At the July Board of Directors meeting today held at the newly remodeled Tony and Joe's in Washington Harbour, Lynne Breaux. president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) announced that she will not seek renewal of her contract with RAMW when it expires in March 2013. She announced it again to Association members and guests at the social after the meeting.
The timing of Ms. Breaux’s announcement will provide the RAMW Board of Directors sufficient time to develop a transition plan, recruit candidates for the position and hire a new head of the association by next March.
In announcing her decision, Breaux thanked all her team players – staff, executive committee and board members that she has worked with over the years enabling RAMW "to grow in membership, visibility and viability.” And she stated that she is looking forward to continuing in a different capacity to “fight for the right to eat, drink and be merry, hospitably, responsibly and profitably.”
Throughout this transition, Lynne Breaux will be fully engaged in the running of the Association, as she has been for the past 10 plus years.
Personal Commentary: Lynne and I met for the first time after she had started in her new position and I was starting this newsmagazine for the trade Foodservice Monthly. We shared our vision riding around town celebrating the first Washington Restaurant Week (this is early 2002 after the effects of 9/11). We both had a vision ... but nothing to show for it yet. We are both still here today living our dream ... and Lynne Breaux with the help of a fully committed board and a soon to be thriving, growing membership has made RAMW a restaurant association that others can now be measured against.
And as I said to Peter Arapis on my way out of the social, "Congratulations, you now get your wife back."
Nice job Lynne, you've set the bar mighty high ... and that's where it should be. And all the best.
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