With 2021 in the rear-view mirror, the Food Safety Matters team, along with Bob Ferguson of Strategic Consulting, sat down to discuss the big food safety stories and impacts of 2021, and peek ahead at what’s in store as we begin 2022.

Mark Wittrock is the Director of the Food, Agriculture, and Veterinary Defense Division within the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In this role, he oversees the coordination and integration of the Department’s food, agriculture, and veterinary defense efforts across DHS, the federal interagency, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, academia, and the international community. His DHS focus is largely on mitigating the potential impacts from high-consequence and/or catastrophic events on the food and agriculture sectors and building stronger resilience to both the unintentional and intentional introduction of poisons, pests, or pathogens that could have quickly cascading impacts across the sectors.  

Sally Powell Price joined MilliporeSigma in 2020 as a Regulatory Expert for Food Safety Testing for North America. Previously, she served as Director of Lab Operations at a biotech startup in Boston and was a Food Lab Supervisor at the New York City Department of Health - Public Health Laboratory.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hamilton College, a master’s in Microbiology & Immunology from James Cook University in Australia, and did continuing coursework in public health and foodborne disease at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. She’s a member of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), American Public Health Association, Association of Public Health Laboratories, and AOAC. 

Justyce Jedlicka currently serves as the Food and Beverage Regulatory Liaison in North America for MilliporeSigma. Responsible for engaging with influencers in the food and beverage industry to align initiatives to be in the highest regulatory compliance and promote best practices among testing methods promoting the safest and highest quality food, Justyce has been serving the food and beverage industry since 2013. She received her BS in Chemistry and MBA from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. She currently serves on the Food Sciences Section Executive Board of the American Council of Independent Labs and is a member of IAFP, ISBT, and AOAC.

Mitzi Baum joined the team at Stop Foodborne Illness as the Chief Executive Officer in May 2019. Prior to beginning her tenure at Stop, Mitzi cultivated a 23-year career at Feeding America beginning as a network services representative rising to the senior level position of managing director of food safety. Mitzi holds a Master of Science in Food Safety and a certificate in Food Law from Michigan State University. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.

Kerry Bridges is Vice President of Food Safety at Chipotle Mexican Grill. In this role, Kerry oversees food safety standards, quality assurance, and procedures. 

Kerry joined Chipotle in January of 2019 and oversees a team of individuals who are committed to enforcing Chipotle’s zero-tolerance policy and industry-leading processes, focusing on supply chain, in-restaurant practices, food prep, and employee training. 

Dr. Brittany Campbell is the Director of Technical Services for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). NPMA is a global association supporting the pest management industry and their commitment to protecting public health, food, and property. Brittany earned her master’s degree in Entomology from Virginia Tech and her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Florida.

George Hatziemanuel is the Marketing Product Manager for Lab Weighing, covering analytical, precision, and moisture balances.

Carl Joslyn is the Marketing Product Manager for Industrial products, covering bench and floor weighing products used in food and industrial applications. Carl has been with OHAUS for over 21 years developing and marketing Industrial products.

Peter Will is the Marketing Product Manager for Laboratory Equipment, which includes products used in Food Safety Labs such as pH Meters, Centrifuges, and Hot Plate Stirrers.  Peter has over 15 years of experience with product development and marketing of small benchtop lab equipment.