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

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.

Find out more

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.

For more information