2024 Speakers

Jump to: Town Hall | Conference Speakers | Certificate Course Instructors | Solutions Stage | Tech Tent

KEYNOTE

Mary Weaver Gertz

Mary Weaver Gertz

Chief Food Safety & QA Officer
Yum Brands

TOWN HALL

Steve Mandernach

Steve Mandernach

Executive Director
AFDO

James Jones

James Jones

Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods
FDA

Sandra Eskin

Sandra Eskin

Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety
United States Department of Agriculture

Rob Tauxe

Rob Tauxe, M.D., M.P.H.

Director, DFWED, NCEZID, DDID
CDC


CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Natalie Adan

Natalie Adan

Deputy Chief of Operations
Georgia Department of Agriculture

Francia Adenuga

Francis Adenuga

Vice President Technical Service (Quality and Food Safety)
Church Brothers/True Leaf Farms

Ola Afolayan

Ola Afolayan

Director, Global Food Safety and Regulatory
Kellanova

Felice Arboisiere

Felice Arboisiere

Director FSQA N. America
Dole

Al Baroudi, PhD

Al Baroudi, PhD

VP, QA & Food Safety
The Cheesecake Factory

Mitzi Baum

Mitzi Baum

CEO
Stop Foodborne Illness

Sharon Beals

Sharon Beals

Founder
SKKB-LLC

Mark Beaumont

Mark Beaumont

Vice President of Quality and Food Safety Standards and risk Management
Danone

Chirag Bhatt, RS, CCFS

Chirag Bhatt, RS, CCFS

Director – Regulatory Affairs (Environmental Health)
HS GovTech

Adrienne Blume, M.A.

Adrienne Blume, M.A.

Editorial Director
Food Safety Magazine

John Butts, PhD

John Butts, PhD

Consultant
FoodSafetybyDesign

Damarys Castillo

Damarys Del Castillo

Director of Quality Culture and Food Safety Systems
Sigma

Chitsanzo Chiko Kachaje

Chitsanzo Chiko Kachaje

Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety
Home Market Foods

Conrad Choiniere, PhD

Conrad Choiniere, PhD

Director, Office of Analytics and Outreach
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Andrew Clarke

Andrew Clarke

Senior Director of Quality Assurance
Loblaw Companies Limited

Vanessa Coffman, PhD

Vanessa Coffman, PhD

Director
Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness

John Crabill

John Crabill

Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Chipotle Mexican Grill

Betsy Craig

Betsy Craig

Founder and CEO
MenuTrinfo LLC

Dionne Crawford

Dionne Crawford

Manager of US Restaurant Food Safety
McDonald's USA LLC

Marc Cwikowski

Marc Cwikowski

Co-founder and Managing Director
World of Auditing SRL

Joetta DeFrancesco

Joetta DeFrancesco

Retail Program Standards Coordinator
NEHA

Lori Dodson

Lori Dodson

Senior Advisor
Maryland Cannabis Administration

Natalie Dyenson

Natalie Dyenson

Chief Regulatory and Food Safety Officer
International Fresh Produce Association

Jay Ellingson

Jay Ellingson

Food Protection Administration - Chief Scientific Officer
Kwik Trip, Inc

Jennifer Fernan

Jennifer Fernan

Director, FSQA Standards and Supply Quality
J&J Snack Foods Corp.

Robin Forgey

Robin Forgey

AGMM, Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Costco Wholesale

Sarah Gallo

Sarah Gallo

Vice President
Consumer Brands Association

Oscar Garrison

Oscar Garrison

Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety
United Egg Producers

Melody Ge

Melody Ge

Founder
Women in Food Safety

Tina Gettis

Tina Gettis

Manager, Business Dev. and Comms.
Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH)

Emma Gometz

Emma Gometz

Digital Producer
The Science Friday Initiative broadcast on NPR

Alison Grantham, PhD

Alison Grantham, PhD

Principal and Founder
Grow Well Consulting

Sanjay Gummalla, PhD

Sanjay Gummalla, PhD

Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs
American Frozen Food Institute

Rebecca Guzy

Rebecca Guzy

Director of Research
Frick's Quality Meats

Patrick Guzzle

Patrick Guzzle

Vice President of Food Science and Industry
National Restaurant Association

Dr. Eric Handler

Dr. Eric Handler

Public Health Perspective

Jorge Hernandez

Jorge Hernandez

VP, Quality Assurance
The Wendy's Company

Jill Hoffman

Jill Hoffman

Senior Director Food Safety and Quality
B & G Foods Inc

Dan Horan

Dan Horan

Food Safety Director
Wegmans Food Markets

Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson

Regulatory, Sr. Science Advisor
FDA

Lee-Ann Jaykus, PhD

Lee-Ann Jaykus, PhD

William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor & NoroCORE Scientific Director
North Carolina State University

Lone Jespersen, PhD

Lone Jespersen, PhD

Principal
Cultivate

Cindy Jiang

Cindy Jiang

Senior Director of Global Food Safety Risk Management
McDonalds

Tülay Kahraman

Tülay Kahraman

Co-founder and Managing Director
World of Auditing SRL

Deb Kane, MS

Deb Kane, MS

VP, Food Safety, Quality, EHSS & Regulatory
J&J Snack Foods Corp

Larry Keener

Larry Keener

President and CEO
International Product Safety Consultants

Gillian Kelleher

Gillian Kelleher

CEO
Kelleher Consultants LLC

Megan Kenjora

Megan Kenjora

Senior Manager, Food Safety Culture
Hersheys

Andy Kennedy

Andy Kennedy

Co-founder
New Era Partners

Monica Khoury

Monica Khoury

Senior Quality Expert
Nestle

Tim King

Tim King

Founding Partner
Quality Matters

Kathy Knutson, PhD

Kathy Knutson, PhD

Educator
Kathy Knutson Food Safety Consulting

Heather Krug

Heather Krug

Regulatory Programs Branch Chief
State of Colorado

Mahipal Kunduru, PhD

Mahipal Kunduru, PhD

Vice President, Quality Assurance
Topco Associates LLC

Bill Lachowsky

Bill Lachowsky

Food Safety & Education Consultant
WML Consultants

Franck Lamour

Franck Lamour

Food Safety Manager
EG America

Mike Learakos

Mike Learakos

CEO
Abound Food Care

Alvin Lee, PhD

Alvin Lee, PhD

Director of the Center for Processing Innovation
Institute for Food Safety and Health

Glenda Lewis, MSPH

Glenda Lewis, MSPH

Director, Retail Food Protection Staff
FDA

Yaguang (Sunny) Luo

Yaguang (Sunny) Luo, Ph.D.

Distinguished Senior Scientist (ST)
Food Quality Lab & Env. Microbial and Food Safety Lab, USDA-ARS

Steve Mandernach

Steve Mandernach

Executive Director
AFDO

Linda Manning

Linda Manning

Transformational Coach

Chip Manuel

Chip Manuel

Regulatory Strategy and Compliance Program
Instacart

Spir Marinakis

Spir Marinakis

VP of Food Safety, Quality and Technical Services
Maple Leaf Foods

Raquel Maymir

Raquel Maymir

Manager of Global Regulatory Operations and Compliance
General Mills, Inc

Karen McCarty

Karen McCarty

Senior Director of Commercial Quality Assurance
Agropur

Drew McDonald

Drew McDonald

VP, Quality and Food Safety
Taylor Farms

Wayne Melichar

Wayne Melichar

Senior Director of Food Safety
Feeding America

Erik Mettler

Erik Mettler

Assistant Commissioner for Partnerships and Policy
Food & Drug Administration

Susan Mooney

Susan Mooney

Supervisor, Materials Management and Source Reduction Section, Land and Chemicals Branch, Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division, US EPA Region 5
EPA

Sara Mortimore

Sara Mortimore, MSc, FRSPH, MIFST

Former Vice President and Global Subject Matter Expert
Walmart Inc

Roger Muse

Roger Muse

Director
ANAB

Brendan Niemira, PhD

Brendan Niemira, PhD

Research Leader
USDA

Kathleen O'Donnell

Kathleen O'Donnell

Chief Scientist
Wegmans

Dr. Stan Osuagwu

Dr. Stan Osuagwu

Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Home Chef

Lexi Palacios

Lexi Palacios

Epidemiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Rich Polinski Jr.

Rich Polinski Jr.

Supplier, Quality Assurance, Director
Wegmans Food Markets

Elizabeth Presnell

Elizabeth Presnell

Food Industry Consultant and Lawyer
Food Industry Counsel LLC

Kim Rice

Kim Rice

Food Safety and Quality
Rose Acre Farms

Carrie Rigdon, PhD

Carrie Rigdon, PhD

Research Director
AFDO

Janet Riley

Janet Riley

Owner and President
Janet Riley Strategies

Brendan Ring

Brendan Ring

Commercial Director
Creme Global

Nick Rowley

Nick Rowley

Director, Global Sanitation
Kellanova

Britanny Saunier

Britanny Saunier

Executive Director
Partnership for Food Safety Education

Donna Schaffner

Donna Schaffner

Retired from Rutgers University

Jacqueline Southee

Jacqueline Southee

North American Representative
FSSC 22000

Matthew Stasiewicz

Matt Stasiewicz, PhD

Associate Professor of Applied Food Safety
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Shawn Stevens

Shawn Stevens

Founding Member
Food Safety Counsel

Glenn Stolowski

Glenn Stolowski

Director Retail Food Safety
HEB

Steve Tsuyuki

Steve Tsuyuki

Senior Director - Sanitation
Maple Leaf Foods

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Ph.D.

Purnendu Vasavada, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Food Science
University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Chris Waldrop

Christopher Waldrop, M.P.H.

Senior Health Scientist
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA

Michael Walton

Michael Walton

President
BCD ILabs

Keith Warriner, PhD

Keith Warriner, PhD

Professor, Department of Food Science
University of Guelph

Nickolas Waters

Nickolas Waters

Market Director, Food Safety
Sysco

Michael Wood, PhD

Michael Wood, PhD

Manager, Food Safety & Quality
Kroger

Rosalind Zils

Rosalind Zils

VP, Head of Global Quality Nutrition
Reckitt


CERTIFICATE COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Martin Bucknavage

Martin Bucknavage

Senior Food Safety Extension Associate and Team Lead, Industrial Food Safety and Quality
Penn State

Deanna Copeland

Deanna Copeland

Retail Food Safety Director
AFDO

Dionne Crawford

Dionne Crawford

Manager of US Restaurant Food Safety
McDonald's USA LLC

Roy Fenoff

Roy Fenoff

Associate Professor
The Citadel

Kathy Gombas

Kathy Gombas

Senior Advisor
FSMA Implementation Solutions

Bill Lachowsky

Bill Lachowsky

Food Safety & Education
Consultant

Steve Mandernach

Steve Mandernach

Executive Director
AFDO

Joe Meyer

Joe Meyer

Microbiology Lead
Kerry Global

Kara Mikkelson

Kara Mikkelson

Director of Food Safety
ChemStation

Mandy Sedlak

Mandy Sedlak

Director, Global Food Safety and Public Health
Ecolab

Donna Schaffner

Donna Schaffner

Associate Director Food Safety, QA & Training
Rutgers University, Food Innovation Center

John Spink, Phd

John Spink, Phd

Director
Michigan State University

Melissa Vaccaro

Melissa Vaccaro, MS, CP-FS

Senior Food Safety Program Specialist
NEHA


SOLUTIONS STAGE PRESENTERS

Julien Defferrard

Julien Defferrard

Associate Director, Augmented Diagnostics, bioMérieux

Dan Schmidt

Dan Schmidt

US & Canada Sales Director, TuffWrap Installations

Coley Anderson

Coley Anderson

Director of Industry and Government RElations & Enterprise Solutions Specialist, Registrar Corp

Darin Detwiler

Dr. Darin Detwiler

Food Safety Icon

Steve Ardagh

Steve Ardagh

Founder and CEO, Eagle Protect

Steven Granzow

Steven Granzow

Northern Illinois Regional Manager, FSS, Inc

Julie McGill

Julie McGill

Vice Presidnet of Supply Chain Strategy, Trustwell

Megan Murphy

Megan Murphy

Manager of the Regulatory Team in Product, Trustwell

Ellie Girard

Ellie Girard

Southern California District Manager, LUBRIPLATE Lubricants Company

Olaf Degen

Olaf Degen

Director of Industry Microbiology, Bruker Scientific LLCx

Kurt Westmoreland

Kurt Westmoreland

Chief Commercial Officer, Flex Xray

Kristy Graves

Kristy Graves

Sr. Solutions Engineer, CMX1

Melody Ge

Melody Ge

Founder, Women in Food Safety

Angela Nardone

Angela Nardone

COO, Share-ify

Christina Bongo-Box

Christina Bongo-Box

VP of Retail, Foodservice, and Food Manufacturing, Share-ify

Kathleen Wybourn

Kathleen Wybourn

Director Food & Beverage US & Canada, DNV

Lute Atieh

Lute Atieh

Director of Business Development, WorkForge

Julien Defferrard

John DiPalo

Chief Strategy Officer, rfxcel, part of Antares Vision Group


TECH TENT PRESENTERS

Laura Dunn Nelson

Laura Dunn Nelson

VP Food Safety and Sustainability, Intertek Alchemy

Jennifer Lott

Jennifer Lott

Technical Development Director - Food, SGS North America

Bryan Banks

Bryan Banks

Founder and COO, KipTraq

Herb Wong

Herb Wong

Chief Customer Officer, rfxcel, part of Antares Vision Group

Bryan Cohn

Bryan Cohn

Senior Solutions Consultant, SafetyChain

Paul Barnhill

Paul Barnhill

Chief Technology Officer, Meritech

Nick Brown

Nick Brown

Director - Supply Chain Solutions, enVista

Mike Fabian

Mike Fabian

Manager of CompuClean, Spartan Chemical Company, Inc.

Roberto Bellavia

Roberto Bellavia

KTL Partner and Senior Consultant, KTL

Amanda Wilder

Amanda Wilder

US Sales Director, Provision Analytics

Christine Schindler

Christine Schindler

CEO and Co-Founder, PathSpot

Steve Flieder

Steve Flieder

ProClean Bioremediation Services, IFC

Steve Romero

Steve Romero

IFC

Amber Engebretson

Amber Engebretson

Solutions Consultant, PLM TrustLink

Levi Harris

Levi Harris

IoT/RFID Technical Solution Consultant, PLM TrustLink

Joe Heinzelmann

Joe Heinzelmann

Food Safety Digital Services, Neogen