The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association has elected Shannon Gilreath, SVP of consumer brands at Rich Products Corp., as chair of its board for 2026-27. Officers were elected at the association’s annual board meeting Oct. 17, and directors were elected at the annual membership meeting during the NFRA Convention.
Gilreath will lead the board as NFRA advances its 2030 Strategic Plan, including the rollout of a new demand-generation platform and initiatives focused on accelerating category growth and strengthening member engagement.
“NFRA is entering an exciting period of opportunity for our categories,” Gilreath said. “I look forward to working alongside our board and membership to build on the association’s momentum, strengthen industry partnerships and support initiatives that help drive growth and long-term success.”
Other officers elected:
- Chair-elect: Derek DeMuth, Ajinomoto Foods North America
- Secretary: Scott Evans, Associated Wholesale Grocers
- Treasurer: Lindsey Hickey, Simek’s
- Vice chair, frozen: Jorge Silva, The Campbell’s Company
- Vice chair, refrigerated: Kevin Herd, Danone North America
Newly elected to the board of directors were Richard Akins, Alliance Sales & Marketing; Luisiana Almonte, The Magnum Ice Cream Company; Hayley Berkshire, Mars Snacking; Kimberly Dale, Giant Eagle; Brian Dicken, Save A Lot; Richard Dudley, Conagra Brands; Kristin Goetz, Northeast Shared Services; Ria Gray, UNFI; Melanie Jones, Schwan’s Consumer Brands; Cammy Kromer, Tropicana Brands Group; Cathy Magistrelli, Wakefern Food Corp.; Jason Milburn, The Kroger Co.; Jason Ramsey, Merchants Distributors Inc.; Ron Schwenn, Albertsons Companies; and Joe Squires, Land O’Lakes Foods.
2027 board of directors
The full NFRA board for 2026-27 comprises:
- Richard Akins, Alliance Sales & Marketing, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Luisana Almonte, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
- Hayley Berkshire, Mars Snacking, Battle Creek, Michigan
- Todd Bostian, Lowes Foods, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Bryan Chartrand, Acosta Group, Jacksonville, Florida
- Amanda Daily, Tyson Foods, Springdale, Arkansas
- Kimberly Dale, Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Brian Dicken, Save A Lot, Saint Ann, Missouri
- Jason Dirks, Kraft Heinz Company, Chicago, Illinois
- Richard Dudley, Conagra Brands, Chicago, Illinois
- Sheila Ebanks, Coca-Cola North America, Canton, Georgia
- Kristin Goetz, Northeast Shared Services, Buffalo, New York
- Ria Gray, UNFI, Chesterfield, Virginia
- Kevin Greer, General Mills, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Tim Holzman, Palermo Villa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Melanie Jones, Schwan’s Sales Co., Consumer Brands Division, Hopkins, Minnesota
- Cammy Kromer, Tropicana Brands Group, Chicago, Illinois
- Cathy Magistrelli, Wakefern Food Corp., Keasbey, New Jersey
- Jason Milburn, The Kroger Co., Union, Kentucky
- Melissa Millo, Target Corp., Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Amy Nordstrom, Nestlé USA, Solon, Ohio
- Jason Ramsey, Merchants Distributors (MDI), Hickory, North Carolina
- Alvaro Reyes, KeHE Distributors, Naperville, Illinois
- Angela Rosenquist, InnovAsian Cuisine, Stockton, California
- Ron Schwenn, Albertsons Companies, Itasca, Illinois
- Joe Squires, Land O’Lakes, Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Marty Steinmetz, RealCold, Acworth, Georgia
- Chris Wilkerson, The Pictsweet Company, Bells, Tennessee
- Clinton Wilson, Sargento Foods, Seminole, Florida
Advisory directors
- Scott Aldridge, Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Kansas
- Chase Ames, Athens Foods, Cleveland, Ohio
- Becca Bellino, Harris Teeter, Matthews, North Carolina
- Bob Brown, Jewel-Osco, Itasca, Illinois
- Jonathan Brown, Houchens Food Group, Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Peter Crooks, Lindy’s Homemade, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Connor Donovan, Saputo Dairy Foods USA, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Tom Finn, InnovAsian Cuisine, Verona, New Jersey
- Rick Glackin, SellEthics Marketing Group, Matthews, North Carolina
- Risa Jenkins, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Robesonia, Pennsylvania
- Suzanne Kasunich, Ateeco/Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
- Elliott Mason, Once Upon a Farm, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Steve Nordstrom, Big Y Foods, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Andy Reichgut, Red’s All Natural, Franklin, Tennessee
- Chris Schlueter, Mars Ice Cream, Lutz, Florida
- Patrick Thompson, Schraad Sales & Marketing, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Jason Wells, K-VA-T Food Stores, Abingdon, Virginia
- Ted Williams, The Giant Company, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- Ted Yeomans, Advantage Solutions, Jupiter, Florida
Council members
- Michelle Baldwin, Chobani, New Berlin, New York
- Christine Bellamo, Daymon, Higganum, Connecticut
- Eddy Birth, Mars Ice Cream, Saint Charles, Illinois
- Whitney Fortin, The Happy Egg Co., Rogers, Arkansas
- Tim Heil, Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Southlake, Texas
- Sandra Horn, CA Ferolie, Montvale, New Jersey
- Scott Klane, Daisy Brand, Rogers, Arkansas
- Daniel Menkens, RecorGroup, Eagle, Idaho
- Jim Perillo, RDD Associates, Totowa, New Jersey
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based NFRA represents all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry, sponsoring national promotions including March Frozen Food Month and June Dairy Month and providing consumer resources through its Easy Home Meals platform.
Related: Record Attendance, 7,500 Meetings Highlight 2026 NFRA Convention