Staff Members

Lynne Breaux
RAMW President

Lynne Breaux has been President of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) since October 2001 and, in that position, has been a spokesperson and lobbyist for the restaurant and food service industry. During her tenure, RAMW has grown significantly in membership, revenue, viability and visibility. Through an explosive increase in media coverage Ms. Breaux has been instrumental in defining and polishing the profile of the Washington Metropolitan Area’s restaurant community.

Prior to her position as President of RAMW, Ms. Breaux was an owner/operator of a Capitol Hill restaurant (February 29, 1988-Mardi Gras, February 29, 2001) and was featured in Sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s 1999 book, The Great Good Place, “It is where politicians, poets and people of all ages converse and celebrate.”

Writing extensively on hospitality issues Ms. Breaux’s editorials have been featured in The New York Times, Travel and Leisure, The Washington Post, The Washington and New Orleans Business Journals, USA TODAY, The Times Picayune, and many more. She was a regular contributor to The Maryland/Washington Beverage Journal. She also contributed to Celebrating the Third Place, Inspiring Stories about the Great Good Places at the Heart of Our Communities, compiled by Professor Oldenburg. USA TODAY described her essay as “descriptive and playful.”

Representing restaurants on issues such as transportation funding and tourism promotion, fighting a constant barrage of restaurant taxation and excessive regulations on Capitol Hill, in the District of Columbia and Virginia, Ms. Breaux, in tandem with the RAMW Board, has achieved significant victories for the restaurant industry. She coined the RAMW motto of “Fighting for the right to eat, drink and be merry, hospitably, responsibly and profitably.”

Ms. Breaux is a native of New Orleans and a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. In addition to her Capitol Hill restaurant, Ms. Breaux’s hospitality career has spanned 30 years and included Director of Catering positions for The Madison and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Washington, DC and the Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans.

In addition to her service to the restaurant community, Ms. Breaux is a member of the boards of numerous local and national organizations including the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, and Destination DC. A longtime proponent of responsible hospitality, Ms. Breaux is also involved with the Responsible Hospitality Institute, which promotes responsible hospitality practices in the District and beyond. Prior to joining RAMW, Ms. Breaux served on its Board of Directors from 1992 through 2001. She is a former Board Member of the National License Beverage Association. A resident of Washington, DC since 1984, Ms. Breaux resides on Capitol Hill.

*Both books are available from www.Amazon.com

Betsy Allman
Special Assistant to the President

Betsy Allman as the Special Assistant to the President of RAMW has become invaluable in assisting with several areas within the organization. Right away she jumped into the fray organizing and archiving the tremendous amount of information that drives this organization.

Betsy's no stranger to the industry. Although she's a native Washingtonian, Betsy started her hospitality travels in New Orleans Steamboatin' with the Delta Queen and New Orleans Steamboat Companies. As a charter sales rep at NOSC she booked parties on the steamboats for up to 2,300 passengers and specialized in entertainment industry events including the cast party for the road company of Evita and the crew party for the Rolling Stones tour (never did get one of those brownies they were passing around).

After almost three years in NOLA, it was back to DC as Assistant Director of Catering at the Ritz-Carlton. Soon to join her at the Ritz as Director of Catering was Lynne Breaux. Up to this point in Betsy's hospitality career it was all front of the house, but family history began to exert its pressures to try her hand in the kitchen. As the youngest girl in a family of seven kids, the chore choices were clear for her - it's a lot more fun making the mess than cleaning it up. Here again, Lynne and Betsy teamed up and Lynne's Capitol Hill restaurant got a new cook. The kitchen took Betsy in green and passed her on a bit, well, black and blue but ready to tackle larger and more varied cooking venues including the ARAMARK Inter-American Development Bank and Federal Reserve Board components. More recently, Betsy was honing her customer service and operations skills in retail, the latest being the Marvelous Market store at Gallery Place.

Ishi Patterson
Member Services Director

As Member Services Director, Ishi (EYE SHE) is responsible for making sure that RAMW member benefits and Endorsed Provider programs run smoothly. She is also the go-to person for membership information, Restaurant Week, and Gala ticket sales.

A Computer Information Systems and Business Administration graduate of Strayer University, Ishi brings a mixture of computer savvy, great management abiltiy and an accounting background to RAMW. Prior to joining our team, she worked with a national media distribution company and became quite familiar with a few of our members while she was on the staff of Bowers Communications. Ishi has also worked closely with Balancing Act; another active member of the Association.

Jennifer Lehman
Membership & Training Director

As Membership & Training Director, Jennifer is responsible for managing and promoting RAMW membership, ServSafe Food and Alcohol certification courses, leadership seminars and other member related training and educational programs.

A graduate from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Jennifer has 10 years experience in the Hospitality and Food Service industry. In 1997 she returned to Honduras where she worked as the Marketing and Assistant Manager for Caribbean Sands Resort & Club. Her success in implementing effective marketing strategies led her to become a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. She went on to develop a vital relationship with the Honduran Tourism Institute. Volunteering on a variety of training programs for the country’s recreation, park and tourism agencies, Jennifer discovered her vocation for teaching.

In 2001 she moved to the Washington DC area establishing her career as a Spanish teacher at St. Ambrose School in Cheverly, MD. Jennifer created and established their first foreign language program. An essential component of her program highlighted the Annual Multicultural Week Celebration bringing together parents, students and leaders of the community. Serving as a liaison, she directed outreach programs as an interpreter for the Spanish speaking residents of Prince George’s county and surrounding areas.

After completing her culinary training at Carlos Rosario International Career Center in 2006, she accepted a position at Ridgewells Caterering Company as the Food Production office manager. Working along side the Corporate and Executive Chefs, Jennifer gained vast knowledge and experience relating to the operations of a catering company. She now joins RAMW Education Foundation as the Program Director where she coordinates and develops all training programs to support our local hospitality industry. Her background in marketing, education and culinary arts provide her with essential skills to move the Foundation’s training programs forward.

Farisa Newaldass
Office Manager

Farisa Kristy Newaldass, our Office Manager and ServSafe Coordinator, comes from a strong administrative and customer service background. Farisa's extrordinary customer service skills and her upbeat attitude helps our members and others feel welcomed at all times. Prior to joining our team, Farisa worked for Jury's Hotel as the General Cashier, where she served as an integral part of the accounting department.

Farisa was born and raised in Trinidad and came to United States in her pre-teen years. Initially her interests were to pursue a RN degree, however, Farisa has changed gears and is now focusing on furthering her education in Business Administration.

With a warm demeanor and bright smile, you will always find Farisa ready to assist in all capacities and with the daily functions of the Association.