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Jayendra Amamcharla
Professor at Kansas State UniversityDr. Jayendra Amamcharla has undergraduate and graduate degrees in dairy technology and dairy engineering, respectively. He has completed his doctoral degree in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, ND. Subsequently, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Dairy Science Department at South Dakota State University (SDSU), Brookings, SD. Currently, he is with the Animal Sciences and Industry Department, Kansas State University as a Professor (Food Science).
Blake Anderson
President & CEO of ADPI- ADPI Chairman & ABI President Welcome | Award of Merit Presentation
- Outlook Session
- Welcome to Day 2 | ADPI Scholarships & Breakthrough Award Presentations
Blake Anderson is the current President and CEO of the American Dairy Products Institute. Anderson joined ADPI with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development working for leading ingredient and food manufactures. Prior to coming to ADPI, Anderson held the leadership role of Senior Vice President of New Business Development at California Dairies overseeing the sales, marketing and business development and profit and loss responsibility for their global butter, processed fluids, cream cheese and nutritional powders business across all channels.
Anderson has also held the position of Global Director for Premium Ingredients and Customer Development for Fonterra overseeing its ingredients operations in North America, Europe, North Asia (Japan and Korea), and managing relationships with global food companies. Blake spent 15-plus years in senior leadership positions including sales, marketing, business development, HR, and general management/senior leadership roles for Symrise N.A. (President), Dean Specialty Foods Group (President), and Campbell Soup Company (various).
Kenneth Bailey
Principal at Ken Bailey Dairy Consulting LLCKen received a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Minnesota in 1988. He started his career in dairy economics while working at a policy think tank FAPRI at the University of Missouri in 1989. It was there that he wrote his first textbook on the economics of milk marketing and testified before Congress. Next, he became a tenured professor of dairy markets and policy at Penn State University. While at Penn State he testified at an International Trade Commission hearing on MPC imports, was an expert witness in Federal District Court in support of Pennsylvania’s state milk order, and testified at Federal Milk Marketing Order hearings. Ken got his Series 3 license in 2008 and worked in Chicago for a Futures Commission Merchant INTL-FCStone as a consultant and broker. From there he worked 10 years at Darigold, a dairy processor and cooperative in the Pacific Northwest. Ken worked on risk management, strategy and optimization, federal milk marketing orders, policy issues, and free trade agreements and global trade.
Ken has a keen interest in global trade and dairy policy issues. Ken also loves building economic forecasting models. He started “modeling” on mainframe computers using card readers in the 1980s. His most recent policy/modeling effort was a publication on the economics of the EU intervention program and its impact on the US. More recently he has become interested in sustainability, especial when viewing dairy products from a cost/benefit approach.
Mike Bandli
Reporter, Dairy Market News at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Mike Bandli joined Dairy Market News in April 2015 as a Dairy Market News Reporter and is currently the National Supervisor for the Dairy Market News office. In that role, he leads a team of reporters that cover the supply, demand, and price situation every week on a regional, national, and international basis for milk, butter, cheese, and dry and fluid products. He grew up on his family’s dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin. Mike has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls in Mathematics, with an Agricultural Business minor. Prior to joining Dairy Market News, Mike worked 18 years for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) as an Economic Development Consultant.
Mindy Berrey
Senior Director of Sales at Land O' Lakes, Inc.Mindy Berrey is the Senior Director of Sales for Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, where she leads the Milk Powders, Natural Cheese, and Whey businesses as well as the Sales Analytics and Business Operations teams for the Global Dairy Ingredients business. Mindy joined Land O’Lakes in 2009.
Prior to joining Land O’Lakes, Mindy worked in customer service and sales at Proteint, Inc., managing the organization's Lactose, Whey Protein Concentrate, and Sweet Whey portfolios.
Mindy holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business and German Language and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Mindy resides in Somerset, Wisconsin with her husband Brandon, and their sons Jakob and William.
Tom Berry
VPQA at Associated Milk Producers Inc.- Welcome to Day 2 | ADPI Scholarships & Breakthrough Award Presentations
- Quality Assurance & Food Safety
Tom Berry currently serves as the Vice President of Quality Assurance for Associated Milk Producers Inc.(AMPI), where he has called home for the last 15 years. Tom has over 34 years experience working in the food industry in different roles including plant, quality, food safety and lab management. Tom was born and raised on a dairy and crop farm in Southern Minnesota, near Mankato.
Tom has been actively involved in several dairy industry associations, serving different roles within ADPI, IDFA, NCCIA, NMPF, UMDIA, and NCIMS.
Tom has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology: Microbiology from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Jennifer Bockhahn
Dairy Decarbonization Lead at Barry Callebaut USAJennifer was raised on a small organic dairy farm in western New York (USA) where she worked alongside her father. After graduating college she spent five years working with the PRO-DAIRY Dairy Environmental Systems group at Cornell University. In this role, she focused on public outreach, education, and applied research programs driven by farmer needs and requests. Topics of focus in this role included methane measurement, manure management, barn design, and all aspects of cow comfort. At Barry Callebaut Jennifer develops and implements dairy sustainability projects that reduce risk and increase financial compensation for farmers for their efforts and is excited to share her learnings (and to learn) from farmers everywhere.
Mike 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.
KJ Burrington
Director of Technical Development at American Dairy Products Institute- Academic Institution Task Force Member Research Overview
- Academic Institution ADPI Member Research Overview
- Center of Excellence: Hot Topics
Kimberlee (KJ) Burrington is the Director of Training, Education and Technical Development of ADPI. Prior to joining ADPI, KJ served as the Ingredient Applications Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR). She has over 25 years of experience in product development including her past positions at Ridgeview Industries, the Keebler Company, and as a consultant to the baking industry. KJ has served as a member of ADPI’s Center of Excellence since its inception in 2012
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 Burrington 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.
Megan Bykowski
Public Relations Director of S/B Marketing CommunicationsMegan Bykowski is Director of Public Relations and Social Media at S/B Strategic Marketing in Madison, Wisconsin.
Megan has nearly 20 years of experience leading strategic communications initiatives for a variety of clients including Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Jones Dairy Farm, American Butter Institute, Kalsec and ADM.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Strategic Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Robert Byrne
Chief Food Safety Officer at Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.As Chief Food Safety Officer, Rob leads the DFA’s Enterprise Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Services functional area. Prior to joining DFA, he served in leadership roles in the area of food safety, quality assurance, regulatory and science for National Milk Producers Federation, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and most recently with Schreiber®Foods as vice president of industry and regulatory affairs. Rob is active in the industry, serving as chair of IDFA’s Standards and Labeling Committee and as a member on its Food Safety, International Trade and International Standards Task Force Committees, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s Food Safety Operating Committee. He is also a member of the American Dairy Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists and International Association for Food Protection.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech.
David Clark
Director/Owner of Bovina Mountain ConsultingDr. David Clark, founded the consultancy company, Bovina Mountain Consulting LLC, and specializes in the nutritional and functional aspects of dairy ingredients in high value markets. He can assist ADPI members with projects involving strategy development, regulatory support (e.g. GRAS notification), new product development, infant and medical nutrition formulation support and market research assistance.
David has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and received his Ph.D. from National Institute for Medical Research in London, UK. He has over 30 years of experience in the dairy industry, and held senior and executive positions at DMV and FrieslandCampina. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications on dairy ingredients, and has worked with clients in the US, Europe and Asia.
Stephanie Clark
Virginia M. Gladney Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State UniversityDr. Stephanie Clark started her professional career as an Assistant Professor at Washington State University (1998 – 2009), and currently holds an endowed professorship at Iowa State University (ISU). Her research broadly ranges from cow to consumer, including dairy animal science; dairy chemistry, microbiology, food processing and sensory evaluation; as well as consumer insights related to dairy foods. She serves as the Associate Director of the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center, where she oversees the ISU-associated dairy research component of the three-institution center, ensuring responsible fiscal management of dairy check-off dollars. Dr. Clark has been the research advisor of more than 45 undergraduate, 27 M.S., and 8 Ph.D. students. Her research has been published in over 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 20 book chapters, and over 85 posters and presentations. She has been invited to speak or provide expertise throughout the U.S., as well as Armenia, China, India, Kosovo, and Mexico.
Dr. Clark is an active member of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and the American Cheese Society (ACS), where she has served in many leadership roles. In addition to serving on extramural review panels, Dr. Clark has served two terms as Section Editor for the Journal of Dairy Science and as an Associate editor for Food Bioscience.
Sheri Cole
Assistant Professor of Practice at Oregon State UniversitySheri Cole is the Director of Oregon State University’s Sustainable Food Manufacturing program where she is working to position Food Science and Technology as a leader in accelerating the evolution necessary to make our food systems more sustainable and resilient. Leveraging and connecting the diverse capabilities of FST and broader OSU, external academic collaborators as well as our breadth of industry stakeholders positions OSU to deliver with impact. Sheri continues to serve as the Dairy Foods Extension Specialist to create opportunities for our industry in the Western US and beyond.
Sheri spent 20+ years with Kraft Foods, a global $70 Bn, multi-category business, in New Product Development, then leading scientific teams conducting research in H&W and fermentation science and then later in the Global RD&Q Strategy Group. Later with Tillamook, her role as VP of R&D allowed her to focus on evolving the Quality organization to be ready for 21st century challenges.
Sheri graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a MS in Bacteriology.
Jessie Deelo
Founder & Owner of Deelo ConsultingJessie Deelo founded Deelo Consulting Services to design strategies for agricultural systems change. Building off her career as a commercial farmer, Extension specialist and industry consultant, she integrates expertise in sustainable agriculture, corporate impact programs, food systems and strategy development. Ms. Deelo works with food companies, suppliers, farmers and NGOs to manage sustainability risks and advance market opportunities. Through analysis of landscape, markets, cultures and stakeholders, Jessie develops strategic frameworks and roadmaps for market- and place-based regenerative agriculture.
Ms. Deelo has sector expertise in North American dairy, grains and oilseeds, and organic and regenerative agriculture. She also has experiential knowledge of small- to mid-scale organic horticultural production. Her graduate school training in International Agricultural Development from the University of California-Davis shapes her approach to supply chain sustainability for global markets.
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.
MaryAnne Drake
William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science at North Carolina State UniversityMaryAnne Drake, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in dairy flavor. She has been at North Carolina State University since 2001 where she is currently a William Neal Reynolds Professor, and Director of the Sensory Service Center, and Director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center (SDFRC).
Research in her program is focused on sensory analysis and flavor chemistry of dairy products and ingredients, how flavor varies with processing and storage and how these parameters relate to consumer perception. Qualitative market research, descriptive analysis, consumer testing, and preference mapping are all used. Instrumental analysis techniques including gas chromatography/olfactometry, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography and are used to relate sensory properties to the chemical components of foods. Fundamental research on methods development is conducted as well as the application of these techniques to solve industrially relevant problems.
MaryAnne has a BS in Biology from Central Washington and earned a MS and PhD in Food Science from Washington State University.
Catherine Fox
VP of Brand and Dairy Foods Marketing at Land O' Lakes, Inc.Catherine is the Vice President of Corporate Marketing for Land O’Lakes where she leads all marketing and brand communications for Land O'Lakes enterprise brand and brands across all the business units including Winfield, Truterra, Purina and Dairy Foods. She is responsible for creating and implementing the vision, strategy, and purpose for our brands in partnership with our agencies and business unit marketing. She has oversight of Brand and Engagement Strategy, Marketing Operations, Design Studio, plus the Brand Marketing discipline.
Prior to joining Land O’Lakes, Catherine had 14 years in food marketing with 9 years on the consumer products side with Pillsbury and General Mills working on brands like Toaster Strudel, Fiber One and Toaster Scrambles and 5 years in Foodservice at General Mills working on sweet goods, baking mixes and cereal under the Pillsbury, Gold Medal and General Mills brands. Previous to food marketing, Catherine worked at Honeywell, Inc in operations, sales and business development.
Catherine holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Dayton and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
Christopher Galen
Executive Director of American Butter InstituteChris Galen is the Executive Director of the American Butter Institute, a position he assumed in 2022. As the staff executive for ABI, Galen oversees the management of the 115 year-old association representing the policy and economic interests of America’s butter makers and marketers.
He also serves as Senior Vice President of Member Services and Strategic Initiatives for the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) in Arlington, VA. In his role for NMPF, Galen is responsible for ensuring that NMPF’s members derive value from their involvement with the association, and that NMPF is effective in its engagement with other dairy, agricultural and food organizations. This includes overseeing the delivery of a range of member services, while also creating and strengthening relationships in Washington and across the country between the organization association and other stakeholders. Prior to being named SVP of Member Services in 2018, Galen served in the lead
communications role at NMPF from 1997 to 2018. Chris’s professional background includes work as a television anchor and reporter in the Midwest and as press secretary for two members of Congress, as well as work in Washington for another food sector trade association and a leading public relations firm.
Chris attended college at the University of Nebraska, where he majored in journalism.
Joe Gaynor
Program Coordinator at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Joe Gaynor is the Acting Director of the Economics Division (ED) within Dairy Programs. Mr. Gaynor started his career as a statistician for the National Agricultural Statistics Service Colorado and California field offices, then worked in headquarters compiling national level dairy product price statistics. He joined AMS Dairy Programs, Market Information Branch as chief in 2011 and later led multiple dairy software development projects for MARS, ATLAS, and DIGS. His primary duties currently include leading the Economics team in analyzing current market conditions, providing policy analysis on Federal milk marketing orders, and supporting Section 32 and other similar programs in procuring nutritious and wholesome dairy products to underserved communities.
Matt Gould
Senior Director - Strategic Advisory Solutions of Ever.AgMatt is no stranger to the team, having served for many years as our outsourced market analyst. Matt joins as part of the acquisition of his Dairy Market Analyst business – something we will be announcing publicly in the days ahead. Matt grew up on a dairy farm in Pavillion, NY. Matt has expertise in dairy markets, milk pricing, risk management, and financial analysis, and has relationships across the dairy supply chain. Matt has been featured as an expert source in national media including Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Progressive Dairyman. He holds a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In his free time, Matt and his wife Melanie are active in their local Catholic community. They frequently travel around Upstate New York and South Florida to spend time with their family.
Jing Hagert
Vice President of Human Nutrition at Milk Specialties GlobalJing Hagert joined Milk Specialties Global in 2008 in an international sales support role and progressively worked her way to VP of Human Nutrition Ingredient Sales. Jing has been instrumental in MSG’s growth, especially overseas with exports going to 36 countries on six continents. Along with business development, she also focuses on growing MSG’s lactoferrin and extruded protein business. Born in China and raised in Minnesota, Jing graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in applied economics and a minor in marketing.
Federico Harte
Professor of Food Science at Pennsylvania State UniversityFederico Harte is a Professor in the Food Science Department at the Pennsylvania State University and the current Vice-president of the American Dairy Science Association. He received a BSc in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Uruguay, and a PhD in Food Engineering from Washington State University. For the last 10+ years, members of the Harte Lab focused on developing functionality from casein proteins for food and pharmaceutical application, and the use of novel processing technologies in the dairy industry, with support from State and Federal agencies as well as the dairy industry. The core of Dr. Harte’s original research is published in the Journal of Dairy Science, where he was senior editor for the Dairy Foods Section from 2016 to 2022. At PSU he teaches dairy foods processing and food rheology, and participates in several of the continuous education programs offered by the Food Science Department.
Eric Hassel
Director, Sustainability Measurement & Reporting of Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, National Dairy CouncilEric Hassel supports development of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, the industry’s stakeholder aligned initiative to advance sustainability leadership across the dairy community. Specifically, Eric works to substantiate the Stewardship Commitment’s relevance in the global marketplace by aligning U.S. dairy’s sustainability reporting methods and resources with globally recognized and accepted standards and protocols. Additionally, Hassel manages the Processor Working Group, a forum within the Innovation Center’s Dairy Sustainability Alliance that convenes pre-competitively to collaborate on processor sustainability opportunities and challenges, and move the needle on dairy processor progress towards the industry’s 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals.
Bob Huffman
CEO of First District AssociationBob Huffman, President and CEO of First District Association has over 20 years of progressive dairy industry operations management experience—both large single plant and multi-plant. He has experience in all aspects of milk intake, block and barrel cheese and whey operations. Prior to joining First District Association, Bob served as the Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for multiple Dairy Farmer of America plants across the U.S.
Julie Kanak
Managing Director of Diversified SearchJulie Kanak is an expert in senior leadership working with clients to solve strategic talent and organizational issues in the agribusiness and food arenas and along with the industries supporting them.
Julie is a Managing Director and the Agribusiness & Food Practice Leader for Diversified Search Group. Diversified is one of the ten largest and fastest growing retained search and leadership advisory firms in the nation. It is also the world’s largest woman run and founded search firm in the world and is noted the pioneering leader in diversity. With over 15 years of executive leadership recruitment experience and more than 25 years in agribusiness, Julie specializes in recruiting and advising board members, C-suite and executive leaders for clients across the country and around the world. Her passion is advancing organizations that feed the world and ensure a sustainable industry and healthier planet.
Julie partners with an array of clients ranging from domestic or internationally listed companies, cooperatives, family businesses, GSEs, marketing and trade associations to private equity and venture capital backed. Her clients span the Fortune 50 to the start-ups. She was formerly the Partner-in-Charge of the Chicago Office and led the Financial Services practice and most recently served as Chair of The Thirty Percent Coalition which is dedicated to increasing diversity on public and private corporate boards and in corporate leadership.
Prior to senior talent leadership consulting and recruitment, Julie spent 25 years in banking rising through the ranks of community and national lending to global corporate finance and trade with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, State Bank of South Australia and Credit Agricole. In her final role with Credit Agricole, she headed North America AgriFoods where she gained experience in mergers & acquisitions, financial engineering, risk management, recapitalizations and IPOs with global industry leaders in dairy, grains & oilseeds, meat proteins, crop inputs and animal nutrition.
Julie holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BBA from the University of Iowa in HR and Industrial Relations and Marketing.
Justin Larsen
Global SQA Lead - Dairy at Mars WrigleyJustin joined Mars Wrigley as the Global SQA Lead for Dairy in 2021. In his role, he leads the global supplier quality assurance programs for dairy materials, as well as acts as the global dairy SME. Prior to joining Mars Wrigley, Justin has an extensive 20 year career in quality and food safety, working for many of the top dairy manufacturers across the US. Justin is also a fluid milk judge for the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest and serves as an industry advisor to the College of Agriculture at Mississippi State University.
Justin earned a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Mississippi State University.
Mary Ledman
Global Strategist- Dairy 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.
Carmen Licon
Assistant Professor at California State University, FresnoDr. Carmen Licon, joined the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Fresno State as an Assistant Professor in August 2018. She received an M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Science and Engineering from the University of Castilla La Mancha, in Spain. She also holds a B.Sc. in Food Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey, ITESM, Mexico. She conducted postdoctoral research in Poligny, France working with Emmental and Comte cheeses, followed by research studies in Lyon, France working on the perception of cheese aromas and emotions. During her Ph.D. she was responsible for developing and patenting a Manchego-type cheese with saffron spice. This cheese has been the recipient of several medals from the World Cheese Award Contest. Her research and academic passions involve assisting dairy processing businesses to innovate, improve dairy products, and educate in culturally specific and artisan dairy production. She serves as the Director of the Pacific Coast Coalition since Fall 2021.
Mike McCully
President at The McCully Group- Supply, Demand and Marketing of Milk & Dairy Ingredients
- Sustainability: Carbon Markets and the Midstream Value Chain
- Dairy Economics & Policy
Mike McCully owns The McCully Group, LLC, a firm that provides strategic consulting services to dairy and food companies. The McCully Group has worked with many of the top dairy and food companies in North America as well as major global food companies. Client projects include business analysis, procurement and supply chain strategies, market research, and commodity risk management. In addition, The McCully Group has provided subject matter expertise for global consulting companies, private equity firms, and Wall Street investment banks. Mike has spoken at numerous conferences around the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Prior to starting The McCully Group, Mike worked for over 15 years at Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat, and grain purchasing.
Mike has worked on many dairy industry issues and served on the Board of Directors for International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) Milk Industry Foundation, IDFA’s Dairy Ingredients board, and the Dairy Institute of California. He has been a member of IDFA’s Legislative Oversight and Farm Bill committees, the National Cheese Institute’s Economic Policy and Legislative Committee, and the California Dairy Institute’s Producer Relations committee. He is also a member of American Dairy Products Institute Center of Excellence.
Mike grew up on a grain and beef cattle farm in north central Illinois and remains active in the beef industry through his partnerships in purebred Angus and Hereford cattle. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Western Illinois University and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.
Minto Michael
Assistant Professor of Dairy Science at Washington State UniversityDr. Minto Michael is an Assistant Professor of Dairy Science in the School of Food Science at Washington State University, with 70% research and 30% teaching appointment. He teaches dairy processing and food science courses. Dr. Michael's research focuses on dairy microbiology and food safety, and he runs a biosafety level-2 Dairy Microbiology Laboratory and a food-grade Food Processing Laboratory. Dr. Michael conducts research on making food safe and healthy, and hence, involves working with foodborne pathogens as well as probiotics. He also conducts both in-lab and in-plant validations for food processing and antimicrobial interventions to control pathogens in foods. He has worked with multiple food matrices, including dairy, bakery, fresh produce, beef, poultry, and pet foods, and has been working in food-grade and biosafety-level (1, 2, and 3) food microbiology laboratories since 2007. Dr. Michael is a dairy scientist and an applied food microbiologist with an eternal passion for dairy and food safety. He strives to work for the betterment of students, food safety, and the food industry as a whole.
Randi Muzumdar
Senior Director Dairy and Energy Procurement of HP Hood LLCRandi joined HP Hood, LLC as the Senior Director of Dairy and Energy Procurement in 2020. In this role, she leads a team that partners across the supply chain, from dairy farms to Hood’s thirteen manufacturing sites, to ensure superior quality dairy products. She also leads sustainability initiatives across energy and within the dairy supply chain, supporting HP Hood’s continuing adoption of the US Dairy Stewardship commitment.
Prior to joining Hood, Randi spent over two decades working in FMCG companies spanning the value chain from the farm through manufactured products. She has spent the majority of her career at Kraft Foods working in various facets of supply chain and corporate finance including: FP&A, manufacturing, cost finance, sourcing, and commodity risk management supporting the Cheese & Dairy and Coffee & Beverages business units. She also served as the Global Dairy Risk Manager at Abbott Nutrition where she developed market forecasts for global dairy ingredients, collaborated with the sourcing team on strategic pricing models, and devised strategies to help manage dairy price risk.
Randi earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in Finance and Business Economics. She currently serves as a member of the IDFA Fluid Milk board, HP Hood’s representative on IDFA’s Economic Policy Committee, the processor representative on the Vermont Milk Commission, and is the treasurer of the Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.
Lindsey Ormond
Director of Nutrition & Research at Milk Specialties GlobalLindsey Ormond is a registered nutritionist with vast experience in both industry and applied settings, particularly the protein, performance and lifestyle nutrition markets. Having worked in R&D and commercial settings, her work centers around bringing together nutrition science, consumer insight and customer needs, to help produce commercially viable solutions that enable people to live healthier and perform better.
Lindsey is currently Director of Nutrition and Research at Milk Specialties Global, focusing on product portfolio expansion, business development, nutrition strategy, and marketing through the interpretation and management of research on dairy ingredients and human health. Prior to joining Milk Specialties, Lindsey worked at Arla Foods Ingredients, GlaxoSmithKline and Premier Foods.
Lindsey is a member of American Society for Nutrition, Association for Nutrition, and International Society for Sports Nutrition. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Dairy Protein Messaging Initiative™ steering committee, which leads The Strong Inside™ campaign.
Douglas Peckenpaugh
Group Publisher, BNP Media at Dairy Foods MagazineDouglas J. Peckenpaugh is Group Publisher of Dairy Foods, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, The National Provisioner, and Packaging Strategies for BNP Media. He has nearly three decades of publishing experience following the food industry from farm to fork, covering agriculture, ingredient processing, retail grocery branding, foodservice menu development, and food product R&D and manufacturing. Doug studied Professional and Creative Writing at Purdue University.
Angela Pengelly
Vice President of Marketing at Land O'Lakes, IncAngela Pengelly serves as the Vice President of Marketing for US Dairy Foods at Land O’Lakes, where she oversees strategic and commercial activities for Retail and Foodservice Channels. Angela has been at Land O’Lakes for 16 years and has extensive experience in portfolio management, new business development and driving growth through go-to-market strategies rooted in marketplace needs and trends.
Matthew Pikosky
Vice President of Nutrition Research at National Dairy CouncilMatthew Pikosky, PhD, RD, is Vice President of Nutrition Research for the National Dairy Council. He has over 15 years of nutrition research and scientific communications experience across government, non-profit and food and beverage industry. In his current role, Matt leads the Dairy Protein research program, the goal of which is to build the scientific evidence supporting unique consumer focused benefits of milk and dairy protein ingredients to strengthen marketplace positioning and catalyze industry innovation. Matt also works with leaders in the food and beverage industry to provide nutrition guidance to help drive menu and product innovations featuring dairy.
Prior to joining the National Dairy Council, Matt served as a Senior Scientist in the Applied Medical Nutrition Science group at Nestlé Health Science, was the Director of Research Transfer and Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Dairy Management Inc. and served as a Research Physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.
Matt 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 adults.
Phil Plourd
Head of Market Intelligence at Ever.AgPhil Plourd is President of Blimling and Associates, Inc. and President of the services division of Dairy.com. He has been involved in dairy market analysis, research, forecasting and risk management activities for 20 years. Phil draws on that experience to lead an expert team of 16 who are committed to helping clients find better ways to do business. He is a popular speaker who engages audiences on a variety of topics.
Phil resides near Madison, Wisconsin with wife Rhonda and daughters Rebecca and Leah. He is currently President of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and his family is involved with Madison Library Foundation.
Andy Powers
Vice President of Technical Services at American Dairy Products InstituteAndy brings over 30 years of commercial, scientific, and technical (QA/Regulatory/Food Safety) experience to ADPI where he is Vice President of Technical Services. 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.
Scott Rankin
Chair and Professor, Food Science at University of WisconsinOriginally from La Habra, CA., Scott A. Rankin is Professor and Chair of the Food Science Department and recipient of the William F. Vilas Trust Estate Award at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Rankin earned degrees from Brigham Young University and Oregon State University. He leads programs in dairy manufacturing, covering such topics as milk pasteurization, cleaning and sanitizing, dairy chemistry, and frozen desserts while conducting research on reaction chemistry. His research program has resulted in millions of dollars of intra and extramural funding, numerous publications and several patents and focuses on the area of small molecule chemistry applied to dairy and food issues. Primarily as a result of his research activities, Dr. Rankin has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Eckelman Foundation Fellowship; Society of Flavor Chemists Memorial Fellowship; Invention of the Year Finalist; Award of Honor for Outstanding Contribution to Cooperative Extension Service, the ADSA Foundation Scholar award; the ADSA Foundation Food Specialties award, and Brigham Young University Alumni Achievement Award. He also served as the elected president of the American Dairy Science Association (2013/14) and the Federation of Animal Science Societies.
Derik Robinson
VP of Sales, Americas at DairyAmerica, Inc.Derik Robinson is currently the Vice President of Sales-Americas for DairyAmerica, Inc, responsible for the sales strategy of DairyAmerica powder in the United States and Latin America. He has been a part of the DairyAmerica sales team for 2 and a half years, currently based in Miami.
Derik has had a career mainly focused on dairy powders. Prior to DairyAmerica, Derik was a Commercial Director for Interfood, Inc. in the Americas for 4 years, as well as the General Manager for High Desert Milk for 7 years. Derik was responsible for developing sales strategies for both the US and export markets for Nonfat Dry Milk, Skim Milk Powder, Buttermilk Powder, Lactose and milk proteins, mainly focused on Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Derik graduated with an undergraduate from the University of Idaho in Business Administration and Spanish, an MBA from the University of Arizona, and a Masters of Global Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Derik grew up on a family dairy farm in Idaho, and is still involved in some portions of the dairy operations today.
Mark Russo
Chief Science Officer 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.
Serena Schaffner
Sr. VP, Marketing/Communications at Dairy Management Inc.Serena Schaffner is Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications at Dairy Management, Inc.
overseeing integrated marketing activities surrounding Undeniably Dairy and youth programs, including
Fuel Up to Play 60. Undeniably Dairy is an initiative aimed at growing trust in dairy among consumers.
Prior to joining DMI, Serena worked at the American Egg Board (AEB) overseeing the public relations and
social media functions for the Incredible Edible Egg and got her start at Edelman Public Relations, where
she helped launch the AEB’s social media program and successfully promoted their Easter initiatives.
She also supported a variety of consumer products while there – from chewing gum to popcorn to
cheese.
Serena graduated from Colorado State University and hails from the sandy shores of Hawaii.
Bill Schreiber
CEO of O-AT-KA Milk Products Coop., Inc.Bill Schreiber joined O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc. in September of 2012 as the Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in December of 2014. His career spans over 40 years in the dairy industry. He has served in senior leadership roles throughout his career, including President and CEO of Cheese and Protein International, a joint venture between Land O’Lakes and Mitsui Ltd. Bill’s extensive experience and broad industry knowledge has enabled him to assemble a professional leadership team focused on delivering long term sustainable value for O-AT-KA’s dairy farmer owners.
Bill is a charismatic leader, adept at bringing together professionals and creating a dynamic operating environment that fosters accountability, engagement and collaboration. He is a self-aware leader with a history of recruiting talented people then challenging and empowering them to achieve organizational stretch goals. His leadership experience includes executive management at the corporate and regional level, multi-site operations management, and cooperative governance. He is active in the industry, currently serving on several Boards including American Dairy Products Institute and Dairy America. In addition, he has served on various local Boards including Economic Development, Young Men's Christian Association and The United Way.
Bill earned a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Nutrition with a focus on Business Administration from The - Ohio State University.
Gabriel Sevilla
VP at Proliant Dairy IngredientsGabriel Sevilla has 30 years of global business development, strategy, sales, and marketing experience working in the dairy industry. He has expertise in dairy ingredients, cheese, butter and beverages in the retail, foodservice, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
He currently serves as Vice President, Global Sales, and Marketing for Proliant Dairy Ingredients. Prior to Proliant, Gabriel served in Sr. Mangement roles for Agri-Dairy Products, Inc, Dairy Farmers of America, and US Dairy Export Council.
He has a master’s degree in International Marketing from the University of Maryland and a Business Degree from the University of Denver.
He currently serves on several Boards of Directors, including US Dairy Export and ADPI.
Matthew Siedschlaw
Dairy Products Marketing Specialist at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Matthew Siedschlaw serves as a Dairy Products Marketing Specialist with the International Standards Division in Dairy Program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. He has over 20 years of experience implementing dairy industry services within the marketing and regulatory programs. In addition to working with domestic standard activities, Matthew works with USDA Commodity Procurement on purchases of Dairy Products for Domestic Feeding Programs. Matthew is also a judge for the World Dairy Expo and the Superintendent of the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest.
Karen Smith
Owner at K. Smith ConsultingKaren Smith, PhD recently retired from the Center for Dairy Research-Madison, WI, where she helped develop, organize and taught short courses for the Center and individual companies. Karen worked on applied research projects in areas of membrane processing of acid whey and drying differences based on type of whey. She also developed reference materials for the dairy industry on topics such as the Dry Dairy Ingredient Handbook, Annatto and Color Removal, and Dust Fires and Explosions. Prior to her time at CDR, Karen held positions with Schreiber Foods, Dietrich‘s Milk Products and Wisconsin Whey.
Karen’s expertise is in dairy processing and troubleshooting especially as it relates to the use of membrane systems, evaporators and dryers in the production of dairy ingredients. She has experience in the production of lactose, whey protein concentrates and milk protein concentrates.
She holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Patti Smith
CEO of DairyAmericaPatti Smith is a business leader with 30 years of progressive leadership experience in the food ingredient and dairy industries. In June 2020, she became the CEO of DairyAmerica. Prior to DairyAmerica, she was CEO of Valley Milk, LLC, as well as, having held several executive level positions within global organizations including Fonterra and Roquette America.
As a business leader, she is active in industry and national organizations. In addition to industry organizations, Patti is an active member in local organizations within California’s Central Valley. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Food Technology from Iowa State University. Patti has been married for 33 years, has one daughter, and two grandchildren. She loves spending time outdoors and most of all, spending time with the grandkids.
Venkateswarlu Sunkesula
VP of Research & Product Development at Idaho Milk ProductsVenkateswarlu (Venkat) Sunkesula, Ph. D., is the VP of Research and Product Development at Idaho Milk Products. He has bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in dairy science manufacturing. He has over 20 years of experience in the industries of Confectionery, Brewing, Chemicals, and Dairy Foods. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Currently, he is responsible for researching milk protein ingredients and developing high-protein dairy and food products.
Jim Taniwaki
Associate Director Nutrition Sales of Leprino Foods CompanyJim Taniwaki has built sales of Leprino Nutrition dairy ingredients for 23 years. He has marketed lactose, whey proteins, micellar casein and other specialized proteins to various industries and applications in multiple countries, especially in the Asia Pacific region. As the largest producer of lactose in the world, Leprino has top market share in several countries and within several industries. Jim worked previously as a buyer at Snow Brand, then the largest dairy company in Japan, and at Sumitomo Corporation, a major Japanese trading house.
Erin Taylor
Director of the Order Formulation and Enforcement Division (OFED) at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Erin Taylor is the Director of the Order Formulation and Enforcement Division (OFED) within the USDA –
Agricultural Marketing Service-Dairy Program. Ms. Taylor has worked on dairy policy for USDA for over
20 years. Currently she leads the OFED team in its efforts to analyze current market conditions, provide
analysis of potential changes to the Federal milk marketing order system, coordinate Federal milk
marketing order regulatory proceedings, and provide dairy policy analysis and recommendations to AMS
and USDA leadership. In addition, she also manages the administration of the Dairy Donation Program,
the Milk Donation Reimbursement Program and the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program.
Ms. Taylor received a B.S. in Agriculture and Resource Economics and a Master of Public Policy from the
University of Maryland.
Chris Thompson
International Standards Director of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Chris Thompson serves as the International Standards Director of the Dairy Program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. He has over 30 years of experience in implementing and managing dairy industry service and regulatory programs. In addition to working with domestic standards activities, Chris provides USDA leadership in putting forth U.S. positions relating to international standards and he regularly participates in export certificate negotiations and interagency market access activities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry. Chris has B.S. and M.S. in Agriculture from Western Kentucky University.
Dave Treiber
VP Bulk/Ind/Export at California Dairies, Inc.Dave Treiber began his career in the Dairy industry over thirty years ago. Shortly after graduating from the University of Arizona in Tucson he accepted a position with United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) located in Tempe, Az. During his employment at UDA he worked in positions of increased responsibility, eventually becoming the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Co-op. After 15 years with UDA, he accepted a new position with Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. (CDPI), located in Dublin, CA. Dave joined Challenge as Vice President of the Food Ingredient Division. In this role he managed all sales activity and maintained full P&L responsibility for the Division. In 2012 Dave transitioned from CDPI to its parent company, California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) and accepted the role of Vice President of Bulk/Industrial and Export Sales. In this role Dave is responsible for business development and manages sales activity for bulk butter and AMF for both domestic and export markets. In addition, he is responsible for processed fluid sales which include cream, condensed and UF. Dave has considerable experience in risk management, inventory analysis, logistics and business development and maintains his office at CDI headquarters in Visalia, CA.
John Umhoefer
Executive Director of Wisconsin Cheese Makers AssociationJohn Umhoefer is executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, the 130-year-old trade association serving Wisconsin’s dairy manufacturing and processing industry. John joined the Association in 1992, after work in the dairy trade press (Dairy Foods, Cheese Market News) and at Stephan & Brady (serving Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and other dairy clients). He holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As leader at WCMA, John oversees a team of nine employees dedicated to working with federal and state legislators, as well as regulators in agriculture, natural resources, business development and health, to build and improve the dairy industry while preserving resources for generations to come. The Association is serving as a trainer and educator for industry personnel, and WCMA is proud to work for dairy manufacturers with facilities and staff in 35 states.
WCMA’s mission, to assist its members in becoming the world’s premiere suppliers of dairy products, is evident in all its efforts, and John is proud that WCMA’s world-renowned quality evaluations, the Championship Cheese Contests, have grown 20-fold in size during his tenure. At the same time, the Association’s principle education events, now known as CheeseCon and CheeseExpo, are the largest dairy trade meetings in North America. John credits this growth to his talented staff and energetic Board of Directors.
John and his wife Sara live in Madison and are proud parents of two daughters, one son and one son-in-law.