CWU Dining Services Director named to national board

The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) serves as a source of collaboration and forward thinking between all the organizations that keep learning minds well-fed across the country.

NACUFS has been a big supporter of the initiatives currently underway at Central Washington University Dining Services, having recognized the team with a pair of national-level awards earlier this year. Now, Dining Services Director Dean Masuccio has been voted in to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors.

“For a few years now, I’ve been interested in putting myself out there to see if my experience and knowledge could be useful at the national level of the association,” he said. “This year, they had an unexpected opening on the board, and so the President of NACUFS reached out to see if I was interested in being considered for the opportunity. After I said yes, the current board members voted on it, and I’m honored to say they let me join them.”

Masuccio will be filling the position on the board until the NACUFS national conference in July 2027, when the nominating committee may add him to the slate of candidates for a full two-year term. Until then, he looks forward to lending his expertise and broad set of experiences to the team.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve at this level,” he said. “I think I bring a unique perspective to the board, with my experience at institutions of all sizes. Part of our charge is to look at the future of our organization through a strategic lens, and since we represent large schools, small schools, rural schools, city schools, and everything in-between, I think it’s important to have a diversity of voices represented in that conversation.”

As a board member, Masuccio will be acting in the best interest of NACUFS, as opposed to representing CWU directly. He sees this as an opportunity to grow, and to bring some of that professional development home with him to share with the Dining Services team.

“We always look for opportunities to contribute to our professional organizations and industry at large, and this is part of that effort,” Masuccio said. “Personally, I think this is a great opportunity to grow professionally and deepen the support I’m able to provide for my team here at CWU.”