is offered to one recent graduate with a Bachelor's Degree or higher in Food Science, Animal Science, or Food Policy from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Fellow will work 35 hours a week in the Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP) offices.
Work will focus mainly on a designated research project, in conjunction with Michigan State University (MSU) Online Food Safety program (OFS) while also participating in other activities that support learning and experience in food safety. The Fellowship is based in Chicago with a salary of $31,000.
Responsibilities
~ Complete a research project as determined by Fellow, STOP CEO, and MSU OFS Director, that aligns with STOP's mission and contributes to the organization. (All work will be completed during the one-year program.)
~ Complete MSU Online Food Safety Certificate program.
~ Familiarize themselves with current STOP constituency, Speakers Bureau and Honor Wall.
~ Attend annual IAFP meeting to announce the award as a representative of STOP.
A friendship with one of the founders of Stop Foodborne Illness (who lost a child to E. coli O157:H7) profoundly influenced Dave to keep a photograph of her daughter, Lauren Beth, in his wallet throughout his career, to remind him of the devastation wrought by foodborne pathogens. As a result, he worked tirelessly to create a culture of food safety.
Dave was hired as senior vice president and chief food safety officer for Jack in the Box in 1993, as the San Diego fast food chain was reeling from a massive and deadly outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. Four deaths, including Lauren Beth’s, and hundreds of illnesses were blamed on the burger chain that some said would not survive. Top management made an early decision to give Dave Theno complete authority over food safety. He implemented a comprehensive Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and then required a finished product testing protocol, test and hold, that initially irked others in the meat industry before it was almost universally adopted. Dave remained with Jack in the Box for almost 16 years.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology and science journalism from Iowa State University and master’s and doctoral degrees in food microbiology and animal sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dave Theno’s leadership in responding to the 1993 outbreak and challenge of E. coli O157:H7 has been recognized by numerous scientific and industry organizations.
is a national nonprofit public health organization that supports and engages people directly impacted by foodborne illness and mobilizes them to help prevent illness and death by driving change through advocacy, collaboration, and innovation.
Partnering with leaders in food industry, we promote sound food safety policy and best practices from farm to table. We encourage federal and state bodies and agencies to mitigate food safety risks through policy and legislation. For media, government, industry, and consumers, it is our volunteer advocates who provide a human face behind the statistics – a powerful reminder of the need for a vigilant food safety culture.
For those impacted by foodborne pathogens we provide a platform, through our website and a wide-range of speaking opportunities, to share their story. We offer peer-to-peer mentoring for victims and families across the country. We create and maintain an array of beneficial information (downloadable on our website) for anyone seeking more knowledge on foodborne illness. The stories on our website’s Honor Wall are a testament to the strength and endurance of individuals and families. Telling one’s story is often, not only empowering for the storyteller, but thought provoking for the listener.
strives to educate professionals on how to make global food systems safe and supports individuals as they advance in food safety-related careers. Professionals in the program will develop critical thinking, an increased understanding of food safety science and leadership skills, centering the individual and their company at the forefront of food safety.
The program consists of an online Master of Science in Food Safety Degree, Graduate Food Safety Certificate, online non-credit continuing education courses, and an on-campus executive education program.
The Fellowship includes tuition support to complete the 12 credit, online Graduate Food Safety Certificate with the MSU Online Food Safety Program. The Graduate Certificate includes three required courses: VM 811 Evolution and Ecology of Foodborne Pathogens, VM 812 Food Safety Toxicology, and VM 831 Food Safety Epidemiology, plus one approved elective course. Coursework for the MSU Online Food Safety Graduate Certificate will be paid for by STOP.
For more information regarding the MSU Online Food Safety Graduate Certificate please visit,
MSU Online Food Safety Graduate Certificate
Alex is a proven leader in Food Safety and Quality Assurance with more than 16 years of leadership experience across food manufacturing operations, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Currently, Alex is a senior manager of supplier quality management at Nestlé USA. In this role he is responsible for partnering with companies across the food industry to ensure compliance and food safety within his organization’s supply chain.
Throughout his career, Alex has delivered measurable improvements in food safety performance with a focus on foreign body elimination, validated cleaning programs, reductions in consumer complaints, and the implementation of robust compliance programs. As a Quality Manager, he has led ISO 9001 and FSSC 22000 certification initiatives, built problem-solving capability, and achieved substantial reductions in foreign material defects.
His experience and expertise spans FDA and USDA regulations, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI systems, with extensive experience leading regulatory responses, crisis management, food safety initiatives, and food safety culture development across global manufacturing operations.
Abigail is a food safety and quality leader with more than 13 years of experience advancing consumer protection and strengthening food safety systems across the food industry.
As an R&D Principal Scientist at PepsiCo, she provides global technical leadership in sanitation, hygienic design, contamination prevention, and food safety risk management across complex manufacturing and innovation environments.
Throughout her career, Abigail has been recognized for translating food safety science, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices into practical, scalable solutions that strengthen both operations and governance. Her expertise spans global food safety and sanitation standards, risk-based ingredient and process assessments, contamination prevention strategies, supplier and manufacturing risk management, and digital transformation initiatives that improve consistency, efficiency, and decision making.
Abigail is passionate about proactive prevention, embedding food safety into equipment, processes, and emerging technologies from the earliest stages of development. With a forward-looking perspective and a strong passion for elevating food safety culture, Abigail is helping shape a future where safer food isn't simply the goal—it's built into the way the industry operates.
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.
