Mike Taylor is a senior fellow at the Meridian Institute and an advisor to the Food and Society Program at the Aspen Institute. His primary interests are food safety globally and food security in Africa and other developing regions.
 
Until June 1, 2016, Mr. Taylor was Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He led the comprehensive overhaul of FDA’s food safety program Congress mandated in the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 and oversaw all of FDA’s food-related activities, including its nutrition, labeling, food additive, dietary supplement and animal drug programs. 
 
Mr. Taylor served previously at FDA as a staff attorney and as Deputy Commissioner for Policy (1991–1994) and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety (1994–1996). Prior to joining FDA in July 2009, he spent nearly a decade in academia conducting food safety, food security and public health policy research, most recently at George Washington University’s School of Public Health. He also served during that time as a Senior Fellow at the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, where he conducted research on U.S. policies affecting agricultural development and food security in Africa.  
 
In the private sector, Mr. Taylor founded the food and drug practice and was a partner in the law firm of King & Spalding. He also was vice president for public policy at Monsanto Company and served on the boards of the Alliance to End Hunger and RESOLVE, Inc. He is currently a board member of STOP Foodborne Illness and Clear Labs, Inc. He is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia School of Law.

In this episode, we speak to Mike Taylor about:

• His role at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service following Jack-In-the-Box, when he advocated for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) for meat and poultry and Escherichia coli O157:H7 being labeled an adulterant.
• His tour of the country in support of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation and how comments effected rulemaking
• How after a 10-year break, academic kibitzing about implementing a modern risk-based system led to his tenure at FDA. 
• His advocacy for a single food agency and HACCP for all foods. 
• How he believes we’ve turned the corner from reaction to prevention in the age of FSMA. 
• His work on food safety and security issues in Africa. 
• His role at the Aspen Institute and oversight of the next wave of gene technology. 
• How the conversation has changed from what we should do to how we are going to do it. 
• His thoughts about the important role of food safety culture. 

 
Also in the Episode:
Checking in with Adriene Cooper, senior event manager for the Food Safety Summit on their Food Safety Theater programming at this years’ Process Expo. 

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José Emilio Esteban, D.V.M. was sworn in as the U.S. Under Secretary for Food Safety on January 4, 2023. In this role, he leads the Office of Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), overseeing the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has regulatory oversight for ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.

Sandra Eskin, J.D. was appointed U.S. Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety on March 24, 2021. In this role, she leads the Office of Food Safety at USDA, overseeing FSIS.

Prior to joining USDA, Mrs. Eskin was the Project Director for Food Safety at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C., a position she held since November 2009. She also served from 2008–2009 as the Deputy Director of the Produce Safety Project, a Pew-funded initiative at Georgetown University. 

Steve Voelzke is a seasoned executive with over 34 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing leadership roles. His expertise lies in automation and electrical engineering projects, having successfully managed global-scale initiatives throughout his career. As Steve transitioned into the manufacturing sector, he brought his knowledge and vision to Robroy Industries, a prominent manufacturer. He assumed key leadership positions there and became a driving force behind innovation efforts. Steve's commitment to driving growth and innovation is evident through his numerous patents related to evolutionary products. His dedication to community service and philanthropy further highlights his passion for making a positive impact in his community and the industry.

Jeannie Shaughnessy is CEO of the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA), where she leads the association in fulfilling its mission and vision while managing daily operations. She works closely with the Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and Strategic Committees to shape and guide PTNPA in its ongoing and long-term strategies. Jeannie has more than 30 years of management and consulting experience with a focus on business operations and optimization, organizational development, change management, and communications. She is a trained Executive Coach, a certified facilitator, and a graduate of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Program, while also being a two-time business owner. Additionally, Jeannie has proudly served as a board member for many nonprofit organizations over the past 35 years.

Scott Gustin is a native of Gloucester, Virginia, where he grew up on a small family farm raising registered Angus and Hereford cattle. He received his undergraduate degree and veterinary degrees at Virginia Tech in 1999 and 2002, respectively, before continuing on to receive his Masters in Avian Medicine at the University of Georgia. In 2004 Scott began his veterinary career at Cobb-Vantress in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. While at Cobb his roles included technical service for North America and Asia, internal veterinary service, and the World Director for Quality Assurance focusing on Salmonella eradication programs. Following Cobb, Scott worked for Tyson Foods for 12 years as the Managing Director of Veterinary Services for domestic poultry in Springdale, Arkansas. At presnt, Scott is a Technical Advisor for Elanco Animal Health focusing on bird health and food safety.

Brendan A. Niemira, Ph.D. is a research microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA's ARS) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of the University of Chicago and Michigan State University. His research develops and validates cold plasma, pulsed light, radiofrequency energy, and other nonthermal food processing technologies. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and critical reviews, is the co-editor and author of a well-regarded reference text, and holds one patent. Dr. Niemira is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and a past member of the IFT Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Educational Advisory Board for the Food Safety Summit. A member of IFT, the International Association for Food Protection, and the American Society for Microbiology for more than 20 years, he also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Food Protection and Applied and Environmental Microbiology. He received the 2016 U.S. Department of Defense Award for Excellence and the 2020 Federal Laboratory Consortium Technology Transfer Innovation Award.

As CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness (STOP) since May 2019, Mitzi Baum, M.Sc. is focused on expanding STOP's impact by concentrating on three strategic areas: families and individuals impacted by foodborne disease, company culture and practice, and food safety policy. By instituting a collaborative, consumer-centric operating model, STOP engages stakeholders across the food system to develop and advance solutions to food safety.