Dawn Sweeney
Encyclopedia
Dawn Sweeney is the President & CEO of the largest trade group for the U.S. restaurant industry, the National Restaurant Association
.
She is a Maine
native with a master of business administration
degree from The George Washington University
and a bachelor of arts
degree in government from Colby College
in Waterville, Maine.
in 2007. An accomplished executive with a proactive, nonpartisan approach, she has generated positive reviews from the industry and in Washington.
At the National Restaurant Association
, she is leading the organization's mission to help its members "build customer loyalty, rewarding careers and financial success" and "lead America's restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve". She also serves as the CEO of the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation.
Before joining the National Restaurant Association
, Sweeney was the president and CEO of AARP Services, the wholly owned taxable subsidiary of AARP
, where she was responsible for the launch of AARP Financial, which offers financial planning services and products. She also more than quadrupled revenues for the organization that were used to support AARP's mission.
Before taking the helm at AARP Services, Sweeney was AARP's Group Executive Officer for Membership, where she launched the association's Hispanic membership development initiatives and oversaw AARP The Magazine, which is read by more than 20 million people. Prior to that, she held positions at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the International Dairy Foods Association.
Irish America magazine selected her in 2007 as one of its 100 honorees and she was also recently inducted into the Honor Society of the American Culinary Federation
's American Academy of Chefs.
Sweeney serves on the board of Save the Children
, a global organization committed to creating lasting change in the lives of children in need.
She is an active member of the United States Chamber of Commerce
's Committee of 100, the International Women's Forum, and the Committee of 200, an international network of female executives.
National Restaurant Association
thumb|National Restaurant Association logoThe National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation...
.
She is a Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
native with a master of business administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree from The George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in government from Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in Waterville, Maine.
Background
Dawn Sweeney was named the President and CEO of the National Restaurant AssociationNational Restaurant Association
thumb|National Restaurant Association logoThe National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation...
in 2007. An accomplished executive with a proactive, nonpartisan approach, she has generated positive reviews from the industry and in Washington.
At the National Restaurant Association
National Restaurant Association
thumb|National Restaurant Association logoThe National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation...
, she is leading the organization's mission to help its members "build customer loyalty, rewarding careers and financial success" and "lead America's restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve". She also serves as the CEO of the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation.
Before joining the National Restaurant Association
National Restaurant Association
thumb|National Restaurant Association logoThe National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation...
, Sweeney was the president and CEO of AARP Services, the wholly owned taxable subsidiary of AARP
AARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
, where she was responsible for the launch of AARP Financial, which offers financial planning services and products. She also more than quadrupled revenues for the organization that were used to support AARP's mission.
Before taking the helm at AARP Services, Sweeney was AARP's Group Executive Officer for Membership, where she launched the association's Hispanic membership development initiatives and oversaw AARP The Magazine, which is read by more than 20 million people. Prior to that, she held positions at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the International Dairy Foods Association.
Recognition and Service
CEO Update magazine named Sweeney one of the top association CEOs in the U.S. in 2009.Irish America magazine selected her in 2007 as one of its 100 honorees and she was also recently inducted into the Honor Society of the American Culinary Federation
American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation was established in 1929 and is the largest professional chefs' organization in North America.ACF, which was the progeny of the combined visions of three chefs' associations in New York, comprises more than 22,000 members in 230 chapters across the United States,...
's American Academy of Chefs.
Sweeney serves on the board of Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
, a global organization committed to creating lasting change in the lives of children in need.
She is an active member of the United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
's Committee of 100, the International Women's Forum, and the Committee of 200, an international network of female executives.