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Food Safety Matters
Food Safety Matters is a podcast for food safety professionals hosted by the Food Safety Magazine editorial team – the leading media brand in food safety for over 20 years. Each episode will feature a conversation with a food safety professional sharing their experiences and insights of the important job of safeguarding the world’s food supply.
Britanny Saunier, M.P.A. is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE). She focuses on leveraging PFSE's historical leadership in cross-sector collaboration and ensuring organizational effectiveness to realize PFSE's mission to develop and promote effective education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers.
Britanny began as an intern at PFSE in 2011, and later served as PFSE's Director of Development, successfully increasing PFSE's program service revenue and bringing diversification to PFSE's Partner network. She facilitated program engagement with consumer and academic food safety experts, supporting PFSE programs including the National Consumer Food Safety Education Conference.
Britanny holds a master's degree in Public Administration with a Health Policy focus from the School of Public Affairs at the American University in Washington, D.C.
Ashley Eisenbeiser, M.S., C.F.S. is Senior Director for Food and Product Safety Programs for FMI, The Food Industry Association and a food scientist specializing in food safety. In her role, Ashley serves as a subject matter expert for food and product safety for FMI's food safety programs and provides support for FMI's retail, wholesale, and product supplier members on food safety training, technical services, regulatory compliance, and industry research and resources.
Prior to joining FMI in June 2013, Ashley served as a Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension, where she planned, delivered, and evaluated community nutrition, health, and food safety educational programs. Ashley is a Certified Food Scientist and received her master's and bachelor’s degrees in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech.
Ashley serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Food Safety Education and is a member of several professional associations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), and the Conference for Food Protection (CFP).
Johanna Velez is Vice President of Quality Assurance for Monin Americas, having joined the brand in 2002. With more than 27 years in the food industry, Johanna has a wealth of experience in leading, directing, and guiding the company’s food safety and quality programs at all Monin North America locations. She successfully led Monin to achieve Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and Organic certifications for both the Clearwater, Florida and Sparks, Nevada facilities, resulting in an "Excellent" rating for the brand’s food safety practices. Prior to Monin, Johanna spent five years at Wild Flavors (now Archer-Daniels-Midland Company) in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), including the Florida IFT Division, as well as the Bay Area Manufacturers Association (BAMA). Johanna graduated from Louisiana State University and later attended Michigan State University to obtain her certification in Food Law and Regulations.
Carolyn Ross, Ph.D., M.Sc. is a Professor in the School of Food Science at Washington State University (WSU), Affiliate Professor in the WSU School of Medicine, and Director of the WSU Sensory Science Center. Since starting at WSU in 2004, Dr. Ross has established her lab and the WSU Sensory Science Center as a hub for graduate student training in the areas of sensory science and analytical chemistry. Specifically, the overall objectives of Dr. Ross's research and graduate education program are to understand the theoretical basis underpinning the sensory perception of foods and wines and correlate these attributes with quantifiable characteristics. Dr. Ross has also expanded her research to explore food texture perception in children. She has thrice been awarded the Institute of Food Technologists' (IFT's) Tanner Award for most‐cited article in the Journal of Food Science (in the Sensory and Food Quality section). Dr. Ross was also awarded the WSU Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction and is a Fulbright-Australia Scholar at Deakin University in Melbourne. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Science/Environmental Toxicology from Michigan State University and an M.Sc. degree in Food Science from the University of Guelph.
Lone Jespersen, Ph.D. is a published author, speaker, and the Principal and Founder of Cultivate SA, a Swiss-based organization dedicated to eradicating foodborne illness, one culture at a time. Dr. Jespersen has worked to strengthen food safety through organizational culture improvements for 20 years, since starting at Maple Leaf Foods in 2004. She chaired the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) technical working group "A Culture of Food Safety," chaired the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) professional development group "Food Safety Culture," and was the technical author on the BSI PAS320 Practical Guide to Food Safety Culture. Dr. Jespersen holds a Ph.D. in Culture Enabled Food Safety from the University of Guelph in Canada and a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Syd Dansk University in Denmark. She is also a visiting Professor at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. Dr. Jespersen serves as Chair of the IFPTI Board and as Director on the STOP Foodborne Illness Board. She is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine and a member of the Educational Advisory Board of the Food Safety Summit.
Takashi Nakamura, Ph.D. has served as Vice President of Food Safety for Fresh Del Monte since 2019. Previously, he worked in various senior research and development roles at Bumble Bee Foods and Bacardi, was the Vice President of Global Product Formulation and Worldwide Research and Development/Scientific Affairs at Herbalife, and was the Category Technical Leader for Portable Wholesome Snacking and Frozen Breakfast at Kellogg's. Dr. Nakamura serves on the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) Technical Committee and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Food Safety Committee, and has represented Fresh Del Monte with the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). He is an active member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). He received a Ph.D. in Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. degree from the University of North Florida.
José Emilio Esteban, D.V.M. was sworn in as the U.S. Under Secretary for Food Safety on January 4, 2023. In this role, he leads the Office of Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), overseeing the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has regulatory oversight for ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.
Sandra Eskin, J.D. was appointed U.S. Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety on March 24, 2021. In this role, she leads the Office of Food Safety at USDA, overseeing FSIS.
Prior to joining USDA, Mrs. Eskin was the Project Director for Food Safety at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C., a position she held since November 2009. She also served from 2008–2009 as the Deputy Director of the Produce Safety Project, a Pew-funded initiative at Georgetown University.
Steve Voelzke is a seasoned executive with over 34 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing leadership roles. His expertise lies in automation and electrical engineering projects, having successfully managed global-scale initiatives throughout his career. As Steve transitioned into the manufacturing sector, he brought his knowledge and vision to Robroy Industries, a prominent manufacturer. He assumed key leadership positions there and became a driving force behind innovation efforts. Steve's commitment to driving growth and innovation is evident through his numerous patents related to evolutionary products. His dedication to community service and philanthropy further highlights his passion for making a positive impact in his community and the industry.