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Blake Anderson
President & CEO of ADPI- ADPI Annual Member Meeting
- ADPI Chairman & ABI President Welcome | Award of Merit and Scholarships Presentations
- Welcome to Day 2 | Breakthrough Award Presentation
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 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.
Mindy Berrey
Sr. Director of Sales at Land O' Lakes, Inc.- ADPI Annual Member Meeting
- ADPI Chairman & ABI President Welcome | Award of Merit and Scholarships Presentations
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
Vice President of Quality Assurance at Associated Milk Producers Inc.- ADPI Annual Member Meeting
- ADPI Chairman & ABI President Welcome | Award of Merit and Scholarships Presentations
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.
Michael Burdeny
President at Challenge Dairy Products, Inc.Michael Burdeny is the President of Challenge Dairy Products, Inc., a California heritage brand established in 1911 and the leading butter brand in the west and a top challenger nationally. Challenge is a wholly owned subsidiary of California Dairies Inc., and leads the sales, marketing and distribution of its Challenge, Danish Creamery branded and private label butter at key retailers,
along with other dairy products to 2,500+ foodservice accounts. Michael plays an integral role in fueling the commercial growth of the company, leading the teams responsible for innovation, marketing and sales.
With more than two decades of building and reinvigorating brands behind him, Michael’s professional experience spans global leadership, marketing, innovation, and strategic planning for industry-leading companies including Blue Diamond, Samsonite, Symantec and Procter & Gamble.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from McGill University, and is based in Dublin, California.
Kimberlee Burrington
VP 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.
Lorie Cashman
Economics Division Director of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Lorie Cashman serves as the Economics Division Director of the Dairy Program within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. She has over 20+ years of experience
leading the collection, compilation, and analysis of economic, statistical, and commodity data. Lorie
provides Dairy Program and USDA with expert advice on national dairy market information and
statistical and qualitative economic analysis for rulemaking.
Lorie has her BS in Agricultural Economics and an MS in Agricultural Economics, both from the University of Tennessee.
Jessie Deelo
Founder & CEO of The Climate SourceJessie Deelo founded The Climate Source to design strategies for agricultural systems change. As a sustainable supply chain consultant, she develops market opportunities for decarbonized dairy and regenerative agriculture with food companies, suppliers, and farmers. Jessie has expertise in program design and management, co-financing and incentives, and greenhouse gas emissions accounting systems.
Jessie received her MS degree in International Agricultural Development from the University of California-Davis and a BA in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jessie joined ADPI’s Center of Excellence in 2020.
Julien Defferrard
Associate Director, Augmented Diagnostics of bioMerieux Inc.With 20 years of international marketing and sales experience across multiple food markets, Julien
Defferrard is dedicated to food quality and safety. Julien has been fortunate to work with global manufacturing facilities and their laboratories, guiding them in advanced tools to improve their quality programs. Julien has been very active in the dairy ingredients industry in the recent years, particularly helping companies implement new approaches to support root cause analysis and improve environmental monitoring, with a specific focus on Cronobacter risk.
In addition to his degrees in Biological Engineering and a Master’s in Microbiology & Food Safety, his diverse worldwide experience affords him a unique and candid perspective that fuels his personal mission to change the game with a problem-solving approach to the industry at large.
CT Deibel
Deibel LaboratoriesC.T. is President of Deibel Laboratories, Inc., an internationally-recognized firm providing food safety testing, quality control evaluations, scientific consulting and training for industry leading food manufacturers, as well as family run operations. He is an industry advocate, having testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on important food safety concerns and has worked with the Department of Justice to help shape the legal case against the Peanut Corp of America executives. He also testified as an expert witness in the PCA trial and offered his Industry and Scientific knowledge to aid clients in recovering from Bacterial remediation events as well as acting as a liaison between State Health Labs and his Clients during the remediation process.Charles is a Microbiologist and HACCP Certified Lead Instructor, a recognized Process Authority by the Almond Board of California, an expert in Pathogen Remediation in plants, and conducts microbial challenge studies, process validations, shelf life determinations and GFSI system development for Deibel clients. He has always been very hands-on in assisting clients with their food safety concerns, spending a significant portion of his time in a variety of food plants.
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.
Heather Draper
Director of The Ice Cream Club, Inc.Heather has served as Director of The Ice Cream Club®, headquartered in Boynton Beach, Florida since 2008. Prior to joining The Ice Cream Club® she spent 20 years in the banking industry. She worked her way up the ranks to serving as the South Florida President of Mercantile Bank (now part of TD Bank). Since joining the dairy industry, she has become actively involved in International Dairy Foods Association, All Star Dairy Association and the North American Ice Cream Association.
Starting in 1982 with a single ice cream scoop shop, The Ice Cream Club®. has steadily grown to become the leading Regional Manufacturer and Distributor of premium ice cream and related products to food service accounts throughout the Southeastern United States and Caribbean
Islands, supplying over 650 ice cream shops, high-end restaurants, resorts and retirement communities. The Ice Cream Club® is known for making the most award-winning flavors in the industry.
Heather serves on the Board of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and was previously the Political Action Committee Chair. She is a member of the IDFA Listeria Food Safety Task Force. She is passionate about making food safety knowledge precompetitive across all aspects of the industry! She was appointed by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to serve on the Artisan Ice Cream Food Safety Advisory Committee. Among other initiatives, this team launched the website
www.safeicecream.org. as well as collaborated with Industry Experts, Academia and Corporations, large and small, to develop and launch an online course: Food Safety for Artisan Ice Cream Makers.
Heather and The Ice Cream Club® support numerous organizations including the March of Dimes, the Literacy Coalition, Alzheimer Association, Diabetes Association, Hospice by the Sea and local police and schools.
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.
William Francis
Senior Policy Advisor at U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing ServiceWilliam Francis has over thirty-five years of public service involving dairy policy and regulations. Mr.
Francis is a Senior Policy Advisor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service, Dairy Program. Before May 2016, he coordinated the formal rulemaking process for the Federal Milk Marketing Order program that regulates about 80 percent of the milk produced in the United States. Prior to joining USDA, he spent ten years with the State of New York leading the Department of Agriculture and Market’s Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services. He serves on the Executive Board of the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments and received an honorary lifetime membership recognition from the National Association of Dairy Regulatory Officials.
Education: BS 1985, MS 1992 both from Cornell University
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.
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.
Cheryl Isberner
Director of Sustainability - Dairy Foods at Land O'Lakes, Inc.As Director of Dairy Foods Sustainability, Cheryl leads Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods business strategy to be on the leading edge of meeting consumer and customer demands for sustainable dairy products. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O’Lakes has taken a leadership position for on-farm sustainability and enterprise-wide environmental, social and governance strategy, and Cheryl leverages the full enterprise to influence and lead in these areas.
Cheryl is an experienced veteran in the Land O’Lakes organization having held broad organizational roles in marketing and sales across the Dairy Foods Enterprise. Before taking on the role of sustainability leadership in Dairy Foods, she was responsible for building and leading Land O’Lakes non-commercial business segment.
Cheryl holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
Holly Jones
Director of Sustainability at Agropur, Inc.Holly Jones is the Director of Global Sustainability for Agropur and a board member with Farmers for Sustainable Food. Prior to Agropur, Holly served as the Director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development, where she supported the sustainability journeys of several industries including agriculture, construction, textiles, chemicals and finance in El Salvador. Holly holds a Masters degree from Harvard University in Corporate Sustainability & Environmental Management.
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.
David Lenzmeier
CEO of Milk Specialties GlobalDavid Lenzmeier joined Milk Specialties Global as President of Global Food Solutions in 2008. He is currently the Chief Executive O cer and is primarily focused on expanding capabilities within the human nutrition market. David has more than 20 years of dairy industry experience. Prior to joining MSG, David co-founded and served as President of Protient Inc. He also served as President of Glencoe Butter & Produce. David is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Michelle McBride
Founder & CEO of GoodSport NutritionMichelle is the Founder and CEO of GoodSport Nutrition, where she created GoodSport®, a natural sports drink that’s been scientifically shown to provide rapid and long-lasting hydration and improve performance. It has 3x the electrolytes and 33% less sugar than traditional sports drinks with a unique electrolyte and carbohydrate profile that’s extracted from milk in a sustainable process. Teams across professional and college sports use GoodSport® for its elite-level hydration and great taste.
Michelle is an attorney who, prior to launching GoodSport Nutrition, had no experience in the food and beverage industry. She did have experience as a non-profit executive including roles at the Noreen Fraser Foundation and Stand up to Cancer where she helped raise millions of dollars for groundbreaking cancer research and at Chicago Ideas, an ideas festival and platform showcasing thought leaders from across industry and philanthropy. Her experience in nonprofit helped fuel the idea for the purpose-forward nature of the GoodSport brand. At GoodSport, Good is at the core of everything we do: Good For You, Good For Sport, Good For the Planet.
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.
Sarah Michalek
Farm Sustainability Manager at Michigan Milk Producers Assn.Sarah Michalek serves as Michigan Milk Producer Association's Farm Sustainability Manager, engaging with member farms, field staff and MMPA's Farmer Sustainability Advisory Committee. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in agribusiness management and a specialization in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Sarah has been with MMPA since 2014 and throughout her career has served dairy farmers in the Great Lakes region by helping improve and advance milk quality, animal care and sustainability initiatives.
Stephen Ostroff
Retired, Acting Commissioner at U.S. Food & Drug AdministrationDr. Stephen Ostroff has dedicated his career to promoting and protecting public health. Recognizing the alignment of USP’s mission with his personal and professional priorities, Dr. Ostroff will serve on USP’s Board of Trustees for the 2020-2025 cycle as a Medical Sciences Trustee, helping shape USP’s direction going into the future to ensure that USP can continue to fulfill its public health mission.
Dr. Ostroff brings a wealth of experience in dealing with a vast array of regulatory matters. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, his distinguished career has included multiple leadership positions. As the former Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA, he oversaw the food and animal health activities of FDA, including FDA’s responsibilities in the areas of food safety and nutrition, food labeling, food and color additives, cosmetics, dietary supplements, animal drugs and animal feed, and research to support the food and veterinary medicine mission of FDA. As FDA’s Chief Scientist, his office worked closely with FDA’s product centers, providing strategic leadership and support for FDA’s regulatory science and innovation initiatives. While serving as Deputy Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at CDC, Dr. Ostroff focused on emerging infectious diseases, food safety, and coordination of complex outbreak response.
When asked about a professional achievement that he is most proud of, Dr. Ostroff cites the two occasions when he served as acting commissioner for the FDA. “It’s an incredibly rewarding job, especially when you see the impact of the things that the agency does,” said Dr. Ostroff. “Having the opportunity to be the front person and the voice for all of that wonderful work was an experience that I will never forget.”
Doug Peckenpaugh
Group Publisher at BNP MediaDouglas 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, Inc.Angela 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.
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.
Meridith Elliott Powell
Business Growth and Leadership ExpertVoted one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch by Currency Fair, Meridith Elliott Powell is an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. With a background in corporate sales and leadership, her career expands over several industries including banking, healthcare and finance. Meridith worked her way up from an entry-level position to earn her seat at the C-Suite table. She is Certified Speaking Professional, a designation held by less than twelve percent of professional speakers, and a member of the prestigious Forbes Coaching Council.
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.
Andy Powers
VP - Technical Services at ADPI- Sustainability: Decarbonized Supply Chains and the Carbon Accounting Challenge
- Risk & Reward: Global Trade in Value-Added Dairy Ingredients
- From Results to Recalls: Trends in Food Safety Recognition, Response, & Risk Mitigation
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. 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.
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.
Saeid Shokravi
PRESIDENT at TALMERA USA INCSaeid Shokravi started his career in dairy sales and marketing in late1990s with a particular focus on butter, dairy fats and milk powders. Beyond dairy, he was also instrumental in the marketing of other agricultural commodities. With the advent of US being on the cusp of becoming an exporter of dairy products in late 2000s, Saeid founded Talmera USA Inc in 2009, a US based international marketer of dairy products and ingredients. Concurrently, this also gave birth to MERA brand and subsequently MERA Foodservice, a division of Talmera, specializing exclusively in providing foodservice solutions to global hotels, restaurants, bakeries, fast food and QSR chains, and other HRI operations around the world. Today, with our unique solution-based insights in foodservice and a dedicated team placed in the US, Asia and the Middle East, MERA is actively present and growing in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
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.
Alexander Sterk
CEO & Founder of Vesper B.V.Alexander Sterk, Founder and CEO of Vesper, boasts a rich background as a former commodity trader at Interfood Group, specializing in various dairy products. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Alexander intimately understands the challenges faced by traders in navigating volatile markets.
Driven by firsthand frustrations with outdated systems and fragmented information sources, Alexander envisioned a revolutionary solution. Recognizing the immense potential for disruption in the commodity intelligence sector, he founded Vesper in 2019.
Vesper stands as a beacon of innovation, offering an independent, AI-powered commodity intelligence platform for all agri commodities. By consolidating real-time data and predictive insights into a single user-friendly interface, Vesper empowers buyers, sellers, and traders to make informed decisions with confidence.
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.
Chris Urban
Vice President Health & Wellness at Dairy Management Inc.Chris serves DMI as Vice President Health & Wellness Partnerships where he is focused on advancing U.S dairy’s health and wellness product leadership through consumer insights, technology-powered breakthrough science and innovation with a primary focus of identifying and developing future partnerships ranging from large influential companies to cutting edge entrepreneurs.
Chris has more than 20 years of experience in the CPG food and beverage industry where his strong leadership, entrepreneurial energy and strategic clarity delivered significant results. Most recently he was Vice President, Global Growth Office, at Kraft Heinz where he ran a $36MM start-up with Oprah Winfrey, developed a global outbound licensing business that delivered $30MM of incremental profit, advanced a global sustainability strategy for condiments and implemented a global program to accelerate creative excellence for 400+ marketers. Prior to that role, Chris spent 10 years in the refrigerated business unit where he ran brands like Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Velveeta and Kraft Natural Cheese.
Manuel Van Engelen
Manager Director of InterfoodManuel van Engelen is the Commercial Director of Interfood Americas, based in Montevideo, Uruguay, and responsible for Interfood’s commercial teams in Montevideo, São Paulo, and Miami. With over 12 years of experience in the dairy commodity trading industry Manuel has a deep understanding of navigating volatile markets and throughout the years he developed his career from Trader to Commercial Director. Starting his career in 2012 at Interfood’s headquarters in Bladel, The Netherlands, his journey took him through various roles and product groups. In 2020, he relocated to Uruguay and took on the combined role of Managing Director and Commercial Director for the Americas HUB. As of this month, his focus is back on the commercial teams again, as a Commercial Director, aiming for further growth of the Americas region.
Prior to joining Interfood, Manuel worked in the financial industry, at finance and risk departments of a bank and an insurance company for 5 years.
Manuel holds a Master of International Business Studies from the University of Amsterdam, with a specialization in Valuation and Governance.
Ashwini Vashisht
Global SQA lead- micro at Mars WrigleyAshwini Kumar Vashisht is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in the high-risk food industry. Holding a Master of Science in Food Safety from North Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, Ashwini has demonstrated expertise in Food Safety & Quality management, laboratory operations, staff training, policy development, and regulatory compliance. His leadership roles at industry-leading firms like Mars Wrigley Confectionery and The Hershey Company involved spearheading initiatives to enhance supplier quality, mitigate microbiological risks, and drive continuous improvement in food safety & quality programs.
With a proven ability to develop and implement effective strategies, Ashwini excels in managing corporate food safety operations, conducting risk assessments, and ensuring compliance with global standards. His dedication to excellence and extensive hands-on experience make him a valuable asset in navigating the complexities of the high-risk food industry, ensuring consumer safety and satisfaction.
Peter Vitaliano
Vice President, Economic Policy & Market Research at National Milk Producers FederationPeter Vitaliano has long served as NMPF’s chief economist, responsible for conducting, communicating and implementing economic analysis that supports the Federation’s programs relating to dairy policy. He is the longest-serving staff member of the NMPF-USDEC Economics Team, formed in 2022, and has been the project director since the 1992 inception of a contract to provide economic analysis services to Dairy Management, Inc., the national dairy promotion organization.
Prior to joining NMPF, Vitaliano was a member of the faculty of agricultural economics at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He was responsible for NMPF’s trade policy during negotiations for the Uruguay Round World Trade Organization Agreement on Agriculture and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Wendy Warren, PhD
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/AMS)Wendy Warren has 25 years of professional experience applying her scientific expertise in the medical device and food production industries. Wendy has worked both in private industry and government in a variety of technical, marketing, and senior leadership positions. In 2015, Wendy joined the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to serve the public by improving and modernizing programs and is currently in the role of Dairy Scientist to develop international technical standards and support the efficient marketing of U.S dairy products across the world.
Education: B.S. Microbiology, 1992, Oregon State University and Ph.D. Microbiology, 1998, UT Health in San Antonio, Texas.
Renee Yahnke
Sourcing Director of Schreiber Foods Inc.Renee Yahnke is the Sourcing Director for Schreiber Foods, where she leads the Cheese, Dairy, non-Dairy Ingredients and Indirect Procurement teams. Renee joined Schreiber Foods in 2008 and held multiple roles within the supply chain. She also serves on the board of directors for Wisconsin Dairy Products Association and is a member of the current cohort of IDFA’s NextGen Leadership Program.
Renee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Renee resides in Denmark, Wisconsin with her husband Jesse, and their children Carson, Taylor and Lauren.
Freek-Jan van der Puijl
Managing Director of Havero HoogwegtFreek-Jan van der Puijl serves as the Managing Director of Havero Hoogwegt and oversees Hoogwegt’s global Ingredients business. Having graduated as a dairy technologist in 1988, he commenced his career as a Management Trainee at Royal Wessanen, specializing in cheese production and product development. In 1992, he transitioned to a commercial role at Havero Hoogwegt. Throughout his tenure, Freek-Jan has held diverse positions. Since assuming his current position as Managing Director in 2011, Havero Hoogwegt has experienced a threefold increase in turnover and doubling of volume and has emerged as a prominent player in the field of dairy proteins.
At Havero Hoogwegt, Freek-Jan has been able to leverage his expertise to facilitate the integration of commercial, technical and quality aspects, essential in value-added Ingredients. He prioritizes practical and pragmatic product development at Hoogwegt’s Food Excellence Center, thereby leading the creation of cost-effective solutions with a diverse range of functionalities. With his deep understanding of Food Safety, Freek-Jan also played a pivotal role in implementing best-in-class Quality Systems since 1997. Freek-Jan's 36 years of dairy industry experience and in-depth understanding of market dynamics enable him to shape the long-term strategy of Hoogwegt’s Ingredients business. He engages in strategic collaborations and partnerships with protein manufacturers and buyers to expand Hoogwegt’s Ingredients business globally.
Freek-Jan’s commitment to identifying opportunities, exploring possibilities and devising solutions is deeply ingrained. His passion for the dairy industry stems not only from his education but also from his early experiences working on his in-laws' dairy farm. Freek-Jan and his wife reside in the Netherlands, where she is renowned as a dairy consultant, specializing in assisting artisanal cheese and yogurt manufacturers. Dairy remains a frequent topic of discussion in their household.