Gratitude

IFT is an extraordinary idea built on a simple premise: the fulfillment of a safe, nutritious, and sustainable food supply is inextricably linked to science and innovation. To that end, no professional is more critical to the development of the future food supply than the scientist, engineer, and technologist. As individuals, our contribution is only as great as our knowledge and our ability to continue learning as the science we apply rapidly changes and advances. As a professional community, our contribution is only as great as our ability to collectively articulate a vision, promote and defend sound science, and be a strong, objective, and reliable voice for the global food system. This is who we are and what we do. It is our purpose.

It’s easy to forget or even dismiss what an extraordinary idea this is: that for nearly 80 years, IFT has been a mission-driven organization propelled by and for its own members. That history is defined by a legacy of individuals across the United States and around the world who connect to the audaciousness of IFT’s mission and make it their own—leading a section or a division, serving as an editor, contributing to IFT’s governance on a board or task force, identifying future leaders, sharing their IFT experience with new professionals, mentoring students … and the list goes on. Our engine is not industry, or government, or academia. Rather, we are stubbornly independent and beholden only to our profession, ourselves as professionals, and above all, to science.

As I contemplate the end of a remarkable year as president of IFT, I am optimistic about the future of our institute, our profession, and our ability to realize our vision. We are living in a time of concerning trends. We’re all very aware of population, climate, and natural resource challenges and their myriad impacts on our food supply. There is reason for concern. However, after a year leading this organization, I am buoyed by what 17,000 of the smartest people on the planet can do together and have done for the past 80 years. And what I see is the way forward, where we can create a world of abundance.

With that said, I would be remiss if I thought of IFT only as an organization that can solve big problems and do big things. It can, and it does, but IFT also connects to the heart of something more personal. We are not defined by our careers, however much we love what we do. They are our livelihoods, for many of us a passion, they give us purpose, and they support the lives that we’ve chosen for ourselves. Because insomuch as IFT is interested in the global food supply, it is also interested in you and your life.

Some of us are caring for an elderly parent, others saving up for that dream vacation. Many of us shuttle kids to and from activities before and after work. Some of us are struggling with the impacts of corporate downsizing. Others are contemplating retirement or job changes. Arguably, we are all trying to balance our careers with our own hopes and dreams for ourselves and the people we love. Whatever the case, IFT endeavors to not only give you the tools you need to be better at your job and to achieve your professional goals, but in doing so, it hopes to contribute to the professional balance and happiness you seek in your life.

In the past year, I’ve had the privilege of viewing IFT from a perspective that few have the opportunity to hold. I have been able to see the impacts we have, large and small. I’ve seen up close the operational challenges of running a large global institute, a nonprofit and very much a business. I have heard inspiring stories of excitement about careers just getting started and of pride for careers coming to an end. Meanwhile, I have heard the challenges that some of our colleagues are facing due to consolidation and budget pressures as well as the opportunities they see in entrepreneurship and innovation.

But perhaps the greatest honor I’ve had in the past year has been to join with colleagues and IFT staff to expand the sense of belonging that exists at IFT. The idea of insiders and outsiders is outdated and unacceptable. IFT is a place for anyone who shares a passion for the science of food and who wants to succeed. The work we’ve done this year charts a course for representation, inclusion, and belonging—a sincere commitment to diversity and equity, without which IFT’s vision would be out of reach and out of touch.

Thank you for trusting IFT as your career partner, your professional home, and your resource for the science of food. And thank you for trusting me to lead our institute this past year. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had this unique, memorable experience, with all of the richness it has brought to my life. I’m looking forward to seeing what we will accomplish next—together.

Cindy Stewart, PhD, CFS
IFT President, 2017–2018
Global Cultures and Food Protection Technology & Innovation Leader, DuPont Nutrition & Health, Wilmington, Del.
[email protected]