Featured food safety industry leaders, experts
The QA Advisory Board provides input and perspective into the editorial content, direction and market involvement of the magazine. The board includes industry leaders representative of various segments of the food and beverage processing industry. Members of the board are advisers to the staff of QA magazine, commissioned to critique the publication, provide industry insight and provide editorial consultation. A member of the board also contributes a column in each issue of the magazine.
David Acheson
Founder and President
The Acheson Group
Former FDA Assistant Commissioner of Foods, Dr. David Acheson is the Founder and CEO of The Acheson Group (TAG). Previously a practicing doctor of internal medicine and infectious diseases, Dr. Acheson began conducting basic molecular pathogenesis research on foodborne pathogens in 1987, then joined the FDA as Chief Medical Officer in 2002. Dr. Acheson is widely published and internationally recognized for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases.
Roger Brauninger
Consultant/Trainer
A2LA WorkPlace Training (A2LAWPT)
Roger Brauninger is consultant/trainer for A2LA WorkPlace Training (A2LAWPT). The company is a nonprofit, public service, membership association providing consulting and education services for laboratories, reference material procurers, proficiency testing providers, product certifiers, inspection bodies and other similar organizations. Brauninger's focus includes working with organizations involved in biological chemical testing on foods, feeds, drugs, toxic materials and threat agents.
Lonza Specialty Ingredients
Mike Burness has been with Lonza for a few years and is accountable for global quality across its business portfolio. Lonza designs, manufactures and distributes specialty ingredients and chemicals across a broad range of customers and industries (e.g. food and feed, health care, personal care, pharma, aerospace, automotive, etc.). Prior to Lonza, Burness has served in the food industry for more than 30 years, all of which encompassed experience and leadership in the quality, food safety and regulatory arenas. He has experience in bakery, thermal processing, meat and poultry, beverage, and multiple other food product platforms resulting from positions with companies that include Godiva Chocolate, Campbell Soup, PepsiCo and Chiquita Brands International. At Chiquita, Burness was an executive officer of the company, and his experience in the technical field is matched by his experience as a business leader.
Jim Campbell
Research Leader and Entomologist
USDA-ARS / Kansas State University
Jim Campbell is a Research Entomologist with the USDA ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research Center in Manhattan, KS. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of California-Davis. His research interests include the behavior of stored product insects and their natural enemies and how the use of behavioral information can improve the management of insect pests.
Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies
Dr. Darin Detwiler is best known for his efforts to lead, educate, inspire and advocate for food safety's Herculean Efforts. In addition to his work in academic administration, Detwiler is an author, speaker, and an associate teaching professor in food policy with expertise in food regulatory affairs, food policy and food governance. He has more than 20 years of experience in food policy, including his service as a regulatory policy advisor for USDA, senior policy advisor for STOP Foodborne Illness, and advisory panel member for FDA, CFP and more. Author of "FOOD SAFETY: Past, Present, and Predictions" and "Building the Future of Food Safety Technology," Detwiler speaks frequently before industry, government and international audiences on food safety and related policy.
Bradd Eldridge
President
Quality Management Partners
Bradd Eldridge is Founder and President of Quality Management Partners (QMP). He is a member of the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) Advisory Council, Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Bradd has traveled to many countries around the world to discuss good quality practices toward successful food safety programs. Bradd holds a BA in chemistry and computer science from Catawba College in North Carolina, and an MBA from Indiana University.
Iris Galanis Eshoo
Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance
See's Candies
Iris Galanis Eshoo oversees See’s Candies' food safety, quality assurance, research and development and product and process improvement functions. She has more than 20 years of experience in building food safety and quality programs from ground up while instilling a culture of food safety. Prior to joining See’s in 2013, Galanis Eshoo was the director of food safety and quality assurance for The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, where she worked for 14-years. During her tenure there she established and lead the Performance Development and Training department as well as the Safety Department for the bakery. Galanis Eshoo played a key role in supporting the successful opening of a new state of the art manufacturing facility on the East Coast before she was appointed head of the Food Safety, Quality Assurance and Regulatory. Galanis Eshoo is a past speaker for the American Society of Quality (ASQ) and the Safe Food California Conference. She holds memberships with several professional associations, including International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). She received her BS in Biochemistry from the California State University of Long Beach and her Master of Food Science and Nutrition from Chapman University in Orange, Calif.
Bruce Ferree
Consultant
Having retired as Senior QA Manager for HP Hood, Bruce Ferree is now an industry consultant. At HP Hood, Ferree oversaw company quality assurance, quality control and food safety. He is a food quality and safety professional with experience in many types of food operations, including meat and poultry, dairy (milk, cheese and whey), canning/aseptic, grain extraction, auditing, consulting and training. He has worked both domestically and internationally. Ferree received his Bachelor of Science in food technology from Colorado State University. He is a Certified Food Scientist, Certified Quality Auditor and Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor. He is a member of ASQ, IAFP and IFT and has been recognized as a Fellow of IFT. Ferree also writes for the QA column Beyond the Plant Floor.
Tia Glave
Co-founder, Catalyst, LLC
Tia Glave is the Co-Founder of Catalyst, LLC, with over a decade of experience in large and small food companies. Being a chemical engineer, she uses systems, data, and proven methods to develop and implement a food safety and quality strategy, all while using servant leadership principles. In 2021, Tia partnered with Jill Stuber to create Catalyst, LLC. At Catalyst, Tia and Jill empower technical experts to become technical leaders by leading them through Catalyst’s crafted, coaching-based leadership development curriculum.
Temple Grandin
Animal Handling Facility designer / professor
Colorado State University
Temple Grandin is a world-renowned animal welfare specialist and designer of numerous animal handling facilities. An American doctor of animal science and professor, she is also a bestselling author and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior.
Consulting Entomologist
360 Pest and Food Safety ConsultingChelle Hartzer is the consulting entomologist at 360PFSC and has been helping clients solve complicated pest issues for over a decade. With an in-depth knowledge of the food industry, pest control industry, and sensitive accounts (like pharmaceuticals, zoos, and food processing), she has been able to get to the root causes and provide practical solutions to challenging pest situations. Hartzer has worked as a technical expert for Rollins (parent company of Orkin) and prior to joining Rollins, Hartzer was an Entomologist and Product Manager with The Industrial Fumigant Company. She was also a Research Assistant at Kansas State University, Grain Science & Industry and a Research Assistant at the Center for Grain and Animal Health Research at USDA-ARS.
Jorge Hernandez Vice President of Quality AssuranceThe Wendy’s Co.Hernandez is responsible for food safety, quality and regulatory compliance in all Wendy’s restaurants and its suppliers in 31 countries. His responsibilities include ensuring brand compliance with nutritional and allergen information, menu labeling and any other state and federal regulations. Previously, Hernandez was chief food safety officer at Wholesome International, senior vice president for Food Safety and Quality Assurance at US Foods; vice president of Food Safety at the National Restaurant Association, food program manager at Illinois Department of Public Health and Sanitarian at Winnebago County Health Department in Illinois. Hernandez has degrees in biology from Rockford University, USA, microbiology from El Centro de Estudios Medico-Biologicos in Mexico City, Mexico, and languages and literature from la Universite de la Sorbonne, Paris, France. Hernandez belongs to several national and international organizations and boards including STOP Foodborne Illness, IFPTI, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and others.
Jill Hoffman
Senior Director, Food Safety and Quality
B&G Foods
Jill is currently the Senior Director of Food Safety and Quality at B&G Foods. Before moving over to B&G, Jill was previously the Director of Global Food Safety and Quality Systems at McCormick & Co., Inc. Over her career she has worked across numerous product categories in various functions to include Food Safety and Quality, Operations, and Continuous Improvement. Jill has had the opportunity to engage and speak in various forums across the globe on topics such as supply chain integrity and food fraud and has contributed to various publications on these topics. Jill has a passion for transforming the quality and food safety functions through digital enablement and data analytics. She sees an abundance of opportunities to create efficiency and insights by greater adoption within food companies. Jill holds a B.S. in Food Science from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Food Safety from Michigan State.
Roger Lawrence
President
Lawrence and Associates LLC
Roger Lawrence is the retired corporate vice president, Quality Assurance and Regulatory for McCormick & Co., Inc. He has more than 35 years of experience in quality, food safety, product development and regulatory positions in the food industry. His experience and past responsibilities spanned McCormick's worldwide internal operations and external supply chain. The corporate global quality team provided strategic direction and operational guidance to subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees, as well as quality, food safety and regulatory support to retail, food service and industrial customers. They had overall responsibility for the development and implementation of functional policies and procedures as well as minimum quality and food safety standards.
Bobby Love
Director, Global Food Safety, Regulatory and Technical Matters
Phillips Foods, Inc.
Love is responsible for ensuring the quality operations of both Phillips' domestic and the company-owned and operated overseas plants, which have U.S. approved HACCP (Food Safety) plans.
LJ Writing Services
With more than 30 years in the food industry, Lupo has has written for and about the industry from "both sides of the fence." Currently the Director of Communications for The Acheson Group, she was the former editor of QA magazine for 15 years, prior to which she held communications positions with Ecolab Pest Elimination. Throughout it all, Lupo has maintained her own business, sharing her expertise in both written communications and conference presentations on the global stage.
Neil MarshallManaging Director
Guv Consulting International LLC
Neil Marshall works with select global clients in the food and beverage sector, acting as a senior advisor to CEOs. He's an experienced and commercially aware operations and technical leader with experience from multiple industries with 30 years in the FMCG food industry in Europe and USA. Based in the USA with experience in the emerging markets in Asia, Eurasia and Africa, Marshall previously worked for The Coca-Cola Co. for more than 20 years, working in more than 80 countries. Marshall was the global technical lead for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 South Africa World Cup and for the 2012 London Olympics. Marshall was a long serving board member of GFSI and President of SSAFE, engaging externally in many conferences, and industry forums with governments and regulators.
Shawn McBride
Vice President
Foah International
Shawn McBride is an industry consultant, having worked in the industry for more than 25 years and served as President & CEO of Chef Paul/Magic Seasoning Blends, responsible for overseeing all aspects of both the seasonings plant and K-Paul restaurant.
Jennifer McEntire
Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer
International Fresh Produce Association
A food microbiologist by background, she has worked in the Washington, D.C., area for over 20 years, bringing the scientific perspective to food safety regulatory issues. She has held previous food safety leadership positions with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, The Acheson Group and the Institute of Food Technologists. McEntire earned a Ph.D. from Rutgers University as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety and received a Bachelor of Science with Distinction, magna cum laude, in food science from the University of Delaware. She serves as an advisory board member of the Global Food Traceability Center, is on the technical committee of the Center for Produce Safety, and was the 2020 recipient of the NSF International Food Safety Leadership Award.
Yves Rey
Executive Director, IFAAO & Senior Advisor to Danone and UNOPS
Yves Rey is Executive Director of IFAAO, a Senior Advisor to Danone Executive and BRF Brazil, and former Corporate General Manager of Danone Group & Chairman of the GFSI board. He has more than 44 years of experience in the world’s leading food, beverage and packaging companies in 10 different countries. An experienced general manager with a strong business and consumer oriented mindset, Yves has an extensive and demonstrated knowledge in food manufacturing and processing, food science, food safety and quality management, general management and a strong food related academy background and food law.