Mark This! Episode 44: Building Community

Mark This! Episode 44 explores how Aramark’s annual Aramark Building Community Day (ABC Day) serves as a powerful intersection of purpose, people, and business growth. The episode emphasizes how volunteer projects—ranging from food access and meal support to park revitalization, environmental cleanups, and workforce preparedness—deliver tangible benefits that extend well beyond a single day.

By partnering closely with local nonprofits and empowering employees to lead initiatives in the communities where they live and work, the program strengthens neighborhoods, supports vulnerable populations, and builds trusted, long-term relationships. The result is community engagement that is personal, sustained, and deeply embedded in how the company shows up year‑round.

Access the episode transcript here. 

Rebecca Owens, Director of Community Relations

Rebecca Owens is the Director of Community Relations at Aramark, where she leads the company’s enterprise-wide community engagement and employee volunteer strategy. In this role, Rebecca oversees Aramark Building Community (ABC), the company’s signature volunteer and engagement program, mobilizing employees year-round to support local communities through initiatives focused on food access and nutrition education, hospitality workforce readiness, and environmental stewardship. 

A seasoned corporate social responsibility and communications leader with more than 15 years of experience, Rebecca brings a strategic and collaborative approach to building high-impact nonprofit partnerships and scalable employee engagement programs. She works closely across corporate functions and lines of businesses to ensure community initiatives align with business priorities to deliver measurable impact. 

Rebecca manages national nonprofit partnerships including City Year, Special Olympics of PA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Social Current. Her work also includes charitable contributions, grantmaking strategy, impact measurement and reporting in support of Aramark’s broader corporate affairs and social impact goals. 

Previously, Rebecca served as Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at Bradford White Corporation, where she established the company’s internal communications function and launched Industry Forward®, a signature, charitable-giving initiative supporting skilled trades and workforce development. Earlier in her career, she spent nearly a decade in publicity and communications roles at Comcast NBCUniversal / Sprout. 

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Temple University and remains deeply committed to advancing community-driven impact through purposeful employee engagement and strong nonprofit partnerships.

 

 Melissa Schwartz, Vice President, Enterprise Growth Strategy

Melissa Schwartz is a results-driven executive with over 25 years of leadership at Aramark. As Vice President, Enterprise Growth Strategy, she ensures our growth plans translate into execution.  Central to her approach is building strong client relationships, accelerating cross-business collaboration, and fostering a growth mindset across teams.

Melissa brings deep expertise in organizational strategy, operational excellence, and business transformation. In her previous role as Regional Vice President, she consistently delivered strong financial and operational results, driving revenue and profit growth while improving execution rigor across a complex portfolio. She has led cost optimization initiatives, launched innovative business models and technology platforms, and successfully navigated large-scale transformation efforts that accelerated growth, enhanced client value, and strengthened long-term partnerships.

Recognized for building high-performing teams and leveraging data-driven insights, Melissa consistently exceeds operational benchmarks and drives sustainable growth. She is also a champion of community impact, including leading New York City’s Healthcare Heroes Program, which delivered more than 400,000 care packages to over 100 healthcare facilities.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Marketing and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University. She serves on the boards of the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) and Saint Joseph’s University.

 

Additional Resources  

• 4/13/26 | Aramark Employees Unite for Global Day of Service Across Four Continents - Aramark
• 5/06/25 | Mark This! Episode 32: Ten Years of Service - Aramark
• 4/08/25 | Building Community Locally and Globally: Aramark Employees Participate in Global Day of Service - Aramark
• 5/02/24 | Aramark Employees Worldwide Volunteer in Local Communities for Company's Global Day of Service - Aramark
• 4/15/24 | Aramark Volunteers Around the World: Spreading Compassion and Impact - Aramark
• 4/23/23 | Aramark Employees Celebrate 10th Annual Global Day of Service by Volunteering Around the World - Aramark
• 4/16/23 | Employee Volunteers Are at the Heart of Aramark Building Community - Aramark
• 4/03/23 | Mark This! Episode 7: Community Partnerships - Aramark
• 9/18/22 | Thousands of Aramark Employees Unite to Volunteer for Company's Annual Day of Service - Aramark