The Executive Advisory Board is composed of members representing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), academia and the food industry. Governance, policy and strategic direction are determined by the Executive Advisory Board in support of the institute’s mission.
Shirin Abd
Senior Technical Manager
Eurofins
With over 15 years of experience in food safety research, Shirin Abd serves as Senior Technical Manager at the Advanced Microbiology Group within Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories. In this role, she provides food safety consultation to food companies and food processing equipment manufacturers, developing strategies to comply with food safety regulatory and FSMA requirements. Her educational background is in chemistry, holding a Bachelor of Science degree from Tehran University, followed by a second bachelor's degree in food science and a master's degree in food microbiology, both from University of California, Davis.
Patrizia Barone, Ph.D (Chair)
Regional Regulatory Affairs Director North America
Unilever
Dr. Patrizia Barone is the Regional Regulatory Affairs Director at Unilever, leading the strategic regulatory activities for the North American region. Before joining Unilever, Patrizia held positions at Reckitt Benckiser, initially as Vice President of R&D for North America. She moved to Australia to head the Asia Pacific & South Asia R&D Laboratory, and upon her return, she held positions culminating as Global R&D Category Group Director - Regulatory Affairs & R&D Systems, responsible for product safety and regulatory strategies for all products globally. Earlier, Patrizia worked with Colgate-Palmolive and Miles, Inc. Household Products Division, a division of Bayer AG.
Johannes Burlin, J.D.
Co-CEO and Co-Founder
Tilia Holdings, LLC
Johannes Burlin is Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Tilia Holdings, LLC, a Private Equity firm that focuses exclusively on investing in companies that provide services in the food supply chain. Mr. Burlin has 25 years of professional experience as an operating executive, including most recently serving as President and Operating Partner of Safe Foods Holdings International, LLC. From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Burlin was President of Silliker Laboratories, Inc., North America and prior to that served as CEO and Chairman of Advanced Bioscience Laboratories, Inc. Mr. Burlin is trained as an M&A attorney and served as General Counsel of bioMerieux, Inc., prior to moving into domestic and international business development and operational roles. Johannes holds a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
Vikrant Dutta
Senior Director, Scientific Affairs
bioMérieux, Inc.
Vik Dutta is currently working as a Senior Director at Scientific Affairs bioMérieux Inc. Prior to his current role, he was employed as a Senior Microbiologist at the Enteric Disease Laboratory Branch at CDC, Atlanta, GA. Vik earned his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from MAFSU India, and a PhD in Microbiology from NC State University, Raleigh, NC. Vik has been working with various aspects of food safety and food-borne pathogens for over 16 years with work experience ranging from basic to applied science, including development/commercialization of isothermal/PCR-based tests, and WGS-based detection and subtyping tests. He has authored or co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles/book chapters. He currently serves on the editorial board for various Food Safety journals including J. Food Protection and the Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, and is an active member of various food safety organizations. Vik is a reviewer/contributor for a number of microbiology journals and other food safety publications, and has been granted patents on improving the isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology. Throughout his career, Vik has been awarded multiple times for his contributions to the field from institutions and groups such as the CDC, and honor societies.
Stefanie N. Evans, Ph.D.
Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs
Conagra Brands, Inc.
Stefanie N. Evans, Ph.D., rejoined Conagra Brands in 2021 after 7 years away that including positions with WhiteWave Foods/Danone, Kite Hill and small start-ups. In her previous role at Conagra she was in charge of a team of microbiologists in the laboratory and enterprise wide that supported manufacturing, R&D, regulatory, co-manufacturer's and suppliers. She now heads the Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs and Analytical and Applied Sciences department. In this role, Dr. Evans leads teams of scientists in the Safety Sciences including microbiology, toxicology, foreign material, and analytical chemistry. Stefanie has 20 years of experience in the food industry across large companies and small start-ups in broad categories of food and beverages including ready to eat, plant based, fermented, and organic. She has a Ph.D. in food science with a focus on food safety microbiology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has developed expertise in food manufacturing, quality systems, risk management, and delivering quality products to the market.
Loralyn H. Ledenbach, M.S.
Associate Director of Food Safety
Kraft Heinz Company
Lori Ledenbach is the Associate Director of Food Safety at the Kraft Heinz Company. She has worked for Kraft Heinz for 43 years, all at the Kraft Heinz Innovation Center in Glenview, IL. Much of her career has been spent working with product developers assessing microbial safety and stability for new products in the salad dressing, frozen entrée, pizza, natural cheese, and processed cheese categories. She helped create the training curriculum for Better Process Control School for LACF Process Cheese, is a Lead Instructor and Trainer of Trainers for FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Foods, and a Lead Instructor for FSPCA Foreign Supplier Verification Program and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment courses. She has a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Northern Illinois University and a M.S. degree in Food Science from the University of Illinois.
Dana Limpert
Director of Global Food Safety
Abbott
Dana Limpert is the Director of Global Food Safety at Abbott, where she provides leadership and technical support to the extensive network of suppliers and manufacturing sites supporting the production of Abbott infant formula and medical nutritional products. Dana has more than 30 years of experience in food quality and safety with 21 of those years with Abbott in quality roles supporting manufacturing, R&D, microbiology and food safety. Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from The Ohio State University.
Kevin L. Myers, Ph.D
Vice President, Research & Development
Hormel Foods Corporate Services, LLC
Dr. Myers has worked for Hormel Foods for 12 years in the company's Research and Development department and has more that 26 years of industry Research and Development experience. In his current position, Dr. Myers is responsible for managing all product, process and package development, applied research, microbiology and chemistry labs, sensory labs and process authorities for Hormel Foods. He is a member of the Minnesota Food Safety & Defense Task Force, the American Meat Science Association, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association Science & Regulatory Affairs Council, and the American Meat Institute’s Scientific Affairs Committee.
Mark Moorman, Ph.D
Director, Office Food of Safety
US Food and Drug Administration
Mark Moorman is the Director of the Office of Food Safety at the Food Drug and Administration within the Human Foods Program. Mark leads a team of food safety professionals pushing forward the many levers of prevention that will improve the safety of our food supply. Prior to joining the FDA, Mark was the Senior Director of Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, MI, with responsibilities for emerging food safety and nutrition technical and regulatory issues. Before joining the Kellogg Company in 1998, Mark spent 10 years with Silliker Laboratories as the Technical Director of Microbiology. Mark has his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees in Microbiology and Food Science from Michigan State University.
Courtney Parker, Ph.D.
Vice President Global Quality and Food Safety
E. & J. Gallo Winery
Dr. Courtney Parker is an accomplished Quality and Food Safety leader with over 20 years of experience in the food industry. She currently serves as the Vice President Global Quality and Food Safety at Gallo, where she oversees the development and implementation of best in class programs across a broad beverage portfolio. Prior to joining Gallo, Courtney held various roles of increasing responsibility in the fresh produce industry, biotech, and government sectors where she applied her expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and consumer packaged goods. She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of California, Davis, a bachelor's degree in microbiology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and continues to serve on various professional and industry technical affiliations. Dr. Parker is committed to advancing food safety and quality practices in the food industry as a core mission.
Lee Perry
Vice President, Quality & Food Safety
ADM
Lee's passion for quality and food safety can be traced back to his Idaho roots where he graduated for Idaho State University in Biology. Even before graduation, Lee began working within the function within the dairy industry. Lee has worked in a variety of prominent food ingredient and CPG manufacturers where he has gained extensive experience in quality, food safety, with a specific heart for the customer and delivering customer satisfaction. Currently Lee leads the global Quality and Food Safety function at ADM - one of the world's largest food companies, and for the 14th consecutive year, Fortune Magazine has listed ADM as one of the most admired food companies.
Lisa R. Robinson
Vice President, Global Food Safety & Public Health
Ecolab Inc.
Ms. Lisa R. Robinson is Vice President of Food Safety and Public Health for Ecolab Inc. and has 30 years of food industry experience. Lisa leads a global network of Ecolab food safety and public health resources and is responsible for the functional leadership of the company’s food safety and public health strategies. She also provides leadership, technical expertise and consultation to internal and external customers on food safety and public health issues. Lisa joined Ecolab in 2019, following nine years at SunOpta, Inc., where she was Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance. She previously held positions in operations, food safety, quality and regulatory compliance at Target Corporation, Pepsi Bottling Group, General Mills, Inc., and Schreiber Foods, Inc. Lisa has a Master’s degree in Food Safety and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Michigan State University.
Brian Schaneberg, Ph.D.
Executive Director, IFSH
Illinois Institute of Technology
Brian Schaneberg, Ph.D., is the Executive Director for IFSH, and Industry Professor of Food Science at Illinois Tech. Brian has more than 20 years working in the natural products and food industry with experience in food safety, quality, regulation, and science. Prior to joining IFSH, Brian was a director within the Global Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory team at Starbucks Corporation with accountability in leading a team of scientists that interpret food and beverage regulations and consult with researchers and consortiums across multiple categories in areas such as coffee, nutrition, ingredients, claims substantiation, allergens, and risk assessments. Prior to Starbucks, Brian was the Quality & Food Safety and Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Director for Mars Botanical, a division of Mars, Inc., focusing on cocoa flavanol science and product development. Before Mars Botanical, he was the Director of Technical Services at ChromaDex, Inc. in Irvine, California and was an Associate Research Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi under the guidance of Dr. Ikhlas Khan, in a position funded by the US FDA for the development of methods to ensure the quality and safety of botanicals and dietary supplements. Over the years, Brian has worked closely with trade groups, industry, academia and government leaders. Most recently, a Special Guest Editor Section in Journal of AOAC International. He has been a member of various review committees including NIH grants, analytical validation ERPs at AOAC International, and the Registry of Carcinogens. Brian was made a Fellow of AOAC International and was the Chair of the Science Leadership Council at the National Coffee Association. Brian also had the pleasure of holding an adjunct faculty position at the University of Colorado, Denver, advising a student that received his MS in Analytical Chemistry isolating phytochemicals and developing analytical testing procedures for Horse Chestnut.
Brian has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from Central College in Iowa. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications and presentations.
Jason Wan, Ph.D
Associate Director, IFSH
Illinois Institute of Technology
Dr. Jason Wan is the Associate Director for IFSH, and Professor of Food Science at Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to joining IFSH in July 2009, Jason was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne (1992- 1995), and a Senior Research Scientist and a Platform Manager at the Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia (1995- 2009). Jason served on the former Steering Committee of FSPCA, as well as on several subcommittees of the Alliance, including Editorial, Implementation, and International subcommittees. Jason is a Trainer-of-Trainer for FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food, and for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs Lead Instructors courses.
Darsh Wasan, Ph.D
Vice President & Motorola Chair Professor in Chemical Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology
Dr. Darsh Wasan has spent the past 40-plus years at IIT doing and being everything from department chairman, dean of engineering, vice president for research and technology, vice president for academic affairs and provost at the university. Dr. Wasan founded NCFST, working with the US Food and Drug Administration to establish the institute as an FDA Center of Excellence. He has co-authored more than 400 publications, and has been supervisor and mentor to sixty doctoral students, fifty-five M.S. students, and fifteen postdoctoral fellows. Among his numerous awards and honors, Dr. Wasan was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors an engineer can be given in the US.