Our Leadership Team

Our Team

 

John Kirk

John Kirk

President

About John

John leads Elior North America Community Meals, which includes TRIO Community Meals, Traditions Manufacturing, and LiveWell with Traditions. TRIO provides critical nutrition to our communities’ older adults and other vulnerable populations. Through John’s leadership, TRIO delivers nutritious meals, provides exemplary service, engages in strong client partnerships, and executes a high level of satisfaction from adult participants. Traditions Manufacturing operates out of a USDA and FDA-inspected facility producing over half a million frozen and shelf-stable meals per week. LiveWell with Traditions provides direct-to-home delivery of healthcare meals for managed care organizations and insurance plans. These services enable older adults to exhibit improvements in mental health, feel less lonely, and be more confident living independently in their homes. 

During the recent COVID-19 dynamic environment, John guided TRIO teams as they strategically pivoted operational plans.  The thoughtful implementation enabled TRIO to ensure millions of individuals received the critical nutrition they relied upon. 

Before joining Elior North America, John led a successful career as a Chef/Owner and Entrepreneur. He successfully developed several award-winning restaurant brands throughout his career.  John’s culinary skills, financial management, and team building led to many successes in the hospitality industry as a multi-unit, multi-concept executive leader.

John holds degrees in Hotel & Restaurant Management and Accounting and Information Technology. He resides in Madison, MS, where he enjoys cooking for family and friends. 

 

Lisa Damore

Lisa Damore

Managing Director, Growth

About Lisa

Lisa Damore is the Managing Director, Growth at TRIO Community Meals. She leads the Growth Team with a passion for nourishing our nation’s seniors. Lisa builds partnerships with clients to further their mission of serving and feeding seniors by offering enhanced programming in food, wellness, people, and our planet. 

In addition to her primary responsibilities, Lisa serves as the TRIO Community Meals champion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; where she believes that DEI is more than an acronym, it is a holistic approach that embraces diversity, strives to provide equitable and fair treatment, and offers a sense of belonging for all. “My experiences have always motivated me to share the importance of DEI. Although the conversations can sometimes be uncomfortable, discussing differences, understanding heritage, and embracing others allows us to grow and connect as people,” says Lisa.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University. She serves on the board of directors for a national foundation that champions school and college readiness, providing access and opportunity to education. Lisa has extensive experience in healthcare, technology, and the food service industry. Her experience strengthens her current role to bring innovative solutions to the senior nutrition market. 

Anna Roberts

Anna Roberts

Senior Vice President

About Anna

Since starting with ENA in 2014, Anna has made an enormous impact on our organization. She was instrumental in the set-up of the Shared Service Center and led the conversion of 14 companies into to the SSC. She then moved into the role of Senior Director of Finance in 2018 overseeing Valley, Bateman, Lindley, and Sidekim. In that role, she played an integral part in merging those companies into what is now TRIO Community Meals.

Since then, Anna was a driving force in helping the Community Meals team navigate numerous business challenges, including the pandemic and inflation mitigation. Most recently, Anna has taken on additional responsibilities moving Traditions into the Community Meals segment as well as being part of the leadership team that built and launched our new business, LiveWell with Traditions.

As the Senior Vice President, Anna is responsible for leading the TRIO Community Meals teams. She has 20 years of experience in the accounting field, in addition to 10 years of hands-on foodservice experience from her formative high school and college years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and an MBA from Mississippi College. Anna enjoys spending time with her friends and family riding jet skis or roller coasters! She is based in Brandon, Mississippi.

Sara Kadlec

Sara Kadlec

Director of Human Resources

About Sara

Sara has been with Elior since 2018 when she joined the team as the Human Resources Business Partner. During her tenure with Elior, she has supported several segments including Higher Education and K-12. Sara has also worked with Elior Group on several projects including the 2021 Employee Engagement Survey. In addition to her experience in HR, she worked in operations in the retail industry and is a Certified Project Manager.

In her role, Sara will be responsible for supporting TRIO’s leadership team in the strategic initiatives around our people and their growth. She will also be supporting the growth of LiveWell with Traditions.

Sara currently resides in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with her husband Mike and two daughters, Olivia and Isabel.

Brian BonAnno

Brian BonAnno

Senior Director of Finance

About Brian

Brian has been with Elior since 2019, initially working as the finance lead for A’viands and Lancer, before moving to the Cura Foodservice / Healthcare Segment. Before joining Elior, he gained food service experience in various corporate finance positions at the HJ Heinz Company as well as Outback Steakhouse. He is a firm believer in collaboration and strives to be a valued business partner to all levels of the leadership team.

Brian is excited to bring his financial and strategic planning expertise to TRIO Community Meals.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Florida.

Michelle Popish

Michelle Popish

Vice President of Information Services

About Michelle

Michelle has over 17 years of experience in information technology. At Elior North America, she is responsible for back of house applications and business intelligence.  She is also the Information Services liaison for the Community Meals segment and the finance organization. 

Michelle is passionate about providing an exceptional experience to customers and clients through systems, processes and technology. She has helped innovate, automate and enhance the tools and processes used across the organization. Michelle continuously looks for ways to evolve and transform our offerings and capabilities through technology while managing the IS strategy, budget and roadmap for Elior North America. 

Lisa Bishop

Lisa Bishop

Director of Operations

About Lisa

Lisa is the West Regional Manager for TRIO Community Meals. She has worked in a variety of capacities in the foodservice industry for more than 15 years. Prior to joining TRIO, Lisa worked as Director of Dietary for Cambridge Healthcare in Southern California. Her passion for senior care and her desire to improve the overall quality of life for the elderly are a tremendous asset to her role. In the past, she has volunteered for organizations specializing in Alzheimer’s research and helped coordinate fundraising events for senior citizens.

 Lisa received a Bachelor of Science in food service hospitality from California State Long Beach. She is also a Certified Dietary Manager, ServSafe Trainer/Proctor, and holds a DSS certification.

 

Bob Santana

Bob Santana

Director of Operations

About Bob

Bob is a seasoned professional with 30+ years of foodservice industry experience. From his experience as a Residential Dining employee at West Texas State University all the way up to his current role as the Southwest Regional Manager for Trio, Bob understands the inner workings of a foodservice operation from the inside out. As a District Manager, he is responsible for monitoring the quality and delivery of 5 million meals every year across 10 operations in 6 states. Bob ensures that every TRIO team member is trained and ready to serve our clients and their customers with a smile and provide the incredible customer service our clients have come to expect.

Bob received an education from Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, and is certified in the FMP, the Food Systems Program, the Think/Work Safe Program, the Quality Assurance Safe Food program, and more. His certifications and his impressive tenure in the foodservice industry make him an attentive and capable District Manager that our clients love to work with.

 

Chad Lee

Chad Lee

Director of Operations

About Chad

Chad brings more than 20 years of experience to his current role as the Southeast Regional Manager at TRIO Community Meals. Since 2008, Chad has run dining operations for various accounts smoothly, efficiently, and cost effectively. In addition, he provides outstanding customer service and works with our clients to ensure that all regulations, policies, and contractual obligations are followed and fulfilled correctly.

Chad received an MBA from Texas Tech, a BS in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Southern Mississippi, and is a licensed dietitian. His business acumen combined with his nutritional awareness make him an exemplary Director of Operations.

Rose Ashraf

Rose Ashraf

Director of Operations, Safety & Compliance

About Rose

Rose Ashraf has over 30 years of operational management experience with special emphasis on food safety, employee safety, continuous process improvement, project management, and start-up operations. She started with TRIO Community Meals in 2019, where she oversees all employee safety programs to event workplace accidents by monitoring safety performance.

In addition to her oversight of workplace safety, Rose is also responsible for food safety programs to ensure compliance with FDA and State Health Codes. This includes providing training for audit readiness and implementing food safety plans, Seafood HACCP plans, and Good Manufacturing Practices. Rose is also responsible for investigating and delivering corrective actions for any quality issues, reviewing areas of opportunity in food safety such as sanitation programs, chemicals, and other needs, and inspecting facilities to assess and correct any food safety improvement initiatives.

Rose earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Bahawalpur – Pakistan. She also studied Management & Psychology at St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY.

 

Tammy Kingery

Tammy Kingery

Director of Nutrition & Wellness

About Tammy

Tammy leads our team of registered dietitians who are solely dedicated to menu writing for senior nutrition programs. Tammy and her team collaborate with each client to meet nutritional requirements while ensuring a balanced meal variety and innovative menus. Tammy teams up with TRIO’s corporate chef to bring innovative culinary experiences to seniors in our communities. She is always available to collaborate on menu ideas to enhance the senior dining experience.

Chef Mario Reyes, WCMC, CEC

Chef Mario Reyes, WCMC, CEC

Director of Culinary & Innovation

About Mario

Chef Mario Reyes began his culinary career in Toronto, Canada. He worked in prestigious hotels like Four Seasons, Sutton Place, and King Edward Hotel. He moved to the U.S., worked at the Westbury NY hotel, and opened Le Meridien Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

After many years in the hotel industry, he joined Nestle North America and worked with numerous chefs and food companies worldwide in menu & product development and innovation.

Chef Reyes is a certified Master Chef, and he has competed and managed U.S. culinary teams in international competitions in Sweden, Luxembourg, Bangkok, Ireland, and the Culinary Olympics in Germany.

As the Director of Culinary and Innovation for TRIO Community Meals, he leads and energizes the culinary innovation process through menu & recipe development to bring seniors the best variety and quality through nutritious meals.

His motivation comes from his passions for cooking, his love of people, and sharing and learning with others. “HAPPY COOKING”

Tristin Perry

Tristin Perry

Director of Marketing

About Tristin

Tristin Perry is the Director of Marketing for TRIO Community Meals. Her experience includes marketing, social media, graphic design, public relations, and communications for several industries, including health care and education. Tristin describes herself as a storyteller. “Every company has a story to tell, and it’s my job to not only tell that story but show it by bringing a brand to life,” Tristin says. She is passionate about understanding the customer journey, collaborating with colleagues, and learning ways she can help take a company to the next level.

At TRIO Community Meals, Tristin manages all aspects of marketing initiatives, production, and implementation. She is responsible for providing nutrition education and wellness materials supporting TRIO partners’ mission.

Tristin graduated from Kutztown University, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public relations.

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