108. Leah Reily, ED of AHF, on Rebranding and Hosting an Iron-Chef Style Cooking Competition

09/19/24 • 32 min

Could investing in innovative food services at senior living and healthcare facilities lead to better patient outcomes and satisfaction? Can elevating the food experience in hospitals help shift public perception of healthcare environments?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Leah Reily, Executive Director, Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF). Leah discusses:

Her Journey from environmental conservation to association leadership
How AHF members run self-operated food services in hospitals and senior living facilities, meaning the facilities hire their own staff instead of outsourcing to contract management companies to cook and serve food.
How self-operated services provide better outcomes for patients, staff, and families.
How self-service foodservice is not always more expensive to manage, AND they provide more direct benefits, such as improved food programs and a closer relationship with the facility’s needs.
Why and how AHF modernized its brand to adapt to changes in the healthcare food service industry.
How the AHF annual conference is ultimately a food conference, which is why AHF brings chefs to help decide on the venue, and there is a cooking competition (Iron Chef style!) that is a highlight during the conference.
How sponsors provide food that is part of the meal planning during the annual conference. The positive results from the rebranding: National conference attendance grew by 38%.
How the rebrand lifted a weight off the staff, creating a sense of ownership and rejuvenating creativity and innovation.

References:

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Leah Reily, Executive Director, Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF). Leah discusses:

Her Journey from environmental conservation to association leadership
How AHF members run self-operated food services in hospitals and senior living facilities, meaning the facilities hire their own staff instead of outsourcing to contract management companies to cook and serve food.
How self-operated services provide better outcomes for patients, staff, and families.
How self-service foodservice is not always more expensive to manage, AND they provide more direct benefits, such as improved food programs and a closer relationship with the facility’s needs.
Why and how AHF modernized its brand to adapt to changes in the healthcare food service industry.
How the AHF annual conference is ultimately a food conference, which is why AHF brings chefs to help decide on the venue, and there is a cooking competition (Iron Chef style!) that is a highlight during the conference.
How sponsors provide food that is part of the meal planning during the annual conference. The positive results from the rebranding: National conference attendance grew by 38%.
How the rebrand lifted a weight off the staff, creating a sense of ownership and rejuvenating creativity and innovation.

References:

Previous Episode

107. Shawn Kaminski, Executive Director of DirectWomen, on Board Diversity, Leadership Transition, and International Expansion

Did you know that corporations that have diverse Board members have been shown to be more profitable and successful than those with less diverse Boards? So how do you get more women on these Boards?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Shawn Kaminski, Executive Director of DirectWomen. Shawn discusses:

DirectWomen’s mission to increase the representation of women lawyers on corporate boards.
How DirectWomen prepares women lawyers for board service through an annual board institute.
How DirectWomen serves as a resource for companies looking for diverse candidates for their Boards.
How companies with more diverse boards are shown to be more profitable and successful than those without.
How there's both a moral and business case for having diverse voices and representation in corporate boardrooms.
Her personal journey, going from the American Bar Association, a large well supported organization, to DirectWomen, a smaller nonprofit.
DirectWomen’s selective Board Institute program, which only accepts a small number of applicants each year. The small cohort size is intentional, so that DirectWomen can provide personalized attention to ensure participants' success.
DirectWomen’s international expansion, starting with high attendance events in London.
How DirectWomen will ring the New York Stock Exchange Bell on October 18th to celebrate reaching their 200th board seat milestone.

References:

DirectWomen’s website

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/nexus

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undefined - 109. Josie Hernandez, President of Association Latinos, on its Conexiones Event, the Workforce Trends Survey, and Hispanic Heritage Month

109. Josie Hernandez, President of Association Latinos, on its Conexiones Event, the Workforce Trends Survey, and Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, host Joanna Pineda brought back Josie Hernandez, President of Association Latinos. Josie discusses:

How Association Latinos came to be. Association Latinos was founded as a LinkedIn community in 2020 and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2022.
Association Latinos’ mission to advance Latino leadership and representation in the association space.
Their transition from an informal group to a structured organization with governance and planning.
How volunteers play a critical role in the organization's success, leveraging their strengths for growth and governance.
Association Latinos upcoming summit called Conexiones on October 30, 2024, in Washington, DC., focused on skill development, embracing cultural wealth, and advancing Latino leadership.
The Workforce Trend Survey, sponsored by Association Latinos, that is providing real demographic and advancement data about association executives for the first time ever.
How Latinos contributed 41.4% of the growth in real U.S. GDP, despite comprising just 19.2% of the U.S. population. https://latinogdp.us/
The story of her parents navigating challenges, especially with her sister born with Spina Bifida. Josie reflects on her parents, and their influence on her leadership.
The importance of supporters and allies in the success of Association Latinos.
How Josie is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month this year!

References: