Alexandra is the Food Safety Director – Southeast at Fresh Express, where she is responsible for the east coast agricultural operations food safety program, environmental monitoring, and provides corporate food safety and quality oversight for the Columbia, SC facility.

Prior to working at Fresh Express, Alexandra was the Food Safety Director of Agricultural Operations at McEntire Produce. She volunteers her time as a member of the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee and as a steering committee member for the International Fresh Produce Association Food Safety Council.

Alexandra received her Ph.D. in Food Science with minors in microbiology and epidemiology from Cornell University under Martin Wiedmann and Renata Ivanek. During graduate school, she modeled pathogen die-off and presence in the pre-harvest produce environment and assisted companies in improving their Listeria environmental monitoring programs.

Asbah is a seasoned food safety and quality professional with over a decade of experience spanning the public health and food industries. As a Manager of Food Safety and Quality at US Foods, she leads cross-functional initiatives to strengthen food safety across a wide portfolio of exclusive brand products and suppliers.

Her previous leadership at Get Fresh Produce included implementing the Provision digital food safety platform, enhancing allergen controls, driving multi-site audit successes and creating a positive food safety culture. Her career began in public health, where she served in environmental health roles at major metropolitan public health agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Health. These roles instilled a deep commitment to public service, collaboration, and prevention-focused food protection.

Asbah is passionate about mentorship, education, and building stronger food safety systems industry-wide. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology and multiple certifications, including PCQI and Registered Environmental Health Specialist with NEHA.

Brittany is a distinguished leader in food safety and quality, currently serving as Corporate Quality Expert at Nestlé USA.

With over 15 years of experience, she has driven impactful improvements across contract manufacturing and laboratory operations. Brittany has led initiatives that reduced consumer complaints by over 50%, implemented performance routines that halved underperforming sites, and launched programs like the “Quality Summer Series” to elevate technical capabilities across the supply chain. With a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, Brittany has delivered over $1.8 million in cost savings through process optimization and capacity-building initiatives.

Her leadership in food safety culture includes GEMBA walks, recognition programs, and award lunches that empower frontline teams and promote transparency. Previously, at the Nestlé Quality Assurance Center, she led a 66% reduction in consumer complaints and increased lab productivity by 45%.

Brittany holds a Master’s in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University and is an ISO 9001 Lead Auditor. She is widely known for her strategic, people-centered approach to food safety excellence.

Brooke serves as the Director of Global Validation and Certification at Neogen® Corporation, where she can help meet a very practical need for promoting food safety - reliable testing methods. Brooke’s career at Neogen started in Research & Development, where she was the lead scientist on two product launches for mycotoxin detection using an aqueous extraction. For the past eight years, she has overseen the Validation department, a team of scientists who work diligently to improve and maintain Neogen’s scope of external approvals and validations (e.g. MicroVal, AOAC Performance Tested MethodsSM).

Brooke regularly works with standard organizations and approval bodies to strengthen programs and write validation guidance. She currently serves on AOAC International’s Board of Directors, as Chair of AOAC Governance Committee, and Chair of AOAC Modification Task Force. Brooke previously served on the AOAC Official Methods Board, on ISO TC34/SC9/WG3 Bacterial Toxins project team, as AOAC Research Institute Advisory Council Chair and on AOAC Analytical Solutions Forum. She has also presented at various conferences including IUFoST, Cereal & Grain, AOAC, and IAFP.

Caitlin is a food microbiologist and Scientific Program Manager at the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) in Washington DC. In this role, she leads cross-sector projects that connect government, industry and academia to address critical food safety challenges. Her work spans from organizing high-impact symposia to playing a pivotal role in a public-private partnership to advance data-driven pathogen control policies. She also oversees institute-wide initiatives to promote the highest standards of scientific integrity in food and nutrition research.

Passionate about strengthening public trust in science, Caitlin regularly writes for industry publications, translating complex microbiological issues into clear, accessible insights for both technical and public audience. She is equally dedicated to mentoring early-career scientists and fostering the next generation of food safety leaders.

Caitlin holds a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Food Science from Oklahoma State University. She is an active member of IAFP and IFT.

Celina brings 14 years of academic and industry experience to her role as a Food Safety & Quality Specialist with Nelson-Jameson, where she drives innovation in lab supply chain and FSQA operations. Prior to joining Nelson-Jameson, she has made significant contributions in application development of nanopore sequencing for the food industry, working alongside global thought leaders from GenomeTrakr, PulseNet and NGS Microbiology Forum to bring game-changing tools in today's dynamic landscape of smarter food safety.

A trusted resource in food safety, she empowers labs to reduce costs and turnaround times through digitization and rapid food diagnostics following AOAC, ISO, and global regulatory guidelines. Celina’s background includes roles as a research assistant, QA supervisor, regional technical support specialist, and global commercial development lead—bringing a diverse perspective to improve food safety culture and public health. She’s co‑authored scientific papers and symposia abstracts (e.g., Frontiers in Microbiology, AOAC, IAFP), contributed thought leadership in Food Manufacture and Food Quality & Safety Magazine, and presented at GenomeWeb and GMI14.

Holding a B.S. in Food Science (Cal Poly) and a M.S. in Molecular Food Microbiology (Purdue), Celina is an active member of WAFFP, IFTPS, IAFP and ISO (some of which are microbiology and planning committees) to support the exchange of new knowledge and best practices in addressing emerging issues in food safety.

Christina is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, working under the direction of Dr. Lynne McLandsborough. Her current work is in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Life Sciences at UMass, where she is co-developing a novel sanitizer for dry food processing applications.

Christina completed her PhD in Food Science at UMass Amherst in August 2025 under the direction of Dr. Matthew Moore and Amanda Kinchla. During her PhD, Christina was fortunate to collaborate with partners in academia and industry on a variety of projects related to food safety regulation, sanitation, and Human Norovirus awareness. Her PhD research resulted in a novel method for observing sanitation-related behaviors in food retail without imposing bias, and the development of a hybrid sanitation program for small food producers in collaboration with the University of Maine and North Carolina State University.

Christina hopes her past and present work helps reduce barriers to food safety compliance and awareness for small- and medium-scale food producers.

Ellen is the Director of Outreach for the Safe Plates Program at North Carolina State University. She holds a BS in Biology from Davidson College and a MS and PhD from NC State.

In her role, Dr. Shumaker leads a food safety extension program supporting consumers, retailers, regulators, and community groups. This includes the development and delivery of food safety programs and courses, as well as other educational material such as factsheets and social media content. She designs, implements, and evaluates a variety of food safety messages to better understand food handling behavior and to provide research-based approaches to improve food safety.

Dr. Shumaker is particularly interested in the intersection between food microbiology, risk communication, and human behavior. Ellen is an active member of the food safety community including the International Association for Food Protection, where she is currently serving as the Food Safety Education PDG Chair, as well as the Conference for Food Protection, the Food Safety Extension Network, and the NC Variance committee.

Jada works as a Microbiological Scientist in the Scientific Affairs department at bioMérieux. She obtained her undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering at Tuskegee University, but once she took an unexpected role in the food safety, she gained a strong passion for her work and ability to be a part of saving lives.

Jada’s work includes performing validation and feasibility studies of cutting-edge microbiological methods, ensuring they meet or exceed regulatory standards set by the USDA, FDA, and AOAC. Jada consistently supports food industry partners in interpreting and implementing best practices, while ensuring comfortability when food testing. Her scientific precision and thought leadership are reflected in her nine co-authored publications and conference presentations, including at IAFP, where she has contributed to studies evaluating rapid pathogen detection methods in complex food matrices.

Jada is currently in school for her Master of Science in Food Safety at University of Arkansas, so that she can strengthen her innovation in food safety.

Jasmine is an R&D scientist at Kerry Ingredients in Beloit, WI. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from Punjab Agricultural University, India, an M.S. from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Georgia.

During her masters’, she validated the concept of “Functional Ice” in poultry, contributing to her research group earning the “Spirit of Sustainability Award”. Her doctoral work advanced rapid quantification methods for Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry. She also received Third Prize in the IAFP J. Mac Goepfert Developing Scientist Competition for presentation on Ciprofloxacin-resistant genes in Campylobacter.

At Kerry, Dr. Kataria leads the development and validation of clean-label antimicrobials for beverages and pet foods, advancing Food Protection initiatives and ensuring alignment with business and customer needs. She has delivered multiple symposium presentations at IAFP over the past two years, focusing on enhanced safety, shelf-life extension, and regulatory considerations for pet foods.

Dr. Kataria also serves on the Scientific Information and Education Committee of the AMSA and is dedicated to advancing food protection through innovation and collaboration.

Jenn is the Chief Operating Officer at Zero Hour Health (ZHH), where she drives operational strategy and helps the company set the standard for food safety, employee health, and outbreak prevention in the foodservice and hospitality industries.

Her career began in education, where she learned how to take complicated concepts and explain them in ways that make sense to different audiences. That skill now defines much of her work at ZHH: turning broad public health guidance into straightforward, actionable steps that apply to the managers and frontline workers who need to execute them. Jenn leads organizations through crisis situations like foodborne illness outbreaks, partnering with health departments and coordinating teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively. She also partners with clients to improve employee health systems and procedures to prevent crises from happening in the first place.

With a passion for protecting communities, she ensures ZHH continues to help clients prevent incidents, respond under pressure, and safeguard both people and brands.

Jessica is a seasoned food safety and quality assurance executive with over 15 years of experience leading national programs across the foodservice and prepared foods sectors. Currently serving as Vice President of FSQA National Programs & Foodservice at Taylor Fresh Foods, she oversees multi-site compliance, customer partnerships, and strategic initiatives that elevate food safety standards nationwide.

Jessica has spearheaded the implementation of advanced technologies, including an AI camera system at the largest foodservice facility in the U.S., and developed a comprehensive East Coast GAP program modeled after successful West Coast practices. Her career includes pivotal leadership roles at Taylor Farms Florida, where she managed operations, sanitation, and regulatory compliance across multiple facilities, consistently maintaining SQF Level 3 certification. Jessica’s expertise spans HACCP/HARPC implementation, FDA and USDA regulations, and supplier quality programs.

With a Bachelor of Science in Biology and multiple industry certifications, she is recognized for her strategic vision, cross-functional leadership, and commitment to continuous improvement in food safety.

Kate is a food safety leader dedicated to shaping a safer future for consumers and the foodservice industry. With over a decade of experience in food safety and risk management, she has driven innovation, education, and collaboration to strengthen food safety culture nationwide.

In 2023, Kate joined Food Allergy Canada to lead national foodservice strategy and launched Think Food Allergy, a free program equipping foodservice operators with practical allergen management tools. She works closely with public health authorities, industry leaders, and small businesses to advance evidence-based allergen management practices across Canada.

Kate is passionate about empowering employees through training, engagement, and actionable measures that improve both safety and business outcomes. Beyond her professional role, she lectures at universities, chairs George Brown College’s Culinary Nutrition Program Advisory Committee, mentors graduate students, and serves on the board of a local women and children’s shelter. Recognized for her leadership and commitment to mentorship, Kate is championing a stronger, more inclusive food safety system for the future.

Katie is a Product Manager on the Taco Bell FSQA team leading food safety initiatives in produce and sauce categories. She drives strategic efforts to strengthen food safety culture and enhance supplier performance while ensuring food safety is integrated at every stage from new product development to launch at over 8,000 restaurants nationwide.

Katie holds an MS from Washington State University, where she conducted microbial food safety research mitigating Listeria monocytogenes contamination on produce and published work in Frontiers in Microbiology. She leads the annual Yum! Brands Produce Industry Meeting, uniting stakeholders to promote collaboration and advance food safety across the industry. Katie also chairs the Technical Sauce Council at Taco Bell, guiding experts, academia, and manufacturers in data-driven food safety decisions, including navigating acidified foods guidance to ensure regulatory compliance and product safety.

Katie fosters a culture of trust and transparency, encouraging stakeholders to prioritize consumer protection. Her strong technical background and collaborative approach make her a vital leader in food safety innovation and improvement within Yum! Brands and the wider produce community.

Keisha is a Food Systems Leader and owner of Roots & Rain, LLC. Roots & Rain is dedicated to helping organizations, women, and historically impacted farmers enhance their agricultural footprint by providing resources, training, and effective collaboration.

Keisha's extensive experience spans several years, during which she has focused on supporting producers in our food systems and communities. She has successfully trained over 1,000 producers on USDA food safety standards, guided more than 200 producers through successful Harmonized (GAP & GAP Plus) audits, and developed comprehensive food safety plans and a curriculum centered on value-added products.

In addition to her demanding professional responsibilities, Ms. Rainey dedicates much of her time and expertise to numerous community organizations and initiatives. She holds a prominent leadership position as the Vice President of the SC Black Farmers Coalition, where she actively champions the rights and interests of Black farmers across South Carolina. Her advocacy extends to her role as the Chair of the Land Access and Agribusiness Subcommittee for the Columbia SC Policy Committee.

Kristen is the Vendor Food Safety and Compliance Manager at Hissho Sushi, a retail sushi company.

She earned her BS and MS in Food Science at North Carolina State University, where her Master’s research focused on evaluating food safety training programs and food safety culture in dairy processing. Her career spans academia, manufacturing, and retail, giving her a broad and balanced perspective on food safety challenges.

In her current role, Kristen manages the supplier approval program with a risk-based approach to ensure all suppliers and ingredients meet regulatory requirements and internal standards. She has led efforts to streamline the approval process and restructure supplier tracking to improve data accessibility and compliance.

Kristen also supports food safety across Hissho Sushi locations through inspections and personalized training. She is committed to strengthening food safety culture by clearly communicating risks and empowering others to act confidently. Kristen is a SQF Practitioner, a PCQI, and is certified in HACCP and Seafood HACCP.

Lauren is the Outbreak Response supervisor for the Southern Nevada Health District, based in Las Vegas, NV. She started as an Environmental Health Specialist I, performing routine food inspections at mom and pop restaurants, Strip buffets, and large events including Electric Daisy Carnival. She then became the co-principal investigator for a CDC EHS-Net Cooperative Agreement where she leads research into ways to improve food safety.

She has published multiple studies based on her research testing the usefulness of social media in predicting foodborne illness and exploring food safety culture. She has led multiple interesting outbreak investigations including an investigation into nonviral hepatitis linked to alkaline water, a large norovirus outbreak at local resort hotel, and thallium toxicity linked to imported sweets.

She currently supervises the team that investigates all foodborne illness in Southern Nevada, in addition to lead poisoning and legionellosis. She earned her MPH at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Marcia is a food and agriculture reporter for POLITICO, where she has reported on federal agencies and the food industry since 2022. Recently, she has led the team’s coverage of the second Trump administration’s overhaul of federal food agencies and its impact on farmers, consumers and workers. She has delivered major news on the accidental firing of federal employees handling the outbreak of bird flu, covered the rise of the Make America Healthy Again movement and broke news about cuts to federal food assistance.

Before POLITICO, she covered antitrust policy and the meat industry for The Capitol Forum. At The American Prospect, she reported on labor, immigration and climate. Her work has been cited by Congress and the media. She is a regular contributor on radio, podcasts and TV, recently appearing on NPR and CBS. An Ohioan, Marcia graduated from Princeton University, where she was editor-in-chief of The Daily Princetonian. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé.

Meghan holds a B.A. in Public Health and an M.S.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of South Carolina. With extensive food safety expertise at both state and federal levels, she has served as a Health Scientist at the CDC since 2018, working in the National Center for Environmental Health. Meghan helps manage the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS), to gather data on the environmental factors of foodborne illness outbreaks in retail settings. Her roles include data modernization, analysis and publication, and advising state and local health departments. Meghan has also led initiatives with CDC partners; these include AFDO's Healthy People 2030 Norovirus at Retail workgroup and various Conference for Food Protection committees.

Recently, she helped develop tabletop learning exercises for inspectors to better understand how and why foodborne illness outbreaks occur. Meghan has published 4 first-authored publications on food safety and, most notably, a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the contributing factors of foodborne illness outbreaks.

Melanie is an Assistant Professor and Epidemiologist in the School of Public Health (University of Minnesota). She has an MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University and a PhD in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota. Stemming from her experience working in federal, state, and local public health agencies, she has a strong interest in improving public health surveillance and outbreak investigations in order to better detect and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks.

She partners across sectors including industry, academia, and government to conduct program and policy evaluations, understand the role of consumers in emerging food safety issues, identify root causes of foodborne illness, and to conduct research to inform prevention opportunities to drive declines in the occurrence of foodborne illness.

She has also conducted novel research linking restaurant inspections to foodborne illness outcomes to better understand the role restaurants play in foodborne illness transmission. Passionate about ensuring a well-trained workforce, she teaches classes focused on the critical role of public health surveillance and outbreak investigations in ensuring a prevention-focused food safety system.

Samantha is a distinguished food safety and public health professional with over six years of experience in both the public and private sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University and a Master of Science from the University of Idaho.

During her regulatory career, Samantha supervised a team of REHS staff members and was instrumental as a standardizing officer, leading the effort to train six inspectors on the application of the FDA Food Code. She also secured grant funding to strengthen the department's food safety program and mentored other health departments nationwide who enrolled in the FDA's retail program standards. Samantha collected and analyzed data from 200-300 restaurants to identify and reduce foodborne illness risks in her jurisdiction by creating interventions that were implemented into policy.

In her current role as a Quality Assurance Field Specialist at Wawa, Samantha conducts food and workplace safety audits focusing on the reduction of critical violations. She also provides technical support to multiple store regions.

Her career, highlighted by her achievements in both sectors, demonstrates a unique blend of strong technical knowledge and leadership. Samantha is driven by a powerful mission to cultivate a robust food safety culture, empowering others through education and collaboration to create a healthier and safer food system for all.

Sophie holds a joint position as a senior research assistant at University of Lancashire and a core team member at Cultivate SA.

Dr. Tongyu Wu challenges the industry food safety culture norms through innovative approaches and by incorporating research in her work with food businesses – such as nudging, which uses machine learning to help companies take weekly action to bridge knowledge gaps and build behavioural norms.

Sophie introduced organisational psychology ideas into her food safety work, specifically on “how people make sense” – her research on middle managers’ sensemaking has not only piqued interest among international food safety conferences and webinars, but increased the food safety value and appreciation in the companies she has worked with to mobilise their middle managers and move beyond compliance.

To date Sophie worked with 45 global food companies to improve their food safety culture. She is committed to continuously pushing the boundary of food safety culture research and challenging the industry norms.

Stephanie is the Director of FSQA, Regulatory & Sustainability at Grimmway Produce Group, a leading year-round supplier of organic and conventional potatoes and onions. She oversees Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Compliance, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility, bringing a forward-thinking yet practical approach across all areas.

Her career began in neuroimmunology research at Mayo Clinic before transitioning into more than a decade of leadership in grocery retail Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs. This blend of scientific rigor and operational experience allows her to bridge regulation, risk, science, and customer expectations while ensuring solutions remain realistic and sustainable. Beyond RPE, Steph is a recognized leader in the food safety and sustainability community. She has served on Wisconsin’s DATCP Produce Safety Advisory Board and the Wisconsin Grocers Association Education and Foundation Board.

She currently contributes to the International Fresh Produce Association’s Food Safety Council and Sustainability Task Force, supports the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s Sustainable Packaging Committee, and serves on the board of The Potato Sustainability Alliance, where she champions grower-aligned sustainability standards.

Tamar is the FSQA Director at a leading pistachio company, where she oversees food safety and quality assurance with a strong focus on protecting public health. She holds a master’s degree in biology and has taught biology at both state and community colleges, combining academic expertise with real-world application to elevate food safety standards.

Her background includes extensive laboratory experience in microbiological and chemical analyses, including pesticide residue testing. This technical foundation supports her data-driven approach to managing food safety risks and implementing continuous improvement strategies across the supply chain.

Tamar finds it deeply rewarding to both learn and teach others how their daily actions can impact food safety and, ultimately, the health of the public. Her work reflects a passion for education, science, and making a meaningful difference in the food industry.