The National Restaurant Association announced the addition of two new staff members that will enhance the Association’s public policy team and work alongside the advocacy team. Angelo Amador joined the Association as vice president of labor and workforce policy, and Joy Dubost was named director of nutrition and healthy living.
As vice president of labor and workforce policy, Amador will lead workforce regulatory efforts on behalf of the restaurant and foodservice industry, the nation’s second largest private-sector employer. Amador has senior-level experience working on issues that are critical to the foodservice and hospitality industry, most recently serving as an executive director in the Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits Division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Angelo’s expertise on workforce issues makes him a great addition to the Association’s efforts in this arena,” says Scott DeFife, executive vice president of policy and government affairs for the National Restaurant Association. “Angelo is joining us at a critical time in the development of labor, immigration, and health care reform. His efforts will be critical in advancing sensible laws and regulations that promote a healthy business climate and economic viability for the industry. We are pleased to have Angelo join the Association in a senior role and welcome his leadership.”
In his more than five years at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Amador served at a senior level with responsibility over issues ranging from workforce and employment verification to global migration and border policy. He has testified before both branches of the U.S. Congress, the Canadian Senate, and state legislatures, as well as served in numerous national and international legal and legislative panels and conferences.
Prior to his work at the Chamber, Amador worked as an attorney in private practice and a law clerk in the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. He was also a staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund in Washington, D.C., and a policy advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico in its Washington, D.C., office. Amador is fluent in four languages and has varying degrees of proficiency in four others. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree from George Mason University, a law degree from George Mason University School of Law, and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. Amador has been an instructor at the Virginia Beach Law Enforcement Academy and a Writing Fellow and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University School of Law.
Joy Dubost joins the Association as the director of nutrition and healthy living. In this position, she will provide leadership and expertise on a wide spectrum of health and nutrition issues. She most recently served as principal nutritionist in nutrition communications for key initiatives for PepsiCo Inc., including supporting the brands Quaker and Tropicana.
“We are pleased to have Joy Dubost join us as a key member of the public affairs team, who will help lead the Association’s efforts on some of the industry’s most pressing issues,” DeFife says.
“Joy’s expertise and breadth of experience in nutrition and communicating the complex science around nutrition are critical as we lead and represent the industry during a period of great opportunity,” says Joan McGlockton, vice president of industry affairs and food policy for the Association.
Before taking on her last position at PepsiCo in 2006, Dubost worked for two years as a senior scientist at the company, leading product development teams and providing technical guidance. Prior to her work at PepsiCo, Dubost was a clinical dietitian at Penn State’s Geisinger Medical Center and a clinical nutritionist for two rehabilitation centers in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Dubost received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and nutrition/dietetics from Hood College and a master’s degree in food science from the University of Georgia. She earned a doctorate in food science from Penn State University.
