IFT Election Results; Getting to Know Jennifer Fideler

IFT announces election results
Congratulations to the following individuals who have been elected as IFT leaders and will take office on Sept. 1, 2017: IFT President-Elect Michele Perchonok; IFT Board of Directors members Bryson Bolton, Christopher Downs, Vickie Kloeris, and Soo-Yeun Lee; and Nominations & Elections Committee members Dallas Hoover, Margaret Patterson, and Craig Sherwin. Visit ift.org/election for full biographies of the newly elected IFT leaders.

Members were also asked to vote on proposed changes to IFT’s membership model and updates to its governing documents. These changes passed, and the new membership tiers will also take effect in September. More information will be available shortly. Click here for background information on these changes.

IFT extends a special thank you to all members who voted in the election.

FDA names McLellan Science Board chair
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named Mark McLellan, vice-president for research and dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Utah State University, the 2017 chair of the FDA Science Board. An IFT past president, McLellan is also a Certified Food Scientist and an IFT member and Fellow.

Since 2014, McLellan has served on the FDA Science Board as an expert in the areas of food science, education, and research administration. Appointed last spring, McLellan will continue serving as the inaugural chair of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Science Advisory Council. McLellan is the first to serve on both councils simultaneously.

McLellan has been an active agricultural scientist, first serving as university dean and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station and later as director of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University and professor of food science at Cornell University.

As chair of the Science Board, McLellan will head a team of 21 experts, most of whom are medical doctors and human health researchers in fields relevant to FDA-regulated products, such as pharmacology, food science, clinical medicine and research, and toxicology. This team meets several times a year to discuss complex scientific and technical issues and provide advice to the commissioner of the FDA.

Bell promotes Graham, Poppelsdorf
Bell Flavors & Fragrances recently announced two promotions. Aaron Graham was promoted from director of creative services, flavors, to vice-president of technical services, flavors, and Simon Poppelsdorf was promoted to global vice-president of technical services, flavors.

In his new role, Graham will oversee corporate R&D activities, including overall supervision of the creative, application, and administrative flavor departments. “I am excited for the opportunity to drive new product development to commercialize the next generation of product, system, platform, and technical solutions,” says Graham.

Poppelsdorf’s new responsibilities will include coordinating and helping Bell’s global flavor R&D operations in areas that include Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, and China. He will also continue on in his domestic role as a Senior Flavorist. Poppelsdorf joined Bell in Montreal in 1998; there he was responsible for R&D before joining Bell Northbrook in 2001 to oversee the R&D flavor division.

EAS Consulting Group hires Sayler
Allen Sayler joined EAS Consulting Group as its new senior director for food and cosmetic consulting services. He has served as an independent consultant for EAS since 2012, drawing on his expertise in the areas of food processing, particularly in the area of dairy processing, infant formula, food additives, botanical products, and FDA food compliance issues. Prior to joining EAS full time, he was a managing partner of the Center for Food Safety & Regulatory Solutions.

Sayler has spent more than 30 years in the dairy food sector, with roles as vice-president of regulatory affairs and international standards at the International Dairy Foods Assoc., in the dairy division at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Milk Safety Branch, and as assistant dairy commissioner for the North Dakota Dept. of Agriculture.

A member of IFT, Sayler is also active in numerous other organizations, including the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, the International Assoc. for Food Protection, the International Dairy Federation, and the FDA Alumni Assoc.

“EAS is so pleased and fortunate that Allen Sayler has chosen to join our leadership team,” says EAS chairman and CEO Edward A. Steele. “His technical expertise in the very complex area of ingredient safety is of great value to our clients. We look forward to Allen’s expanded leadership at EAS and his valued contributions.”

FONA announces hire, promotion
FONA International recently announced that it had hired Molly Ruszkowski and promoted Jeff Hamilton.

As FONA’s solutions manager in the Grain division, Ruszkowski will lead the business unit, drawing on her foundation in product development, culinary arts, and dietetics. She brings more than 20 years of food industry experience to the role, including serving as an R&D manager for a multimillion dollar foodservice business.

Hamilton, meanwhile, has worked for FONA for three years on the Product Safety & Quality team, where he will now serve as food safety supervisor. He holds an MS in food science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a BS in chemistry from the University of Virginia.

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Sethness makes executive appointments
Sethness Products Co. announced appointments to three key executive positions within the company. Tom Schufreider has been promoted to the position of president, Brian Sethness has been promoted to executive vice-president of sales and marketing, and Henry Sethness will become chairman of the executive committee.

Schufreider joined Sethness as chief operating officer in March 2013, bringing more than 30 years of food ingredient experience to the company. He previously held management positions at Sethness-Greenleaf Flavors and Synergy Flavors.

As a key member of the Sethness family management team, Henry Sethness will remain actively engaged in the management of the company on a daily basis and be instrumental in strategic planning and addressing important industry issues.

Representing the fifth generation of the Sethness family, Brian Sethness will oversee the management and direction of the overall sales functions, including sales program planning and development, and management of the sales team. In his 17th year with the company, he will also continue his role in domestic and international sales.

Getting to Know Jennifer Fideler
Each month, we meet one of IFT’s valued volunteers.

In her roles serving the Oregon Section as co-chair for its Membership Committee and New Professionals group, Jennifer Fideler introduced section event attendees to each other, playing “industry matchmaker” to help connect like-minded individuals and further their professional goals. In this work, she was happy to discover a passion and strength for connecting people and creating community. “Helping others find what—and who—they needed was a fulfilling component of my time as a volunteer in the Oregon Section,” Fideler reflects. “The most valuable aspect of my volunteer roles within IFT has been giving value to the lives and careers of others.”

In her later work with the New Professionals community, Fideler continued to create these connections, helping fellow new professionals find common interests and grow their networks. She also learned how to lead. “During my three years with the [New Professionals Work Group], I grew as a leader tremendously. I did not believe I was equipped to lead a group of my peers, especially those with multiple years of experience and graduate degrees beyond mine, nor those who worked for companies 10 times the size of mine,” she says. “I soon found that by putting myself in an uncomfortable leadership role, I quickly learned how to fulfill it and gained skills in organization, delegation, and communication that I would not have learned in my day-to-day job.”

Now a student volunteer as she pursues her PhD at North Carolina State University studying properties of fermented cucumbers, the self-proclaimed “pickle scientist” is also working to build community in her school by serving as vice-president of the university’s food science club. While this means Fideler often has a lot on her plate, she balances her commitments by using calendars, prioritizing, and turning to others for help. “Perspective from other leaders is invaluable; therefore whenever I’ve met a road block or felt overwhelmed I’ve sought the counsel of other leaders, experienced industry members, and IFT staff to help guide my next steps and facilitate reflection upon my current situation,” she says.

Because of that support, Fideler encourages potential volunteers to take risks and try roles they feel they may not be qualified for, especially recent graduates and students. “You are more capable than you think,” she says. “You need not work for five years before considering volunteering or serving on your local section’s executive board. Your drive and willingness to learn will carry you further than you can imagine.”

Save the Date: IFT17
Registration is now open for IFT17, where 20,000 of the world’s top food science and technology professionals will gather in Las Vegas to learn about the latest trends and innovations in food production.

At the IFT Food Expo, the industry’s largest collection of food ingredient, equipment, processing, and packaging suppliers will showcase the latest in global food trends. Attendees will see, touch, and taste innovative products and cutting-edge techniques while interacting with the companies producing them—an experience that keeps two out of three participants returning year after year.

More than 100 Scientific & Applied Sessions developed by scientific experts reflect the latest thinking in both the science of food and its applications. In addition, nearly a dozen pre-event short courses cover a range of industry topics. Click here for more information.

June 23–25
Preventive Controls for Human Food

June 24–25
Clean Label Product Innovation

Certified Food Scientist Prep Course

Flavor Interactions in Foods

Food Science for the Non-Food Scientist

Formulating for Function: Understanding the Application of Gums and Starches in Food

Fundamentals of Sensory Science

Labeling Requirements and Implications for Foods Marketed in the U.S.

June 25
Sparking Innovation and Creativity

Section Meetings
Bonneville
April 4: Suppliers’ night and candy expo. Sandy, Utah. Click here.

Chicago
April 10: Dinner meeting. Chicago. Click here.

New York
April 5: Suppliers’ day. Somerset, N.J. Click here.

April 27: Dinner meeting. Purchase, N.Y. Click here.

Ohio Valley
April 27: Suppliers’ night. West Chester, Ohio. Click here.

In Memoriam
IFT notes the passing of the following members: Edward Burns, Bruce D. Large, John A. Robbins, and Kenneth Stewart

Have some news to share about yourself or another IFT member? Email [email protected].