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IFT Board of Directors Nominations and Elections
IFT believes it is critical to attract and engage a broad population of members and food science professionals to lead IFT through Board service. The Board strives to achieve broad representation of membership demographics and multi-representational factors, including career stage, education, areas of practice type and setting
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.
Being on the Board of Directors during such an unprecedented time was one of the highlights of my career. It was a rewarding experience to collaborate with a talented, diverse team to successfully address our enormous challenges while creating the path to a bright sustainable future for IFT. It was a truly transformative experience.
Announcing New Members of the 2026 IFT Board of Directors
The IFT Leadership Development Committee is pleased to announce the individuals listed below, who were presented to the membership as this year’s slate of candidates for the IFT Board of Directors have been deemed elected as of January 6, 2026. New Board members will be seated as of September 1, 2026.
In Fall 2025, eligible members of IFT had the opportunity to submit an application to serve on the IFT Board of Directors. Following a thorough review process, the committee presented a slate of candidates on December 8, 2025, to serve as board members and president-elect for the 2026-2029 term. Per the IFT Bylaws, individuals who applied to serve but were not selected have the right to seek support from the membership via petitions to be added to the candidate slate and enact a competitive election. As of January 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CT, IFT did not receive sufficient petitions to enact an election and, therefore, the slate as presented is deemed elected.
The Leadership Development Committee is proud to announce these leaders, dedicated to guiding our association, will join the Board of Directors. These individuals will serve the diverse food science community and advance IFT’s mission to make science and innovation the cornerstones of the global food system. Their strategic vision and commitment will help tackle our community’s most pressing challenges.
IFT Leadership Applications Timeline
September 12, 2025
Applications Open
October 22, 2025
Applications Due
Week of November 10, 2025
All candidates will be contacted by the Leadership Development Committee. Reference calls for candidates moving to the second round of the process.
December 2-3, 2025
Interviews via video conference. All candidates will need to be able to participate in the video interview.
December 4-5, 2025
All candidates will be contacted by the Leadership Development Committee.
December 8, 2025
Announcement of candidate slate and petition process to the membership.
January 5, 2026
Petition Deadline (3 weeks from slate announcement to membership)
May 11-13, 2026
Board Orientation (Chicago, IL)
September 1, 2026
Terms begin for new IFT President-Elect and Board members
Jeffrey Varcoe, PhD, President-Elect (2026-2027)
Jeffrey Varcoe currently serves as Vice President, Quality Assurance and Food Safety at The J.M. Smucker Co. In this role, Jeff is responsible for the development, execution, and oversight of a comprehensive food safety and quality vision that supports the company’s continued ability to deliver on the needs of its consumers. Through his leadership, the company maintains its rigid standards for safety and quality at 20 Smucker-owned manufacturing facilities and the broader supply chain network, including copackers and suppliers, in support of its products across the coffee, pet food, and snacking categories. Prior to joining Smucker, Jeff spent 21 years in leadership roles of increasing responsibility at The Schwan Food Company, an affiliate of CJ Cheil Jedang Corporation. Jeff has been on the IFT Board of Directors since 2023 and is actively involved in many professional and community-oriented boards and committees. Jeff has held a variety of leadership positions, including serving as a member of the Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Food Law & Policy Institute advisory committee, the board of directors for the American Frozen Food Institute (previously serving as chairman), the advisory council for the University of Minnesota’s Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and the executive committee and board for the Southwest Minnesota Workforce Council.
IFT Board Members (2026-2029)
Petition Process and Guidelines
The slate was announced to the membership on December 8, 2025. Candidates have more than 3 weeks from the slate announcement to the membership to have signatures submitted to support their petition to require a competitive election for the IFT Board of Directors. The deadline for signatures to be submitted is 5:00 p.m. CST on January 5, 2026.
Signatures will be received and verified by IFT Audit Firm, CliftonLarsonAllen. Completed signature forms should be scanned and emailed to Thure.Ross@claconnect.com. A copy of the petition form must be signed by 5% of Premier members, as of the time of the slate announcement, to reach the necessary threshold to require a competitive election for the IFT Board of Directors. At the end of the petition period, the CEO of IFT will notify petitioning candidates whether or not they have reached the necessary threshold.
To verify the legitimacy of member support of the petition, the following shall apply:
A form will be provided to candidates who wish to submit a petition. The form will include the following information:
- Statement of support for candidate petitioning
- IFT Member Number
- Full Name
- Home Address
- Email Address
- Wet Signature
A copy of the form must be signed by 5% of Premier Members of the Institute. A wet signature is defined as the process of signing a physical paper document, form or contract with pen and ink. A copy of the wet signature on the provided petition form must be scanned and emailed to CliftonLarsonAllen (Thure.Ross@claconnect.com) from the corresponding member email on file with IFT to be counted towards the total number of signatures.
Questions?
Please contact Felicia Owens, Staff Liaison to Leadership Development Committee, for more information or to submit a question.