Michael Brown
Chief Economist at International Dairy Foods AssociationMike Brown joined IDFA as Chief Economist in January 2023. He leads economic and policy analysis across IDFA and strategy development related to dairy policy and pricing. Mike’s career spans many different aspects of the dairy industry from farm to consumer, including cheese plant economics, risk management strategies, trade policy and US price regulation. Before joining IDFA, Brown led the milk and dairy procurement team for The Kroger Co. as director of dairy supply chain. Prior to Kroger, Brown worked with policy and manufacturing economics with other well-known dairy companies and organizations including Glanbia, Darigold and National All-Jersey.
Kimberlee Burrington
VP of Technical Development at American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI)KJ Burrington is the Vice President of Technical Development at ADPI, having joined the staff as a director in January 2021. Prior to her joining the ADPI staff, KJ served as the Ingredient Applications Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR). She has over 30 years of experience in product development including her past positions at Ridgeview Industries, the Keebler Company, and as a consultant to the baking industry.
In her previous position at CDR, she provided technical support for U.S. dairy processors and end users on dairy ingredient functionality and applications. She also provided technical expertise for food companies internationally through visits and seminars in conjunction with the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) to countries such as Mexico, Latin America, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. KJ has also been an instructor/presenter in various ADPI events and activities.
KJ holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also an IFT Certified Food Scientist. She has also served on the ADPI Center of Excellence since its inception in 2012.
Sara Dorland
Managing Partner at Ceres Dairy Risk Management LLCSara Dorland, is the managing partner at Ceres, a company specializing in providing risk management, market research and financial consulting services to agriculture and food-based businesses. Sara works throughout the dairy supply chain including dairy producers, cooperatives, manufacturers and consumer products companies. Her interactions have involved a broad array of hedging activities, go to market techniques, as well as education, analysis and consulting on a wide variety of dairy industry topics.
Sara lives with her husband and two daughters in Hailey, Idaho.
Corey Geiger
Lead Economist Dairy at CoBankCorey Geiger is the Lead Dairy Economist for CoBank, one of the largest providers of credit to the dairy industry. Prior to joining the Farm Credit System, Geiger brought the best scientific, managerial, and policymaking information to the world’s dairy community as an editor for Hoard’s Dairyman for nearly three decades. He led the launch of publication’s fourth language edition, Hoard’s Dairyman China and traveled to 48 states and four continents covering dairy farming and dairy processing.
In other industry service, Geiger was president of National Dairy Shrine, the Wisconsin Holstein
Association, and Holstein Association USA. He served on the board of directors for both the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding and World Dairy Expo where he chairs its Education Committee. A six-generation farmer, Geiger is the author of two award-winning books - On A Wisconsin Family Farm and The Wisconsin Farm They Built - that together have sold over 7,500 copies in all 50 U.S. states. In 2023, the University of Wisconsin-Madison honored Geiger with its Honorary Recognition Award, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and at the 2024 World Dairy Expo, National Dairy Shrine bestowed its highest honor, the Guest of Honor, to Geiger.
Lynette Johnston, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Food Safety Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University
Devon Kuehn
Chief Medical Officer at ByHeart, Inc.
Mary Ledman
Global Dairy Strategist at Rabobank InternationalMs. Ledman has more than 20 years of experience in the dairy industry that includes production, processing and policy. She grew up on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin and has worked on farms in Germany, Japan and New Zealand. Her past work experience includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kraft and Stella Foods. In 1995, she founded Keough Ledman Associates, a dairy economic consulting firm that provides monthly dairy product and milk price forecasting, economic and policy analysis, dairy product and milk sourcing strategies and domestic and international dairy market information. In 2012, she acquired the Daily Dairy Report. She received a master’s of science degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and also received a Fulbright Fellowship to study the European Community’s dairy policy in Germany.
William Loux
SVP, Global Economic Affairs at U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC)Will serves as the Senior Vice President of Global Economic Affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). In this role, he leads the two organizations’ joint economics team, which provides forward-looking analysis and insight into U.S. and international dairy markets. Will and his team are frequent speakers at various U.S. and global dairy conferences and engage closely with stakeholders from around the world to forecast market dynamics and their effects on the U.S. dairy industry.
Will holds a master’s degree from London School of Economics and maintains close ties to his farming roots back home in Iowa. He also has the pleasure of serving as Vice Chair of the International Dairy Federation’s Standing Committee on Dairy Policy and Economics.
Mike McCully
President at McCully ConsultingMike McCully is currently the president and owner of McCully Consulting, a strategic consulting firm focusing on dairy and food companies. He has experience in business analysis, long-term strategic planning, purchasing strategies, risk management policies/procedures, Mergers & Acquisitions, and supply chain issues/opportunities.
His past experience includes over 15 years with Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat and grain purchasing. His responsibilities included sourcing dairy commodities as well as commodity risk management, dairy policy and industry relations. While in the Oscar Mayer division of Kraft, he was also responsible for meat commodity risk management and corn purchasing. His knowledge base also reaches into dairy policy and price volatility issues.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Western Illinois University and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.
Mike has been a member of ADPI’s Center of Excellence for several years, and is actively engaged in the Institutes events and activities including Dairy Ingredient Training Courses.
Jeremy Pike
Sustainability Platform Leader at Idaho Milk ProductsJeremy is the Sustainability Platform Leader at Idaho Milk Products. In his role, he leads the development of processes and metrics that bring transparency to the company’s performance across all aspects of sustainability, creating the platform for continuous improvement. Jeremy collaborates with the dairy farmers, on farm sustainability experts, the team at the company’s milk processing facility, and customers to support the company’s purpose of “bringing value to milk for generations.” He helps bridge the gap between farmers and customers for opportunities on collaborative projects in such areas as water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and farming practices. Prior to his role as the Sustainability Platform Leader, he oversaw Idaho Milk Products’ wastewater, air emissions, and environmental compliance. He joined the team in August 2021.
Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University at Buffalo and a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Biology from the State University of New York – Brockport. Jeremy and his wife reside in the beautiful Magic Valley of Idaho where they can be found kayaking, hiking, hunting, fishing, and snowboarding.
Matthew Pikosky
Vice President of Nutrition Research at National Dairy CouncilDr. Matthew Pikosky is Vice President of Nutrition Research for National Dairy Council. He has over 20 years of experience steering and managing the development of scientific research activities, formulating and cultivating key industry alliances and partnerships, and providing the thought leadership to translate nutrition science into actionable and relevant recommendations for a variety of audiences.
In his current role, Dr. Pikosky leads the Consumer Benefits and NHANES research programs at National Dairy Council, the goals of which are to identify and advance the science examining specific consumer-focused benefits of dairy foods and ingredients to support health and wellness positioning and catalyze industry innovation.
Prior to joining the National Dairy Council, Dr. Pikosky served as a Senior Scientist in the Applied Medical Nutrition Science group at Nestlé Health Science and as a Research Physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, a master’s degree in exercise physiology, and a Ph.D. in nutrition all from the University of Connecticut where his research focused on defining optimal protein intakes for endurance athletes and physically active children and adults.
Phil Plourd
President at Ever.AgPhil Plourd is President of Ever.Ag Insights. He has been involved in dairy, commodity market, and macroeconomic analysis, research, forecasting, consulting, and risk management activities for more than 25 years. Phil draws on that experience to lead an expert team helping clients find better ways to do business – across supply chains and around the world. He is a popular speaker who engages audiences on a variety of topics.
Andy Powers
Vice President of Technical Services at American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI)Andy brings over 30 years of commercial, scientific, and technical (QA/Regulatory/Food Safety) experience to ADPI where he is Vice President of Technical Services and serves on ADPI's Center of Excellence. Prior to ADPI, Andy most recently worked for Newton Enterprises as VP & Senior Consultant. He has also held positions at Hoogwegt U.S./Lone Star Dairy, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Akorn Pharmaceuticals, and Biosys Biotech, Inc. It should be noted that during his tenure at Hoogwegt US/Lone Star Dairies, Andy served on ADPI’s Technical and Standards Committees.
Andy is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology, and a Master of Business Administration. He is a current member of the American Chemical Society, and the American Society for Quality. In addition, he is a Certified Lead Auditor & Practitioner – Safe Quality Food(SQF) Institute; Certified Lead Auditor – HACCP & ISO 9000; and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society.
Andy and his family reside in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Dean Roberts
Director of Technology and Market Development at Bruker Scientific, LLCDean Roberts is currently the Director of Technology and Market Development for Bruker Applied
Spectroscopy, focusing on expanding the use of FTIR, FT-NIR and Raman spectroscopy for quality
control, process monitoring, and other industrial applications. Dean obtained a BS in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1982. After several years working in quality control laboratories, Dean joined Mattson Instruments as an Application Scientist working with FTIR spectrometers. Dean joined Bruker Optics in 1999 as the Midwest Regional Sales Manager, later moving into management roles within Bruker Optics. Dean’s current areas of interest include development of new applications for both benchtop analyzers and in-line systems for Dairy and Biopharma manufacturing operations.
Mark Russo
Chief Science Officer, Certified Consulting Meteorologist at Everstream AnalyticsMark is the Chief Science Officer at Everstream Analytics, who sets the global supply chain standard by delivering predictive insights and risk analytics. Based in Chicago, he co-leads the Applied Meteorology team to ensure weather/climate data quality and accuracy and customer-focused impacts for supply chains, logistics, business operations, and commodity hedging/trading. He also is an American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist.
After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology, Russo has spent the past two decades applying global weather and climate to supply chains, agriculture, and energy. Prior to joining Riskpulse in 2013 which later became Everstream, Russo worked for Chesapeake Energy and Citigroup/Smith Barney where he provided accurate and timely weather forecasts and noted climate trends directly to high stakes commodity hedgers, traders, brokers, and analysts. He also has appeared on CNBC, the Today Show, and CNN and currently is a weekly guest on Illinois Public Radio’s Closing Market Report.
Throughout his professional career, Russo has been active in the American Meteorological Society. Not only has he served in the private sector mentorship program and on the energy committee but also as President of the local Chicago Chapter. Additionally, he has advised the National Academies of Science/National Research Council regarding NOAA weather and climate data and has presented to numerous agriculture and energy associations. Outside of work, Mark is a huge sports fan, especially baseball, and resides in the western suburbs of Chicago with his wife and three children.