Responsible for strategy and execution of product development for Target’s Owned Brand Private Label Beverage programs, including: water, sparkling water, juice, drink enhancers (drops and powders), soda, mixers, coffee, espresso, cold brew, coffee syrups, tea, shelf stable and plant-based milks, and hot cocoa products across multiple brands. Partner with business teams, Sourcing, Quality & Regulatory, Packaging, Insights, and Creative Teams to deliver newness, novelty, trend, seasonality, and foundational programs in beverages. Successfully execute product design, experimentation, and commercialization for brand launches, including “Good & Gather” & “Favorite Day”, supporting product development, brand expression, culinary content, technical standards, specifications, and vendor execution. Ideate inspiration & strategy for beverages, by analyzing trend and influential categories & habits. Identify growth opportunities and build winning solutions. Design and test products, transforming business strategies into strong market programs. Leverage negotiations to enable strategic vendor partnerships and ensure supply.

Responsible for Breakfast, Snacking, and Lunchbox category product development; Execute to Owned Brands F&B strategy through new product development, quality improvements, and competitive negotiations. Partner with cross functional teams, collaborating daily with partners spanning: Buyers, Sourcing, Safety & Quality, Regulatory, Packaging Engineers, and Product Insights. Collaborate with vendor partners to drive novel development; Lead the development of products through thoughtful strategy, design, and successful commercialization for relevant categories.

o Responsible for recipe management and strategic recipe migration from legacy system to modernized PLM/SAP for US-Confections; Led tactical execution; Supported system testing and on-site training of technical functions, roles, and manufacturing facilitieso “Process Lead” for US-Confections Technical Application Group, enabling synergies across all technical teams spanning Nestle USA o Delivered technical solutions for sugar confectionery innovation and renovation projects, while functioning as a technical arm for daily operations within manufacturing facilities o Formulated samples for recipe optimizationo Prepared samples for internal sensory panels and external consumer testing; Conducted sensory panels and shelf life testing on new and renovated productso Developed and launched new formulas; Led factory trials and start-ups of new formulas

o Managed six (6) salaried, direct reports and three (3) laboratories across three shifts, 24/7o Acted as the positive release coordinator for raw materials and packaging goodso Managed raw material and packaging chemical contaminate programso Contact for raw material vendors, managing vendors and vendor-related issueso Analyzed consumer contact data for findings and trends; Initiated a “Q-Star” program for hourly associates, to lead and own corrective actions to address issues presented by the guesto Led and assisted Production in root cause analysis, disposition decisions, and corrective actions

o Managed HACCP and all HACCP-based Pre Requisite Programs (PRPs) on a daily basiso Managed: Master Sanitation Schedule; Sanitation SOPs; Allergen control procedures and inspections; Pre-op Inspections; GMPs; Zoning & Environmental Monitoring; and Pest Control on a daily basis, for one of the leading producers of chocolate in the United Stateso Managed a team of four (4) Nestle employee and three (3) contracted employee direct reportso Developed and delivered quality training to 500+ employees, quarterlyo Coordinated and conducted sanitation and allergen cleaning validationso Led projects relating to hygienic design and processeso Led projects to improve operator safety and effectiveness during cleaning, with a project resulting in the approval and installation of a $1 million Clean-In-Place system for the facilityo Lead investigator for critical consumer complaints, assisting projects to reduce negative contactso Food Safety Team Leader, with activities including conducting food safety based risk assessments

Developed standards for the TPM based lean manufacturing system of Centerlines and Visual Controls and evaluated system implementation, knowledge, and compliance; Functioned as a Continuous Excellence Coach and Sponsor for a lean pilot line; Coordinated Kaizen events and training for lean systems, driving operator development, engagement, and system compliance.

Wrote feature stories of local restaurants and businesses for the Wisconsin Green Exchange and Wisconsin Partners for Sustainability, with the goal to enhance the perceived value and competitive advantage of green practices, products, and services in the local and regional marketplace.

Led a self-sustaining magazine with a $20K budget; Managed a student staff of 40+ student members across 5 departments and facilitated the curation of a quarterly magazine; Photographed cover photos and proofed a 26 page magazine layout and website for style and format; Worked from Photographer to Photography Editor to Editor-in-Chief.

Researched sustainable methods of producing biofuels in microorganisms; Engineered E. coli to produce an increase of fatty acids via bacterial cloning, gene insertion, and viral transductions

o Validated nominal line speeds: Analyzed equipment & conducted time studieso Completed studies on the meat content of several SKUs; analyzed process capabilitieso Assisted in preparing the facility for ISO 22000 and Nestlé’s Quality Management System auditso Analyzed operations and proposed actions to improve flour usage, reporting, and waste control

o Investigated the impact of processing parameters on the formation of phenolic compounds in whiskyo Determined acceptable usage level of antifoam; validated antifoam efficiency, stability, and sensoryo Validated formula change and executed concept to commercialization testing for cocktails