From the Office of the President
Office of the President (L to R): Sheri Schellhaass (2008-2009 IFT President), Marianne Gillette (2009-2010 IFT President), Barbara Byrd Keenan (IFT Executive Vice President), Robert Gravani (2010-2011 IFT President).
In 2009, IFT continued to evolve as a strategic leader, collaborator, and partner in the food science and technology arena. The drive and commitment from our volunteer leaders is unparalleled in the scientific community. As IFT marked 70 years as a leader, more than 1,000 volunteer leaders emerged to take the helm to continue to advance our scientific priorities. So how did IFT support the work of our organization? We accomplished this through strategic connections, informative and timely communications, and thoughtful collaborations.
"Connection, communication, and collaboration" are the critical elements that made 2009 a successful year for IFT and increased the broad reach and impact of the profession. Vital connections are made through participation in IFT’s Annual Meeting & Food Expo. Innovation is sparked through communications channels such as Food Technology magazine or our peer-reviewed journals, and dynamic collaborations thrived with the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, the US Food and Drug Administration, and others.
Over the past year, our strategic priorities remained clear, compelling, and focused to drive growth, and enhance member value. Our roadmap for the year continued to be IFT’s Annual Operating Plan, which was guided by our leadership and spirit of volunteerism. IFT is a steward for the profession and its community, a research champion and innovation catalyst, an influential advocate and trusted spokesorganization, and a global citizen and partner.
IFT 2009 Board of Directors: Seated First Row L to R: Andrea Bouma, Kelsey Ryan, Patricia Aron, Bruce Stillings, Marianne Gillette, Sheri Schellhaass, Barbara Byrd Keenan, John Floros, Moira McGrath, Doug Archer, Brian Farkas, Cathy Adams. Second Row L to R: Justin Shimek, Juan Silva, Yifat Yaniv, Russ Flowers, Roger Clemens, Denise Smith, Julie Ruder, John Finley, John Ruff, Jonathan Merkle, Barry Swanson, Barbara Blakistone, Robert Gravani. (Not pictured: Janet Collins and Michael Davidson)
By combining vision and volunteerism, IFT members set a new course for the future of the profession. A special thanks for the collaborative efforts all of our volunteer work groups including the following: Current and Emerging Science Issues Expert Advisory Panel, Annual Meeting Scientific Advisory Panel, Public Policy and Regulatory Outreach Advisory Panel, Member Value Proposition Advisory Panel, Senior Executive Engagement Task Force, Credentialing Feasibility Advisory Panel, Global Strategy Advisory Panel, Higher Education Review Board, Divisions Task Force, Global Regulations and Policy Task Force, IFT Press Advisory Group, the Task Force to Review ILSI Conflict of Interest White Paper, and the Fellows Task Force.
Three major strategy focus groups including the Current and Emerging Issues Panel, Annual Meeting Scientific Advisory Program Task Force, and the Public Policy and Regulatory Outreach Advisory Panel all began implementation of their insightful recommendations.
The connectivity and synergies between our panel and task force work, our annual meeting, and division work, and our member survey feedback, were all drivers guiding us. With advances in technology, a critical need was clearly evident to generate new membership value through our digital business priorities. As such, new forms of communication and social media evolved among members through Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr.
2009 has been a memorable year for our IFT community. Thank you for all of your contributions. Although we are not able to list all of our extraordinary accomplishments for the year, we’ve included within this report some truly noteworthy achievements. Be sure to take advantage of the interactive components of this site—videos, audio sound bites, and links feature many of our very own IFT members providing highlights to you about our exceptional year.