Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF), a leadership development organization in the foodservice sector, and Sysco, sponsor of the 2014 Sewell Scholarship, have recognized Lisa Schairer as this year’s recipient. Schairer is vice president of food and nutrition services and environmental services for Aurora Health Care.

“This is a tremendous honor for Lisa and presents a wonderful opportunity for her to further develop leadership skills that have already made an impact within Aurora Health Care,” says Amy Rislov, senior vice president of human resources at Aurora Health Care. “Lisa is very passionate about her job and is committed to enhancing the patient experience throughout the Aurora system, which includes directing a high quality and innovative food service. ”

Sponsored by Sysco, the Sewell Scholarship award is named in honor of Phyllis Shapiro Sewell, a former Sysco board member and champion of women’s rights in the workplace. As a supporter of high-level leadership development programs, Sysco annually provides funds to an emerging female executive to attend the WFF Executive Leadership Program in partnership with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“We are proud to recognize Lisa Schairer for her career accomplishments and to support her continued development as a leader in the foodservice industry through the Phyllis Sewell Scholarship,” says Bill DeLaney, president and CEO of Sysco.

Schairer’s leadership experience and willingness to seek out opportunities for career growth make her an ideal candidate for WFF’s Executive Leadership Program. Schairer has been successful at Aurora Health Care by building a cohesive team that reduces cost and increases efficiency while maintaining excellent relationships with multi-disciplinary departments. She demonstrates innovative thinking and pushes the boundaries of her organization to obtain positive outcomes.

“WFF ‘s Leadership Program is the recognized executive leadership development program for the foodservice sector, “ says Anna Mason, general manager of WFF.  “We want to develop a pipeline of executive leaders who will be the new faces of leadership.”