A division of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) and with a management agreement with the South Carolina Retail Association (SCRA), CFIC is led by the experienced team of professionals listed below, each of whom has a special area of expertise. Together, we share a common mission – to inform, guide and advocate for grocers and their suppliers in North and South Carolina!
Operations
Lindsey Kueffner
Executive Director
In addition to overseeing the day-to-day activities for the Council, Lindsey works on grocery-specific issues pertaining to SNAP, WIC, Food Safety, and more. Prior to joining the Council in 2007, Lindsey was the Director of Research and Education at the North Carolina Forum for Research and Economic Education (NCFREE), where she analyzed financial data, election results, and district information to predict the outcome of statewide and state legislative races.
As a native of San Diego, California, Lindsey moved to North Carolina to attended Wake Forest University, where she earned her degree in Political Science with a minor in Latin American Studies. Lindsey is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management program, a four-year program for those in nonprofit management. She serves on the board of directors of the Food Industry Association Executives, a national professional association of local, state and regional food association executives.
Lindsey lives with her husband and two sons in North Raleigh.
Andy Ellen
NCRMA President & General Counsel
North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) President and General Counsel Andy Ellen has been named one of the top five most effective lobbyists in North Carolina by the North Carolina Public Policy Institute for the last three biennia, as well as a recipient of the 2014 Triangle Business Journal’s Corporate Counsel Awards.
Andy has overall responsibility for leading NCRMA and its 11 affiliated companies. He is passionate about achieving the Association’s mission of promoting a positive legislative and regulatory environment for the retail industry in order to enhance members’ opportunities for success.
Originally from Southern Pines, North Carolina, Andy is a graduate of Elon University. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in 1997, and became licensed to practice law in North Carolina that same year.
Stephanie Stafford
Graphic Designer
Stephanie Stafford has worked for CFIC since 2011. Stephanie attended Dutchess Community College in New York where she graduated with an Associate Degree in Business Administration. She moved to Raleigh in 1997 and started her career at IBM.
Mary Beth Young
NCRMA/CFIC Administrative Assistant
Mary Beth started at NCRMA in March of 2020. She graduated from Campbell University in 2015 with music degree, and then taught at an inclusive preschool for 5 years. She currently lives in Durham.
Ben Ronco
NCRMA/CFIC Accountant
Ben joined NCRMA in September 2022. He brings 10 years of accounting experience, as well as a dedicated view to administrative organization and logistics management. Ben received his degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix after a 12 year career as a professional chef. Originally from New Hampshire, Ben has lived in North Raleigh since 1995 and is married to his wife, Carrie.
Government Relations
Elizabeth Robinson
Senior Vice President of NCRMA
Since 2006, Elizabeth has advanced the government relations efforts for CFIC’s parent organization, the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA). In addition to advocating for a positive business climate for retailers before North Carolina’s legislative and regulatory bodies, Elizabeth oversees Emergency Management response efforts for retail, the Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance and other association activities.
Prior to joining NCRMA, Elizabeth served as Director of Government Relations for the NC Chamber of Commerce after working as an associate lobbyist with Roger Bone & Associates for various business clients. Elizabeth received the Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award in 2019 and served as the 2017-2018 President of the North Carolina Professional Lobbyists Association as well as a past president of the Young Lobbyists Association. She also serves as president of NCRMA-affiliated entities, 209 Retail Partners LLC and Total Quality Management, Inc.
Graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double-major in Public Policy Analysis and Political Science, Elizabeth lives in Raleigh with her husband and their two children.
Krista Hinson
Executive Director, South Carolina Retail Association
Krista brings valuable experience in representing the retail industry before the state legislature and regulatory agencies. She is a graduate of the Leadership South Carolina program and currently serves on several professional boards and councils including the Public Affairs Council, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. In addition, she volunteers her time in the community by serving as the Health Division Chair for the United Way of the Midlands Capital Campaign Committee, as well as serving on the Community Partner Development Committee for the Junior League of Columbia, and as a member of the Contemporaries of the Columbia Museum of Art.
Membership Marketing and Communications
Ann Edmondson
Vice President of Communications
Ann previously worked at NCRMA for nine years, first as Director of Government Relations and then as Executive Director for the NC Jewelers Association. In the time Ann was gone, she honed her skills in communications and marketing with another statewide trade association, the NC Pork Council. Now she brings that experience, along with her prior knowledge of NCRMA, to work for you. Ann oversees the development of all communications including newsletters, promotional and educational materials, websites and social media platforms. Born and raised in the NC mountains, Ann came to Raleigh to attend Meredith College, graduating with a double-major in English and Political Science. She and her husband live in North Raleigh with their two children.
John McNair
NCRMA/CFIC Web Developer
John has worked at NCRMA since 2019 in a variety of roles. He currently acts as NCRMA’s Web Developer and in-house IT Manager. He graduated from Appalachian State University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies. In 2022, he completed a Coding Bootcamp and is now adept in HTML, CSS, JavaScript with a focus on writing React. He currently lives in Raleigh with his wife, Sara.