The National Restaurant Association named Tom Bene its new CEO and president, effective June 1. He replaces Dawn Sweeny, who left the trade group last year. Marvin Irby has been operating as interim CEO. Bene was CEO of Sysco Corp. for two years and started working for the company in 2013. Before that, he spent 23 years at PepsiCo Inc.
Phil Karsting is joining law and lobbying firm Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz PC as senior policy adviser. He was interim president and CEO of World Food Program USA after serving as the organization’s vice president for public policy. Before that he worked as administrator of the Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service under former President Obama.
Vaughn Jennings, former vice president of communications at Airlines for America nearly three years, was named senior vice president at Bullpen Strategy Group. He worked at Airlines for America for more than seven years in different posts and before that was press secretary and director of digital media for ex-Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.).
William Kerwin Lane left Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was an associate for nearly two years, to join the Criminal Division at the Justice Department.
Chris Massey was named head of global government relations and public affairs at the mobile banking startup Chime. He previously worked for a year as senior vice president of government relations and public affairs at telemedicine company hims & hers. Before that, he was head of global government relations and public policy at mobile payment company Square Inc. for more than two years.