Regional Vice President, California

Tayha brings a wide variety of experiences and expertise to our team. Most recently with KBP Brands serving as Regional Vice President, Tayha focused on team building and development, creating systems and processes, delivering operational efficiencies, franchisee relations, acquisitions, and new restaurant openings.

With more than thirty years in the food and hospitality industry, other professional experiences include positions of varying levels with Yum! Brands, Rubio’s Restaurants, Inc., and Boston Market. Additionally, Tayha has held a variety of operational and corporate function roles of increasing levels of responsibility during her career progression. She is grounded in her ‘why’ which is a strong passion for her teams’ success, delivering on her promise to partners and continuous improvement. Tayha holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.

Tayha currently lives in Vista, CA, and has two children, Nick and Katie, and two granddaughters, Brooklyn and Audrina. Katie is in Oregon finishing up her pharmaceutical degree and Nick lives nearby. Away from work Tayha enjoys spending time with her family doing watersports, spending time in nature and helping others. She lives by the motto – Love your space, love your people and it will come back to you.

District Manager, Southern CA

Originally from Indiana a small town farm boy. Have worked in the Food and Beverage industry for over 20 years. Culinary School Graduate of Le Cordon Blue. Minor in Business. Worked in a variety of restaurants from Fine Dining to your Local Café at all different levels.

I have most recently worked as a Resident District Manager for CSUF and before that a Resident District Manager for our Fighting Marines at Camp Pendleton Ca and have been a General Manager for over eight years with Sodexo. Throughout the course of my career, I have honed a variety of skills that required a customer-first, detail-oriented mentality. I excel in face-paced environments which frequently require I transition between prioritized tasks seamlessly.

When leaving a small town in Indiana and heading to California with only a sleeping bag the sky was the limit for me. Scared and Excited at the same time. After working as a dishwasher and getting promoted to Kitchen Manager I decided to go after my culinary degree. After I achieved that goal, the next chapter opened, and I was able to travel around the west coast learning new skills and trades from wonderful mentors along the way to where it landed me here!

In my spare time I enjoy exercising, working on my car and motorcycle, and spending time with my family and my dogs! I have my wife, two kids and four rowdy dogs that keep me busy in my spare time. My wife is a former Marine and runs a tight ship for all of us at the household. Both kids are perfecting their trades and I couldn’t be happier to see their progress.

District Manager, Northern CA

As a proud graduate of University of Texas and Texas A&M, David joined Chartwells Higher Education in 2012 and brings extensive operational, financial and marketing experience to this new role.

David began his Chartwells’ career as Regional District Manager in 2012, leading the dining program transition from a university operation to Chartwells.  Following his time in operations, David used his experience as an RDM to develop new sales and retention strategies contributing to a +98% retention rate as Director of Sales & Strategy Support.

David returned to operations as Resident District Manager overseeing San Francisco State University and UC Berkely. Moving from Northern California, David increased his responsibilities leading seven universities in Missouri and Texas as District Manager, focusing on Chartwells standards in finance, safety, marketing and human resources. With his experience leading large, dynamic teams, David returned to Texas as Vice President of Operations at University of Houston, leading a team of directors across five University of Houston campuses serving more than 20,000 guests a day and supporting a team of over 600 associates. In 2021, David returned to his alma mater, Texas A&M, as Regional Vice President, leading a team of directors across two campuses, serving more than 32,000 guests a day with a team of over 700 associates.

 With such extensive experience, we are excited for David to be a part of the California team.

Regional Executive Chef

Chef Johnston’s love of food started as a child from sitting on his grandmother’s kitchen counter and watching her cook. That time then translated into attending La Varenne Ecole du Cuisine in Paris, France. After graduating in 1985 Chef Johnston worked in the top hotels and restaurants in the San Diego area for the next 27 years. Chef honed his skills at renowned San Diego places like Mille Fleur, Top of the Cove, The Rancho Bernardo Inn and The Star of the Sea. As Chef of the Star of the Sea, Chef Johnston was invited in 2003 to cook at the James Beard House in New York. Years later Chef Johnston became Executive Sous Chef at the San Diego Convention Center. In this position chef learned the challenges of feeding great food to 3000 people at one seating, buffets for up to 4000 and building themed food courts. All of this led to Compass and Morrison Living as Corporate Executive Chef and then Sr. Corporate Executive Chef for the last 10 years.

Regional Marketing Director, Southern CA

Born and raised in Southern California, Joan Chang (goes by “Jo-Ann”) began her marketing career as a marketing intern/coordinator at Mt. San Antonio College. After graduating from CSUF with a degree in Communications with a focus in PR, she landed a promotion to Field Marketing Manager at the showcase account of Loyola Marymount University for a major contract service provider. There, she ran the university dining program for 2 years. While there, she further developed her skills for program management, event planning and coordination, graphic design, and team building.

Joan is thrilled and excited to bring her skills and background to the District Marketing Manager position for Chartwells Higher Ed in the Southern California region. She hopes her engagement and support for the clients, managers, associates and guests in her district will blossom under her support.

In her free time, Joan enjoys baking all sorts of sweets for those she loves, as well as for non-profit organizations, lounging around with her adorable yet mischievous kitties, and tending to her small patio garden.

District Marketing Manager, Northern CA

Suzanne Kim comes to Chartwells with a background in marketing, operations, culinary and finance. She worked in the financial services sector before leaving it all behind to begin a career in dining, moving cross-country to attend The Culinary Institute of America. Staying on the east coast, Suzanne coupled her management, marketing and culinary experience in NYC restaurants, corporate dining and higher education locations.

Moving back to California, Suzanne is enjoying the sunny winters and working with the Chartwells team!

Learning & Development Specialist

Maribel is a bilingual leader with expertise in human resources, sustainability, operations, learning, and development. With extensive experience in HR, including training, development, and sustainability, Maribel has also excelled in field operations with full P&L responsibilities and resolving employee concerns. She has a proven track record of achieving human resources objectives, implementing sustainability processes, and ensuring top-notch customer service.

 Maribel's professional experience includes serving as a Multi-manager at Rubio's Coastal Grill, where she accomplished HR objectives, assisted with employee onboarding and training, and implemented sustainability processes. In her role as a Director at Boston Market, she led multiple units in Southern California and Denver, consistently executing human resources and safety practices and achieving team awards for high performance.

 With a background as an HR Generalist, Maribel demonstrates exceptional skills in team building, process management, and creating a positive culture. She has a wealth of knowledge in inventory control, planning, and P&L management, coupled with excellent communication and customer service skills.

Division President, West

Joe Fischioni is a Division President with Chartwells Higher Education responsible for the management, growth and leadership of multiple higher education foodservice operations across the Western United States.

For eleven years and prior to Chartwells Higher Education, Joe worked for Aramark Corporation and led teams in varying roles throughout the transient hotel, private conference center, business & industry, and healthcare industries. Fischioni joined Compass Group as a Regional Director in March 2015 and was quickly promoted to Regional Vice President in May 2016. In June 2018 Fischioni advanced again through organizational restructuring and now leads as Division President.

Once Chairman of the Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council, Joe developed and led the inclusion strategy for two Compass Group organizations (Chartwells Higher Education and Chartwells K-12 Diversity) impacting over 45,000 associates representing more than 400 accounts nationwide.

Fischioni has a Master in Business Administration and he, his wife, Amber, and their son, Ethan, currently reside in Phoenix, AZ.

VP Marketing, West

Nikki Hamzaeff is the Chartwells Higher Education Divisional Marketing Director for the West Division. She is responsible for the overall marketing strategy for the West Division.

Nikki has been with Chartwells Higher Education since May 2018 as a District Marketing Manager in California for the CSU accounts. She previously worked for Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, managing and coordinating all marketing and design efforts for their dining program. She worked for Cal Poly Campus Dining for 9 years, managing the marketing program for 27 dining operations and supporting the strategic plan for Campus Dining as a whole. Passionate about company culture, Nikki helped to create Cal Poly Corporation’s culture team which is responsible for providing team building and cultural growth to 3,000 dining employees. She also has owned her own Marketing & Design consulting company in SLO for the past 10 years. 

Hamzaeff has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and currently resides in Pismo Beach, CA with her dog Harley.

VP Culinary, West

Chef Alex T. Brugger's culinary journey began with his grandmother, Aida, who taught him Cuban classics in his childhood. His career has spanned over three decades, starting in high-volume restaurants like Mango's Tropical Café on Ocean Drive, and later with brands like The Cheesecake Factory and Brio Tuscan Grille, where he helped open multiple locations. His own Orlando restaurant, Citrus, earned "Best New Restaurant" awards before he moved on to revitalize Cat Cay Yacht Club in the Bahamas. 

In 2014, Chef Brugger joined Baker's Best in Boston, catering to VIP clients. In 2016, he became Executive Chef at Babson College with Chartwells Higher Education, and soon advanced to Senior Executive Chef at the University of Houston. After successful leadership roles, he rose to Regional Executive Chef of Texas, Division Chef for the West, and finally Vice President of Culinary in 2023, overseeing culinary growth for Chartwells’ West Division. He now resides in Katy, Texas, with his wife, Autumn Marie, and daughter, Isabella. 

Director of Business Development

Michael is the Director of Business Development for Chartwells in the West, focused on new partnerships and growth. He joined Compass Canada and Chartwells in 2017 and moved to Chartwells USA in 2021. For six years prior to Chartwells, Michael was the Director, Business Development for the higher education segment at Sodexo.

Michael helps build creative, customized and innovative client led partnerships focused on student success and engagement. Born and raised in a hospitality family, some of his earliest memories are from his dad’s family hotel and restaurant in Amherstburg, Ontario, which they ran for over 20 years. Throughout high school and university, Michael had many jobs in food services including dishwasher, line chef, server and bartender at banquet halls, restaurants and events. These experiences have fueled a lifelong passion for food service, and help when developing partnerships and operational strategies.

Originally, from Toronto, Ontario, Michael graduated with a BA in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University and Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from Sheridan College. He now lives in Orange County his wife Amanda, their son Peter, daughter Isla, and French bulldog Taco.

Director of Finance, West

Robert has been with Chartwells Higher Education since September 2018 supporting all accounts in the West Division. In this role, he is responsible for all finance and accounting activities including accuracy of transactional processing, timely reporting and maintenance of internal process controls. Prior to joining Higher Ed, Robert served as Finance Director for Wolfgang Puck Catering (another Compass Group sector) for three years and for Aramark.

Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara and earned his CPA license in the state of California. He is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt Champion.

Robert is a native Californian, currently residing in Orange County with his wife Betty and son Jonathan, a high school senior. His daughter Emily will graduate from the University of Utah with a Kinesiology degree in 2022.