His work at the Institute includes project planning, resourcing, team building and deliverables. He is also involved in identification of strategic initiatives and research needs related to the mission of the institute and development of project goals and deadlines; he also assists industry and government agencies with addressing food protection and defense issues. Previously, he was associate director of research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he evaluated pertinent regulatory issues for technology used to preserve food, in particular, shelf-stable food and extended shelf-life products. His activities at FDA involved new preservation technology, software validation criteria for computerized process control systems, low-acid canned food processing systems, pasteurization processing for juice and nuts, and evaluating the lethal treatment of aseptically processed foods containing particulates. He was also previously an assistant professor of food engineering at Virginia Tech and received his Ph.D. in food engineering from Michigan State University.

The Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award honors individuals who best exemplify the characteristics of a dedicated food safety professional who has made a significant impact on food safety. The honored are recognized by members of the profession for their collective works in promoting and advancing science-based solutions for food safety issues.

Past recipients of the award include Larry Beuchat, Ph.D., Robert L. Buchanan, Ph.D., John N. Butts, Ph.D., Keith Ito, Allen Katsuyama, Connie Kirby, M.Sc., Huub Lelieveld, Barbara Masters, D.V.M., Ann Marie McNamara, Ph.D., William Sperber, Ph.D., Steve Taylor, Ph.D., David Theno, Ph.D., Bruce Tompkin, Ph.D., and Don L. Zink, Ph.D.