Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP) has announced that Sandra Eskin will assume the role of CEO on February 24, 2025. Ms. Eskin succeeds Mitzi Baum, M.S., who has been STOP CEO since 2019.

Ms. Eskin, a respected leader in food safety, most recently overseeing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), has a long track record of food safety advocacy. Throughout her career, she has worked on a broad range of food safety, consumer protection, and public policy issues.

At USDA, Ms. Eskin held several leadership positions including Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety and Deputy Under Secretary. Before joining USDA, she spent 12 years as the Project Director for Food Safety at The Pew Charitable Trusts, advocating for food safety reform and the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and previously as the Deputy Director of the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University. Ms. Eskin has also served on several federal advisory committees, providing strategic policy advice related to foodborne illness surveillance, consumer information on prescription drugs, and food safety. She holds a J.D. from UC Law-San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law) and a B.A. from Brown University.

Ms. Eskin’s leadership will be crucial in building upon the momentum created by Ms. Baum, who is stepping down after six years as CEO. Baum expanded STOP’s programs, raised its national profile, and developed initiatives with industry and government to improve food safety nationwide.

For a deeper dive on Ms. Eskin's past work as USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, listen to this October 2024 bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, in which she joins the podcast for an interview about efforts she oversaw at FSIS, such as the agency's Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products.

For more information on recent efforts at STOP under Ms. Baum's leadership, listen to this September 2024 Food Safety Matters interview, in which she talks about her work and the work of the nonprofit.