Milk and Cultured Dairy Conference 2014
- John Allan
- Peggy Armstrong
- Donna Berry
- Roger Clemens
- Mirjana Curic-Bawden
- Cary Frye
- Adria Gennuso-Fuchs
- Ashraf Hassan
- Julia Kadison
- Claudine Kavanaugh
- Donna Klockeman
- Joseph Levitt
- Suley Muratoglu
- Mike Opperman
- Mary Ellen Sanders
- Karen Smith
John Allan
Vice President, Regulatoru and International Standards
International Dairy Foods Association
John Allan directs all aspects of IDFA's food safety training initiatives, leads efforts related to product safety issues and has responsibilities in federal and state regulatory affairs addressing food safety, nutrition, labeling and trade issues. He engages on behalf of IDFA members with 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS).
Prior to joining IDFA, Allan was the director of regulatory and international affairs for the National Yogurt Association, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and AFFI’s affiliated associations: the National Frozen Pizza Institute, Frozen Potato Products Institute and the Frozen Food Foundation. Allan also previously served in a similar capacity for a trade association representing the infant formula industry. He has spent time as a food safety consultant/auditor and also worked for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization joint international food standards program (Codex Alimentarius Commission). He graduated from the Univ. of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in food science and technology.
Peggy Armstrong
Vice President, Communications
International Dairy Foods Association
Armstrong provides strategic communications counsel to IDFA staff, serves as the association's primary spokesperson and oversees IDFA's external and member communications.
Armstrong has worked for a number of government and public sector organizations in the Washington, D.C., area. Most recently she served as senior director of communications and research for the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that promoted major economic development projects. Before that, she was communications director and press secretary for Anthony Williams during his tenure as mayor of the District of Columbia.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Armstrong has served as special assistant for communications for the Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She began her career developing broadcast programming in Baltimore.
Donna Berry
Consultant and Editor, BerryOnDairy.com
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 been writing for the dairy trade since 1993 and product development industry experience with Kraft Foods. Berry opened her own business in 2000.
Berry currently writes for numerous trade publications, including Dairy Business News, Food Business News, Food Product Design, Meat & Poultry and Baking & Snack. Until February 2012, she had been the ingredient technology editor and new products trend tracker for Dairy Foods magazine. Today, she shares her knowledge through other publications including her own website, BerryOnDairy.com, which includes an email newsletter called Daily Dose of Dairy focused on innovations in dairy products and related beverages. Berry has a bachelor’s degree in food science from the University of Illinois.
Roger Clemens
Dr.PH, Chief Science Officer, Horn and Adjunct Professor
USC School of Pharmacy, International Center for Regulatory Science
-Bio Coming Soon-
Mirjana Curic-Bawden, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Application Manager Fermented Milk and Probiotics
CHR Hansen, Inc.
Dr. Mirjana Curic-Bawden is currently holding position of Senior scientist in Dairy Industry Technology Center at Chr. Hansen Inc. in Milwaukee.
Mirjana holds a Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology from the Danish Technical University. She has over 25 years of experience of which 20 years as a scientist is with Chr. Hansen in Denmark and US. She has expertise in microbial physiology and metabolism of lactic acid bacteria and other food starter culture and probiotic organisms. She has extensive experience in research, development and application of mesophilic and thermophilic starter cultures for yogurt, other fermented milk products and fresh cheeses,
Cary Frye
Vice President, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs
International Dairy Foods Association
With more than 20 years of experience in dairy product processing and quality assurance, Cary Frye represents member companies on product safety, food labeling and standards of identity, ingredient technologies, and nutrition and health issues. She coordinates the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) Medical Advisory Board and is responsible for the technical development and regulatory oversight of nutritional marketing programs and processor materials that incorporate breaking medical and nutritional research.
A member of the International Dairy Federation, Frye chairs the IDF Standing Committee on Food Labeling and Terminology. She has been active in international standards, advising U.S. delegations on Codex standards and as the head delegate for IDF at the Codex Committee on Food Labeling. She also serves as a member of the Global Dairy Platform's Communication and Scientific Advisory Board.
Her work has been published in professional journals and textbooks, including "Dairy Processing and Quality Assurance" and "Manufacturing Yogurt and Fermented Milks," published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Adria Gennuso-Fuchs
Marketing Manager, Fresh Dairy
CHR Hansen
Adria Gennuso-Fuchs is currently the Marketing Manager for Fresh Dairy at Chr. Hansen Inc. in Milwaukee, WI. Adria holds a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Marquette University. She has over 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry.
Ashraf Hassan
Associate Professor
South Dakota State University
Ashraf Hassan is an Associate Professor of Dairy Science at South Dakota State University. He received his BS and MS in Dairy Science from Egypt and conducted his PhD research at the University of Georgia. He also spent 3 years at University of Georgia as a postdoctoral associate. His area of expertise is exopolysaccharides and their role in biofilm formation and dairy products texture. In 2006, Hassan received the American Dairy Science Association Foundation Scholar Award and in 2010 Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award. He serves on the Editorial Board of Journal of Dairy Science and he is currently a special Graduate faculty at University of Guelph. Hassan served as a scientific consultant for Dairy companies in the US and abroad. He has been invited to give lectures at different institutions in the US, Denmark, Belgium, Egypt, Canada, and South Korea. Last year, Hassan participated in a USAID Farmer to Farmer program project to improve quality and safety of dairy products in the Republic of Georgia. He Published 50 peer reviewed research papers and 6 book chapters. In addition to research, Hassan teaches several dairy processing classes.
Julia Kadison
Interim CEO
MilkPEP
Julia Kadison is the Interim Chief Executive Officer at MilkPEP. Julia joined MilkPEP in 2006, and has been leading the Consumer Communications under the Milk Life (formerly the iconic Got Milk?/Milk Mustache) and Got Chocolate Milk? consumer campaigns. The programs Ms. Kadison manages integrate multi-media advertising, public relations, consumer and retail promotions, along with strong strategic partnerships. In her role, she continually seeks new opportunities for engaging consumers and motivating them to use more milk.
Prior to joining the team as an employee, Ms. Kadison had worked closely with MilkPEP as a consultant at Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) in New York. In her 12 years at BMC, Ms. Kadison rose to the position of Managing Director and COO, managing the non-alcoholic consulting division. Ms. Kadison received a Bachelor of Science degree from Emory University and her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Claudine J. Kavanaugh, PhD, MPH, RD
Interdisciplinary Scientist
Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine
FDA
Dr. Kavanaugh is an interdisciplinary scientist in the Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She has been with the FDA for eleven years and works on nutrition policy issues. Dr. Kavanaugh’s recent activities include updating the nutrition facts label, sodium reduction, and restaurant menu labeling. Prior to joining the FDA, she was a cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Kavanaugh received her Ph.D. in nutrition from Purdue University and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She is also registered dietitian.
Dr. Donna Klockeman
Senior Principle Food Scientist
TIC Gums, Inc.
-Bio Coming Soon-
Joseph A. Levitt
Partner
Hogan Lovells
Joseph Levitt is a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); he served as Director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) for six years, from February 1998 through December 2003. Joe counsels numerous food companies and trade associations in food safety, labeling and compliance matters and how to work effectively with the FDA. He is a recognized expert in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), including all phases of its development and implementation. While serving as FDA/CFSAN Director, Joe led successful efforts to modernize food safety regulation and enhance the security of the U.S. food supply. He also initiated a revitalization of FDA's nutrition program. During his earlier FDA tenure, while in the Office of the Commissioner, Joe helped streamline the new drug review process and launch the agency's food labeling initiative. Additionally, he served as Deputy Director for Regulations and Policy at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. He began his FDA career in the Office of Chief Counsel.
Joe has received a Top Tier ranking from Chambers for Food and Beverage lawyers.
Suley Muratoglu
Vice President, Marketing & Product Management
Tetra Pak USA & Canada
-Bio Coming Soon-
Mike Opperman
Director of Account Planning
Charleston Orwig
-Bio Coming Soon-
Mary Ellen Sanders, Ph.D
Consultant
Dairy & Food Culture Technologies
Mary Ellen Sanders consults on probiotic product development, scientific substantiation of label claims and safety for food and dietary supplement companies through her business, Dairy & Food Culture Technologies (www.mesanders.com). She strives to provide objective, evidence-based information on probiotics for consumers and professionals, including a website, www.usprobiotics.org. She has collaborated on clinical studies to validate probiotic safety and efficacy, helped develop guidelines for probiotic products for the FAO/WHO, and helped the World Gastroenterology Organisation develop evidence-based recommendations for probiotic use by gastroenterologists. Dr. Sanders also serves as Chief Science Officer for the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (www.isapp.net).
Karen E. Smith, Ph.D.
Researcher
Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Area of expertise is dairy process development and troubleshooting. Helps organize and teach short courses and works on applied research projects, such as the drying differences between various types of whey, acid whey utilization and membrane separations. Acts as an internal consultant and trainer on evaporators, dryers, lactose manufacture and membrane technology. Specializing in process development, scale-up and troubleshooting and in research on milk/whey/whey by-product separation, concentration and drying.
Received BS, MS and PhD from University of Wisconsin – Madison. Employed by Schreiber Foods, Dietrich’s Milk Products and Wisconsin Whey.