The New Jersey Food Council has announced the election of two new members to its board of directors: Mary Demos of Whole Foods Market and Jonathan D’Orsi of ShopRite of Carteret. The announcement comes as longtime board member Len Sitar steps down after nearly 50 years of service, the longest board tenure in the organization’s history.
“Mary and Jonathan bring exactly the kind of diverse perspective and real-world retail experience that further strengthens our Board,” said Linda Doherty, president and CEO of NJFC. 
“Mary’s deep operational expertise in logistics and receiving, drawn from one of the largest grocery organizations in the country, gives us invaluable insight as our industry navigates an increasingly complex supply chain,” she said. “Meanwhile, Jonathan brings a rare combination of Wall Street financial discipline and hands-on, independent supermarket ownership, offering a perspective that reflects the realities facing our smaller members. Together, they add tremendous depth and diversity of thought to our Board, and we are thrilled to welcome them.”
Demos is the operations team leader for the store receiving program at Whole Foods Market, where she leads the U.S.-based field support team responsible for execution of the receiving program across all operating areas. In 21 years at Whole Foods Market, Demos has held roles spanning marketing, finance and operations, spending the majority of her career in receiving operations, with a specialization in new store concepts and urban logistics. She is a Certified Partner on Pilots & Initiatives with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Office of Freight and Mobility and a contributor to the Federal Highway Administration’s Off-Hours Delivery Guidebook.
D’Orsi joined ShopRite of Carteret more than 10 years ago after 20 years on Wall Street. He began his career in public accounting at KPMG and Ernst & Young, earning his CPA, and completed his MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business before joining Lehman Brothers and later Bear Stearns, where he served as COO of the global equity division. Since joining his family’s supermarket business, D’Orsi has led initiatives to modernize the store and increase profitability, including enhancing the perishable department and expanding own-brand penetration, while reducing shrink and employment costs.
In planning for the transition, Sitar nominated D’Orsi, his nephew, to the association’s Leadership Development Class to help prepare him for his role on the board.
“This transition is bittersweet; we are bidding a sad farewell to Len Sitar and his nearly 50 years of unmatched service to the New Jersey Food Council,” Doherty said. “Len has been a steadfast voice for our members and for this industry. We are deeply grateful for his decades of leadership. While his absence on the Board will be felt profoundly, we take comfort in knowing he helped prepare the next generation of leadership to carry that work forward.”
Sitar, president of ShopRite of Carteret, a single-store owner in the Wakefern family, joined the NJFC board of directors in 1977. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the board in 1992. He has been an active voice on the Government Affairs Committee and the board of governors for the Food Council Committee for Good Government, the organization’s political action committee.
The New Jersey Food Council represents almost 400 companies including 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that employ more than 200,000 associates in New Jersey.