Ann Marie McNamara is now the vice president of food safety & quality assurance for US Foods, an American foodservice distributor. 

Prior to joining US Foods, McNamara served as the vice president, food and essentials safety and quality assurance for Minneapolis, MN-based Target Corporation. There, she led food and essentials safety and quality policy and program development, regulatory compliance, supplier approval, and compliance/quality testing for over 1,800 retail stores, five food distribution centers, and a robust supply chain of national and international scope—all with a staff of more than 100.

Between 2008 and 2017, McNamara was Jack in the Box’s vice president of food safety and regulatory compliance where she was in charge of all food safety and regulatory programs for over 2,500 Jack in the Box restaurants and over 600 Qdoba restaurants, serving over a million customers a day. 

McNamara’s resume also boasts positions at Silliker, Sara Lee, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.  In 2014, McNamara was honored with Food Safety Magazine’s Distinguished Service Award at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Other awards under her belt include the Food Safety Innovation Award (Food Marketing Institute) and the Ambassador Award (National Council of Chain Restaurants).

McNamara, who is a member of Food Safety Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board, earned her Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh.