing and respected team member, I continued on with interview panels, yet my objections were repeatedly labeled as "emotional." As a woman, I noticed a stark contrast—where men were seen as assertive for standing up for what they believe in, women were deemed difficult or emotional for challenging decisions. This is (still) prevalent in our industry today. Let's not let this become our tomorrow. #WHM #WomenEmpowerment #FoodserviceWomensAlliance #FWA

CELEBRATE #WOMENSHISTORYMONTH with the ultimate self-care! JOIN US FRIDAY, MARCH 28th at 12:00 PM CST for: 🔹Prioritizing and Supporting Your Mental Health at Work🔹 Your mental well-being matters—both in and out of the workplace. Join us for an important conversation led by Alexa Pickering, LSCSW, as we explore practical strategies to manage stress, set boundaries, and cultivate a healthier work-life balance. Alexa is a Licensed therapist who specializes in helping clients work through anxiety, stress, burnout, life transitions, and more. This session will equip you with actionable tools to prevent burnout, build resilience, and create a workplace that supports mental health. What to Expect: ✔ Understanding workplace mental health challenges and how to recognize the signs of stress and burnout ✔ Practical strategies for self-care: practices you can put into place immediately to support your mental health in the workspace and ways you can leave the stress at work when you head into your evenings ✔ Strategies for Small workplace initiatives (mental health check-ins, open-door policies) that can create big CHANGE  As a reminder, 2025 Meetings require a new registration. For members, check for the link in your email. We would love to have you be our guest, please contact us at info@foodservicewomensalliance.com All are welcome. #PavingitForward #WHM #SelfCare

Throughout #WomensHistoryMonth, Foodservice Women's Alliance is dedicating our focus to these powerful and often untold stories of women in our industry. TELLING OUR STORIES: Meet “Beverly” “You’re just not management material.” This is the answer I got when I applied for an open leadership role. Beverly replied, “May I ask for more information?” He responded with “Why are you so confrontational and emotional?” "Not my intent to be confrontational in a negative way. I’m willing to learn and correct any issues. If I don’t know, how can I impact this? What emotion are seeing my asking the question?" His response – “I can’t put my finger on it and it’s not just one thing. Just fix it.” I just keep adjusting to try to “fit” their idea of what a leader is. I totally lost myself in this and wish I would’ve realized sooner that no matter how much I changed it up, I couldn’t fix it. When I started to realize it was never going to be “fixable” I found peace and recently moved on. If you're reading this, we need your help in building inclusive environments where women can thrive, not just survive. Let’s don’t look the other way. Don’t assume this isn’t happening in your organization. Let’s come together and make a difference. #FoodserviceWomensAlliance #WomenInFoodservice #ChangeStartsNow