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The International Franchise Association (IFA) announced the election of 16 new franchise professionals to serve on its board of directors. The new directors, who will take their positions at the 2025 IFA Annual Convention in February, are franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers who will bring a variety of experience and expertise to carry out IFA's mission to protect, enhance, and promote franchising.
"These new directors will bring the leadership necessary to drive the association and our mission forward at a pivotal time for franchising," said Matt Haller, IFA president and CEO. "These leaders represent some of the best in franchising across all aspects of the business model—committed to responsible franchising and the growth of the model in local communities. Their leadership will guide IFA as we continue to grow, so we can even further support our members and all the opportunity they create."
"Serving on the IFA Board is one of the greatest ways to contribute to the future of franchising," said Steve Hockett, chair of the IFA Board of Directors and CEO of Great Clips. "This is a remarkable group who have shown their dedication to the franchise business model and its incredible reach into nearly every community in the U.S. Their leadership will undoubtedly continue to drive the success of franchising worldwide for generations to come."
The incoming 2025 IFA board members include:
IFA also announced the succession of its 2025 officers, including the appointment of multi-unit franchisee Gary Robins as second vice chair. Robins has been a franchisee for more than 30 years in four different franchise systems, including owning and operating more than 60 Supercuts franchises across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. More recently he's been a Waxing the City franchisee. Robins has served as chair of the Multi-Unit Franchisee Conference and in leadership roles with the Supercuts Franchisee Association and the Coalition of Franchisee Associations.
"I am honored to serve on the IFA executive committee as the organization continues to grow and expand its work protecting, enhancing, and promoting the franchise model," Robins said. "As a franchisee, I see firsthand how important the work IFA does for my businesses day in and day out, and I look forward to joining this group of leaders at an exciting time both for IFA and the future of franchising."
The 2025 officers for the IFA Board of Directors include:
The directors' full bios are available here.
The new directors will assume their positions at the IFA Annual Convention in Las Vegas in February and will serve initial terms of three years.