TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES

Brent Hall, FCSI

CHAIR 
Clevenger Associates
brent@clevengerassoc.com

Brent has over 28 years of foodservice experience which includes custom equipment design and manufacturing, installation, specifications, schematic design, design development, construction documents and project management. Complete project experience listings include a vast number of projects worldwide.

Joseph Schumaker, FCSI

CHAIR ELECT
FoodSpace
joe@scgfoodspace.com

Joe Schumaker is an award-winning chef, entrepreneur, and thought leader with more than two decades of experience in foodservices. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, he began his career by launching a successful catering company that served the heart of Silicon Valley, feeding tech giants and fueling innovation behind the scenes.

His passion for efficiency, design, and culinary excellence led him to found FoodSpace, a consulting firm that has spent the last 10 years transforming foodservice operations from the ground up. Under his leadership, FoodSpace delivers thoughtful, purposeful design while optimizing operations. Joe has built strong partnerships across the industry and brings a hands-on, collaborative approach to solving the most challenging issues in foodservice.

Scott Reitano, FCSI

SECRETARY
Reitano Design Group
scottr@reitanodesigngroup.com

In December of 2004, Scott founded Foodservice Solution Group.  The firm rebranded as Reitano Design Group in 2013.  Previous to his tenure as a foodservice design consultant, Scott spent nineteen years as a manufacturer’s representative and served as the president of a six-state rep firm from 2002 thru 2004.

Through his 39 years in the foodservice industry, Scott has become highly regarded for his leadership, creativity, and passion for serving others. He brings a high energy and infectious enthusiasm to all the opportunities and challenges he is afforded in life.

Tarah Schroeder, FCSI

TREASURER
Ricca Design Studios
Tschroeder@ricca.com

Tarah started her career at Whole Foods Market developing their Rocky Mountain presence and Green Mission program.  Now at Ricca Design Studios for 18 years, she has deep project experience in public assembly, hotels, resorts, colleges, universities, healthcare, B&I, and restaurants.  She is a sought-after expert on sustainability in the foodservice industry.  She has a BA in Business and Environmental Science from the University of Southern California and an MBA from University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. She is a foodie and loves to paddleboard and camp with her 10-year-old twins.

Christine Guyott, FCSI RDN

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Rippe Associates
cguyott@rippeassociates.com

Christine Guyott is a registered dietitian who has worked in the foodservice industry for over 25 years. She leads the healthcare team as a Principal with Rippe Associates, Inc. While her primary area of expertise is healthcare, she has worked on a variety of project types since starting her career in 1985 and enjoys working with clients throughout the country. Christine enjoys speaking to dietetic and architectural classes on non-traditional dietetics and foodservice design. Currently, she is part of the AHF Industry Advisory Board and KState Dietetics Advisory Board.

Sojo Alex

AT LARGE TRUSTEE
Envision Strategies
salex@envstrategies.com

Sojo’s background spans over 18 years in the higher education hospitality industry. She is highly experienced in master planning, dining assessments, facility planning, marketing and strategic planning for complex foodservice programs. Sojo has worked on nearly every type of project from market research activities, meal plan assessment, student union programming  to providing comprehensive support for the firm’s strategic planning work. 

Par Bain, FCSI

CANADIAN TRUSTEE
SmartDesign Group
pbain@smartdesigngroup.com

Par joined SmartDesign Group in 2005 and has progressed to his current role as Director of Hospitality, leading a team of talented designers working on all scales of projects from small micro kiosks to massive commissary operations.  He has been able to offer his operational background, understanding of customer experience and an appreciation for the human element in every design solution.

Peg Galie, FCSI

AT LARGE TRUSTEE
S2O Associates
peg@s2oconsultants.net

Peg  began her career in the foodservice industry at the age of 14 as a dishwasher and continued to work in foodservice as a server, bartender, cook and front-end manager. She has also been involved in residential construction. That changed in 2008 during the great recession when she joined a health care company. During her time in the health care industry, she worked part-time for S2O reviewing plans and specifications. She joined S2O in 2014 and has worked her way up through prior to becoming a project manager with S2O Consultants.

As project manager, Peg has worked on numerous large venue projects including professional and collegiate sports venues, hotels, K-12 schools, health care, corporate dining, and higher education facilities.

Eric Goodrich, FCSI

AT LARGE TRUSTEE
Rippe Associates
egoodrich@rippeassociates.com

Eric spent the first 17 years of his foodservice career in operations, managing bars, full-service restaurants, quick-serve concepts, corporate cafeterias, large catering operations, and a decade in University dining. This wide variety of work experience gives him a unique perspective when looking at designing production and service spaces that will be efficient, safe, and logical for operators, and ultimately improve the customer experience.

During the past 8 years, Eric has successfully completed projects in multiple market segments and has mastered the craft of managing complicated relationships between customers, architects, general contractors, equipment manufacturers, and end-users. Every project is important to him, as each facility impacts the daily lives of its staff and guests. Eric listens to his clients and collaboratively designs with them to achieve their goals using their collective experience and knowledge, his creativity and problem-solving skills, and the timeless design standards which have made Rippe Associates a leader in the industry.

Anja Kuechenmeister, FCSI

AT LARGE TRUSTEE
Camacho Associates
anjak@camachousa.com

Anja Kuechenmeister is an FCSI Professional and the Vice President of Business Development at camacho, bringing 17 years of experience to her role. She has been instrumental in forging and nurturing key partnerships with channel partners and direct customers, focusing on understanding their unique needs, guiding them through the design process, and assisting them in budgeting for their projects. Her overarching goal is to drive growth at camacho. Anja’s journey within the company has seen her evolve through various roles, including Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Quality Control, and Marketing Director, showcasing her versatile skill set and dedication to the company’s success. Anja’s commitment extends beyond her corporate responsibilities, as evidenced by her active participation and leadership within the FCSI community, including roles such as Council for Professional Standards, the committee for the FCSI Symposium in Nashville, the Past Chair of ICON and co-leading the SE FSCI Chapter, highlighting her significant contributions to the industry.

Emmanuel Melo, FCSI

LATIN AMERICAN TRUSTEE
StudioIno
emmanuel@studioino.com.br

Emmanuel has a postgraduate degree in Strategic Design, an MBA, and a degree in Product Design. He has worked in this industry since 1974 and is co-founder and partner of StudioIno – Architectural and Foodservice Design Studio, Hub Foodservice – Collaborative Kitchens, and Hub Cloud Kitchen, all in São Paulo, Brazil.

Emmanuel is the author of 14 Design Tools for Foodservice Innovation, published in 2023 by ATOMStudios in São Paulo—Portuguese and English versions.

Spencer Ressa, FCSI

EPiC Committee Trustee
JME Design
spencer@jmehospitality.com

Ryan Rongo, FCSI

AT LARGE TRUSTEE
S2O Consutants
ryan@s2oconsultants.net

Ryan Rongo began his career in the foodservice industry over 20 years ago as a project manager for a custom equipment fabricator and dealer before becoming a project manager with S2O Consultants.
As project manager, Ryan has worked on numerous large venue projects including professional and collegiate sports venues, hotels, K-12 schools, health care, corporate dining, and higher education facilities. Ryan is LEED AP BD+C accredited.

Ryan Norman

Allied Trustee
Middleby
rnorman@middleby.com