Laora Mari

Director
Chair of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee
Member of the Conflicts Review Committee
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Strategic Growth Committee

Currently, Ms. Sweeney is serving as an Executive-In-Residence at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. In addition, Ms. Sweeney serves as Executive Director of the Association and NonProfit Practice of the global real estate firm JLL and as Principal for the New England Consulting Group.

Ms. Sweeney was previously the longest-serving and first woman President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association where she was responsible for advancing and protecting the United States’ one million restaurants and 15 million employees and oversaw a historic shift in the organization’s governance and DE&I leadership, while more than doubling membership, employee engagement and revenues.

Ms. Sweeney also led the negotiations for an equity partnership in Winsight Media, selling operational ownership of the National Restaurant Association’s Show in 2018 and executing the single largest financial transaction in National Restaurant Association’s hundred-year history. Ms. Sweeney also served in various roles, including as President of AARP Services, Vice President of Market Development for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Vice President of Marketing of International Dairy Foods Association, where she launched the “milk mustache” advertising campaign. Ms. Sweeney is also an independent board member of SITE Centers Corp. (NYSE: SITC), where she serves on the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. She is also Vice Chair on the board of MedStar’s National Rehabilitation Hospital, where she serves as Chair of the Quality and Safety Committee. She previously served on the board of Save the Children US, where she led the Board Governance Review Committee. Ms. Sweeney has been twice named “Trade Association CEO of the Year” by two different national organizations.

Ms. Sweeney is a member of the inaugural class of the Harvard Business School’s “Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director” program and is also an NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Certified Director (2021). Ms. Sweeney earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from Colby College and an MBA in Marketing with honors from The George Washington University.