Michael Gibbons, a member of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, was elected chairman of the board of directors at the National Restaurant Association (NRA). He has served on the NRA's board since 2000 as treasurer, vice chairman and as chair of several of the association's committees.

Gibbons is an owner and president of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based restaurant company Mainstreet Ventures, which operates 15 upscale eateries in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Maryland. Mainstreet Ventures joined the Restaurant Association of Maryland this spring just before Gibbons opened his two newest restaurants in Annapolis, Md.

Gibbons begins his 16-month tenure on Sept. 13 after he is officially inducted at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.