The Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) welcomes Gregg Nelson as the new Supervisory Program Specialist overseeing the Food and Retail Program at NIH. Gregg Nelson grew up in Montgomery County, MD and was a Reserve Officer Training Candidate while at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel/Restaurant Administration. His first post graduate management experience was as a Communications Officer in the Unites States Marine Corps. Upon the conclusion of his military obligations, Gregg began his restaurant career working for the Myriad Restaurant Group, which is a New York City based management company. Much of his industry experience was gained as a task force opening manager for the launch of the W Hotel Brand; opening restaurants in San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA then returned to New York as the restaurant's General Manager at the first W Hotel- W New York. Additional, task force projects included managing at a summer resort in Nantucket, MA and at a mountain resort in Telluride, CO. Gregg also managed in Myriad's New York City flagship; Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Grill. Myriad's accolades include being the first foodservice provider for first responders during the initial days following the events of 9/11. Once downtown Manhattan, NY re-opened, Gregg joined Compass Group's FLIK International as Foodservice Manager for a law firm in a building overlooking the cleanup and rebuilding of the Twin Towers' site.
In 2006, Gregg bought his own restaurant “The Redhead." During renovations, he trained at Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park which was eventually voted the “Best Restaurant in the World." The Redhead earned a one-star review from New York Times critic Frank Bruni as his final review.
Gregg moved back to the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area in 2012. He has a wife and 2 boys. The boys are 9 years and 11 years old. He is an avid soccer fan with stints as a soccer coach and referee. Since arriving back in the DMV, Gregg has worked as a General Manager for iconic destinations like Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont Circle; the first General Manager of KNEAD Hospitality running their flagship Succotash Restaurant at the National Harbor. His last position in operations was Food & Beverage Director at The Line Hotel in DC. Gregg transitioned to being a recruiter for Chefs and Managers through the pandemic. He now joins the DATS team as the Supervisory Program Specialist for Food & Retail. Please welcome Gregg to the NIH.
