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Food Safety Matters
Food Safety Matters is a podcast for food safety professionals hosted by the Food Safety Magazine editorial team – the leading media brand in food safety for over 20 years. Each episode will feature a conversation with a food safety professional sharing their experiences and insights of the important job of safeguarding the world’s food supply.
Britanny Saunier, M.P.A. is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE). She focuses on leveraging PFSE's historical leadership in cross-sector collaboration and ensuring organizational effectiveness to realize PFSE's mission to develop and promote effective education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers.
Britanny began as an intern at PFSE in 2011, and later served as PFSE's Director of Development, successfully increasing PFSE's program service revenue and bringing diversification to PFSE's Partner network. She facilitated program engagement with consumer and academic food safety experts, supporting PFSE programs including the National Consumer Food Safety Education Conference.
Britanny holds a master's degree in Public Administration with a Health Policy focus from the School of Public Affairs at the American University in Washington, D.C.
Ashley Eisenbeiser, M.S., C.F.S. is Senior Director for Food and Product Safety Programs for FMI, The Food Industry Association and a food scientist specializing in food safety. In her role, Ashley serves as a subject matter expert for food and product safety for FMI's food safety programs and provides support for FMI's retail, wholesale, and product supplier members on food safety training, technical services, regulatory compliance, and industry research and resources.
Prior to joining FMI in June 2013, Ashley served as a Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension, where she planned, delivered, and evaluated community nutrition, health, and food safety educational programs. Ashley is a Certified Food Scientist and received her master's and bachelor’s degrees in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech.
Ashley serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Food Safety Education and is a member of several professional associations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), and the Conference for Food Protection (CFP).
Adam Holt, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist with decades of hands-on experience. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant at NameDatBug, a pest control consulting firm grounded in real-world success across every level of the pest control industry. Adam has held executive roles at several PCT Top 100 companies and brings unmatched industry expertise to every engagement. He holds a patent for an electronic rodent monitoring device, has worked in pest control software development, and has collaborated closely with manufacturers and distributors on both product design and market strategy.
Shannon Sked, Ph.D., BCE is an entomologist and the National Technical Director at Orkin. He received a B.S. degree from Rutgers University, an M.S. degree in Entomology from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers' Urban IPM Entomology lab. Dr. Sked's research focuses on distribution and temporal modeling of insect and rodent communities in order to design effective pest management programs. He began his career as a Navy Entomologist overseeing structural pests, specifically focusing on pests related to imports, exports, and within the logistics chain for Navy operations. He had the unique opportunity to practice applied entomology and invasive species management in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean, and the eastern shore of the U.S.
Michael Ciepiela is Vice President of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Southern Specialties. He brings over a decade of diverse experience in the food and beverage industry, along with experience in the pharmaceutical sector, specializing in quality assurance and food safety. Throughout his career, he has excelled in multi-site implementation and adherence to GFSI requirements and regulations. Michael has also been instrumental in promoting and educating Lean Six Sigma principles in fast-paced, cross-departmental settings. As a recognized thought leader, he frequently speaks at national conferences. He is also a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Michael holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Alfred University and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt from Villanova University.
Mindy Brashears, Ph.D. is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Under Secretary for Food Safety. She previously served as Under Secretary for Food Safety from 2020–2021, and Deputy Under Secretary in 2019. Dr. Brashears returns to USDA from Texas Tech University, where she was a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Public Health, the Roth and Letch Family Endowed Chair for Food Safety, and the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence.
Carmen Rottenberg is a leader in food safety and agriculture policy, serving as Managing Director of Groundswell Strategy a Board Member for the Partnership for Food Safety Education. Prior to launching Groundswell Strategy, Carmen served as Administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Over her 13 years with USDA, Carmen held several leadership roles and was credited with spearheading key agency initiatives including modernizing food safety inspection systems and establishing and updating pathogen performance standards. Carmen has extensive experience achieving collaboration across federal, state, and municipal agencies including with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), with state departments of agriculture and across USDA's 29 agencies and offices.
Jules Shepard is the CEO and Founder of gfJules, the number-one‑voted gluten‑free flour and baking mixes company in the United States. A recognized gluten‑free baking expert, she has authored three award‑winning books in the field and recently released a new cookbook dedicated to gluten‑free bread. A long‑standing and respected leader in the gluten‑free and food allergy community, Jules championed the gluten‑free food labeling movement in 2011. Her tireless advocacy, education, and lobbying efforts culminated in her receiving the first‑ever "Gluten Free Person of the Decade" award in 2020.
Lily Yasuda is the Deputy Director of the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, where she leads national initiatives that bring together food industry leaders to strengthen food safety culture and support continuous learning across the sector.
Athenais Boeffard is a collaborative and people-focused production leader with over a decade of experience in food manufacturing and food safety.
John Boyce has over 45 years of experience in various aspects of food production, food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, training, and auditing.