The New England Consulting Group adds new principal at Restaurant and Association Practices

The New England Consulting Group (NECG) is pleased to announce the addition of Dawn Sweeney (attached) to its exclusive Restaurant and Association practices. Dawn joins Founder & CEO, Gary Stibel, and Managing Partners Steven Robins, David Stone, Bob Lepre and John Richards in the company’s Westport, Connecticut headquarters offices.

Dawn brings a wealth of experience to both the New England Consulting Group’s Restaurant and Association practices, having been President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association for the past twelve years.  She has been recognized nationally as the “Trade Association CEO of the Year” in 2017 and 2018 and named one of the most powerful women in Washington, DC for each of the past five years.

She is a member of The Economic Club of Washington, DC, the National Association of Corporate Directors, the International Women’s Forum, and C200, a membership organization of the world’s most innovative corporate entrepreneurs.

Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs, stated that "Dawn Sweeney's leadership within the restaurant industry is legendary. Her combination of strategic vision, commitment to service, and universal empathy will surely add tremendous value to the New England Consulting Group."   

In the Restaurant practice, Dawn is joined by John Richards, former president of Starbucks U.S. Operations, Dave Stone, former CMO of Taco Bell, Mike Lorelli, former CEO of Pizza Hut International and James White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, and Gary Stibel.

In the Association practice, she is joined by partners who helped create the Century Counsel, the American Heart Association   and numerous other programs that created long-lasting value for associations, their members and the communities in which they operate.

Prior to leading the National Restaurant Association, Dawn held positions of increasing responsibility at AARP, leading to the presidency of AARP Services and Group Membership Executive.  She also had previous experience as an executive at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and International Dairy Foods Association.

She serves on the Board of SITE Centers (NYSE: SITC) and on the Audit and Executive Committees, and previously chaired the Nominations & Governance Committee, at Save the Children.  She served as Board Chair for the Bryce Harlow Foundation and she has also served on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Women’s Foodservice Forum and was recently named an “ASAE Fellow”, a designation reserved for the top one percent of association leaders in the nation.

According to Gary Stibel, CEO of NECG,  “I’m thrilled to have Dawn Sweeney working with us in this space. She was a smart and demanding client who can now apply her considerable Restaurant and Association experience to the leading players in these categories.”