Janice Adams-King
Commander Janice Adams-King is a registered nurse officer in the United States Public Health Service
Commissioned Corps. She has worked in the both the clinical and the administrative setting,
taking on assignments in the areas of AIDS/Oncology, fraud and abuse, and consumer outreach. Currently,
she is assigned to the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service,
where she is a Public Health and Public Affairs Specialist. Commander Adams-King received an MS in
Community and Public Health Nursing and a BSN from the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
Julie Albrecht
Julie A. Albrecht is an Associate Professor and Extension Food Specialist at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interest is applied food safety and she has several publications
related to salad/salad bar food safety. She earned her PhD in Food Science from the University of
Minnesota, St. Paul. She is also a Registered Dietetian.
Janet Anderson
Janet B. Anderson, MS, RD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at
Utah State University. Her primary responsibility is teaching in the Dietetics Programs where her
graduates have achieved a near 100% pass rate on the national board examination. She is a Registered
Dietitian with extensive knowledge of general nutrition, sports nutrition, life-cycle nutrition,
school lunch programs, and food safety. She founded the Safe Food Institute, a non-profit organization
dedicated to conducting research to further knowledge of consumer food handling practices. Her food
safety research has been featured on The Today Show and Prime Time Live.
Jennifer Anderson
Jennifer Anderson was born in Yorkshire, lived in Norwich, and received her undergraduate education
from Leicester, England. Her Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition focused on the elderly and her
PhD degree in Nutrition Education were awarded by Colorado State University. She is currently Professor
and cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Her research
interests include nutrition education and community nutrition with emphasis on development and evaluation
of nutrition education programs. Jennifer has served as President of the Society for Nutrition Education
and President of the American Heart Association of the Pacific Mountain Affiliate. She has served on the
National Board of the American Heart Association.
Susan Arendt
Susan W. Arendt, Assistant Professor at Iowa State University, earned her PhD in Foodservice and
Lodging Management at Iowa State University. Her research interests include food safety, learning
strategies, and leadership behaviors. Her teaching includes courses in foodservice management,
human resource management, leadership, and quantity food production.
Patricia Aune
Pat (Patricia) Aune is a Food Safety Educator, with United Tribes Technical College, in Bismarck, ND.
She has over 36 years of experience teaching food safety concepts to high-risk audiences in North Dakota,
Alaska, and Oregon. Partnering with Tribal environmental health specialists and Tribal businesses
led to the development of the Together, Sharing Food Safely CD/video and training packet for foodservice
businesses. Aune travels to Tribal communities conducting food safety institutes that reach foodservice
providers for childcare, schools, senior meal sites, hospitals, correctional centers, powwow food
vendors, casinos, and private businesses. Aune has a MS in Agriculture Education from the University
of Arizona and a BS in Home Economics Education from North Dakota State University.
David W. Babcock
David W. Babcock is the senior associate attorney in Marler Clark Attorneys at Law, L.L.P., P.S., in
Seattle, WA. Mr. Babcock graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts in 1991. He received
his Juris Doctor from the University of Washington Law School, graduating with Honors in 1997. Mr. Babcock
is a member of the Order of the Coif, a national law honor society. Prior to joining Marler Clark,
Mr. Babcock practiced in the areas of products liability, government liability, insurance bad faith,
and medical and nursing home negligence in Arizona. At Marler Clark, Mr. Babcock's practice has focused
on multiple party complex litigation, most commonly related to foodborne illness outbreaks. Representing
children and the elderly has been a central focus of Mr. Babcock's practice.
Mr. Babcock co-authored the article, "How to Document a Food Poisoning Case" with William Marler for the
November 2004 issue of Trial Magazine, and is the author of "Recouping the Costs of Outbreak
Investigations and Prevention," which appeared in the January/February 2005 issue of the
Journal of Environmental Health, and "The Legal Implications of 'Toxic' Mold Exposure," which
appeared in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health. Mr. Babcock and
fellow Marler Clark associate, R. Drew Falkenstein, co-authored "Tracing Mad Cow Makes Litigation Unlikely,"
an article on litigation resulting from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow) contamination, for
the March 2006 edition of the King County Bar Association's Bar Bulletin.
Heather Bair-Brake
Heather Bair-Brake, DVM, MS, is a Health Education Coordinator for the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology
Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2003, she earned her veterinary medical
degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. She coordinates health education activities
within the branch, seeks and formalizes partnerships within the pet and agricultural industry, and manages
the Healthy Pets/Healthy People Web site. Heather also coordinates a CDC-wide Zoonoses Working
Group and is involved in various outreach activities related to veterinary medicine. Her primary
communication interests are in the area of zoonotic diseases and pets.
Betsy Barrett
Betsy Barrett, PhD, RD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution
Management and Dietetics at Kansas State University. She has experience in food safety research and
education. Through K-State Research and Extension, she has received numerous grants to conduct food
safety and HACCP training in Kansas and has published her research related to these grants. She has
taught ServSafe® classes to hundreds of students at Kansas State University. In 2003, she was
the recipient of the Commerce Bank Outstanding Teaching Award for the College of Human Ecology.
Sam Beattie
Sam Beattie, PhD, is an Extension Food Safety Specialist and Assistant Professor of Food Science and
Human Nutrition at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He is the Extension Specialist responsible
for consumer food safety in Iowa. His responsibilities are also in the areas of quality and safety
enhancement for food processors. His research areas are in food mycology and attribution of foodborne
illness to food handling behaviors.
Georges Benjamin
Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, is well known in the world of public health for his work on bioterrorism
and emergency preparedness, West Nile virus, and mental health care. Benjamin has been the executive
director of the American Public Health Association since January 2003. He came to that post from his
position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he played a key
role developing Maryland's bioterrorism plan. Benjamin became secretary of the Maryland health department
in 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services.
Benjamin is a graduate of
the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He is board-certified
in internal medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. His career has included work as
chief of the Acute Illness Clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA; chief of emergency
medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; chairman of the department of community health and
ambulatory care at the District of Columbia General Hospital; interim director of the District's
Emergency Ambulatory Bureau; and District of Columbia health commissioner.
Elizabeth Bihn
Elizabeth A. Bihn is a Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Food Science at Cornell
University. Betsy received her BS in Zoology from The Ohio State University and her MS in Horticulture
from the University of Florida. Since 1999, she has been the program coordinator for the National
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program, focused on reducing microbial risks to fresh fruits and
vegetables through the development of a comprehensive education and extension program. Betsy is a
member of the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's International GAPs Training Team
and is currently pursuing her PhD in Food Science.
Nora Bird
Nora Bird is a PhD candidate in Information Science and a Graduate Assistant at the Food Policy
Institute at Rutgers University. She has worked on two interdisciplinary studies examining how information
about genetically modified food and food safety are communicated to the public through Web resources. Part
of this work was on the verification of the Website Quality Evaluation Tool. She has co-authored three
papers on communicating genetically modified (gm) food research to the public, the quality of gm food
Web sites, and seeking of gm food information on the Web. Prior to her graduate study, she worked in
science libraries.
Nancy Bock
Nancy Bock is Vice President for Education at the Soap and Detergent Association. In her current role,
she is responsible for developing, managing, and measuring the success of all consumer education
programs and outreach activities for more than 100 companies. Her multi faceted work experience includes
county, state, and federal government; faculty positions at two universities; non-profit associations;
and business and industry. She has a BS and an MS in Education from West Virginia University. This
foundation and her extensive work experience have allowed her to develop a variety of highly successful
educational programs that have reached millions of individuals.
Jerry Bowman
Jerry Bowman is Senior Director of Corporate Communications at NSF International. His areas of
expertise include Media Relations, Strategic Communications, Cause Marketing, and Social Marketing.
Prior to coming to NSF, he was the Director of the Office of Public Relations for the American Academy
of Pediatrics and Vice President for Marketing Communications at Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships.
He has an MA in Journalism from Columbia College in Chicago and a BA in Telecommunications from
Michigan State University.
Gladys Branic
Gladys Branic, MD, MPH, has served as the Director of the Manatee County Health Department in Bradenton,
FL, since June 1989. She sets directions for medical specialty clinics and guides multidisciplinary
cross-functional teams to improve the health status and environmental conditions of a culturally
diverse population. During the past 14 years, she has been actively involved in deploying analytical
tools to evaluate population-based strategies and giving national and international presentations on
various health and wellness issues including diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and stress management.
For 12 years prior to her medical career, she pursued a career in academia and administration.
Additionally, for more than 30 years, she has traveled extensively in 50 countries in Europe, Africa,
and the Caribbean with involvement in health promotion, disease prevention, and training the trainer
for lay community workers.
Dr. Branic's educational background includes Preventative Medicine Specialist Training at The Johns
Hopkins University, an MD degree from The Medical College of Pennsylvania, a doctorate in social work
at UCLA, a master's degree in administration from The University of Chicago, and an MPH in
Epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Branic has received numerous state and national
awards and currently hosts a monthly television show on various health and wellness topics.
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, PhD, RD, FADA, is a Professor of Nutrition and Extension Specialist at Rutgers
University, New Brunswick, NJ. She received her PhD from Pennsylvania State University. She is a
nutrition/health promotion researcher with a particular interest in environmental factors that affect
health choices including advertising, media, nutrition labeling, portion sizes, and food preparation
skills. The focus of her work is to describe these environmental factors, investigate their impact on
health choices and health outcomes, develop recommendations for educational interventions, and/or
validate the recommendations via theory-driven, behaviorally-focused health education intervention programs.
Margaret Briley
Margaret Briley is a Professor in Nutritional Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. She received
her doctoral degree from Texas Tech University. She teaches Community Nutrition and Food Science at
UT Austin, and as an active Registered Dietitian has focused her research the past 20 years on nutrition
of children in childcare. She has co-authored the last three position papers for the American Dietetic
Association on nutrition in childcare. Her research on food safety in childcare centers includes the
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of foodservice employees, directors, and parents. Most recently,
she has researched the food safety issues of sack lunches prepared for children who attend childcare centers.
Cindy Brison
Cindy M. Brison, MS, RD, LMNT, is an Extension Educator with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
She is a registered dietitian and received a Master of Science degree in Home Economics with a major in
Community Nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Cindy's program interests and expertise
are in the area of teaching food safety to restaurants and other food service establishments, and she
leads several ServSafe trainings yearly. She provides regional food safety expertise to the Nutrition
Education Program, an Extension program that teaches nutrition, food safety, and food resource management
to limited resource families.
Guendoline Brown
Guen Brown, Nutrition and Health Specialist with the West Virginia University Extension Service, received
a PhD degree from Utah State University in 1978. She recently completed a multi-state, 3-year handwashing
teaching and research program, Germ City: Clean Hands.
Susan Brown
Susan Brown is an Extension Educator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Adams County.
She has worked for over 30 years in Extension and is a full professor for the University of Nebraska.
Sue is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her main areas of focus include food safety
and youth and family. Her recent programming efforts have included food safety workshops for schools,
restaurant managers, and the general public.
Paul Brumund
Paul is a field epidemiologist at the Chesapeake Health Department in Virginia. In his 16 years with the
Virginia Department of Health, he has worked as a manager, program coordinator, and disease investigator
at the local, regional, and state levels. He currently coordinates investigations of foodborne outbreaks,
emerging diseases, and large communicable disease exposures. Paul received his BS in Education from
Old Dominion University and will complete his Masters in Health Administration at the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill in December 2006. He is also a certified Food Safety Manager.
Elizabeth Bugden
Elizabeth Bugden is a food scientist working on the CDC Food Safe Schools Project to prevent foodborne
illness in school children. She works at Kids First in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a consultant
to the Coordinated School Health Program at the RI Departments of Education and Health. She worked at
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., for 14 years and invented Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice. When she worked at
HV Shuster, she appeared in a 20/20 segment hosted by John Stossel on generic products versus national brands.
Ned Calonge
Dr. Ned Calonge is the Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment. He is the Chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, a
member of CDC's Evaluating Genomic Applications for Practice and Prevention Workgroup and the Task Force
on Community Preventive Services, and an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and of Preventive Medicine
and Biometrics at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. Dr. Calonge received
his MD from the University of Colorado and his MPH from the University of Washington. His major interest
is evidence-based medicine.
Sheryl Cates
Sheryl Cates is a Senior Research Policy Analyst with RTI International. Her research interests include
consumer behavior research, risk communication, and survey research methods. She conducts qualitative
and quantitative research to evaluate food safety education programs; to understand consumer attitudes,
knowledge, and practices; and to inform labeling policy decisions. She manages research projects for
USDA, FSIS and FDA. She has a BA, Business Administration, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Benjamin Chapman
Ben Chapman is the past chair of the International Association for Food Protection's Student Professional
Development group and has co-authored three peer-review articles on food safety and risk communication.
Ben's MSc work on on-farm food safety programs for the horticulture industry was printed as a book chapter
in an internationally reviewed textbook in September 2005. Ben began his PhD studies in May 2005,
continuing to look at food safety risk management and communication, though examining issues further
down the farm-to-fork continuum: the food service industry. When not researching, Ben spends much of his
time immersed in hockey, either playing or watching.
Beth Cleary
Beth Cleary, Registered Sanitarian, is a Public Health Sanitarian - Leadworker with the Madison, Wisconsin,
Department of Public Health. She holds a BS in Environmental and Public Health from UW-Eau Claire. As a
public health sanitarian with the City of Madison Department of Public Health, Beth primarily inspects
retail food establishments for compliance with applicable City and State Public Health Codes and Standards.
She is also responsible for training of new public health inspectors and implementing and providing formal
food safety training to food handlers. Beth is the program coordinator for Safe Food Crew - An In-house
Food Safety Training and Public Recognition Program. The Safe Food Crew was developed with a FDA Food
Safety Innovation Grant.
Mildred Cody
Mildred M. Cody, RD, is Associate Professor and Head, Division of Nutrition, Georgia State University,
Atlanta, GA. She received her PhD from Rutgers University. Dr. Cody's primary area of expertise is consumer
food safety, with an emphasis on information delivery to health professionals and consumers. Dr. Cody is the
author of the American Dietetic Association's professional and consumer books on food safety and serves
on the governing board of the Partnership for Food Safety Education.
Susan Conley
Susan Conley is the Director of the Food Safety Education Staff for the Food Safety and Inspection Service
at USDA. As Director, Ms. Conley oversees all of the Agency's consumer education activities and she is
actively involved with the Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight BAC!® campaign. In addition, Ms.
Conley directs education projects targeted to the food service industry and to persons most at-risk for
foodborne illness. Frequently serving as a media spokesperson, Conley has been featured on national
television and radio. She is the author of numerous articles and feature stories on consumer food safety
issues. Before beginning her government career, Ms. Conley had extensive experience in product marketing
and retail store management. Conley holds a degree in Home Economics from the University of Maryland.
Cheryl Cothran
Cheryl Cothran, PhD, is the Director of the Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center, School of
Hotel and Restaurant Management at Northern Arizona University. With a doctorate in Labor History from the
University of California, Davis, Cothran is especially interested in workforce development issues for
at-risk populations. She has authored innovative federal grants to create model training programs for
Native American tribes and female prison inmates. Most recently, her research center launched a
partnership with the Coconino County Health Department to provide online Food Handler training in an
innovative multi-lingual format. She has published numerous articles in hospitality and tourism journals.
B. Susie Craig
Susie Craig is an area educator in Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health for Washington State University
Extension. She received an MS degree from Purdue University. She has served as an Assistant Professor for
West Virginia University, a cognitive behaviorist, and as a Nutrition and Health Team leader for Cornell
University Cooperative Extension in Rochester, NY. She has a special interest in cognitive-behavioral
change and handwashing related to food safety. She directs the nationally recognized Germ City: Clean Hands,
Healthy People Program. She is an active member of the Clean Hands Coalition.
Sandra Daly
Sandra Daly is the Director (Communications and Infrastructure) for the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
NZFSA is responsible for both the provision of assurances for New Zealand's food export trade and for the
regulation of food sold on the New Zealand domestic market. Sandra's role as Director of Communications
has included the establishment and development of a consumer education program that provides food safety
education to New Zealanders, focusing particularly on at-risk populations with resources developed for
pregnant women, immuno-compromised people, ethnic groups, and families in their homes.
Marjorie Davidson
Marjorie Davidson is responsible for risk communication and health promotion at the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, where she deals with mercury in fish, avian influenza, and obesity in children, among
other topics. Prior to coming to FDA, she led a crisis communications program for major medical institutions
involved in blood banking when it was discovered that AIDS was transmitted through the blood supply.
Dr. Davidson has extensive experience in media relations from her previous work in the White House and
the U.S. Congress. She received her doctorate in international education policy from the University of
Maryland.
Michelle Davis
Michelle Davis is from Fayetteville, Georgia. She received her master's degree in nutrition from Georgia
State University in August 2005 and has a dietetic internship through Southern Regional Medical Center in
Riverdale, Georgia. Her master's research involved assessing food safety knowledge and behaviors of
HIV-positive females at an infectious disease clinic in Atlanta. Her professional goals are to expand
and continue her research in food safety with at-risk populations and focus on education in this area.
Ellen DeFay
Ellen DeFay has worked in the Cooperative Extension system from 1994-2004 with Michigan State
University Extension and, since 2004, with Cornell University Cooperative Extension, serving as
educational manager of the nutrition and food safety issue areas. Presenting ServSafe workshops
has been her expertise and has certified more than 400 food service managers. She recently received
her Master's in Food Safety from Michigan State University with project focus determining the
effectiveness of ServSafe training on implementation of improved food safety methods and procedures
in food service establishments.
Leslie Dorworth
Leslie E. Dorworth is an Aquatic Ecology Specialist with the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program.
Ms. Dorworth specializes in water quality issues pertinent to the southern Lake Michigan region.
She is located at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana. Her position at Purdue Calumet
encompasses both outreach to the communities in Indiana and Illinois, as well as maintaining an
active role in research. Her outreach efforts are currently focused on river restoration, beach
closures, and fish consumption advisories. Her research is focused on risk communication concerning
fish advisories. She is a collaborator in the bi-state educational effort funded by the U.S. EPA,
"Enriching Awareness about Fish Contaminants via Health Expos." She received her MS from Old Dominion
University in Norfolk, VA.
Suzanne Driessen
Ms. Driessen is on her tenth year at the University of Minnesota Extension Service. As an Extension
Educator specializing in food safety education, she develops and teaches food safety and food science
classes to the food service industry and consumers. Currently she is working with the Minnesota
Department of Agriculture developing training programs for the Dairy and Food Inspection Division.
Educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education and a Masters of
Arts in Adult Education. She is also Certified Health Education Specialist and a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Shelley Feist
Shelley Feist is Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education. She is a graduate of
Moorhead State University in Minnesota. At the Partnership, Ms. Feist has focused on bringing media
attention to the Fight BAC!® consumer safe food handling messages and on organizational development
and effectiveness. Prior to joining the Partnership, Ms. Feist was with the Pew Charitable Trusts,
where her work included an effort to assess and strengthen the policy development capacity of
state-based organizations. She has also worked for two U.S. Senators focusing on appropriations
and domestic policy. She also served as the Director of Government Liaison for the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts.
William Fisher
William Fisher, currently a Vice President at NSF International, is a 25-year veteran in the food industry,
having held corporate positions with both packaged foods and restaurant companies. After earning Bachelor's
and Master's Degrees at the University of Illinois, Fisher worked for General Foods where he held a
number of research and development positions. Upon leaving General Foods, he became Director of
Research & Development for Pillsbury's Godfather's Pizza. He then became the Vice President of Technical
Services for Arby's and Vice President of Technical Business Development for Hardee's Food Systems.
In 1998, Fisher joined Franchise Management International, developer and franchisor of multiple quick
serve restaurant chains, as President.
Françoise Fontannaz
Françoise Fontannaz is the Knowledge Management Coordinator for the Department of Food Safety,
Zoonoses, and Foodborne Diseases at the World Health Organization. She has coordinated several important
programs at the WHO and is currently oversees the five keys project.
Lee Frantz
Dr. Lee Frantz holds an A.A.S. in Food and Lodging Operations from the Community College of the Air Force; a
BS in Home Economics with an administrative dietetics specialization from the University of Nebraska-Omaha;
an MS in Dietetics, Restaurant, and Institutional Management from Kansas State University; and a doctorate
in Human Resources and Family Sciences-with a Foodservice Management specialization-from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. His career has spanned from work as a Boy Scout Camp dishwasher, to Chef in a Pennsylvania
mountain resort, to 16.5 years military food and lodging management. He is honorably retired from the United
States Air Force.
Carol Freeman
As a principal with the Customer Loyalty Practice at ORD Macro, Carol Freeman provides clients with a broad
array of audience research, communication planning, and program development services addressing some of the
Nation's most critical issues. She has helped government and private sector clients develop social marketing
and internal and external communication strategies that support specific organizational objectives. She has
directed or worked on social marketing and behavior change initiatives including injury, food safety,
tobacco, and disaster preparedness. Ms. Freeman is currently working with a variety of government
organizations including the CDC Injury Center, DHS Office of Community Preparedness, USDA Food Safety
and Inspection Service, and U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps. Ms. Freeman received a BA in economics
from Georgetown University.
Jane Frobose
Jane K. Frobose is program director for Family Consumer Sciences Colorado State University - Denver Extension
and specializes in family wellness education. Frobose achieved a BS degree in Secondary Education and an MS
degree in Consumer Education Sciences from Colorado State University, and has worked in the education
field for 30 years. In addition to collaborative work on national, state, and local teams, Frobose has
created, adapted, and developed resources and presentation materials to meet the needs and issues facing
consumers of all ages. Educational presentation topics include health, nutrition, food safety, and disease
awareness. Frobose serves on local boards and state advisory committees for family Strength and Wellness issues.
Julie Garden-Robinson
Julie Garden-Robinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise
Sciences and an Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist at North Dakota State University. She is a licensed
registered dietitian with a PhD in Cereal Science and Food Technology from NDSU. She teaches in NDSU's food
safety degree programs and writes extensively for the public. Her food safety research and extension programs
focus on food handling practices among consumers at home and workers in foodservice establishments, with
an emphasis on reaching underserved and hard-to-reach populations.
Jeanne Gleason
As director of the Media Productions at New Mexico State University, Dr. Jeanne Gleason built a nationally
recognized production center for creative videos, multimedia, and education game productions during thin
financial times. She is the executive producer for more than 700 educational videos and 100 multimedia
projects and supports a team of noted game developers. Dr. Gleason received the USDA Diversity Award and
ACE Harmony Award for her programs for non-English speaking audiences. She has generated more than $12 million
for NMSU through 100+ grants and contracts. Her documentaries have been featured at the Smithsonian
Institution and carried on PBS stations in the USA, the Australian Broadcasting Company, and the Israeli
Discovery Channel. Her interactive media productions are in use internationally and by numerous federal
agencies, universities, and school systems. Dr. Gleason has a Doctorate in Educational Technology from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; her MA and BS are from New Mexico State University.
Sandria Godwin
Sandria Godwin, a graduate of Kansas State University, is Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences,
directs the Didactic Program in Dietetics, and serves as Coordinator of the Food Safety, Nutrition, and
Family Well-being Team in the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research at Tennessee State
University. Her current research interests include consumer food safety, specializing in home refrigeration
and RTE foods, food security, dietary assessment methodology, and fruit and vegetable consumption. She
recently received the 2005 Distinguished Researcher Award at TSU and the Distinguished Alumni Research
Award in the College of Human Ecology at KSU.
Robin Goettel
Robin G. Goettel is Associate Director of Education for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program. She has an
EdM from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Goettel specializes in teacher training and
curriculum development to address issues facing the southern Lake Michigan region. She is currently
engaged in the bi-state educational effort, "Enriching Awareness about Fish Contaminants Via Health Expos."
Through this U.S. EPA-funded project, she conducts workshops for grades 6-12 teachers about the risks/benefits
of fish consumption. Students then present health-related posters on fish consumption at health fairs, food
festivals, and other community events. Ms. Goettel has also coordinated four award-winning education projects
on aquatic invasive species at Great Lakes regional and national levels. She serves on the Executive Board
of the Sea Grant Educators Network and the Chicago Wilderness Coalition's Education Organizing Committee.
David Goldman
David Goldman is currently the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Public Health Science at the Food
Safety and Inspection Service since November 2004. He was formerly Director of the Human Health Sciences
Division at FSIS. He is a family practice and preventive medicine/public health physician and is a member
of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, assigned to FSIS since February 2002. He
received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in 1979, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the
University of Virginia in 1988, and his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of
Washington in 1996. Before joining the Public Health Service and FSIS, he spent 10 years in the U.S.
Army Medical Corps, and 3 1/2 years at the Virginia Department of Health, first as a District Health
Director and then briefly as the Deputy State Epidemiologist.
Joye Gordon
Joye Gordon is sequence head of public relations curriculum at the A. Q. Miller School of Journalism and
Mass Communication at Kansas State University. Her research focuses on communicating about physical hazards,
especially food-related hazards. She has published in U.S. national refereed journals including
Public Relations Review and Journal of Extension. She has conducted risk
communication courses at Kansas State University and has provided short courses to national
professional organizations including the National Communication Association and the Public
Relations Society of America. She holds a doctorate from Purdue University in the areas of
public affairs and issue management.
Robert Gravani
Dr. Robert B. Gravani, Professor of Food Science at Cornell University, works with all sectors of the food
system and has developed innovative programs for constituents in production agriculture, food processing,
food retailing, and food service, as well as consumers. Dr. Gravani has received several educator awards
and has held leadership roles in a number of scientific societies. He is an active member of the National
Center for Food Protection and Defense teams on Risk Communication, Education, and Public Health Response.
He served on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and several National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) committees. His PhD is in Food Science from Cornell University.
Laura Green
Laura R. Green received her doctorate in experimental psychology from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton,
Florida. She is a Research Analyst in Food and Agricultural Policy Research at RTI International. In this
position, she has applied behavioral science research methods to the study of food worker behavior and
restaurant food safety in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has
conducted studies on food workers' food handling practices, environmental health specialists' restaurant
food safety practices, and the public's beliefs about foodborne illness. Her research has been published
in International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health and Journal of Food Protection.
Brenda Halbrook
Brenda Halbrook has been with USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for 3½ years and is the Director
of the Food Safety Unit. The mission of the Food Safety Unit is to increase awareness about food safety
and its role within FNS nutrition assistance programs, particularly the National School Lunch Program.
Prior to this appointment, she served 13 years at the Food Safety and Inspection Service of USDA,
where she was a public health specialist and the Director of the Executive Secretariat for the
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food. She holds a master's degree in
Nutrition Science from the Pennsylvania State University, a bachelor's degree in Nutrition from the
University of California, Davis Campus, and is a Registered Dietitian.
Judy Harrison
Judy Harrison has degrees in Nutrition, Food Science and Technology, and Education. She is a professor in
the Department of Foods and Nutrition. She provides support for the outreach mission of the College of
Family and Consumer Sciences in food safety and food preservation and trains and supports County Extension
Agents. She has served as project director on multi-state grants to develop, implement, and evaluate food
safety education programs including videos, computer games, and web-based modules for a variety of audiences.
She is a member of the International Association for Food Protection and the Institute of Food Technologists.
She earned her PhD from the University of Georgia.
Olga Henao
Olga L Henao, PhD, MPH, is a Senior Epidemiologist with the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network
(FoodNet) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2004, she earned her doctorate in Epidemiology
at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the coordinator for the FoodNet Population Survey which
is designed to obtain information on prevalence of diarrheal illness, food consumption, and food safety
behaviors. She also leads efforts to examine and validate foodborne diseases incidence trends using FoodNet
and National level data. Her research interests include epidemiologic research methods; collection, analysis
and interpretation of surveillance data; and nutritional epidemiology.
Alice Henneman
Alice Henneman, MS, RD, is an Extension Educator with University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. She has a
Masters degree in Food and Nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a registered dietitian.
Alice created Nebraska Extension's FOOD Web site (http://lancaster.unl.edu/food)
which integrates consumer food safety into Web articles and newsletters. The FOOD Web site averages over
65,000 visitors from "unique sites" monthly. The National Association of Extension Family and Consumer
Sciences recognized Alice with a national award for a food safety game she created. She recently received
the prestigious "Omtvedt Innovation Award" from the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
Daniel Henroid, Jr.
Dan Henroid is a research assistant professor in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant
Management at the University of Houston (UH) where he teaches courses in food safety and purchasing.
Prior to UH, he was the state Foodservice and Lodging Management Extension specialist at Iowa State
University where he coordinated several food safety training programs. He is researching issues in
food safety management systems, handwashing compliance in retail food establishments, and use of the
Internet to communicate food safety information. He holds a master's degree from Southern Illinois
University and is a certified food safety professional.
Dawn Hentges
Dawn Hentges is an Associate Professor of Foods and Nutrition in the
School of Family and Consumer Sciences at Bowling Green State University,
Bowling Green, OH. She received a PhD in food science from Purdue
University and has a unique and extensive background in food processing and
food safety. Dr. Hentges has completed three summer fellowships at the
NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where she conducted safety
analyses of food processing for Advanced Life Support on long duration
space missions.
Val Hillers
Val Hillers is Professor Emeritus at Washington State University. She holds a PhD in Nutrition from
Washington State University, MS from Iowa State University, and BS from Montana State University, and
is a Registered Dietitian. Her research and outreach work focuses on consumer education to reduce the
risks of foodborne illness. She is author of more than 50 publications on food safety topics for
professional and lay audiences. She frequently makes presentations on food safety topics for a wide
variety of audiences, including consumers, food producers and processors, and regulators.
Marion Hinners
Marion Hinners joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in 1990 and the
Food Safety Unit in June 2004. Her current projects cover food safety education, training and food defense
initiatives for Child Nutrition Programs, and the commodity foods electronic complaint and rapid alert
system. She represents FNS on the National Coalition for Food Safe Schools, a group that collaborated with
CDC to produce the Food-Safe School Action Guide, and she served as a member of Council II of the 2006
Conference for Food Protection. Marion received an MS in Human Nutrition and Foods from Virginia Tech.
Mary Anne Hogue
Mary Anne Hogue, Vice President Food Safety Services, The Steritech Group, Inc., is responsible for the
development of client food safety systems and sales. She has coached numerous successful food service
HACCP teams. She served on the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) HACCP Advisory Committee and represents
the American Dietetic Association (ADA) at the Partnership for Food Safety Education (Fight BAC!®).
She is the chair of the ADA/ConAgra expert panel for Home Food Safety; It's in Your Hands. She holds
a MS degree from Pennsylvania State University and a BS degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is a
North Carolina licensed dietitian.
Ensley Howell
Ensley Howell, MS, RD, LD, has worked at NFSMI for 8 years. Prior to coming to NFSMI, she had
worked for 17 years as a foodservice director and clinical dietitian in healthcare. Her education
includes a B.S. degree in Dietetics/Institutional Management and a M.S. degree in Wellness. She
has completed the coursework for a doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Barbara Ingham
Barbara Ingham is an Associate Professor in Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and
Extension Food Science Specialist for the University of Wisconsin Extension. She received her BS in
Food Science from Virginia Polytechnic University, an MS in Food Science from the University of
Massachusetts, and a PhD in Food Chemistry from Cornell University. Dr. Ingham conducts laboratory
research targeted towards the effective control methods for foodborne pathogens in food systems such
as meats, juices, and sprouted seeds. She also conducts research into the assessment and evaluation
of technology-mediated instruction in formal classroom settings and in outreach education
(targeting low income audiences).
Ruba Jibreen
Ruba Jibreen lives in Atlanta, GA. She recently completed her dietetic internship at Georgia State
University, where she also earned her master's in nutrition. Her master's research focused on food safety
and pregnancy and examined the effectiveness of a one-page educational brochure promoting food safety
that was distributed among low-income pregnant women during their WIC visits. Originally from Palestine,
she also holds a bachelor's in nutrition and food safety from the University of Jordan in Amman.
Mark Kantor
Mark A. Kantor is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Nutrition and
Food Science at the University of Maryland in College Park. He received his PhD degree in food science
from Rutgers University. He is interested in relationships between risk perception and behavioral change.
His interest in food safety focuses on reducing risks of microbial foodborne illnesses in vulnerable
populations. In the nutrition area, his research addresses the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of
consumers with respect to consumption of whole grain foods and dietary supplements. He has also studied
obesity issues in the military.
Jan Kelly
Jan Kelly has a BS from the University of Minnesota, St Paul. She has been with the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture since 1990, working as a field inspector until 2000 when she obtained her current position.
Her current job consists of specialized inspections, special investigations, and training. Since 2004,
she has been and integral part of the Dairy and Food Inspection Divisions training team, working towards
developing a comprehensive training program that brings the food inspection program into compliance with
FDA Program Standards, Standard #2 - Trained Regulatory Staff. Other specialties include Retail HACCP,
Retail Standardization, and pesticide misuse investigations.
Patricia Kendall
A native of Kansas, Patricia Kendall received her BS in Home Economics Education and MS in Food and
Nutrition from Kansas State University. Her PhD is in Nutrition Education from Colorado State University.
Pat Kendall joined the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in 1973, where she has held a variety
of positions, including Cooperative Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist, Interim Department Head, and
Graduate Programs Coordinator. Her research and outreach work focuses on communicating with consumers about
health risks, particularly risks associated with the safety of the food supply. She is the author of more
than 100 publications for scientific and lay audiences and 2000+ newspaper columns on food and nutrition
topics. She frequently makes presentations on food safety topics for a wide variety of audiences,
including consumers, food producers, food safety educators, and health regulators. For the past few years,
she has collaborated with extension specialists in Ohio and Washington State on research projects designed
to better understand food safety behaviors of importance to targeted audiences and evaluation processes that
can be used with confidence.
Lisa Kennon
Lisa R. Kennon, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas, Department of Hospitality
Management. She received her doctorate from Texas Woman's University. She has an established research
agenda in the area of food safety related to specific consumer groups along with the food safety practices
in the restaurant industry. Her teaching focuses on the area of food preparation, facility development,
and design.
Andrew Knight
Andrew J. Knight is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Food Safety Policy Center, Michigan
State University. He holds a Doctoral degree in Rural Sociology from The Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Knight's areas of expertise include agriculture, food, natural resources, policy, risk perception,
and science and technology. His current research examines public perceptions of and policy implications
surrounding biotechnology, food production systems, and food safety issues.
Katherine Kosa
Katherine M. Kosa, MS, is a Research Policy Analyst at RTI International in the Food and Agricultural
Policy Research program. Ms. Kosa conducts consumer food safety research, using qualitative and quantitative
methods to test educational materials; evaluates educational programs; and conducts research to understand
consumer knowledge, attitudes, and practies. She manages projects and tasks for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the U.S. Department of health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Ms. Kosa received her master's of statistics from North Carolina State University. She has
published in several journals, including Food Protection Trends and the Annual Review of Public Health.
Barbara Kowalyck
Barbara Kowalcyk is President of the Board of Directors for Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P). Ms.
Kowalcyk received an MA in Applied Statistics from the University of Pittsburgh and has spent most of
her career working in clinical research as a biostatistician. In 2001, Ms. Kowalcyk became interested
in food safety issues when her 2½ year old son, Kevin, died from complications due to an E. coli
O157:H7 infection. Since then, Ms. Kowalcyk has become a strong advocate for improving food safety and was
recently appointed to the USDA's National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria for Food.
Bonnie Lacroix
Bonnie Lacroix is a PhD candidate with the Food Safety Network at the University of Guelph. As a
registered dietitian and professional home economist, Bonnie brings to her research in risk communication
and consumer handling practices, the experiences of being an extension food specialist in developing,
delivering, and evaluating food and nutrition programs; having answered in excess of 25,000 consumer
inquiries in consumer services; and quantity food service in hospital, pediatric, and long term care
settings. Other educational initiatives include a food safety segment of the teen television program,
Street Cents, and the Community Food Advisor peer-education program in Ontario.
Amy Lando
Amy M. Lando is a Consumer Science Specialist at the Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, FDA, and is the Project Director for the 2006 Food
Safety Survey, a national telephone survey on food safety attitudes and
knowledge. While at FDA, she has also conducted focus group research on
food labeling issues. She holds a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown
University with an emphasis on food and nutrition policy. Amy has a Bachelors of Arts in
public policy with a minor in chemistry from Duke University.
Audrina Lange
Audrina Lange is a Food Safety Specialist with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's Food Safety Unit.
She has been with FNS since November 2004. Her current and ongoing projects include a wide range of
topics such as food defense, developing food safety programs, and commodity complaint processing.
Previously, she worked for the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and ConAgra Poultry. She has a
BS degree in Animal Science with a focus on poultry science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.
David Ludwig
David Ludwig has a Master of Public Health and is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with 28
years of regulatory experience. He is the Manager of Environmental Health for Maricopa County, which
ensures the health and safety for the Phoenix metropolitan area, the 4th most populous county in the
country. Maricopa County takes great pride in being a national leader as demonstrated by the numerous
awards they have received for Innovation in Food Safety programs, including the Samuel J. Crumbine and
the International Association of Food Protection awards.
Jim Mann
Jim Mann is the founder and Executive Director of the Handwashing For Life Institute. His work to reduce
the risk of foodborne illness spans a career from farming, deli and cafeteria experience, to work as a
chemist. He formulated leading brands in skin care, surface disinfection, pest control, and foodservice
cleaner systems. His work has been as global as the worldwide war on virus and bacteria, working on six
continents while living in three. Jim's latest addition to the industry's Best Practices is the
"Hands-On System." This integrated process control for handwashing is enjoying documented success in
foodservice, healthcare, and schools across the country. Last year, Jim was honored as the recipient of
NSF's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Food Safety Leadership.
Robert Martin
Robert Martin, C.Biol, M.I.Biol, is the coordinator of the Agency's wide-ranging Foodborne Disease
Strategy, which aims to reduce foodborne disease in the U.K. by 20% by 2006. Bob has worked at the Food
Standards Agency for 6 years, initially in the Agency's Research Co-ordination Unit and in the
Microbiological Safety Division since 2004. He has a degree in Applied Biology with Microbiology from
North-East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT). Before joining the Agency, he spent over 20 years
working in several food and microbiological laboratories in both the private and public sectors in the
U.K. and overseas.
Jaclyn Maurer
Jaclyn Maurer, PhD, RD, is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers
University, New Brunswick, NJ. She received her PhD from The University of Arizona. She is a nutrition
researcher with interest in health promotion/disease prevention outreach education. The focus of her
work is to translate health promotion/disease prevention research into behaviorally-focused community-based
programming and evaluate the effectiveness of this programming to improve health behaviors.
Sandra McCurdy
Sandy M. McCurdy is an Extension Food Safety Specialist in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences
at the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, a 75% Extension/25% Research position she has held for nearly 7 years.
Dr. McCurdy received her PhD in Food Science from Washington State University. Her outreach and research
interests include design of programs and materials to influence consumer behavior, particularly on the
topics of handwashing and food thermometer use; educating and motivating high school students with regard
to food service food safety, including the use of music to enhance learning; and home food preservation.
Claire McInerney
Claire R. McInerney, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the School of Communication, Information, and
Library Studies at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. As an information scientist, her research
focuses on knowledge development, management, and transfer; community informatics; and gender and
technology. She recently collaborated with scholars at the Rutgers' Food Policy Institute on a
USDA-sponsored project related to how consumers find information and learn about genetically modified food.
Currently, she is working with a team that is investigating knowledge transfer related to food safety and
security as well as the quality of food safety Web sites.
Edie McSherry
Edie McSherry is an Extension Agent at Colorado State University Cooperative Extension in Larimer County.
Since earning a BS degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University in 1991, Edie has
worked in community nutrition, health and food safety education for 15 years. In addition to working in
collaboration with the Larimer County Health Department to offer safe food handling education for food
service workers in the county, Edie conducts educational programs in the areas of health and wellness.
Edie serves on several community coalitions and committees for health promotion.
Kathy Means
Kathy Means is vice president of government relations at the Produce Marketing Association, an international
trade association for marketers of fresh produce. She is the association's point person on food safety,
which is one of PMA's top priorities. PMA has been an avid supporter of the Partnership for Food Safety
Education and its Fight BAC!® program since its inception and encourages its 2,100 company members
to take advantage of the many resources offered, including safe produce handling advice for consumers.
Kathy has a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Regis University.
Margaret Miller
Margaret Miller received her PhD in Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1981. Following her degree, she worked in academia and industry before joining the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1989. She held several positions within the FDA including Deputy
Director for Human Food Safety in the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation at the Center for Veterinary
Medicine. She is currently on secondment to the Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses, and Foodborne Disease
at the World Health Organization.
Nancy Montanez Johner
Nancy Montanez Johner has been confirmed by Congress for the U.S. Department of Agriculture post of Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. She will also serve as a member of the
Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
Montanez was appointed by former Governor Mike Johanns to serve as director of the Nebraska Department of
Health and Human Services in March 2004. As director of HHS, she led a state government agency with almost
4,800 employees statewide. The major programs the agency administers include Child Welfare, Food Stamps,
Aid to Dependent Children and Child Support Enforcement, as well as Behavioral Health, Developmental
Disabilities and eligibility determination for Medicaid.
Her background includes extensive involvement in focusing on family centered practice for children and
families, and for children with serious disorders; and facilitating development of comprehensive family
service plans for emotionally disturbed children and their families.
Montanez served as the HHS Western Service Area CEO in Gering from 2002-2003, where she led the development,
implementation and monitoring of agency programs and policies. From 1999-2002, she was a service area
administrator for HHS in Lexington. Prior to that, she worked in the Professional Partner Program at
Region III Behavioral Health Services in Kearney from 1995-1999.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in social work from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1994.
Lynn Nakamura-Tengan
Lynn C. Nakamura-Tengan is an Associate Extension Agent with the University of Hawaii Cooperative
Extension Service. She has a MS from Cornell University. Her primary focus is consumer food safety
education programs. She works with a team of extension educators to promote consumer foods and
nutrition education under the Nutrition Education for Wellness (NEW) umbrella program
(http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/NEW/).
Mike Newton-Ward
Mike Newton-Ward (MSW, MPH-UNC-CH) is the Social Marketing Consultant for the North Carolina Division
of Public Health. He also participates in the Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence
Collaborative, a coalition of six states created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote
the use of social marketing in public health nationally. He has consulted with state and federal
agencies on the use of social marketing; contributed to social marketing textbooks and journals;
and taught social marketing courses. His current activities include building the capacity of public
health systems to use the PRIZM commercial marketing database for audience research.
Kendra Nightingale
Kendra Nightingale is originally from a small farming community in western Kansas. Kendra received a
BS degree in Agriculture from Kansas State University, where she participated in the undergraduate
honors program. Kendra also holds a MS degree from Kansas State University in Food Science, where
her research evaluated the use of lactoferrin, a milk-derived protein, to decontaminate and extend the
shelf-life of beef products. Kendra Nightingale completed her PhD at Cornell University in Food
Science with a concentration in Food Microbiology and minors in Epidemiology and Microbiology. Her
PhD work probed the molecular epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of the human foodborne and animal
pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Kendra also completed her postdoctoral training in the
Department of Food Science at Cornell University. Kendra joined the Department of Animal Sciences at
Colorado State University as an Assistant Professor in 2006.
Barbara O'Brien
Barbara O'Brien joined the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service as a Food Safety Specialist on
the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline in 1988; worked on the regulatory/policy side of the Agency as the
Constituent Affairs Liaison to industry, trade, and consumer organizations; and returned to consumer
education in 2000. She assumed her current position as Deputy Director of the Food Safety Education
Staff in 2004. Prior to joining the government, Ms. O'Brien worked in hospitals and consulted in
nursing homes. A registered dietitian, she has a BS in Home Economics from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
College in Indiana.
Lillian Occeña-Po
Lillian G. Occeña-Po has joint appointments with the Department of Food Science and Human
Nutrition and the MSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences of Michigan State University. She obtained
her PhD in Food Science from Michigan State University. She has served the last 3 years as campus
co-chair of Extension's Food Safety Area of Expertise Team. Her research interests include food
quality and safety, and ethnic food product development and processing. She has developed and conducted
trainings on food safety, food processing, and total quality management in the food industry. She has
also developed food safety curricula for diverse populations and food quality and safety management
manuals for food entrepreneurs.
Philip C. Olsson
Mr. Olsson is a founder and a senior principal of Olsson, Frank and Weeda. He was born in Brockton, MA,
and educated at Harvard University, obtaining his A.B. cum laude in 1962 and his LL.B. in 1965. He was
admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1965 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1973. He is the author of
"Meat and Poultry Inspection: Wholesomeness, Integrity and Productivity," 75th Anniversary Commemorative
Volume of Food and Drug Law, 1984.
Mr. Olsson served as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Hastings Keith in 1967 and to Congressman Bob
Mathias from 1967 to 1969. He was the Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing
and Consumer Services from 1969 to 1971 and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing
and Consumer Services from 1971 to 1973. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Olsson was
responsible for regulatory programs ranging from commodity futures trading to consumer protection and
food inspection. His practice includes both agency representation at USDA and FDA and litigation before
Federal courts. Mr. Olsson is counsel to a number of companies and trade associations involved in food
and agriculture related businesses and an advisor to the United States Delegation to the Codex Alimentarius
Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the
American Bar Association (Vice-Chairman, Agriculture Committee, Section on Administrative Law and
Regulatory Practice).
Eileen Parish
Eileen Parish, MD, is board certified in Internal Medicine and completed a fellowship in endocrinology
at the University of Virginia. Currently, she is the Medical Advisor in the Office of Food Safety, Defense,
and Outreach for Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and
is the Center Lead for Human Subject Protection Issues. She worked with the AMA, CDC, USDA-FSIS, and ANA
to develop and update the Primer on Foodborne Illness for Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals.
She has been a member of APHA for a number of years in the Food and Nutrition Section and is the Chair of
the Food Safety Committee.
Lynn Paul
Lynn Paul, EdD, RD, is a Professor and Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist at Montana State University.
Her fields of study are public health nutrition, food safety, food and nutrition policy, and adult education.
Dr. Paul utilizes an empowerment approach in promoting food, nutrition, and food safety for improving the
physical and psychosocial health of individuals as well as community's capacity to create healthy
environments. Dr. Paul has applied this approach to the development of successful food safety programs,
such as enhancing food safety education and training among Montana's seven tribal reservations. One outcome
of this collaboration is "Food Safety at Pow Wows" video and resource materials.
Ram Rao
Damanna Ramkishan Rao is currently employed as the National Program Leader for Food Science and
Technology at the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Rao is responsible for leading reviews of food science and technology programs,
representing CSREES with multi-state research and extension committees, and evaluation research and grant
proposals on emerging issues in food science technology and food safety. He received his PhD in Nutrition
and Biochemistry from Auburn University and servied a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois.
He has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications and has chaired the Southern Regional Section of the
Institute of Food Technologists.
Vemula Rao
V. Sudershan Rao is Senior Research Officer at the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad, India.
He holds a PhD in Applied Botany from Mangalore University, Karnataka State, India. His major areas of
research include: investigations into foodborne diseases; molecular epidemiology of food pathogens;
identification of critical control points for food safety in the unorganized sector of food industry;
risk assessment; food additives and contaminants including the bacterial pathogens; development of methods
for the detection of food contaminants and adulterants; studies of knowledge, attitude, and belief practices
on food safety; and organization of training programs on food safety to various stake holders of food safety.
Laura Reiser
Laura S. Reiser is a Public Affairs Specialist for the Food Safety Education Staff of the Food Safety
and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Public
Relations from the University of Maryland. Laura has been with the Food Safety Education Staff since 2002
and worked in communications, outreach, and public affairs with USDA since 1993 in varied capacities and
programs, including campaign manager, editor, writer, media liaison and event coordinator. She first
learned about social marketing in the late 1990s and has been hooked ever since! She serves on a parish
health ministry team and managed an eyeglass clinic on a 2005 mission trip to Trinidad.
Barbara Reynolds
At CDC since 1991, Barbara Reynolds's communication expertise has been used in the planning or response
to pandemic influenza, vaccine safety, emerging disease outbreaks, and bioterrorism. She has acted as a
crisis communication consultant on health issues for France, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, former Soviet
Union nations, NATO, and the World Health Organization. Barbara is the author of the 2002 book Crisis and
Emergency Risk Communication and CDC's Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication course, and, in 2004,
she launched a version of the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication course for leaders. Her research and
writings are focused on emergency risk communication best practices, integrating models of communication
for public health, and building community hardiness in the face of disaster.
Lynn Riggins
Lynn Riggins, MBA, PhD, is now an Assistant Professor with Central Missouri State University. At
the time of this research, she was the Assistant Campus Sanitarian and part-time instructor at
Kansas State University. She has taught ServSafe® for 3 years, has published research related to
HACCP implementation in non-commercial operations, and received a grant from the Child Nutrition
Foundation to develop a model HACCP program for child care centers. Riggins completed her PhD from
K-State in August 2006.
Kevin Roberts
Kevin R. Roberts, MS, Instructor, Kansas State Univeristy (Master of Science, Iowa State University),
is an instructor in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management, and Dietetics at Kansas
State University. Roberts is experienced in food safety research and training and has over 12 years of
restaurant operations/management expereince. Roberts' research interests include applied food safety
research in the commercial restaurant setting, food safety behaviors of foodservice employees, and Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point applications in foodservice.
Michéle Samarya-Timm
Michéle Samarya-Timm holds a BS and an MA in Health Education and is employed by Franklin Township
Health Department in Somerset, New Jersey, where she functions as Certified Health Education Specialist,
Registered Environmental Health Specialist, and Health Officer. She is an active participant in the National
Clean Hands Coalition, is Chairperson for the New Jersey Department of Health's Handwashing Task Force,
and has received an Exceptional Merit Award from the Handwashing Leadership Forum for her ongoing
commitment in promoting effective hand hygiene education. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention named her one of the nation's Emerging Public Health Leaders.
Tera Sandvik
Tera Sandvik is the Project Coordinator for the "Teens Serving Food Safely" program for the North Dakota
State University Extension Service. She has an undergraduate degree in dietetics from NDSU. Her extension
programming focuses on youth and hard-to-reach populations.
Jorgen Schlundt
Jorgen Schlundt received his DVM. from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (RVAU) in
Copenhagen in 1978 and his PhD in Veterinary Science, Microbiology, from RVAU in 1983. He has worked on
several national and international activities aimed at optimizing the present food safety systems, including
systems for risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication. He has worked at the Royal Veterinary
and Agricultural University in Denmark, at the Environmental Protection Agency of Denmark, as a head of
Bacteriology Section of the Veterinary Research Laboratory in Zimbabwe, and as a head of Division of
Microbiological, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Dr. Schlundt joined the World Health
Organization in 1999 and is currently Director of the Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses, and Foodborne
Diseases at the World Health Organization Food Safety Programme, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Carol Schwarz
Carol Schwarz is an Extension Educator for University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Buffalo County
and a Registered Dietitian. She received her Masters Degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a
third degree in Kitchen and Bath Design from University of Nebraska-Kearney. Carol has worked for UNL
Extension for 23 years. Her main areas of focus are food and nutrition, wellness, and food safety.
Current programming efforts include workshops for hospital and nursing home food service managers and
cooks, food allergy training for food service managers, and food safety training for grocery store food
service workers.
Matthew Seeger
Matthew W. Seeger (PhD, Indiana University 1982) is currently a Professor and Chair in the Department
of Communication at Wayne State University. His teaching and research are in communication ethics, crisis
and emergency risk communication, organizational responses to crisis and disaster, interagency coordination
and informational needs. His work on communication and crisis management has appeared in various journals
and in several edited collections and proceedings. His current research interests focus on informational
needs during crisis, crisis and public health, communication and natural disasters, crisis discourse,
and the application of chaos theory and learning theory to crisis.
Howard Seltzer
Howard Seltzer is the National Education Advisor in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He has developed or helped develop numerous consumer education
campaigns including, among others, egg safety, juice safety, food defense and security, food safety
for seniors, and National Food Safety Education Month. He assisted in the development of the Diagnosis
and Management of Foodborne Illnesses: A Primer for Physicians and represents the agency on the Partnership
for Food Safety Education, the National Coalition for Food Safe Schools, the Nutrition and Food Safety
Education Task Force, and the Coalition of Organizations for Disaster Education.
Mario Seminara
Mario Seminara graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station in 1971 in Animal Science and did
graduate studies there. Following a restaurant management career for two national chains, he worked for
city/county regulatory authorities as a Sanitarian and the Texas Department of Health as Assistant Director,
Retail Foods Division, in Austin. In 2000, he became Manager of the Environmental and Consumer Health
Unit with the City of Austin/Travis County Health Department. His career with FDA as a Regional Food
Specialist began in 2002. Mr. Seminara is the primary FDA retail food safety contact for Colorado, Wyoming,
and Utah.
Jan Singleton
Jan Singleton is the national Program Leader in Food Science and Food Safety at the Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Singleton manages,
leads, and administers a national grant program that awards competitive grants to faculty at accredited
colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and its territories. She joined USDA in 1992 after leaving
the University of West Virginia, where she held a joint appointment in Extension and the Department of
Community Medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. Her PhD is in Human Nutrition
from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a Registered Dietitian and is an active member of the
American Dietetic Association, the Society for Nutrition Education, the Institute for Food Technologists,
the International Association for Food Protection, the American Society for Microbiology, and the American
Chemical Society.
Kathleen Slobin
Kathleen Slobin is a Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology-Anthropology
at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. She received her PhD in Sociology from the
University of California, San Francisco in 1991. Following her tenure as Director of Women's Studies at
NDSU from 1997 to 2002, she took a sabbatical year as a Research Associate at the Center for the Study
of Women and Society at the Graduate Center in New York City. There she participated in a seminar,
"Facing Global Capital, Finding Human Security: A Gendered Critique," sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Terra Smith
Dr. Terra Smith earned her BS from Cornell University, an MS from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD
from Oklahoma State University. She is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences
in the College of Education at the University of Memphis. Dr. Smith's scholarly work addresses questions
related to developing research skills in the context of food management and product development. As a result,
special emphasis is placed on understanding the nature of students' epistemologies in relations to
foods-related experiences and studies.
