Daniel Akinmolayan

Direttore dei sistemi IT e dell'assistenza clienti, SQFI

Daniel Akinmolayan è il direttore dei sistemi IT e dell'assistenza clienti presso il Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), dove ha guidato i progressi tecnologici dal 2017. Con un master in tecnologia dell'informazione specializzato in tecnologia dei sistemi di database presso l'Università del Maryland, Daniel supervisiona l'ecosistema IT di SQFI, incluso il database di Valutazione della Verifica. Il suo lavoro ha posizionato il programma SQF come leader nella tecnologia di certificazione della sicurezza alimentare.

Daniel è specializzato nello sfruttamento di tecnologie avanzate, come l'analisi predittiva e l'intelligenza artificiale, per migliorare i sistemi di gestione della verifica. Relatore esperto, condivide spesso approfondimenti sull'apprendimento automatico e sull'analisi dei dati in occasione di eventi del settore. Oltre alla sua esperienza tecnica, Daniel è appassionato di fare da mentore ai team, promuovere l'innovazione e promuovere la collaborazione globale per creare cambiamenti significativi.

Carey Allen

Vicepresidente dello sviluppo e della strategia aziendale, SQFI

Carey Allen è vicepresidente dello sviluppo e della strategia aziendale presso SQFI. In precedenza, Carey è stato Vicepresidente della Divisione Food and Ag presso SCS Global Services e ha ricoperto ruoli dirigenziali senior nelle divisioni di certificazione dei prodotti e della sicurezza alimentare di NSF. Carey ha guidato lo sviluppo di diversi protocolli di certificazione NSF proprietari e ha sostenuto numerose iniziative di eccellenza operativa. Prima del suo incarico nel settore TIC, Carey ha lavorato per quasi dieci anni nella produzione di cibo, nella ricerca e sviluppo e nel controllo qualità con diversi marchi importanti. Carey ha conseguito una laurea e un master in scienze del cibo e un master in gestione, strategia e leadership. A Carey piace contribuire al settore attraverso attività di volontariato con comitati associativi e gruppi di lavoro, inoltre sostiene programmi giovanili, artistici e sociali nella sua comunità di Ann Arbor, Michigan.

LeAnn Chuboff

Vicepresidente, Affari tecnici, SQFI

LeAnn ha oltre 30 anni di esperienza nella ristorazione specializzata nella sicurezza alimentare della catena di fornitura e nella garanzia della qualità. Attualmente LeAnn è Vice Presidente degli Affari Tecnici dell'Istituto Safe Quality Food (SQF) responsabile degli elementi tecnici del programma SQF, tra cui lo sviluppo, la manutenzione e il supporto tecnico del Codice SQF e dei materiali di supporto.

Prima di lavorare presso l'SQF Institute, LeAnn ha lavorato per la National Restaurant Association Solutions come direttrice delle relazioni scientifiche e normative. In questo ruolo, è stata responsabile dell'accuratezza tecnica del programma di sicurezza alimentare ServSafe e ha sviluppato programmi e servizi sulla sicurezza e la difesa alimentare per adattarli a tutti i segmenti del settore della ristorazione. LeAnn si è laureata alla Iowa State University con una laurea in scienze alimentari ed è attiva con molte organizzazioni tra cui GFSI, AFDO e l'International Association for Food Protection.

Casey Gallimore

Meat Institute

Casey Lynn Gallimore serves as the senior director of regulatory policy at the Meat Institute where she provides analysis and expertise on a variety of topics including: food safety, processing, animal welfare, and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining the Meat Institute, Gallimore spent seven years in the food industry in food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance roles. She has worked in FDA and USDA regulated facilities ranging from chocolate and ingredient manufacturing to portion cut steaks and market hog slaughter.

Gallimore earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Truman State University, with minors in Chemistry and Justice Systems.

Kristie Grzywinski

Technical Director, SQFI

Kristie Grzywinski is an accomplished Technical Director responsible for Learning and Development for the SQF Institute. With extensive experience in designing and managing global training programs, Kristie excels at creating innovative education solutions, developing competency-based curricula, and driving learning initiatives that generate significant organizational impact. Known for their strategic vision, Kristie has successfully SQFI’s expanded learning programs to reach diverse audiences, fostering professional growth and upholding industry standards. Her expertise includes curriculum design, certification development, and the development of implementation tools that support measurable success.

Sanjay Gummalla

Sr. Vice President, Scientific Affairs, American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)

Sanjay Gummalla is Sr. VP, scientific affairs, at American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) tackling Listeria monocytogenes prevention and control programs and policy efforts. Prior to joining AFFI, Sanjay was VP, product development at Zentis NA, a global fruit preparation manufacturer. His technical expertise extends to flavor development, food microbiology, and product development resulting from managing global food application projects at Givaudan Flavors and leading the global dairy flavor research and development portfolio at Cargill.

Sanjay served on key committees representing industry: advisor, U.S. Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee for Processed Foods; committee member, Journal of Food Protection; president, Capital Area Food Protection Association, and chair, International Food Science Certification Commission administering IFT’s Certified Food Scientists program. He is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual instructor and taught food microbiology as adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati. He has a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Sciences from Utah State University.

Zach Henley

Enterprise Executive, Food & Beverage, ABM

Coming soon.

Lainie Hidalgo

Publix

Coming soon.

Prit Hora

Lead Auditor, Certification Manager - Food Certification, Bureau Veritas

Dr. Prit Hora holds a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences and a Master’s in Food Sciences and works with Bureau Veritas Certification North America (BVCNA). With over 20 years of experience in food safety and quality assurance, Dr. Hora has held roles in both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the private sector.

An expert in developing and implementing Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), Dr. Hora specializes in process improvements, operational excellence, training, and regulatory compliance for food categories including bakery, dairy, meat, and grain processing. He is a Certified HACCP Auditor (CHA), SQF Lead Auditor, and holds certifications in BRC Global Standards.

Dr. Hora has provided consulting, training, and auditing for SFCR, SQF, and BRCGS standards, helping organizations enhance food safety and quality. His work has driven success in regulatory compliance, continuous improvement, and preventive control initiatives across the food industry.


Hal King

Managing Partner, Active Food Safety

Hal King, Ph.D., is the Managing Partner at Active Food Safety, an Advisory Services partnership for the food industry.  Hal is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Public Health. Hal is the author of several books on the corporate governance of food safety management in the foodservice industry, and the author of numerous food industry publications that help the industry identify risk and prevent foodborne disease outbreaks. 

Hal’s new book  Food Safety Leadership in the Business of Food Safety, features business best practices from several food safety business leaders in our industry.  Hal is the recipient of the 2018 NSF International Food Safety Leadership and Innovation Award, and is formally the Director of Food and Product Safety at Chick-fil-A Inc. where he led the Food Safety Management Program for over 10 years.

Jonathan Lackie

Manager, Business Development & Sales, SQFI

Jonathan Lackie has over 14 years of experience within the food certification industry.  Previously having specialized in organic certification for the fast-growing Natural Foods market, he has worked with a broad spectrum of clients – from bootstrap entrepreneurs to industry leading multinational CPGs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara as well as a Master of Business Administration from San Diego’s Point Loma Nazarene University.

Douglas Marshall, CFS

Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories

Dr. Douglas L. Marshall is Chief Scientific Officer with Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories.  He also serves as Technical Director for the Refrigerated Foods Association.  Formerly he was Associate Dean and Professor of Public Health, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Northern Colorado and a Contributing Editor of the scientific journal Food Microbiology.  His career focus is to improve the microbiological quality and safety of foods, with numerous publications and consultations in the area.  He has received the Mississippi Chemical Corporation Award of Excellence for Outstanding Work and the International Association for Food Protection Educator and Harold Barnum Industry Awards.  He is a Certified Food Scientist and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Kris Middleton

Kris Middleton has been involved in the food safety auditing business since 2003 and involved with SQF since 2009. Throughout the years Kris has worked as an Auditor, Trainer, Technical Manager, and Program Manager at several different Certification Bodies and Training Centers. He is devoted and passionate about World Class service in any area that he is in with a focus on customer experience. Customers greatly appreciate his style, knowledge, and positive attitude, and energy that he brings to the table in anything that he is a part of. Kris has previously been a part of the SQFI Technical Advisory Committee, has recently been part of the SQFI Technical Working Group for Pet Food Ed. 9.0, was part of the SQFI Retail Code Working Group when the code was first established, is an active member in the GFSI Technical Working Group for Services Provisions, and participates in the International Association of Accredited Registrars Food Group.

Marcus Puente

Regulatory Compliance, Tyson Foods

Marcus Puente commenced his career with Tyson Foods in 2013 after completing his bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University. Throughout his tenure at Tyson Foods, he has held various roles within FSQA, working in diverse process environments including poultry harvest, RTE meat production, and supplier compliance. During this period, he earned a Master’s degree in Food Safety from the University of Arkansas and attained his ASQ Certified Quality Auditor certification. In his current capacity, Marcus is accountable for regulatory compliance for Tyson Foods' Prepared Foods Business Unit. Prior to his tenure at Tyson Foods, he served honorably in the United States Marine Corps.

Daniel Schmitz

Director of Operations, Commercial Food Sanitation

As the Director of Operations for Commercial Food Sanitation, Dan brings strong leadership skills and technical knowledge that he developed in his 29 years in the food manufacturing industry, along with a 24-year career in the United States Air Force. Dan’s food industry experience is extensive with both USDA and FDA regulated industries.

Dan has a passion for plant operations with a focus on food safety programs. He has held plant and corporate leadership roles in operations, quality, and sanitation in some of the largest and most demanding plant environments. Dan has a talent for developing very strong teams that successfully drive culture change in food manufacturing plants. Dan’s specific knowledge includes HACCP, pathogen environmental monitoring, hygienic design of equipment and infrastructure, allergen controls, all aspects of plant sanitation, and much more.

Rachel Sheerin

Altoparlante principale Burnout

Dalle conferenze annuali ai summit di vendita, alle riunioni di avvio dell'azienda e altro ancora, adoro raggiungere il pubblico (di persona o tramite lo schermo Zoom) e portarlo con sé per un giro che li farà ridere, imparare e farsi caricare per raggiungere i loro obiettivi. Oltre ai punti di vista tangibili, le mie performance principali si presentano presto e spesso con commedie, storie vere e vulnerabilità con cui il pubblico entra in contatto immediatamente.

Essendo un'anima di tipo A, con un bicchiere mezzo pieno e un background nella leadership delle vendite, collaboro con team e organizzazioni nella formazione e nelle presentazioni incentrate sulle vendite, l'assistenza e il successo rivolte a ogni individuo. Approfondendo ciò che motiva, ispira e sostiene le migliori prestazioni, aiuto i team ad alte prestazioni ad affinare le proprie capacità e a scoprire cosa li motiva a essere la versione migliore e più autentica di se stessi. Utilizzando le conoscenze comportamentali professionali e fondendole con la ricerca sul burnout, creo i miei keynote basandomi su fatti, scienza e storie autentiche, con la speranza che i partecipanti possano vivere momenti «ah-ah» personali ed esperienze di legame. Adoro abbattere le ipotesi e ricostruire le organizzazioni con nuova consapevolezza, forza e unità tra di loro.

Mi troverai al servizio di persone eccezionali che svolgono un ottimo lavoro: sono onorato di collaborare con organizzazioni, team e leader che condividono la stessa passione e la stessa spinta al successo e alla felicità che ho io.

Stefanie Sonneveld

Consultant and Business Development Representative, SQFI

Experienced food safety professional with over 25 years in the food industry from "farm to fork" in manufacturing and food safety certification management. 

Stefanie helps organizations large and small across the supply chain to open market opportunities utilizing her in-depth knowledge of retailer requirements and GFSI benchmarked standards.

Stefanie's technical expertise and certification food safety leadership experience support the success of operations from primary production, processing and distribution through retail and food service.

Hilary S. Thesmar, PhD, RD, CFS

Direttore scientifico e vicepresidente senior, Programmi di Sicurezza Alimentare, FMI

Con oltre 20 anni di esperienza nella scienza degli alimenti, nella sicurezza alimentare e nella politica alimentare e agricola, il Dr. Thesmar fornisce la leadership ai membri della FMI al dettaglio, all'ingrosso e ai fornitori di prodotti su questioni scientifiche e tecniche come programmi di formazione sulla sicurezza alimentare, strategia normativa, piani e gestione di richiamo, gestione delle crisi, ricerca e programmi di salute e benessere.

La dott.ssa Thesmar ha conseguito un dottorato in tecnologia alimentare presso la Clemson University, un master in nutrizione umana presso la Winthrop University, una laurea in scienze alimentari presso Clemson ed è una dietista registrata. Il Dr. Thesmar è membro dell'Institute of Food Technologists, membro attivo dell'International Food Protection Association e dell'Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Tammie Van Buren

Responsabile, conformità SQFI, SQFI

Più di 25 anni di esperienza nel controllo della qualità e 10 anni nell'industria alimentare come professionista SQF responsabile dell'implementazione, del monitoraggio e della manutenzione dei sistemi SQF in vari siti certificati come TreeHouse Foods e D&W Fine Pack.

Attualmente l'SQF Compliance Manager supervisiona la gestione e l'evoluzione del Compliance and Integrity Program (CIP) di SQFI utilizzando dati e statistiche.

Ha conseguito un master in scienze e tecnologie ingegneristiche e una laurea in matematica.

Gigi Vita

Responsabile della Valutazione della Sicurezza Alimentare e SVP, SQFI

Gigi Vita è un influencer e risolutore di problemi lungimirante e innovativo, attualmente Chief Food Safety Assessment Officer e SVP presso il Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI). Nella sua precedente posizione di vicepresidente delle vendite presso SQFI, Vita ha supervisionato l'intera divisione vendite di SQFI e si è dimostrata una risorsa chiave per l'espansione dell'organizzazione aumentando il portafoglio SQFI in America Latina e Asia. Vita ha una conoscenza approfondita dell'industria alimentare con oltre 30 anni di esperienza, avendo precedentemente lavorato su tutti i canali commerciali e guidato iniziative di grande successo all'interno di organizzazioni nazionali e globali.

Più recentemente Vita è stata partner all'interno del Customer Development Practice di The Partnering Group fornendo consulenza strategica globale e gestionale generale incentrata sul valore sostenibile per le principali aziende di vendita al dettaglio e prodotti di consumo in tutto il mondo. Vita ha guidato lo sviluppo strategico e l'innovazione del business per la più grande cooperativa lattiero-casearia della nazione, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) e ha lavorato come Presidente e COO per Fonterra, Nord America. Vita ha inoltre ricoperto ruoli dirigenziali senior presso altre importanti società di beni di consumo confezionati, tra cui PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft/Nabisco, Campbell Soup, Nestle e Procter & Gamble. Vita ha conseguito una laurea in inglese presso il Lafayette College di Easton, Pennsylvania.

Rod Wheeler

Founder and CEO, Global Food Defense Institute

Homeland Security, Global Food Defense and Law Enforcement expert Rod Wheeler is the founder and CEO of the Global Food Defense Institute which provides educational, training and certification programs in Food Defense and Crisis Management for the food, agricultural and chemical industries to ensure confidence and protection and to guard against intentional contamination or sabotage. He is a former “all-star” Homicide Detective with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC and former investigator for the State of Ohio Attorney General.  Rod has also previously served as a Senior Crime/Law Enforcement and Domestic Terrorism Expert for the Fox News Channel since 2002. Rod has assisted dozens of US-based companies in developing Global Security Plans, Vulnerability Assessments and Procedures and corresponding training programs.

Amanda Wilder - Moderator

Amanda Wilder holds an M.S. in Food Science from Kansas State University and B.S. in Food Science from the University of Idaho. While attending KSU, she worked in the Food Safety and Defense Lab on pathogen intervention technologies and strategies for the produce, pet food, and meat industries. Her past experience before joining the Provision team also includes working in Food Safety, R&D, and business development roles in meat, fruit and vegetable, and pulse processing operations. As US Sales Director at Provision Analytics, she’s passionate about helping companies find and implement solutions to optimize their food safety processes.