A GROWING INDUSTRYA BETTER CHICAGOLAND |
![]() | Alan Reed, Executive DirectorAlan Reed is the Executive Director of Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network. Prior to this role, Alan was Executive Vice President, Strategy & Innovation at Dairy Management, Inc., and was responsible for creating and driving innovative strategies to grow dairy demand. Alan has a degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University and an MBA in Management & Strategy from Northwestern University. |
![]() | Mayra Cruz, Administrative AssistantMayra Cruz is the Administrative Assistant for Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network. Mayra comes to CFBN with over 20 years of administrative experience. Prior to joining CFBN, Mayra worked as an Executive Assistant at Dairy Management, Inc. She attended Northwestern Business College in Chicago. |
Andrea J. Carbine, OperationsAndrea J. Carbine is an entrepreneur, chef, and consultant working in food for over twenty-five years. She was recognized with two James Beard nominations, a Local Hero award, and a Women of Excellence Award for Entrepreneurship for her work in the kitchen and in her own ventures. She has launched, operated, scaled, and sold her own entrepreneurial ventures. She currently works as a food-systems consultant in both large scale ventures and food service enterprises via her own firm, Optimist Consulting. She also launched a non-profit, The FrontBurner Foundation in 2018 to support education and capital for the food-service industry. She attended Boston University, the University of Washington, and holds additional credentials from the International Culinary Center in NYC and the Grant Training Center. | |
Anna Briggs Pirila, Communications ManagerAnna brings a healthy dose of creativity and passion to the field of public relations and communications. With a background in education and psychology, she works with Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network and our members to identify communications goals, to design the strategy and tactics that help deliver content and messaging in an engaging and focused way. It is her attention to both small details and the bigger picture that have guided Anna’s creation of nonprofit fundraiser and explainer videos, compelling social media content and graphics, newsletters, media outreach and event collateral. | |
![]() | Patrick Schaffler, Finance & PlanningPatrick has been with Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network soon after its inception, initially serving as interim COO, and now primarily as a consultant for varying financial control needs and special projects. Prior to this role, Patrick served as the Executive Director at the Northern Michigan Catholic Foundation, leading the organization through an operational stabilization. He spent much of his career in Chicago in the banking and fund services sector, then serving as a Director in Dairy Management Inc.’s Strategy, Insights and Planning department. Patrick has a degree in Finance and Business Economics from The University of Notre Dame. |