Kristiana Alexander
Vice President, Consumer Insights & Innovation at Dairy Management Inc.Kristiana Alexander is the Vice President of Consumer Insights & Innovation for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) In this role, Kristiana provides consumer insights and innovation support for select DMI strategic partners, both domestic and international. She also focuses on DMI’s Food & Beverage trends work, bringing continuous monitoring and a deep understanding of global trends, and leveraging this work to design consumer-focused new product innovation.
Katie Barry
Product Development Scientist at International Ingredient CorporationDr. Katie Barry is a Product Development Scientist at International Ingredient Corporation. Her responsibilities include upcycled ingredient development for pet food and livestock feed, product technical support, and export product registration. Katie has more than 15 years of academic and industry experience in the areas of basic and applied research for pets and product development.
Dr. Barry earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After completing her degree work, she held multiple roles with Mars Petcare and has been an independent consultant to the pet food industry.
Donna Berry
Food Scientist, Editor & Consultant at Dairy & Food Communications, Inc.Donna Berry is the owner of Dairy & Food Communications, a company that specializes in business-to-business writing, speaking and consulting projects in the dairy, beverage and food industries. She has a Bachelors Degree in Food Science from the University of Illinois and product development industry experience with Kraft Foods. She has been writing for the dairy trade since 1993; she opened her own business in 2000.
Donna has been tracking consumer behaviors and food trends, with an emphasis on dairy, for 30 years. She currently writes for numerous trade publications, including Food Business News, Dairy Processing, Meat & Poultry, Baking & Snack and Pet Food Processing. Until February 2012, she had been the ingredient technology editor and new products trend tracker for Dairy Foods magazine.
After 18 years on Dairy Foods, she decided it was time to share her knowledge via other publications and media channels. Almost immediately she started her own website, aptly named BerryOnDairy.com, which includes an email newsletter called Daily Dose of Dairy that focuses on innovations in dairy products and related beverages.
Donna is a native of Chicago and still lives in the city. She enjoys exploring the growing foodie scene in The Windy City as well as while traveling, both domestically and abroad. She makes grocery store visits a priority in every city she visits, which enables her to be an authority on ingredient technology and new product trends.
KJ Burrington
VP of Technical Development at American Dairy Products InstituteKJ Burrington is the Vice President of Technical Development at ADPI, having joined the staff as a director in January 2021. Prior to her joining the ADPI staff, KJ served as the Ingredient Applications Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR). She has over 30 years of experience in product development including her past positions at Ridgeview Industries, the Keebler Company, and as a consultant to the baking industry.
In her previous position at CDR, she provided technical support for U.S. dairy processors and end users on dairy ingredient functionality and applications. She also provided technical expertise for food companies internationally through visits and seminars in conjunction with the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) to countries such as Mexico, Latin America, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. KJ has also been an instructor/presenter in various ADPI events and activities.
KJ holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also an IFT Certified Food Scientist. She has also served on the ADPI Center of Excellence since its inception in 2012.
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.
David is a member of the ADPI Center of Excellence.
Jessie Deelo
CEO and Founder 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.
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. MaryAnne also serves as a member of ADPI's Center of Excellence.
Nana Farkye
Professor Emeritus of Dairy Science at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoNana Farkye, PhD received his BSc (Hons.) in Biochemistry & Nutrition from the University of Ghana and earned his MS and PhD in Food Science & Nutrition from Utah State University, Logan, UT. He is currently a consultant to the dairy industry and a professor emeritus of Dairy Science at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Nana taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in dairy chemistry, milk processing, and cheese and fermented dairy foods during his tenure at Cal Poly. He supervised and advised undergraduate senior projects, graduate student thesis projects and postdoctoral scientists from grants received from industry, trade groups and associations, and government agencies.
Nana has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including book chapters and encyclopedia articles in areas of his academic interests including dairy enzymology, dairy processing, fermented dairy foods, specialty cheese manufacture and technology, cheese ripening, use of starters to effect flavor development in dairy foods and dairy foods safety. He has served as a judge at the American Cheese Society cheese contest, U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and World Championship Cheese Contest. Nana also frequently volunteers for USAID-funded international assignments in cheese and dairy foods technology transfer around the globe. In addition, Nana serves as a member of ADPI's Center of Excellence.
Jason Frank
VP Nutrition & Product Development at International Ingredient CorporationDr. Frank is the V.P. of Nutrition and Product Development at International Ingredient Corporation. His primary responsibilities are to provide technical leadership in the areas of product development, product registrations, creation of product literature, and assist with domestic and international sales. Dr. Frank has over 20 years of academic and industry experience in the areas of basic and applied research, product development, and international technical support.
Dr. Frank earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Purdue University and his Ph.D. in Swine Nutrition from the University of Missouri. He also trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the U.S.D.A./Agricultural Research Services in the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. After completing this fellowship, Dr. Frank worked at the University of Arkansas as a Research and Teaching Associate focused in the areas of swine nutrition and immunology.
Rohit Kapoor
Vice President, Ingredients at National Dairy CouncilAs Vice President of Product Research at Dairy Management Inc., Rohit leads National Dairy Council research programs in important areas such as milk powders, whey and milk protein ingredients and dairy co-products at major Universities to drive dairy innovation and sales on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
Rohit has 15 years of dairy foods R&D experience in industry and academia combined. During his tenure, Rohit worked at various leading dairy and food companies such as Nestlé USA, Bongards MN, and Kerry Americas where he provided R&D leadership towards cheese and dairy ingredient-focused innovation.
Rohit received his B.S. in Dairy Technology from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science with an emphasis on dairy science and technology from University of Minnesota.
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.
Katharine Madigan
RD&A Scientist at KerryA summer internship with DFA in spray drying sparked this UW-Madison Food Science Alumni’s passion for a career in process technology. Katharine currently works as R&D Process Excellence for Kerry, serving as the subject matter expert for cheese and specialty powders. Her focus is on formulation and process optimization to improve quality and efficiency on a vast range of products, lead commercialization of new products, and serve as a resource for training across leadership and operations. Katharine has traveled across the country to aid in a vast array of trials to expand spray drying capabilities.
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.
Hari Meletharayil
VP, Product Research at National Dairy CouncilAs Vice President of Product Research at Dairy Management Inc., Hari leads various product research programs in cheese and dairy beverages. Hari also coordinates activities across the different dairy centers and application labs that are a part of the nationally coordinated network of technical centers to drive dairy innovation and sales on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
Hari has more than 16 years of experience in academia and industry, most recently at PepsiCo leading beverage innovation efforts. He also has experiences with Nestle and the National Dairy Development Board in India.
Hari received his B.S. in dairy technology followed by his M.S in Dairy chemistry from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India. He has a Ph.D. in dairy manufacturing from South Dakota State University.
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. In addition, Matt serves as a member of ADPI's Center of Excellence.
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.
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 and serves on ADPI's Center of Excellence. Prior to ADPI, Andy most recently worked for Newton Enterprises as VP & Senior Consultant. He has also held positions at Hoogwegt U.S./Lone Star Dairy, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Akorn Pharmaceuticals, and Biosys Biotech, Inc. It should be noted that during his tenure at Hoogwegt US/Lone Star Dairies, Andy served on ADPI’s Technical and Standards Committees.
Andy is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology, and a Master of Business Administration. He is a current member of the American Chemical Society, and the American Society for Quality. In addition, he is a Certified Lead Auditor & Practitioner – Safe Quality Food(SQF) Institute; Certified Lead Auditor – HACCP & ISO 9000; and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society.
Andy and his family reside in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Anand Rao
VP Ingredients Innovation at Agropur, Inc.Anand Rao joined Agropur’s US Operations in August 2016 to lead the Innovation and Product Development efforts in the Ingredient division. Prior to joining Agropur, Anand was the Technical Services Director at Fonterra North America, supporting the sales teams and customers. Anand’s career includes various roles – Director of Technical Sales at Edlong Dairy Flavors, Director of Quality and Technical Services at Davisco Foods, and Assistant Professor of Food Science at University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Dr. Rao received his Ph.D. in Food Technology from Iowa State University and Master’s degree in Dairy Science (Manufacturing) from South Dakota State University. He received his BSc in Dairy Technology in India.
Scott Sexton
Chairman & CEO of Ever.AgFor over 25 years, Scott Sexton has been a well-known and well-respected entrepreneur and innovator in the ag and food technology industry. As chief executive officer of Dairy.com, the leading provider of software, risk management, and market intelligence solutions for the dairy industry, he is a driving force in digitally connecting the supply chain and empowering it to feed a growing world.
In addition to guiding Dairy.com’s growth from a simple idea to over 400 employees, he also serves on multiple boards, committees, and at educational institutions, including his alma mater, Baylor University. He was named by Dallas Business Journal as one of the top technology leaders in the city and landed Dairy.com on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™.
Sexton holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Baylor, where he played Division I basketball. He and his wife live in Dallas with their three teenage daughters.
Karen Smith
Consultant 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. Karen currently serves as a member of ADPI's Center of Excellence.
She holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Patti Smith
CEO, Ingredients Division of California Dairies, Inc.Patti 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.
Marianne Smukowski
Owner at Marianne Smukowski Consulting LLCMarianne recently retired as the Dairy Safety and Quality Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research. She has over 35 years of experience in dairy food safety, butter grading and dairy manufacturing including her past positions working for USDA-Dairy Division and Land O’ Lakes. She currently serves as a member of ADPI's Center of Excellence.
Marianne coordinated the only Butter-makers Workshop held in the US. The workshop is a two-day course that covers a variety of topics including butter manufacturing, cleaning and sanitation, packaging, sensory evaluation and food safety. Marianne can answer questions regarding quality and processing issues, regulatory requirements of grading butter, and food safety of butter.
Marianne has trained dairy manufacturers in PCQI and dairy food safety, performed third party audits, acted as a liaison between government agencies and industry, and assisted in implementation of food safety plans.
Marianne received the 2020 American Cheese Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2021 WCMA Babcock Award. Marianne holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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.
Moises Torres Gonzalez
Vice President, Nutrition Research at National Dairy CouncilDr. Moises is Vice President of Nutrition Research at the National Dairy Council (NDC). At NDC he serves as the subject matter expert (SME) on whole-fat dairy foods, cardiometabolic health, milkfat ingredients, inflammation and cognition. As SME lead, his main role is to strategically define, develop and manage the research needed to build our scientific understanding about the role that dairy, whole-fat dairy foods as well as milkfat ingredients play on cardiometabolic health, inflammation and cognition. Advancing the science on these areas will ultimately help better position dairy and whole-fat dairy foods within dietary recommendations and stimulate product innovation.
Dr. Moises earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering with major in biotechnology and food sciences at the Instituto Tecnologico de Colima, Mexico. He later obtained a Master’s degree in Biochemical Engineering at the Instituto Tecnologico de Veracruz, in Mexico. He earned an additional Master’s degree as well as a Doctoral’s degree in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut, USA.
Dr. Moises possess a strong research and educational background on lipid and macronutrient metabolism, and overall in human nutrition and its implications with cardiometabolic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome); his research experience also comprises areas of food sciences, processing of vegetable oils as well as mitochondrial DNA damage and its connection with mitochondria and cardiac dysfunction.
Dr. Moises has authored and co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has written book chapters in the area of dairy foods and human health.
Additionally, he previously held research scientific positions at the Linus Pauling Institute at the Oregon State University, and at the School of Medicine at the University of California in San Diego. He is active member of scientific organizations such as the American Society for Nutrition, American Oil Chemistry Society, International Society for Atherosclerosis among others.
Tom Vierhile
Vice President of Strategic Insights at Innova Market InsightsTom Vierhile is VP of Strategic Insights North America for the Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights and has over 20 years of experience in fast-moving consumer goods reporting and analysis. Based in Fairport, New York, he is an internationally recognized expert on new product marketing and has been quoted in media outlets like Bloomberg, Ad Age, The Wall Street Journal, BBC News, and NPR.
Tom has authored many articles on new products for a variety of publications, has given presentations on new product trends at various industry conferences in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, and is a regular contributor to Prepared Foods magazine.
Tom has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Emily Yeiser Stepp
Executive Director of the National Dairy FARM Program at National Milk Producers FederationEmily Yeiser Stepp is the Executive Director of the National Dairy FARM Program, responsible for
managing strategic initiatives for the U.S. dairy industry’s social responsibility program
encompassing animal care, antibiotic stewardship, biosecurity, environmental stewardship and workforce development. She joined NMPF in 2016.
Yeiser Stepp holds a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science with a minor in Agribusiness Management from Penn State University as well as a Master of Science Degree in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech.
Her research focused on how mastitis and metabolic diseases impact on dairy cow behavior. She also served as the Dairy Initiatives Manager for the Center for Dairy Excellence in Harrisburg, and the Dairy and Beef Extension Coordinator at the University of Maryland prior to joining NMPF.
Yeiser Stepp and her family maintain a small herd of registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss under the Spots-Pride prefix housed at Palmyra Farm in Maryland and Bullcreek Farm in Pennsylvania.