2026 Speakers
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KEYNOTE
Joan Menke-Schaenzer
Chief Quality Officer
Van Drunen Farms
Jesse Newman
Reporter - Food
The Wall Street Journal
TOWN HALL
Gwen Biggerstaff, ScD, MSPH
Deputy Division Director of NCEZID’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)
CDC
Mindy Brashears, Ph.D.
Under Secretary for Food Safety
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Steve Mandernach, J.D.
Executive Director
AFDO
Donald Prater
Principal Deputy Director for Human Foods
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Michael Ablan
Health Scientist (Evaluation), NCEZID’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
CDC
Nathan Anderson, Ph.D.
Director of the Division of Food Processing Science and Technology
FDA
Nathan Baggio
Director of Supplier Food Safety
Costco Wholesale
Joseph Baumert, Ph.D.
Professor and Co-Director, Food Allergy Research & Resource Program
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sharon Beals
Founder
SKKB-LLC
Robert Bean
Associate Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
Miniat
Sharon Birkett
Vice President, Global Food Safety and Quality Assurance
OSI Group, LLC
Adrienne Blume, M.A.
Editorial Director
Food Safety Magazine
Athenais Boeffard
Vice President of Production
Bread Alone Bakery
Neil Bogart
Asst. Director Sanitation CoE
Post Consumer Brands
Caitlin Boon
Senior Director - Health & Nutrition Policy, U.S. Public Affairs
Mars
John Boyce
Food Safety Consultant
Cultivate SA
Joe Cala
Co-Founder and Managing Principal
Euclid Crisis Management
Byron Chaves, Ph.D.
Associate Extension Specialist and Professor
Rutgers University
Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Microbiological Food Safety
FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Michael Ciepiela
Vice President of Quality and Continuous Improvement
Southern Specialties
Andrew Clarke
Senior Director of Quality Assurance
Loblaw Companies Limited
David Clifford
Director of Food Safety
Nestle USA
Vanessa Coffman, Ph.D.
Director
Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness
Dr. Michelle Danyluk
Food Safety and Microbiology Professor and Extension Specialist
University of Florida (UF)
James Davis
Senior Director, Global Sanitation
OSI Group
Liz Duffy
VP, Global Food Safety and Compliance
Walmart
Sandra Eskin
Chief Executive Officer
Stop Foodborne Illness
Eric Ewert
FSQ Zone Lead, Lab and Technical Services Department
Kraft Heinz Company
Laurie Farmer
Office of Retail Food Protection Director
FDA
Robin Forgey
Asst Vice President, Global Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Costco Wholesale
David Gardner
Food Safety and Quality Manager
Bread Alone Bakery
Melody Ge
Founder
Women in Food Safety
Steven Gendel, Ph.D.
Principal
Gendel Food Safety LLC
Lisa Goche
CEO
Seafood Collaborators LLC
John Handley, Ph.D.
Senior Director of Food Safety Science
OSI Group
Samantha Harris
Senior Food Safety Manager
H-E-B
Mark Hartman
Director of the Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements and Innovation
FDA
John (Chuck) Hassenplug
Senior Policy Analyst
FDA
Scott Hegenbart
Manager, Regulatory Affairs
Conagra Brands, Inc.
Jorge Hernandez
VP, Quality Assurance
The Wendy's Company
Jill Hoffman
Vice President, Food Safety, Quality, and Consumer Affairs
B & G Foods
Taryn Horr
Senior Managing Consultant
Ramboll
Derek Hladki
CP-FS – Director, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
Meijer
Bill Hsu
Product Manager
Taco Bell (Yum! Brands)
Tim Jackson, Ph.D.
Regulatory, Sr. Science Advisor
FDA
Matt Jenkins
Director, U.S. Food Safety & Quality Systems
McDonald’s Corporation
Lone Jespersen, Ph.D.
Principal
Cultivate SA
Cindy Jiang, M.S.
Senior Director of Global Food Safety Risk Management
McDonalds - Retired
Deb Kane, M.S.
VP, Food Safety, Quality, EHSS & Regulatory
J&J Snack Foods Corp.
Larry Keener
President and CEO
International Product Safety Consultants
Gillian Kelleher
CEO
Kelleher Consultants LLC
Monica Khoury
Senior Quality Expert
Nestle
Christopher (Hal) King, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Active Food Safety
Founder/CEO, Public Health Innovations LLC
Alvin Lee, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Processing Innovation
Institute for Food Safety and Health
Sean Leighton
Global Vice President Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory
Cargill
Glenda Lewis, M.S.P.H
Acting Senior Advisor for Retail Food Policy
FDA
Dr. Tatiana Lorca
Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance
Canteen
Steven Lyon, Ph.D.
Director, Food Safety - Field Operations
Chick-Fil-A Inc.
Asma Madad
Senior Biologist
FDA
Steve Mandernach, J.D.
Executive Director
AFDO
Spir Marinakis
VP of Food Safety, Quality and Technical Services
Maple Leaf Foods
Bradley Marks
Professor and Department Chair - Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
Michigan State University
Katherine Marshall
Senior Epidemiologist, NCEZID’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
CDC
Penny Martin
Senior Principal Scientist
Mars Snacking
Karen McCarty
Former Senior Director of Commercial Quality Assurance
Agropur (retired)
Drew McDonald
Senior Vice President Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory Affairs
Taylor Fresh Foods
Dr. Jennifer Cleveland McEntire
Founder
Food Safety Strategy, LLC
Dom Mitial
Vice President of Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory
Goldbergs Group
Caroline Moassessi
Vice President of Community Relations
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT)
Sara Mortimore, MSc, FRSPH, MIFST
Founder
Sara Mortimore LLC
Melanie Neumann, J.D., M.S., M.C.P.C.
President, Food Industry Attorney & Consultant
Neumann Advisory Services, LLC.
Scott Oakland
Corporate Staff Engineer, Food Safety and Quality
Hormel Foods Corporate Services LLC
Kathleen O'Donnell
Chief Scientist
Wegmans
Adeniyi Odugbemi, Ph.D.
Global Director, Quality and Food Safety, Human Nutrition—Flavors
Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Christian Perversi
Vice President and Chief Production Officer
Omaha Steaks
Amy Philpott
Founder
Philpott PR Solutions LLC
Suresh Pillai
Director of the National Center for Electron Beam Research
Texas A&M University
Dr. Channah Rock
Professor and Water Quality Extension Specialist
University of Arizona
Brian Ronholm
Director of Food Policy
Consumer Reports'
Francine L. Shaw, CP-FS, FMP
Founder
Savvy Food Safety
Lisa Shelley, Ph.D.
Director of Research, Safe Plates
North Carolina State University
John Spink, Ph.D.
Director
Michigan State University
Suzette Stalker
Director, Food Safety & Quality Assurance Program Compliance
FreshRealm Inc.
Matt Stasiewicz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Applied Food Safety
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kelly Stevens
Director Global Food Safety COE
General Mills, Inc.
Shawn Stevens
Founding Member
Food Safety Counsel
Bernhard Steves
Founder and CEO
Steves Risk Strategies LLC
Glenn Stolowski, M.S.
Director Retail Food Safety
H-E-B
Sabrina Terada
Manager, Food Safety Risk Management and Measurement
Yum! Brands
Hilary Thesmar
Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President of Food and Product Safety
FMI
Matthew Thomas
Senior Director-FSQA
Tyson Foods
Matthew Van Natter
Associate Director of Global Food Safety
Mars Snacking
Roberta Wagner
Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D.
Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety
Cornell University
Sally Lyons Wyatt
Global EVP & Chief Advisor
Consumer Goods & Foodservice Insights
Lily Yasuda
Deputy Director
Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness
Jeremy Zenlea, M.B.A.
Head Health and Safety, Office of General Council
Eg America
CERTIFICATE COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Karleigh Bacon
Director, US Food Safety and Quality Systems
McDonald's
Martin Bucknavage
Senior Food Safety Extension Specialist and Team Lead, Industrial Food Safety and Quality
Penn State University
John David
Extension Support Specialist
Cornell University
Roy Fenoff
Associate Professor
The Citadel
Tim Jackson, Ph.D.
Regulatory, Sr. Science Advisor
FDA
Bala Kottapalli, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Food Safety
T. Marzetti Company
Lori Ledenbach
Founder
Ledenbach Food Safety LLC
Asma Madad
Senior Biologist
FDA
Sara Mortimore, MSc, FRSPH, MIFST
Founder
Sara Mortimore LLC
Dr. Jennifer Cleveland McEntire
Founder
Food Safety Strategy, LLC
Dr. Juan Silva
Professor, Researcher and Extension Specialist
Mississippi State University
John Spink, Ph.D.
Director
Michigan State University
Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D.
Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety
Cornell University
SOLUTIONS STAGE PRESENTERS
Lucy Angarita
Director of Supply Chain Visibility, GS1 US
Joe Brown
Key Account Manager, FlexXray
Justin Cabrita
Sr. Corporate Account Manager, bioMérieux
Jeff Chilton
Strategic Advisor for Rootwurks and CEO of Peak Advisors, Rootwurks
Melissa Duncan
Vice President of Product, Certus | StateFoodSafety
Ashley Ernest
Business Development Manager, North Central, FlexXray
Ellie Girard
Regional Manager, LUPRIPLATE Lubricants Company
Philip Jessmon, Ph.D.
Product specialist, IR Biotyper - Americas, Bruker
Tim Lombardo
Senior Director - Food Consulting Services, EAS Consulting Group
Jennifer Lott
Technical Development Director, SGS North America, Inc.
Tamara McKenna
Director of Sales, Clinisys
Curtis Meyers
Integrated Pest Management Professional, FSS, Inc.
Angela Nardone
Chief Operating Officer, Share-ify
Matthew Taylor
Director of Food Safety Consulting, NSF
Amanda Wilder
U.S. Sales Director, Provision Analytics
TECH TENT PRESENTERS
Feraas Alameh
Market Segment Manager – Food & Beverage , Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine
Dr. Alex Athey
CEO and Co-Founder, Zeroic
Bobby Carter
VP, Strategic Accounts, WorkForge
Stephen Dombroski
Director, Consumer Markets, QAD, Inc.
Kevin Donaghy
Innovation Officer Quality & Compliance, Founder, Nulogy
Mark Ebner
Technical Sales Director, Woodstream Corporation
Mike Fabian
Manager of CompuClean, Spartan Chemical Company, Inc.
Dallas Henderson
Solutions Engineer, FranConnect
J. Keith Jackson
Vice President of Corporate Quality Assurance, Performance Food Group (PFG)
Julie McGill
Vice President of Supply Chain Strategy and Insights, Trustwell
Quintin McKenna
Asset Protection Manager, Manufacturing & Processing, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine
Meghan Stenslien
Senior Associate, KTL
Shawn Thudium
COO, Lumachain