Webinars

Tyler Williams is a consumer product safety & quality expert with significant experience in the Food & Beverage, Cannabis, and Dietary Supplement industries. Williams is the CEO of ASI, and the first food safety executive to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list due to his noteworthy achievements as a thought leader in product safety.

Before stepping in as CEO in 2023, Tyler was ASI's Chief Technical Officer, where he was responsible for the certification process of over 3000+ audits annually while also training and consulting major food and beverage companies around the world to help improve their food safety practices. He graduated with a master's degree in food safety and Certificate in International Food Law from Michigan State University and has several professional development certifications in food defense, food fraud, preventive controls, HACCP, lead auditor, etc. Tyler is also very active with several industry trade associations and working groups.

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne's research and teaching activities focus on data science, artificial intelligence, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making. Her research is published in numerous academic and professional journals, and she is a regular speaker at international conferences in the areas of decision analysis, project management and management science. Prof. Grushka-Cockayne is an award-winning teacher, winning the Darden Morton Leadership Faculty Award in 2011, the University of Virginia's Mead-Colley Award in 2012, the Darden Outstanding Faculty Award in 2013 and 2022, University of Virginia All University Teaching Award in 2015, the Faculty Diversity Award in 2013 and 2018, and the Transformational Faculty Award in 2024. Prof. Grushka-Cockayne teaches the core "Decision Analysis" course, an elective she designed on project management, an elective on data science and a new course on coding with ChatGPT. She has served as the leader of the open enrollment courses "Project Management for Executives" and "The Women's Leadership Program."

Before starting her academic career, she worked in San Francisco as a marketing director of an Israeli ERP company. As an expert in the areas of project management, Prof. Grushka-Cockayne has served as a consultant to international firms in the aerospace and pharma industries. She is a UVA Excellence in Diversity fellow and a member of INFORMS, the President of the Decision Analysis Society, and a member of the Operational Research Society and the Project Management Institute (PMI). She served an associate editor at Management Science and is currently as associate editor at Operation Research.

Grushka-Cockayne was named one of "21 Thought-Leader Professors" in Data Science. Her course "Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management" Coursera MOOC has over 300,000 enrolled, across 200 countries worldwide. Her "Data Science for Business" Harvard Online course, launched in 2021, has taught hundreds of learners around the world.

Jonna has been an innovator in the fresh foods space for nearly two decades driving the evolution of consumer-centric decision making and big data analytics throughout the perimeter.

Jonna joined Circana in 2016 and leads Circana’s Fresh Foods practice which unlocks the big data power of Circana for perishables suppliers and retailers. She spearheaded developing Circana’s Integrated Fresh solution for sales and shopper tracking across total food and beverage, in partnership with IDDBA and other industry leaders.

Jonna has talked fresh foods to outlets such as NPR and CNN and many others. She co-authors the monthly IDDBA and fresh industry articles with 210 Analytics’ Anne-Marie Roerink and was one of Progressive Grocer’s 2020 Top Women in Grocery.

Lana is the Associate Manager in the Materials Management Branch and leads the Sustainable Management of Food efforts, under the Sustainable Materials Management Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Lana joined the agency in 2004 and previous to her present position, she supported federal agencies meet sustainability goals, coordinated federal partnerships for urban waters, and reviewed pesticide labels.

She served as Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua from 2000 – 2003. She attended the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources & Environment and received academic training in Environmental Policy and Behavior.

Lynn Ducharme leads Curtis Food Recruiters’ expansion as Vice President of Talent Strategy overseeing both the Executive Search team as well as Sales & Marketing efforts for the Firm. Lynn started her career in Human Resource Management before shifting to c-level/executive recruiting. The last 4 years Lynn has been focused singularly on developing executive talent strategies in the food industry.

Chris is a seasoned market and consumer research professional with over 12 years of progressive industry experience. He began his career as an entry-level analyst supporting small and emerging FMCG manufacturers and has since developed his skills to drive measurable impact for major FMCG manufacturers, including KraftHeinz.

Chris spent nearly a decade in the Dairy Industry, leading market and consumer research for industry associations such as Dairy Management, Inc., Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the California Milk Advisory Board, Midwest Dairy Association, and MilkPEP. His expertise also extends to working with manufacturers including Fairlife, Dairy Farmers of America, Emmi Roth, Schrieber, and more.

Passionate about thought leadership and storytelling through data, Chris excels in connecting multiple sources to uncover hidden trends in the market. His published works include "New Dairy Drivers," "Fat is Back," "The Evolving Beverage Landscape," and "The Art of Elevation."

At NIQ, Chris serves as the Vice President, Food Insights Lead, creating impactful, forward-looking pieces of thought leadership designed to help manufacturers navigate today’s retail landscape.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MBA with a concentration in operations management, both from Loyola University Chicago. Outside of his professional life, Chris has a Japanese Chin mix dog named Jolene and he loves to travel, taking every opportunity to experience a new part of the world.

Roseanne Crave is the Sales & Marketing Manager for Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese LLC in Waterloo, Wisconsin. As a member of the second generation at Crave Bros, Roseanne has firsthand experience in the family business, dairy industry, and cheese industry. She graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences Communication and has a certificate in Environmental Science. She has held numerous positions at other cheese companies including Klondike Cheese Company and Kraemer Wisconsin Cheese where she further developed her skills.

Roseanne has attended local, national, and international trade shows and buyer meetings for ten years. Through her time in the cheese industry, she has built a passion for educating and empowering customers and consumers on modern agriculture. Roseanne oversees the company’s national marketing strategy, new customer onboarding, customer relations and promotions.

Ramin Ghamkhar, PhD is a Sustainability Consultant at BSI America Professional Services Inc. he has a strong track record of experience in life cycle assessment (LCA), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), and integrated environmental and economic assessment, evidenced by 11 peer-reviewed and well received publications and presentations. As the LCA service lead in BSI’s Sustainability Practice, he works with clients across multiple sectors and industries to implement LCA into their sustainability efforts and elevate their systems environmental performance.

Roxanne & Loren Johnson. Both lifelong food industry professionals. Beginning with boots on the groundwork as deli/bakery clerk, grocery carryout and stocker then graduating to positions as department heads, store managers, multi-unit supervisors, district manager, central bakery creator, trainers and bakery technician across the United States. Combined new store openings 150+ under 30+ banners. In 2001 founding RJ & Associates LLC as a food merchandising service to the food, exhibit and tradeshow industries. Adding the brand Replica Food By RJ, as makers of realistic food reproductions for merchandising, marketing, education, media, food equipment & packaging demonstrating.

Natalie brings a wealth of experience in sustainable supply chain, traceability technology and business development. Most recently, Natalie held a leadership role in innovation at The Marine Stewardship Council, a UN-recognized leader in sustainable fishing standard certification. At New Era Partners, Natalie will work with our clients to leverage traceability technology to improve supply chain operations by increasing efficiency and transparency across their supply chain.

Jeff Gholson joined Rise Baking in 2021 as Senior Vice President of Procurement after serving in a similar role at Brill Incorporated since 2013. In his current position, Jeff oversees Rise's North American Strategic Sourcing team and is focused on exceeding expectations in delivering delicious traditions through raw materials, packaging and indirect purchasing. Jeff has over 35 years of procurement and commodity risk management experience working with major brands including Keystone Foods, Coca-Cola, GoldKist and FC Stone. He served on the Board of the Sweetener Users Association and is the past President of the Southeastern Grain and Feed Association.

Donald DeMont is a successful sales leader and award-winning experiential marketer with extensive experience in specialty CPG, particularly in the bakery and deli sectors. As Director of Sales - Central Region at Antonina's Gluten-Free Bakery, his strategic vision, coupled with his passion for engaging diverse consumer needs, creates exciting opportunities for exploring new markets both within and beyond key demographics.

Jennifer Lott is the Technical Development Director - Food at SGS North America and she is passionate about helping companies grow and succeed. Jennifer specializes in Food and Product Safety Management Systems with particular expertise in all things associated with certification, including training and project management. Jennifer has a commitment to excellence, a positive can-do attitude, and is always looking for opportunities to develop solutions to meet the needs of clients. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys hiking, volunteering, creating new recipes from leftovers, and spending time with her family.

Jonna has been an innovator in the fresh foods space for nearly two decades driving the evolution of consumer-centric decision making and big data analytics throughout the perimeter.

Jonna joined Circana in 2016 and leads Circana’s Fresh Foods practice which unlocks the big data power of Circana for perishables suppliers and retailers. She spearheaded developing Circana’s Integrated Fresh solution for sales and shopper tracking across total food and beverage, in partnership with IDDBA and other industry leaders.

Jonna has talked fresh foods to outlets such as NPR and CNN and many others. She co-authors the monthly IDDBA and fresh industry articles with 210 Analytics’ Anne-Marie Roerink and was one of Progressive Grocer’s 2020 Top Women in Grocery.

Macey Dale grew up on a small farm in rural Southern Indiana. He attended Indiana University in Bloomington before embarking on entrepreneurship opportunities. He is currently the Senior Coordinator of Sales and Customer Solutions for Maytag Dairy Farms. Macey resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife Jenna, his children Addison and Parker and a 30lb golden doodle named Piper.