IFA Appoints 16 New Board Members

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:

• Tiffany Atwell, executive vice president of government relations, Ecolab
• Ashley Coneff, vice president of government relations and impact, Inspire Brands
• John Crawford, COO, Jani-King International
• Emma Dickison, CEO and president, Home Helpers Home Care
• Tim Evankovich, chairman, Oasis Senior Advisors Franchise System
• Rocco Fiorentino, CEO, Benetrends Financial
• Nate Garn, CEO, Sizzling Platter
• Rolf Lundberg, vice president and assistant general counsel for global public policy and external affairs, Choice Hotels International
• David Ostrowe, president and CEO, O&M Restaurant Group
• Todd Recknagel, chairman, PCRK Group, National Envy Development
• Laura Roberts, chief legal officer, secretary and compliance officer, Bojangles' Restaurants
• Karen Satterlee, senior vice president and assistant general counsel, APAC, Hilton Worldwide Holdings
• Heidi Schauer, vice president for communications, public affairs and customer care, The Wendy's Company
• Lynette Eaddy Smith, executive vice president and chief legal officer, Chick-fil-A
• Gabby Wong, CEO, FranConnect
• Tony Zaccario, president and CEO, Stretch Zone

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:

• Chair—Mary Thompson, CEO, BNI  
• Vice chair—Sam Ballas, CEO, East Coast Wings + Grill 
• Second vice chair—Gary Robins, president, The G&C Robins Company
• Immediate past chair—Steve Hockett, CEO, Great Clips

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.