Daniel Akinmolayan

Director of IT Systems and Customer Support, SQFI

Daniel Akinmolayan is the Director of IT Systems and Customer Support at the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), where he has led technological advancements since 2017. With a Master's in Information Technology specializing in Database Systems Technology from the University of Maryland, Daniel oversees SQFI's IT ecosystem, including the Audit Assessment database. His work has positioned the SQF program as a leader in food safety certification technology.

Daniel specializes in leveraging advanced technologies, such as predictive analytics and artificial intelligence, to enhance audit management systems. An experienced speaker, he frequently shares insights on machine learning and data analytics at industry events. Beyond his technical expertise, Daniel is passionate about mentoring teams, driving innovation, and fostering global collaboration to create meaningful change.

Kristina Bierschwale

VP of Sales & Customer Development, Where Food Comes From

Kristina Bierschwale is the Vice President of Sales and Customer Development at Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF), North America’s leading third-party verification and certification company. She works with dairy, meat, and poultry customers across the supply chain, helping them meet public and private industry standards, including WFCF CARE Certified, SQF, USDA Organic, and international export requirements.

With over 20 years of experience in quality assurance, food safety, marketing, export sales, grocery retail procurement, and product development, Kristina has played a key role in product launch campaigns showcasing WFCF labeling programs.

A Texas Hill Country native, Kristina earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Texas A&M University. She lives in Mason, TX, with her husband and three children.

Stacey Brown

SQF Lead Auditor, ASI Food

Stacey Brown is an SQF, cGMP, and CSQ Lead Auditor at ASI with a career in food spanning over 15 years. Stacey has transitioned from product development roles with household brands such as Pepperidge Farm, King’s Hawaiian, and Nestle to her current position as a PCQI and HACCP Certified Lead Auditor and food safety consultant. 

Stacey is a passionate advocate for food safety and ASI’s go-to mentor for fellow SQF auditors looking to improve their understanding of food safety certification and advance their industry experience. Since she didn’t come from food safety like most auditors, Stacey has a unique view of the challenges for food producers, allowing her the perspective to help organizations solve even the most complex food safety problems. Due to her ongoing efforts to foster continuous growth in the world of food safety, Stacey received the Exemplar Global Community Award as an Endorsed Auditor in 2024. 

Corey Chapman

Corey pushes the limits to simplify processes, enhance sustainability, establish standards, and improve quality, ultimately driving operational excellence and innovation. He has over 20 years of experience in quality, production, and plant management at Ring Container Technologies, a manufacturer of plastic containers for the food, pet care, and chemical markets.

As Ring’s Operations Improvement Manager, he supports all sites globally to enhance quality, process control, food safety, and operational efficiency. Corey’s extensive responsibilities include the food safety management system, customer and regulatory standards, supplier approval, automation technologies, quality systems, data analysis, and training.

Corey has been pivotal in the company’s adoption of third-party standards, including SQF, BRC, AIB, and GMA-SAFE. He contributed to the evolution of SQF code editions 8, 9, and 10, and he proudly serves on the SQFI's Technical Advisory Council, reinforcing his commitment to food safety.

Colin Christmas

Managing Director, EAGLE Certification Group

Experienced professional with 25+ years in food and certification industries. Having the privilege to live and work in numerous countries around the world, I developed an excellent understanding for how to get things done in various functions and with different cultures. I built a unique profile of working with IS/IT Systems, driving Business Excellence for global projects. Also with conformity assessment and management systems, driving compliance and improvement in regional operational roles. My passions are people, process and systems enabling me to see the bigger picture and connect the dots cross-functionally in a value chain. This translates into managing effective teams, driving the right results and increasing efficiencies.

LeAnn Chuboff

Vice President, Technical Affairs, SQFI

LeAnn has over 30 years of foodservice experience specializing in supply chain food safety and quality assurance. Currently LeAnn is the Vice President of Technical Affairs for the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute responsible for the technical elements of the SQF program including the development, maintenance and technical support of the SQF Code and supporting materials.

Prior to working at the SQF Institute, LeAnn worked for the National Restaurant Association Solutions as the Director of Science and Regulatory Relations. In this role, she was responsible for the technical accuracy of the ServSafe food safety program and developed program and services on food safety and food defense to fit with all segments of the restaurant industry. LeAnn graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Food Science and is active with many organizations including GFSI, AFDO and the International Association for Food Protection.

Ashley Eisenbeiser

Vice President, Food & Product Safety Programs, FMI

Ashley Eisenbeiser is the Vice President of Food and Product Safety Programs at FMI – The Food Industry Association. With a background in food science and food safety, Ashley supports FMI’s members on scientific and technical issues, food and agriculture regulatory policy, and food safety training programs.  Ashley is a Certified Food Scientist, serves on the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Food Safety Education, and is a member of several professional associations. Ashley received her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech.

Geoff Farrell

Global Senior Technical Manager - Food Production, NSF

Geoff Farrell, Global Senior Techncial Manager with NSF is responsible for maintaining and driving the SQF Program forward to ensure that all accreditation requirements have been met.  He has been in the food industry for over 25 years and has spent the previous 10 years as a food safety auditor with NSF  auditing to multiple schemes.  Prior to that he has worked with Clearwater Seafoods, Frito Lay/Pepsico.

Nicole Ferreri

Quality Manager, Kerry Ingredients

Nicole Ferreri is a Quality Manager with Kerry, where she oversees food safety and quality at a site specializing in citrus and fruit oils and essences. Nicole manages the Quality and Analytical teams at the Lakeland location. Nicole is responsible for implementing, leading, and sustaining quality system programs and serves as the site SQF practictioner. 

Nicole holds a Master's degree in Food Science from Kansas State University. Nicole holds several certifications including Advanced HACCP, FSPCA Preventive Control of Human Foods, Advanced SQF Practitioner, and ASQ Certified Quality Engineer.

Martin Fowell

Director of Auditing Operations, MXNS

Martin Fowell is currently the Director of Auditing Operations of Mérieux NutriSciences Certification LLC, Chicago, IL.  Martin received his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville in the field of Agricultural Business, with a minor in Animal Science.  During and immediately after completing his degree, he worked as a Quality Assurance Manager in the cheese industry.   He later worked in a regulatory role doing food safety inspections for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture.   In 2001 Martin joined Silliker/Mérieux NutriSciences as a Food Safety Auditor.   He has been promoted into different management roles within the company including Regional Auditing Manager and Certification Manager.  In his current role as Director, he is closely involved with auditor recruitment, training, and calibration programs, as well as actively participating in GFSI working groups.   He also maintains auditor credentials and actively conducts SQF audits. 

Casey Gallimore

Director of Regulatory Policy, Meat Institute

Casey Lynn Gallimore serves as the senior director of regulatory policy at the Meat Institute where she provides analysis and expertise on a variety of topics including: food safety, processing, animal welfare, and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining the Meat Institute, Gallimore spent seven years in the food industry in food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance roles. She has worked in FDA and USDA regulated facilities ranging from chocolate and ingredient manufacturing to portion cut steaks and market hog slaughter.

Gallimore earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Truman State University, with minors in Chemistry and Justice Systems.

Kristie Grzywinski

Technical Director, SQFI

Kristie Grzywinski is an accomplished Technical Director responsible for Learning and Development for the SQF Institute. With extensive experience in designing and managing global training programs, Kristie excels at creating innovative education solutions, developing competency-based curricula, and driving learning initiatives that generate significant organizational impact. Known for their strategic vision, Kristie has successfully SQFI’s expanded learning programs to reach diverse audiences, fostering professional growth and upholding industry standards. Her expertise includes curriculum design, certification development, and the development of implementation tools that support measurable success.

Sanjay Gummalla

Sr. Vice President, Scientific Affairs, American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)

Sanjay Gummalla is Sr. VP, scientific affairs, at American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) tackling Listeria monocytogenes prevention and control programs and policy efforts. Prior to joining AFFI, Sanjay was VP, product development at Zentis NA, a global fruit preparation manufacturer. His technical expertise extends to flavor development, food microbiology, and product development resulting from managing global food application projects at Givaudan Flavors and leading the global dairy flavor research and development portfolio at Cargill.

Sanjay served on key committees representing industry: advisor, U.S. Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee for Processed Foods; committee member, Journal of Food Protection; president, Capital Area Food Protection Association, and chair, International Food Science Certification Commission administering IFT’s Certified Food Scientists program. He is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual instructor and taught food microbiology as adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati. He has a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Sciences from Utah State University.

Mason Hines

Senior Program Manager and Consensus Builder, RESOLVE

Mason manages RESOLVE’s Global Alliance to Advance Reuse (PR3), an initiative to standardize and scale reusable packaging systems and infrastructure. Mason led RESOLVE’s accreditation as an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer in 2023 and now overseeing the development of seven foundational standards meant to enable interoperability among reuse systems, maximize efficiencies, and avoid the fragmentation that hampers current waste systems. As a new SDO, RESOLVE is hyper-focused on building equitable standards-setting processes and bringing non-traditional stakeholders to the table – believing that equity in process contributes to equity in outcomes.

Mason’s background is in conflict resolution. He has ten years of professional experience as a meditator and consensus builder. Please also talk to me about football, golf, all things fantasy and sci-fi, overly complex board games, and the joys of living with toddlers.

Shalonda Holt

FSQRA Manager, Co-Manufacturers and Audit, Conagra Brands

Shalonda has been with Conagra Brands for 26 years, during which she has held various positions, including Chemist, FS&Q Auditor Manager, and most recently, FSQRA Manager for Co-Manufacturing and Audits. Throughout her tenure, Shalonda has actively participated in cross-functional committees responsible for reviewing and approving new and significantly revised procedures. She has also contributed to the development of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and the creation of an internal audit template. Additionally, Shalonda has been a member of the SQF Conference Planning Committee on multiple occasions. Since 2013, she has held certifications as an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor and ASQ Certified HACCP Auditor.

Prit Hora

Lead Auditor, Certification Manager - Food Certification, Bureau Veritas

Dr. Prit Hora holds a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences and a Master’s in Food Sciences and works with Bureau Veritas Certification North America (BVCNA). With over 20 years of experience in food safety and quality assurance, Dr. Hora has held roles in both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the private sector.

An expert in developing and implementing Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), Dr. Hora specializes in process improvements, operational excellence, training, and regulatory compliance for food categories including bakery, dairy, meat, and grain processing. He is a Certified HACCP Auditor (CHA), SQF Lead Auditor, and holds certifications in BRC Global Standards.

Dr. Hora has provided consulting, training, and auditing for SFCR, SQF, and BRCGS standards, helping organizations enhance food safety and quality. His work has driven success in regulatory compliance, continuous improvement, and preventive control initiatives across the food industry.


Amit Jagirdar

Director of Quality and Food Safety, Bunge Canada

With over 25 years of global experience in the food industry, Amit is a results-oriented leader in quality and food safety. He has worked across diverse markets in India, Australia, the Middle East, and Canada, specializing in product categories such as bread, biscuits, confectionery, snack food, frozen breads, and bulk oils.

As Director of Quality and Food Safety at Bunge Canada, Amit leads a team committed to upholding the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance. A trained SQF Lead Auditor, Six Sigma Black Belt, and MBA graduate in Food and Agribusiness, he uses his expertise to drive innovation, continuous improvement, and best practices.

Amit is passionate about coaching his team and fostering a culture of quality and engagement to ensure Bunge remains a trusted partner for customers and stakeholders.

Hal King

Managing Partner, Active Food Safety

Hal King, Ph.D., is the Managing Partner at Active Food Safety, an Advisory Services partnership for the food industry.  Hal is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Public Health. Hal is the author of several books on the corporate governance of food safety management in the foodservice industry, and the author of numerous food industry publications that help the industry identify risk and prevent foodborne disease outbreaks. 

Hal’s new book  Food Safety Leadership in the Business of Food Safety, features business best practices from several food safety business leaders in our industry.  Hal is the recipient of the 2018 NSF International Food Safety Leadership and Innovation Award, and is formally the Director of Food and Product Safety at Chick-fil-A Inc. where he led the Food Safety Management Program for over 10 years.

Jonathan Lackie

Manager, Business Development & Sales, SQFI

Jonathan Lackie has over 14 years of experience within the food certification industry.  Previously having specialized in organic certification for the fast-growing Natural Foods market, he has worked with a broad spectrum of clients – from bootstrap entrepreneurs to industry leading multinational CPGs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara as well as a Master of Business Administration from San Diego’s Point Loma Nazarene University.

Tatiana Lorca

Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Canteen (Compass Group)

Dr. Tatiana Lorca is the VP of Food Safety & Quality Assurance for Canteen (Compass Group North America’s largest sectors) whose business encompasses vending, food manufacturing and foodservice. She is responsible for the management and integration of quality management and improvement programs, as well as field compliance for regulatory and company practices.

Dr. Lorca has over 22 years of work experience in the fields of global food safety standards development, training, auditing, consulting and supplier and crisis management within food the food industry. In her previous role she was responsible for supply chain QA activities including supplier maintenance and management of customer complaints. She holds masters and doctoral degrees in food science and technology, is an active member of SQF Technical Working Groups as well as the Conference for Food Protection Council III. Dr. Lorca is additionally an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Virginia Tech’s Food Science Department.

Lisa Lucore

Director of Food Safety, Compliance and Auditing, Shearer's Foods, LLC

Dr. Lucore received her M.S. degree in Poultry Science and her Ph.D. in Food Science at North Carolina State University. She joined Shearer’s Foods, LLC in 2017 and has more than 20 years in the practical application of food safety principles in U.S.D.A and F.D.A. manufacturing operations. Dr Lucore has spent her career creating training, tools and resources to prevent, minimize, and manage risk which, in additional to recall preparedness and execution, has a natural partnership with people safety initiatives; developing crisis management preparedness for business continuity and the wider topic of risk management.

Lauren Maloney

Accreditation Manager, PJRFSI

With over 12 years of experience in the field of sustainable agriculture and food production, Lauren’s background in both production and management are of great benefit to her role as Food Safety Program Accreditation Manager. She manages the GFSI benchmarked schemes: SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, and GLOBALG.A.P., as well as the compliance programs requirements and accreditation. She also has 8 years of auditing experience with PJRFSI in QMS, GLOBALGAP, HACCP/GMP and Cannabis/Hemp. In addition to agriculture and food production, Ms. Maloney holds her M.S. in Conservation Biology, her diverse skills and knowledge base are a benefit to the food safety program.

Douglas Marshall

Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins

Dr. Douglas L. Marshall is Chief Scientific Officer with Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories.  He also serves as Technical Director for the Refrigerated Foods Association.  Formerly he was Associate Dean and Professor of Public Health, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Northern Colorado and a Contributing Editor of the scientific journal Food Microbiology.  His career focus is to improve the microbiological quality and safety of foods, with numerous publications and consultations in the area.  He has received the Mississippi Chemical Corporation Award of Excellence for Outstanding Work and the International Association for Food Protection Educator and Harold Barnum Industry Awards.  He is a Certified Food Scientist (CFS) and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Renee McVey

Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager, Redbarn Pet Products

Renee McVey is the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager at Redbarn Pet Products, bringing 6 years of industry experience as an organically grown practitioner who began at the farm harvest level. She is one of the first Certified SQF Practitioners and holds certificates in HACCP, PCQI for Human Food and Pet Food, and Internal Auditing.

Currently completing a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a minor in Food Science from Kansas State University (May 2025), Renee returned to school to expand her knowledge and advance her career while working in the industry. She is also actively involved with the SQFI Technical Work Group for Pet Food and Animal Feed for Edition10. Known for her leadership, integrity, and focus on continuous improvement, Renee has built food safety systems from the ground up and is committed to driving innovation and fostering a culture of transparency while always striving for both personal and professional growth.

Kris Middleton

Senior Director of Consulting, Intertek Alchemy

Kris is devoted and passionate about delivering value in any work that he conducts within the food industry.  Whether this be through audits, training, or consulting, customers and those in the industry greatly appreciate his style, knowledge, and positive attitude & energy. Kris feels it is important for food safety professionals to look at a food safety and quality management system as a whole and focus on not only product quality and safety, but also brand quality and safety. 

Laura Dunn Nelson

Vice President of Food Safety and Sustainability, Intertek Alchemy

Laura Dunn Nelson brings over 35 years of experience implementing food safety and quality control programs for processing, packaging, food service, and retail operations. Laura has worked with global retailers and manufacturers in the implementation of their food and workplace safety programs.  In her current position, Laura is the strategic food industry liaison working with customers, regulators and associations to anticipate new regulations and industry trends and assist in the development of new courses and technology solutions to help Alchemy’s global customers achieve operational success.  

Laura's passion for food safety culture is reflected in her active industry participation including member of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Storage and Distribution Technical Working Group, GFSI Food Safety Culture Technical Working Group, past Chair of the Food Safety Culture PDG for International Association Food Protection (IAFP), member of the BSI Food Safety Culture PAS 320 Steering Group and Board member of IFPTI.

Goranka Platisa

Food Safety & Quality Consultant & Trainer, PCR Corporation

Goranka has over 35 years of experience in training, auditing, and consulting on Food Safety and Quality Management Systems. She works with cross-functional teams to establish effective total quality management programs.

A Certified HACCP Manager and GFSI Consultant and Trainer, Goranka is a Lead Instructor for SQF, BRCGS ATP, FSSC 22000, HACCP (International HACCP Alliance), and FDA Preventive Controls (FSPCA).

Her expertise includes Food Safety QMS development, GFSI certification preparation, training program development, continuous improvement, sustainability, and auditing. She is well-versed in North American and EU regulations, helping businesses bridge compliance gaps for FSMA, BRCGS, and SQF.

With a vision for industry growth, Goranka partners with organizations to elevate food safety standards and drive operational excellence.

Rajko Platisa

Food Safety and Quality Systems Specialist, PCR Corp.

With over 40 years of experience, Rajko specializes in food safety, quality management, and regulatory compliance. He has developed and implemented ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and GFSI-based systems (BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000) across various food sectors, including meat, poultry, seafood, bakery, beverages, and pet food. Rajko has also designed and delivered competency-based training programs, enhancing knowledge of food safety and regulatory standards. His expertise includes gap assessments, audits, SOP development, employee training, and environmental sustainability initiatives.

Marcus Puente

Associate Director Regulatory Compliance - Prepared Foods, Tyson Foods

Marcus Puente commenced his career with Tyson Foods in 2013 after completing his bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University. Throughout his tenure at Tyson Foods, he has held various roles within FSQA, working in diverse process environments including poultry harvest, RTE meat production, and supplier compliance. During this period, he earned a Master’s degree in Food Safety from the University of Arkansas and attained his ASQ Certified Quality Auditor certification. In his current capacity, Marcus is accountable for regulatory compliance for Tyson Foods' Prepared Foods Business Unit. Prior to his tenure at Tyson Foods, he served honorably in the United States Marine Corps.

Rhonda Rainwater

National Strategic Account Manager/SME, ABM Industries

For over the past 20 years, Rhonda has worked in the food industry, focusing the last 10 years on Food Safety in numerous aspects.  During this time, Rhonda has worked with USDA and FDA facilities ranging from Slaughter and further processing facilities to dessert manufacturers.   Working alongside Quality Assurance teams and Operational teams, focusing on finding gaps within Food Safety programs to improve Sanitation programs.  

Rhonda’s passion to drive Food Safety excellence throughout our community has proven to be an asset to many customers and organizations she has worked with throughout her career.   

José Sabal

President/Owner, Sabal Food Safety Consulting

Seasoned food safety and quality consultant with over 30 years of global experience specializing in operational efficiency, impactful training, and compliance with rigorous food safety and quality standards. Adept at applying HACCP principles, risk-based assessments (ISO 31000), and regulatory requirements across diverse food processing industries.
Known for delivering practical solutions to complex challenges in food safety, including hazard identification, risk analysis, and control development. Skilled in leveraging analytical tools to predict and mitigate potential processing deviations.

Daniel Schmitz

Director of Operations, Commercial Food Sanitation

As the Director of Operations for Commercial Food Sanitation, Dan brings strong leadership skills and technical knowledge that he developed in his 29 years in the food manufacturing industry, along with a 24-year career in the United States Air Force. Dan’s food industry experience is extensive with both USDA and FDA regulated industries.

Dan has a passion for plant operations with a focus on food safety programs. He has held plant and corporate leadership roles in operations, quality, and sanitation in some of the largest and most demanding plant environments. Dan has a talent for developing very strong teams that successfully drive culture change in food manufacturing plants. Dan’s specific knowledge includes HACCP, pathogen environmental monitoring, hygienic design of equipment and infrastructure, allergen controls, all aspects of plant sanitation, and much more.

Liz Sertl

Senior Director, Supply Chain Visibility, GS1 US

Liz Sertl is Sr. Director, Community Engagement, at GS1 US and has more than 20 years of experience in the CPG industry. Working closely with supply chain partners, Liz facilitates collaboration best practices and guidelines that help companies improve product traceability and supply chain visibility through the adoption of GS1 Standards. 

Rachel Sheerin

SQF Unites Emcee

Rachel Sheerin is an award-winning keynote speaker, emcee, and burnout expert dedicated to helping people love their work and lives. With experience in both sales and operations, she has built multi-million-dollar sales teams and trained operations teams to collaborate effectively. After experiencing burnout herself, Rachel made it her mission to understand why high performers face chronic stress and how to prevent it.

A Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst, Rachel combines behavioral insights with burnout research to deliver science-backed, motivational keynotes that empower individuals and organizations to thrive. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies like The Ritz Carlton, WAL-MART, and Freddie Mac, as well as global associations and franchises.

Rachel is the Director of Global Awards for the Association for Women in Events and an angel investor supporting women-owned businesses. Known for her engaging style, she inspires audiences worldwide to achieve success and live lives they love.

https://www.rachelsheerin.com/

Stefanie Sonneveld

Consultant and Business Development Representative, SQFI

Experienced food safety professional with over 25 years in the food industry from "farm to fork" in manufacturing and food safety certification management. 

Stefanie helps organizations large and small across the supply chain to open market opportunities utilizing her in-depth knowledge of retailer requirements and GFSI benchmarked standards.

Stefanie's technical expertise and certification food safety leadership experience support the success of operations from primary production, processing and distribution through retail and food service.

Clint Stevenson

Associate Professor of Food Science, NC State University (NCSU)

Clint Stevenson is an Associate Professor of Food Science at NC State University.  He studied food science at the University of Idaho, Purdue University, and North Carolina State University and has worked at Nestle, Kraft, General Mills, Heinz, and Schreiber Foods. Now Clint is engaged with food safety workforce development through delivering a variety of curricula, including GMP's, HACCP, Seafood HACCP, Preventive Controls for Human Food, Environmental Monitoring, and more. He directs a team that innovates and evaluates online learning solutions for maximum impact. Additionally, Clint is engaged with 2nd and 3rd party food safety auditing, as well as assisting companies with audit preparedness.

Hilary S. Thesmar, PhD, RD, CFS

Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President, Food Safety Programs, FMI

With over 20 years of experience in food science, food safety, and food and agriculture policy, Dr. Thesmar provides leadership for FMI’s retail, wholesale and product supplier members on scientific and technical issues such as food safety training programs, regulatory strategy, recall plans and management, crisis management, research, and health and well-being programs. 

Dr. Thesmar earned a Ph.D. in Food Technology from Clemson University, a Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition from Winthrop University, a bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Clemson, and she is a Registered Dietitian.  Dr. Thesmar is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, an active member of the International Food Protection Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  

Jennie Thomas

FSQ Sr. Manager, Compliance Programs, HP Hood LLC

Jennie Thomas has 15 years of industry experience in meat processing, produce processing, and dairy manufacturing. She is currently the Food Safety and Quality Senior Manager of Compliance Programs with HP Hood. They have 12 manufacturing facilities making dairy milk, oat milk, aseptic beverages, cottage cheese, dairy dips, ice cream and sour cream. She has held all positions in the quality and food safety department in her 12 years with HP Hood. Her current role is in coporate to ensure supplier compliance through the supply chain and understanding raw material risks in the Hood manufacturing facilities. 

Tammie Van Buren

Manager, SQFI Compliance, SQFI

More than 25 years of experience in Quality Control and 10 years in the food industry as an SQF Practitioner responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining SQF Systems at various certified sites such as TreeHouse Foods and D&W Fine Pack.

Currently the SQF Compliance Manager overseeing the management and evolution of SQFI’s Compliance and Integrity Program (CIP) using data and statistics.

Holds a Masters in Science and Engineering Technology as well as a Bachelors in Mathematics.

Gigi Vita

Chief Food Safety Assessment Officer & SVP, SQFI

Gigi Vita is a forward-thinking, innovative influencer and problem solver who is currently the Chief Food Safety Assessment Officer & SVP at the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI). In her previous position as  Vice President of Sales at SQFI, Vita oversaw the entire sales division of SQFI and was proven to be a key asset to the organization’s expansion by increasing the SQFI portfolio in Latin America and Asia.  Vita has seasoned knowledge of the food industry with over 30 years’ experience, having previously worked across all trade channels and led highly successful initiatives within domestic and global organizations.

Most recently Vita was a Partner within the Customer Development Practice of The Partnering Group providing global strategy and general management consulting focused on sustainable value for leading retail and consumer product companies worldwide. Vita led strategic business development and innovation for the nation’s largest dairy cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and has worked as President and COO for Fonterra, North America. Vita also held senior leadership roles at other major consumer packaged goods companies including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft/Nabisco, Campbell Soup, Nestle and Procter & Gamble. Vita holds a BA in English from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Shawna Wagner

Vice President and General Manager of Certification, AIB

Shawna L. Wagner is currently the Vice President and General Manager of Certification Services for AIB International, Inc.  She has over 25 years of extensive experience in the food industry, particularly in food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. Her academic credentials, including a Master of Jurisprudence in Global Food Law and a B.S. in Biology, which further bolster her in-depth knowledge of the legal and scientific dimensions of food safety. Her career began with a focus on meat processing and slaughter facilities, where she developed a strong foundation in HACCP, sanitation practices, and regulatory standards and then transitioned to the certification standards.  Shawna was the recipient the SQF Auditor of the year award in 2019.  To contact Shawna, please email swagner@aibinternational.com.

Rod Wheeler

Founder and CEO, Global Food Defense Institute

Homeland Security, Global Food Defense and Law Enforcement expert Rod Wheeler is the founder and CEO of the Global Food Defense Institute which provides educational, training and certification programs in Food Defense and Crisis Management for the food, agricultural and chemical industries to ensure confidence and protection and to guard against intentional contamination or sabotage. He is a former “all-star” Homicide Detective with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC and former investigator for the State of Ohio Attorney General.  Rod has also previously served as a Senior Crime/Law Enforcement and Domestic Terrorism Expert for the Fox News Channel since 2002. Rod has assisted dozens of US-based companies in developing Global Security Plans, Vulnerability Assessments and Procedures and corresponding training programs.

Amanda Wilder

US Sales Director, Provision Analytics

Amanda Wilder holds an M.S. in Food Science from Kansas State University and B.S. in Food Science from the University of Idaho. While attending KSU, she worked in the Food Safety and Defense Lab on pathogen intervention technologies and strategies for the produce, pet food, and meat industries. Her past experience before joining the Provision team also includes working in Food Safety, R&D, and business development roles in meat, fruit and vegetable, and pulse processing operations. As US Sales Director at Provision Analytics, she’s passionate about helping companies find and implement solutions to optimize their food safety processes.