Eight women honored in the first year of foodservice's only self-nominated, sponsorship-free recognition program
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, on National Women's Equality Day, Foodservice Women's Alliance (FWA) announces the winners of its inaugural SHIFT Awards, a program celebrating women of all roles and titles that are making a meaningful impact across the disciplines of foodservice.
"The sheer scale and range of this year's nominations is itself a signal of how much recognition-worthy work in foodservice has gone unseen," says Julie Swift, the Founder of Foodservice Women's Alliance. "We launched the SHIFT Awards because there are so many successful women in the industry, but it seems rare to have their accomplishments highlighted."
The SHIFT Awards was open to operators, manufacturers, brokers, distributors, service partners, and professionals in adjacent roles who believe in building a stronger, more connected future for foodservice. In a pool of nearly 50 nominations, entries detailed careers in food tech startups, farming, military, CPG, finance, consulting, supply chain, and nonprofits.
Across the varied entries, 100% of applications hit on the power of mentorship and 66% mentioned overcoming issues with visibility—key elements outlined in the FWA's Playbook for building a more supportive and diverse workplace.
"Learning about the remarkable accomplishments of so many talented women across foodservice reminded me why this industry is so special," said SHIFT Awards judge, Suzanne Rajczi. "Their innovation, leadership, resilience, and commitment to lifting others is truly inspiring."
Winners of FWA's 2026 SHIFT Awards
2026 SHIFT Award Winners
- Phaedra Ruffalo, Founder/CEO, Surge Innovators — Has spearheaded industry-shaping actions, leading a Congressionally recognized sodium-reduction initiative, bringing quinoa to foodservice menus ahead of the trend, and building a B2B market development program credited with $900 million in economic impact. She pairs her commercial track record with sustained mentorship, consistently opening doors for fellow women.
- Katie Boyle, Growth Enablement Marketing Director, Aramark — Built Aramark's Supplier Marketing Program, generating sizable revenue across 123 activations with 80 supplier partners. She has also used her platform to promote teammates and champion first-generation students through the Philadelphia Education Fund.
- Mehnaz Tabassum, Chief Executive Officer, NL Eats — Built a career translating systems thinking into community impact, co-founding a national ecosystem connecting policymakers, entrepreneurs, and food-industry leaders around the future of food. Her work has created opportunities for more than 350 youth and students and positively impacted over 4,000 community members.
- Alexandra Ferris, Co-Owner/President, The Edge Farms — Co-built a regenerative farm serving 100+ weekly subscribers with direct routes into food-insecure neighborhoods, and turned that vision into funded infrastructure through her "Nook & Cranny Farming" model and a new animal-welfare grant. She's since extended that impact beyond her own farm by launching leadership training for 18 local farmers.
- Kesha Alexander, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Supper Co. — Built Supper Co. into a boundary-pushing marketing agency, driving strong revenue growth through EOS implementation and practical AI integration. She's carried that leadership into mentorship, chairing the Marketing Committee for FWA and continually coaching other women on her team.
2026 SHIFT Award Honorable Mentions
- Liliana Gibbs, Sr. Director HR, Ben E Keith — Repositioned HR from transactional to strategic, leading an enterprise-wide job architecture overhaul and establishing herself as a published thought leader on AI-driven HR. She's carried that leadership outward as a mentor to women and emerging HR professionals, pulling others up as a Latina leader.
- Carole Erb, Executive Director Education and Governmental Sales, JTM Food Group — Shown deep expertise navigating the complex K-12 school nutrition segment, keeping JTM's USDA commodity inventory lean while her team sold nearly 3 million pounds of USDA Foods end items. Demonstrated a commitment to mentorship, coaching others and acting as chair of the School Nutrition Association's Industry Advisory Council.
- Geri Embler, Food Service Technician/Operations, USMC — Built a foodservice support structure for the Marine Corps, sustaining 800+ service members while pushing through gender bias to establish her voice in military leadership. Dedicated to advocacy, gaining senior leadership buy-in for a female foodservice mentorship program and leading a first-of-its-kind panel on women's inclusion at the National Restaurant Association event.
Judging Panel for FWA's 2026 SHIFT Awards
Nominees were evaluated across four pillars, covering accomplishments, leadership through challenges, contributions to lifting up others, and alignment with FWA's mission and values.
- Suzanne Rajczi, Previous CEO and COO, Ginsberg's Foods — First female executive for a mid-sized regional food distributor, focused on building a culture of support and excellence.
- Scott Rogers, CRO, Hanline Group — Ally to women in foodservice and previous leader in the industry with brands such as Tractor Beverage, Century Snacks, Amplify Snacks, and Kelloggs.
- Cathy Nehl, National Account Sales, Bob's Red Mill — Founding FWA Board Member with more than 30 years of foodservice leadership experience spanning manufacturers (Bob's Red Mill), operators (The Holland Inc.), and distributors (Sysco).
About Foodservice Women's Alliance
Founded by longtime foodservice connector Julie Swift, Foodservice Women's Alliance (FWA) is a nearly 1,000-member, free-membership association created to foster meaningful relationships, amplify industry voices, encourage leadership development, and advocate for continued advancement throughout all corners of the foodservice industry.
Access the FWA Playbook, a resource for foodservice companies who want to build an equitable program for women that drives retention, profitability and lasting cultural change.
Learn about how to get involved: foodservicewomensalliance.com
Media Contact
Julie Swift, Foodservice Women's Alliance non-profit, 1 4178493903, [email protected], www.foodservicewomensalliance.com
SOURCE Foodservice Women's Alliance
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