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Sabino Ahlem-Herrera
HilmarSabino A. Herrera is a CA dairy farmer with twenty-three years of experience. As an undergraduate, Sabino co-authored several research publications before acquiring a B.S in Cell and Molecular Biology. He then went on to graduate from UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine where he focused on dairy cattle. Today he runs the family farms and is excited about on-farm upgrades that will prove to be financial, social and environmental benefits for the next generation. Sabino lives and works in the Turlock/Hilmar area with his wife and two daughters.
Blake Alexandre
Alexandre Family FarmBlake Alexandre grew up on a small dairy in the beautiful valley of Ferndale, California. From a young age, Blake worked on the dairy with his father Joseph Alexandre where he first learned how to raise calves before anything else on the farm. A committed and passionate 4-H and FFA member, Blake served as a State FFA Officer in 1980-1981 before heading off to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to study dairy science.
While at Cal Poly, Blake was on the Dairy Judging Team, where he was awarded the National High Individual Dairy Judging Award at the World Dairy Expo. He was also a large part of the “Project Dairy” at Cal Poly, where he found a way to not only pay his way through school, but graduate with a profit. Blake sold his prize cow to buy an engagement ring for his future wife, Stephanie, and four years later, they bought their first dairy in Crescent City.
Blake is often found with his hands deep in the soil. He recognizes that knowing how and when to correctly manage soil is ultimately what makes a successful grass farmer. As soil gains nutrition, organic matter, so will the grass, the cows, the milk, and the consumer.
An active member in his community, Blake was a member of the California Agricultural Leadership Program Class 22, Del Norte County Fair Board, North Coast Regional Land Trust Board, and California State Farm Bureau board. He currently sits on the California Organic Products Advisory Committee, Del Norte County Resource Conservation District, and the Farm Bureau Board.
Blake Anderson
President & CEO of American Dairy Products InstituteBlake 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).
Matt Budine
President & CEO of Progressive Dairy Solutions, IncMatt has dedicated his life to the dairy industry and has been greatly involved on farms and within allied industries across the country since graduating from Cornell in 1988. He is recognized for his ability to increase the profitability of herds by offering unique solutions. Matt is a highly decorated contributor to the dairy industry with intimate leadership involvement in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge where he was chairman of the steering committee during 2003 and 2004. He continues to enjoy training the youth of our industry through dairy cattle judging and dairy challenge events. Matt has a critical role in Progressive Dairy Solutions, Inc. providing a lifetime of experiences to the entire team. He spends the majority of his time troubleshooting new opportunities with our clients and developing key dairy programs and assessments for our clientele.
KJ Burrington
Vice President of Technical Development at American Dairy Products InstituteKimberlee (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.
Jessie Deelo
CEO and Founder 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.
Elisa Giusti
Vice President of Marketing and Innovation – The Americas & Europe at Fonterra USA, Inc.Elisa joined the company in 2019 as Director of Foodservice Marketing, for our Anchor Food Professionals business in the US. In March 2020, Elisa was appointed as the VP of Marketing for the Americas, tasked with building a regionally enabled omni-channel marketing structure, designed to focus growth through a customer and consumer centric lens.
With over a decade of experience in the commercial food industry that spans Marketing, Innovation and New Business Development, Elisa's strategic aspirations and leadership is rooted in bringing value to our farmers by understanding the value for our customers and consumers.
Jeta Kadamne
Senior PD Associate at Mead Johnson NutritionJeta Kadamne is a Senior Product Development Associate at Mead Johnson Nutrition. She has over 5 years of experience in formulating dairy protein based infant formula for different countries, globally. She joined the company in 2018. She has expertise in various aspects of formulation development.
Jeta holds a PhD in Food Science from the Utah State University where she studied the Sonocrystallization of lipids. She has a Master of Science degree from University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Technology degree from UDCT, Mumbai.
Ermias Kebreab
Professor at University of California DavisErmias Kebreab is Associate Dean and Professor of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis. He holds the Sesnon Endowed Chair in Sustainable Agriculture. He conducts research in animal nutrition, mathematical modeling of biological systems and impact of livestock on the environment. He is contributing author to 2019 IPCC update on enteric methane emissions. He co-chaired the feed additive and methane committees of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles and received several awards including Excellence in Ruminant Nutrition and International Agriculture from American Society of Animal Science, and 2022 Chancellor’s Innovator of the year award. He served on two committees of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on methane and nutrition of dairy cattle. He is a regular invited speaker including a TED talk that has been featured as one of the ‘must-watch climate talks of 2022’ by ted.com. His research was in the top 10 of all research conducted at the University of California system in 2021. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Asmara, Eritrea and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Reading, U.K.
Alejandro Maurino
CEO of eDairynewsAlejandro Maurino, founder of Dairy Corp in the year 2001, established an inclusive digital ecosystem that provides information, content, and business solutions in the global dairy sector. This ecosystem comprises key global players within the dairy industry. Our websites are consulted by major business entities in the Americas and Southeast Asia. Alejandro has been involved in organizing one of the largest gatherings within the dairy supply chain. He has a background as a former dairy producer in Argentina.
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.
Bill Myers
Chief Technology Officer at WOW Logistics CompanyBill Myers is the Chief Technology Officer at WOW Logistics, a company focused on delivering end to end supply chain solutions, storage, transportation, and financing across North America. Bill has spent 20 years working in e-commerce, product development, data analytics, and process automation. At WOW Bill focuses on delivering sustainable and secure solutions that resolve customer problems, maintain food safety, and provide seamless supply chain integration. He has experience in customer integration, warehouse management solutions, and cybersecurity.
Bill and his family live in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Ronald Kevin O'Brien II
President at Nui MarketsRonald Kevin O'Brien II is an accomplished leader who serves as the President at Nui Markets North America. Ron spearheads the North American Operations of Nui Markets. He is integral to the growth of both the Enterprise and Marketplace digital sales and procurement platforms with his keen understanding of what steps are necessary to integrate Nui into the daily operations of Dairy market participants.
Before joining Nui, Ron spent nine years at Interfood, where he held the position of Global Derivatives Director & Vice President of Interfood INC. During his tenure, he successfully developed and implemented risk management strategies, analytics, and derivative solutions. Ron played a key role in trade origination and execution, developing the value proposition for derivatives, overseeing and advising Interfood Americas' position management, and providing advisory services to the Interfood Global position committee.
Having an extensive background in hedging commodity market and basis risk, Ron specializes in establishing physical and financial liquidity in dairy market trading. His expertise spans over two decades, during which he has consistently brought innovative risk and opportunity management strategies to stakeholders and shareholders throughout the value chain.
In addition to his professional achievements, Ron holds a finance degree from the University of Florida. He also has a distinguished military background, having served as a Sergeant in the United States Marines infantry, with a deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Ron is happily married to his college sweetheart, Hillary, who currently serves as the Chief of Audiology for the University of Miami. As a devoted father of two, Ron finds joy in his family life while continuing to make significant contributions to the industry.
Ronald Kevin O'Brien II exemplifies leadership, expertise, and a commitment to driving innovation and growth within the dairy market. His diverse experiences, both in the corporate arena and the military, have shaped him into a versatile and accomplished professional. Through his strategic vision and dedication, Ron consistently delivers value and creates impactful change within his industry.
Roberta Osborne
Director, Farms and Sustainability of Chobani, LLCRoberta is the Director, Sustainability and Farms, for Chobani LLC , a position held for the past 7 1/2 years. Here she works closely with the farms and cooperatives in New York and Idaho that supply the 2 billions pounds of milk to Chobani annually, as well as customers and brands. Areas of interest include promoting nutrient balancing and regenerative ag. practices on farms in partnership with Cornell University. Raised on a dairy farm in Indiana, she spent 28 years as an Extension agricultural agent working in both Michigan and Maryland, and spent time with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Her favorite Chobani products are Sweet Cream coffee creamer and Black Cherry fruit on the bottom!
Elizabeth Perez Atristain
International Sales Director of Dairy Products, Inc.Elizabeth Perez is the Director of International Sales at Dairy Products Inc., a company specialized in risk management and a devoted distributor of high-quality dairy ingredients in the United States and internationally. She has worked within the dairy industry for the past 17 years. She has experience with the advantages of Free Trade Agreements, tariff classification, import duties, sanitary requirements, logistics and documentation for imports/exports, and international market access.
Elizabeth holds a B.A. in international Business from U.P.A.E.P.-Mexico and a M.A. in Economic Integration from University of Essex-UK.
Brent Petersen
VP R&D Ingredients/Bioactives at Glanbia NutritionalsBrent is the VP of Ingredients and Bioactives for the R&D team at Glanbia Nutritionals. He leads a team of scientists focused on analytical chemistry, clinical and pre-clinical research, novel ingredient development focusing in both dairy and plant based proteins, beverage formulations including Aseptic Technologies, sports nutrition and bioactives ingredients development. Brent has also been heavily engaged in the germination of some of the newer technologies including plant-based meat and cheese, extrusion and novel bioactive delivery technology.
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.
Phil Plourd
President 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.
Billy Quinn
SVP Global Sales at Global Dairy TradeBilly comes to GDT having spent 16 years working in the global dairy industry in Europe and North America, holding senior commercial roles across Tirlán (formerly Glanbia) in ingredient sales and key customer management. Billy is passionate about driving innovation, agility, and efficiency, particularly in the areas of risk management and digital transformation. His expertise in the digital space ranges from online platform trading for market pricing transparency to smart CRM solutions for enhanced customer engagement. He holds a master’s in business studies (MBS) in Marketing from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Selling from Technological University Dublin, Ireland.
Kevin Quinn
Vice President Sales & Marketing at Idaho Milk ProductsKevin Quinn joined Idaho Milk Products (IMP) in early December 2022. Having grown up overseas (In Japan) and with a strong background in international business over his 33 year career, Kevin is working with the IMP team to grow their business globally with the MPC’s and MPI’s they manufacture. Prior to IMP, Kevin spent 4 years at Darigold, 8 years at Leprino, 5 years at White Wave, 8 years at Sara Lee and 8 years at Nestle. Kevin believes he has worked with nearly all ingredients that are derived from Dairy over the past 3 decades.
Murali Reddy
Sr. Associate Research Fellow Director, Product Development, Global Technology & Science of Abbott NutritionMurali joined Abbott in 2012 as the Section Manager in Abbott where he headed a team of analytical scientists involved in the developing novel hyphenated analysis techniques for the detection of small and large molecule of biological interest. Murali assumed his current role as the Director, Global Product Development in 2017.
Prior to joining Abbott, Murali held scientific leadership positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Schering-Plough, and Sarepta Therapeutics.
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.
Steve Spencer
Senior Analyst at Freshagenda Pty Ltd.Steve Spencer is a director of Freshagenda Pty Ltd a business based in Melbourne, Australia that provides dairy market analysis and consulting services to dairy and food companies.
Freshagenda provides global fundamentals analysis through the Global Dairy Directions analysis platform, which builds outlook simulations and scenarios for short-term global supply & demand fundamentals to help make sense of an increasingly complex dairy world. The team works with a wide range of clients (processors, exporters, traders, ingredient buyers and retailers) in North America, Europe and the Oceania regions who apply the tools in risk management, planning and strategy.
They also look longer into the big picture for dairy using a LongView platform that build scenarios for the global dairy supply chain out to 2035.
Steve has significant experience in providing advice and custom analysis in several agrifood sectors and works with clients from farm to retail. He has spoken at numerous conferences around the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Joseph Spicer
Client Account Manager at Innova Market InsightsJoseph Spicer, Client Success Manager at Innova, has a bachelor's degree from University of California, Davis and has 13 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry. Joseph has a proven track record in helping companies innovate in the food and beverage space, managing client accounts and fostering strategic partnerships. Leveraging his industry experience, Joseph is committed to offering Innova’s customers a holistic perspective of their market and empowering them to make business decisions with confidence.
Ty Wagoner
Senior Scientist at Perfect Day FoodsDr. Ty Wagoner leads Ingredient Innovation at Perfect Day to showcase how precision fermentation-derived dairy proteins function in different food systems. His team also works with food companies large and small to develop a pipeline of functional ingredients to help customers unlock new applications. Ty is a trained culinary chef and received his Ph.D. in Food Science from North Carolina State University. He has more than a decade of experience with dairy protein functionality in food systems and is passionate about leveraging food science and technology towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
Joshua White
Vice President Dairy Ingredients at T.C. Jacoby & CompanyWith over 17 years of commodity & business development experience, Joshua recently joined T.C. Jacoby & Co., a third-generation family-owned, Midwestern U.S. business & a leader in the physical trading of all dairy commodities.
Prior to T.C. Jacoby & Co., Joshua began his career as an oilseed merchandiser for ADM before transitioning to dairy in 2005 with Hoogwegt U.S., Inc. For nearly 14 years, Joshua worked in various trading, product & risk management roles before eventually joining the Management Team as Commercial Vice President. In 2019, Joshua transitioned away from dairy & spent nearly 3 years developing new business & scaling a small business investment.
Joshua prides himself on a strong work ethic, competitive nature & ability to work with a team towards a common goal; attributes derived from youth sports & an agricultural upbringing.
Even today, he attempts to keep a balanced lifestyle, coaching & raising young athletes, developing new business while making the time to compete as an endurance athlete.
Adam Wylie
Director of Global Responsibility at Leprino Foods CompanyAdam manages Leprino Food’s Global Responsibility business priority. Prior to dedicating his
time to GR full time in 2021, he also managed environmental compliance at Leprino and before
that as a consultant and at other companies mostly in heavy industry. These days, he spends most
of his time just trying to keep up with the daily changes in ESG/Sustainability.
Jacob Zonneveld
President / CEO of Zonneveld DairiesJacob Zonneveld is the President & CEO of Zonneveld Dairies, Inc. a third-generation dairy farming enterprise located in Fresno County, CA where he grew up with his siblings and cousins learning about the hard work it takes to properly raise dairy cattle.
Jacob received his B.S. in Dairy Science (Dairy Processing) from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he oversaw the production of dairy products produced at the Cal Poly creamery. After graduating, Jacob moved to Wisconsin to work for Philadelphia cream cheese of Kraft Heinz (Kraft Foods) in manufacturing and engineering management roles of increasing responsibility. While working for Kraft Heinz he received his MBA from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Prior to coming back to the family business, Jacob returned to California to work in the Strategy group at the Wonderful Company, implementing multiple strategic initiatives involving farming, manufacturing, and information technology.
Jacob is excited to work with his family to improve the profitability and sustainability of their dairy and farming operations for the benefit of future generations.