Lisa Mack Presented with Service Award at National Conference
April 27, 2022
It wasn't business as usual at the 2022 Annual Meeting for the National CACFP Sponsors Association. There was the typical run of events: a call to order, acceptance of the agenda, etc. And then a surprise. Executive Director Lisa Mack was presented with a service award for her decade of dedicated work with the NCA.
Lisa is full of energy and a highly effective leader. You have to get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on her. That's why it was all the sweeter when the NCA Board of Directors was able to stun Lisa with an award acknowledging her profound impact this year during the NCA annual meeting. In presenting the award, Board President Blake Stanford had this to say, "Lisa, it's been an incredible journey, and it's been a lot of work, and it's been a ton of fun. Thank you for believing in the dream that we share, and making that dream of a strong association a reality. Thank you for keeping NCA vibrant, relevant, and supportive to our members and families that we serve for the last ten years. Thank you Lisa!" Ever the conference professional, Lisa responded with "This is not in the script, by the way!" But staff and board members weren't at all surprised by the off-script inclusion--she couldn't be more deserving of the recognition.
"Lisa, it's been an incredible journey, and it's been a lot of work, and it's been a ton of fun. Thank you for believing in the dream that we share, and making that dream of a strong association a reality. Thank you for keeping NCA vibrant, relevant, and supportive to our members and families that we serve for the last ten years. Thank you Lisa!"
Lisa's National CACFP Sponsors Association Trajectory
Lisa's award was an inevitability following years of effort, including navigating several high stakes pivots during the pandemic. The 2022 National Child Nutrition Conference was the first return to face to face conference programming following two years of cancellations and virtual events due to the pandemic. Lisa gracefully balanced the demands of public health safety with the ongoing needs of the CACFP community to receive support, professional development and networking opportunities. The result was two years of innovative virtual programming and a stronger-than-ever network of professionals.
Even prior to the pandemic, Lisa was a master of innovation, advancement and development. She was the first professional hire of the NCA board, ushering in a new era of explosive growth for the organization. Lisa has personally overseen the evolution of NCA staff, enabling the introduction of a variety of programming and development opportunities for members. She has left an indelible mark on the last ten years of the NCA, and will guide its trajectory for many years to come.
Lisa Mack is the executive director responsible for working with the board of directors to develop and implement the long-term operating plan to ensure the growth and success of the National CACFP Sponsors Association. Central to that plan is managing member and partner relationships, resource and product development, and training and conference programming. Lisa previously served as the director of corporate communications for a food service software corporation where she was responsible for client communications and newsletters, user group conferences, and partnerships with industry organizations such as Second Harvest, Research Chefs Association, Women's Foodservice Forum and the Society for the Advancement of Food Service Research. Lisa is a graduate of Pace University with a BBA.