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Committee Leadership

Discover the dedicated professionals leading IFT’s collaborative initiatives across boards, committees, task forces, and workgroups. Their leadership strengthens IFT’s community, fosters innovation, and supports meaningful progress across the global food system.

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Get to know the leaders of IFT's workgroups, task forces, committees, and boards.

The Audit & Risk Management Committee oversees the independence and performance of the outside auditors and presents the audited financial statements to the Board of Directors.

Chair
- Girish Ganjyal
Members
- Rotimi Aluko
- Arti Arora
- Megan Bever
- Chris Daubert
- Peggy Poole
- Jamie Reeves
- Gunnar Sigge
Staff Liaisons
- Eric Ellis, CFO
- Jon Cabello, Manager, Financial Accounting & Reporting
- Iwona Kossak, Director of Finance
- Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO
The Division Champion Team plays a critical role in helping map out the future of the Division program. The DCT partners with IFT staff to develop strategies to help our passionate volunteers and members achieve the full potential of the Division program. The DCT works to bring Divisions together in a cross-disciplinary function.

Members
- Nandika Bandara
- Michelle Bruan
- Hongda Chen
- Colin Dennis
- Alexandra Kazaks
- Jamie Kendrick
- Jonathan Kershaw
- Lisa Navarro
- Carol Plisga
- Alden Riak
- Avi Shigelman
Staff Liaisons
- Melanie Bozek, Manager, Division Experiences & Content
- Jay Gilbert, Director, Scientific Programs & Career Pathways
- John Ruff, Chief Science Advisor
- Sydnie Nugent, Coordinator, Digital Content & Volunteer Experiences
The CoDeveloper Operating Council provides leadership and oversight for CoDeveloper, IFT’s AI-Powered R&D product.

Chair
- Darryl Riley
Members
- Arti Arora
- Steve Hill
- Sean Leighton
- Beate Lloyd
- Mohamed Najjar
Staff Liaisons
- Jay Gilbert, Director, Scientific Programs & Career Pathways
- Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO
To support the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) mission and vision, the IFT Higher Education Review Board (HERB) rigorously assesses undergraduate food science programs that meet its high IFT Undergraduate Education Standards for Degrees in Food Science. In addition, HERB also provides content and assessment guidelines and resources to facilitate quality and promote continuous improvement for the preparation of food science professionals.

HERB is responsible for:
- Evaluating/reviewing/approving/supporting Baccalaureate curricula and programs
- Responding to global inquiries for program approval and providing guidance and support as needed
- Continually reviewing program approval guidelines to ensure relevance
Chair
- Clint Stevenson
Members
- Soohyoun Ahn
- Grace Akinyemi
- Suvaluk Asavasanti
- Terri Boylston
- Charlene Van Buiten
- Vermont Dia
- Erin Dormedy
- Minh Duong
- Leonora Di Francisco
- Rick Falkenberg
- Audrey Girard
- Clifford Hall
- Niamh Harbourne
- Rich Hartel
- Patricia Hingston
- Kerry Huber
- Mark Anthony Lat
- Tristan Lipkie
- Bwalya Lungu
- Sihui Ma
- Silvana Martini
- Jeannine Marais
- Byungjin (BJ) Min
- Keshavan Niranjan
- Abbey Nutsch
- Kofi Oduro
- Enrique Palou
- Chitra Ponnusamy
- Oshin Sahni
- Craig Sherwin
- Jeffrey Swada
- Josephine Wee
Student Member
- Elisavet Kyriakou
Staff Liaison
- Christina Ginardi, Director, Academic Engagement
Oversees the finances and investments to ensure stability and integrity and presents the annual budget to the Board of Directors for approval.

Chair
- Noel Anderson
Treasurer Elect
- Sean Leighton
Members
- Chris Daubert
- Suzanne Johanningsmeier
- Chamali Kodikara
- Kelley Lowe
- Peggy Poole
- Darryl Riley
- Gunnar Sigge
- Jeff Varcoe
Staff Liaisons
- Eric Ellis, CFO
- Jon Cabello, Manager, Financial Accounting & Reporting
- Iwona Kossak, Director of Finance
- Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO
Conducts the final review and selection of scientific sessions for the IFT FIRST: Annual Event & Expo to ensure the program is of the highest quality and addresses recent advancements and challenges in the science of food. AMSPAP will be charged with accepting sessions as IFT FIRST Individual Presentations, curating Scientific & Technical Forums, and determining gaps within the program.

Chair
- Matthew Teegarden
Chair-Elect
- Johan (Job) Ubbink
Past Chair
- Soo-Yeun Lee
Members
Marienne (Angela) Anandappa

Lacey Durrance

Sheila Fleischhacker

Layal Karam

Alexandra Kazaks

Vickie Kloeris

Prateek Mathur

Deepali Palta

Sonali Raghunath

Lara Ramdin

Amrita Ray

Prateek Sharma

David Tonucci

Ali Ubeyitogullari

Jessie Usaga Barrientos

Pranav Vashisht

Chin-Kun Wang

Scientific Discovery Workgroup Chair

Gabriela John Swamy

Trend Setting Workgroup Chair

David Tonucci

IFT Board Liaison

Tejas Bhatt

Staff Liaisons

Maya Salazar, Senior Manager, Scientific Programs
The Trend Setting Workgroup is charged with identifying and inviting non-traditional disciplines to the IFT FIRST: Annual Event & Expo to inspire out-of-box thinking and idea sharing. This workgroup will develop Fireside Chat sessions that highlight cutting-edge technology and research, as well as future trends and innovations.

Chair
- David Tonucci
Past Chair
- Lara Ramdin
Members
- Heng Hui Gan
- Suganya Jeyaprakash
- Nitin Joshi
- Srilavanyaa Kathiravan
- Maxine Roman
Staff Liaison
- Maya Salazar, Senior Manager, Scientific Programs
The Scientific Discovery Workgroup ensures the IFT FIRST: Annual Event & Expo remains a must-attend event for the scientific and academic community to present research, share teaching resources, form collaborations, and establish global networks by recruiting and promoting Research Promotion presentations by pre-tenured faculty, recent PhD graduates, post-docs, and grant project awardees.

Chair
- Gabriela John Swamy
Past Chair
- Serap Vatansever
Members
- Aaron Dudley
- Kathiravan Krishnamurthy
- Ana Maria Quiros
- Cordelia Selomulya
Staff Liaisons
- Maya Salazar, Senior Manager, Scientific Programs
The Leadership Development Committee works to enhance the identification, development, and involvement of emerging leaders, and to ensure all candidates have leadership qualities with an emphasis on effective generational leadership transition.

Chair
- Jonathan Merkle
Chair Designate
- Amy Wang
Past Chair
- Michele Perchonok
Members
- Tracy Bargman
- Luan Blancher
- Mary Carunchia
- Chris Downs
- Katy Galle
- Brendan Niemira
- Robert Roberts
- Randy Worobo
Staff Liaison
- Felicia Owens, Executive Governance and Business Administrator
IFT’s Journal of Food Science (JFS) offers scientists, researchers, and the broader food professional community the opportunity to share scientific advancements in the myriad of disciplines affecting their work, through a highly-respected, peer-reviewed process to help advance the science of food and food innovation across the globe.

The Editor in Chief of JFS is Richard Hartel, PhD.

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IFT’s Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (CRFSFS) provides in-depth coverage of a narrowly defined topics on any food science or food safety aspect.

The Editor in Chief of CRFSFS is Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, CFS.

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Interested bringing your unique perspective and leadership to IFT’s Board of Directors? Discover how you can become a contributor to IFT's governance and commitment to the mission of connecting global food systems communities to advance the science of food and its application.

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