From food safety recalls—the latest of pistachios—to an economy that has thrown small restaurateurs and national chains alike into a tailspin, Dawn Sweeney has a full plate. At the group’s headquarters in Washington, D.C, the National Restaurant Association is deep into a restructuring plan that will combine its government affairs and communications departments. Sweeney said the goal is to make the trade group more issue-oriented and strengthen ties to a network of 50 state restaurant organizations. She also leads NRA’s educational foundation, based in Chicago, and one of the largest annual trade shows in the association sector. At the helm since July 2007, Sweeney said… Read More