WIU board chair named to Top 30 Women in Food
The chair of the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees has been honored for her long career in the restaurant industry.
Carin Stutz has been named one of the Top 30 Women in Food in 2024 by Lunchbox. She landed in fifth place on the list of 30 outstanding women due to her 50-year career in the restaurant industry. She has held pivotal roles during her career, including board member, president and CEO with brands like Hawaiian Bros, Kura Sushi and Cosi.
Stutz, a 1978 home economics graduate, is the former chief operating officer and executive vice president for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. Before that, she was president of McAlister’s Corporation at FOCUS Brands Inc. She was named the CEO and president of Cosi, Inc. in 2012 and served as a member of Cosi’s Board of Directors from 2012-13.
She served as the president and COO of global business development for Brinker International for three years, leading franchise development and operations for Chili’s and Maggiano’s restaurants worldwide; spent eight years as an executive vice president of operations for Applebee’s International; was central and pacific division vice president for Wendy’s International for five years; served as regional operations vice president for Sodexo, U.S.A. and was vice president of corporate operations for NutriSystem, Inc.
Stutz co-founded the GLEAM Network, which provides mentorship to underprivileged people in the food service sector.
Lunchbox accepts nominations each year to create a pool of 60 final nominees, who then go through a voting round to determine the Top 30 Women in the Food Industry. The nomination and voting phases stay open for two weeks to allow public participation. After the votes are collected, the candidates are selected based on their popularity among the public.
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