Hartel to Lead Scientific Journals; Getting to Know Wes Schilling

Hartel to lead scientific journals

The Institute of Food Technologists has named Richard Hartel editor-in-chief of IFT’s peer-reviewed scientific publications, which include the Journal of Food Science. Hartel previously served as an associate editor of the Journal of Food Science Education and as editor-in-chief of Food Reviews International and the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society. He succeeds E. Allen Foegeding, who retired in December after serving as editor-in-chief for eight years.

Hartel is professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His primary area of research encompasses food engineering with a particular emphasis on phase transitions in foods.

In 2004, he was honored by IFT with a Research and Development award in recognition of his research and outreach efforts demonstrating how to improve confectionery manufacturing through an understanding of the principles behind phase transitions of sugars and fats. The same year he began serving a three-year term as a member of the Committee on Nominations and Elections. In 1998, he received the Excellence in Education Award in Honor of William V. Cruess.

A Fellow of IFT, the American Oil Chemists’ Society, and The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Hartel earned MS and PhD degrees in agricultural engineering from Colorado State University and a BA in physics from the State University College of New York at Potsdam.

FONA names Thompson president

FONA International, developer and manufacturer of flavor solutions, appointed IFT member Jeremy Thompson president. In addition to his new role, which will center on growing the business, he will continue to serve as chief operating officer.

With 20 years of experience in the food industry, Thompson began his tenure at FONA in 2018 as executive vice president of revenue generation, helping to lead teams to multiple revenue records while also serving as a member of the company’s executive leadership team. In July 2019, he was promoted to chief operating officer, continuing to serve FONA’s partners and helping to grow business and talent through strategic vision and creative approaches.

“The Slawek family and I are very excited for FONA’s future under Jeremy’s leadership,” said FONA chairman and CEO Joe Slawek in a company statement. “His elegant leadership style and peaceful presence are truly a gift, and his dedication to embracing FONA’s culture and values has shown him to be a true leader, one which we are thankful to have help guide our customers and our business.”

Brooks appointed to Novalent board

Biotechnology engineering firm Novalent Biotech has appointed Scott Brooks to the company’s scientific advisory board. A member of IFT, Brooks is the senior vice president and head of food safety at Tyson Foods. He previously held similar positions at Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo.

“After an extensive one-year global search, we are proud to have an executive of Scott’s caliber join our Scientific Advisory team,” said Kevin Parrish, CEO of Novalent, in a press release. “Scott has been the most senior executive responsible for food safety at three of America’s largest food companies and in our view is one of the most sought-after thought leaders in food safety globally.”

NSF International honors McEntire

NSF International, a global public health and safety organization, has recognized Jennifer McEntire with the Food Safety Leadership Award. McEntire, who is senior vice president of food safety and technology at the United Fresh Produce Association, was recognized for developing the association’s Produce Safety Immersion Program, which offers 15 individuals the opportunity to build the technical competencies, critical thinking skills, and leadership attributes that can help ensure the safety of produce in the United States.

Jennifer McEntire

McEntire, a member of IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center Advisory Council, has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to food safety, food safety education, and the protection of public health during her 20-year career. While serving as senior staff scientist at IFT, she co-led the development of a career guidance program implemented in 18,000 U.S. high schools, encouraging youth to pursue careers in food science. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Consumer Brands Association (formerly the Grocery Manufacturers Association) and the Acheson Group (formerly Leavitt Partners Global Food Safety Solutions).

“Dr. McEntire continues to think beyond the status quo and pushes the envelope related to education and training in the food safety arena,” stated Jason Bashura, senior manager of global food defense at PepsiCo and award nominator, in a press release. “I am optimistic that her approach of the Produce Safety Immersion program can be modeled for other facets of a truly integrated food safety system to help bolster, build, and sustain a culture of food protection, one that encompasses quality, food safety, and food defense within and across the food industry.”

Have some news to share about yourself or another IFT member? Email mmalochleb@ift.org.

Getting to know Wes Schilling

Each month, we meet one of IFT’s valued volunteers.

Food science is the best career that no one has ever heard of,” says Wes Schilling, professor of food science at Mississippi State University. A faculty member since 2003, Schilling has also served as undergraduate coordinator and as major professor for 19 master’s and 13 doctoral students. In addition to teaching courses on food chemistry, food analysis, sensory evaluation of foods, and experimental design, his lab conducts research on meats processing, sensory testing, proteomics, and pest control.

Interacting with students and helping them obtain internships and find jobs is one of the most rewarding aspects of Schilling’s job. “More recently,” he says, “I have enjoyed seeing students’ career paths as they go from starting out to leaders in the food industry. I also enjoy empowering students to use their gifts to serve others and determine their career path.”

Wes Schilling

Schilling has a long history of volunteering with IFT, starting out as the newsletter editor for the Food Chemistry and Muscle Foods Divisions. He has also served as member at large for the Muscle Foods Division and, in 2012, began a four-year stint on the IFT Higher Education Review Board. “I was also a Member-at-Large in the Magnolia Section, which was merged with the Mid-South Section in 2015,” he notes. Currently the past president of the Mid-South Section, he served as president from 2018 to 2020.

Speaking about the values that have guided his professional life, Schilling says, “Community is crucial in my role as a faculty member because students thrive in community where they are valued, taught teamwork, and taught problem-solving skills. Teamwork is necessary to help students develop into scientists that can impact and feed the world.” However, he also believes that IFT’s core value of Integrity is equally important, because it creates “the foundation for all of the other core values. Without integrity, an authentic community cannot be developed.”

The ability to adapt food production from retail to restaurants and vice versa will be a major challenge for the food industry, believes Schilling. “We need to do a better job recruiting and educating more students in food science to use science to solve food industry challenges and to use science to make business decisions,” he explains. “In order to do this, I think there need to be more partnerships between food science and other disciplines, including food science and business, food science and culinary, food science and animal science, experiential learning, etc. To sum this up, as food scientists, we need to do a better job of recruiting bright young people to become food scientists.”