After steering two other groups through crises, Michelle Korsmo to lead industry plagued by pandemic; sees chance to ‘make a difference'

(This story was originally posted Feb. 15 and updated Feb. 18.)

For Michelle Korsmo, her upcoming role as CEO of the National Restaurant Association and its foundation is her latest, and by far biggest, challenge to date in association management.

"It's interesting, having had the privilege of leading two trade associations that were going through a lot of change," Korsmo said, referring to her time as CEO of the American Land Title Association for seven years and, currently, CEO of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America since 2018. She led ALTA through the housing crisis, and WSWA in the midst of the pandemic.

"One of the really gratifying roles of the job is being able to make a difference when the industry has challenges," she said. "We all realized during the pandemic how important restaurants are in our lives. It's heartbreaking when you lose those favorite places, and you feel like you lost a little bit of the community."

Korsmo begins her new roles May 1. She was recruited to the restaurant group by Spencer Stuart, and she recalled a similar feeling to when she was recruited away from ALTA.

"I'm always all-in where I am. I'm always thinking about the work in front of me with the association that I'm leading," she said. "To have a mental shift to think about working for another industry, and helping them address their problems, is always a challenge.

"At the wine and spirits wholesalers, we're doing wonderful things, and the team here is strong," Korsmo said. "We have terrific plans for how we're transforming the association."

Rewards, challenges

Korsmo takes over at NRA following the departure of Tom Bené last fall. The foodservice industry executive had taken on the association's top job in June 2020, just a few months into the pandemic, and stayed in the role about 1½ years. He left to run alcoholic beverage distributor Breakthru Beverage Group.

Marvin Irby, the association's CFO and chief people officer, was interim CEO both before and after Bené's tenure.

"(Korsmo) brings—to both our association and foundation—association leadership experience, including working closely with policymakers on a bipartisan basis. On a personal level, she embodies a warm sense of hospitality," restaurant association board Chair Lance Trenary said in a statement.
The demands of the job are great for Korsmo—thousands of restaurants have permanently closed their doors, with more at risk—but so are the potential rewards.

WSWA reported revenue of $12 million in 2019, versus $106 million—including the foundation—in 2020 for her new group. And NRA CEO Dawn Sweeney, who preceded Bené, was among the association sector's top-paid CEOs, taking home nearly $4 million in 2019, her 12th and final year with NRA. Korsmo earned nearly $1 million in 2019 at WSWA, according to the group's latest tax disclosure.

Spencer Stuart assisted in the search.