A true passion for food safety has been the guiding force for my career, starting with a BS degree from Texas Tech University in Food Technology. I began my professional career as a regulator with the Texas Department of Health serving as both a Food and Drug Investigator and Public Health Sanitarian. My quest for further technical knowledge led me to the University of Florida where I earned a Ph.D. in Food Science, researching pathogenic bacteria and viruses associated with produce. My time in Florida provided additional opportunities - I worked internationally with USAID on a Food Safety initiative for Caribbean, South and Central American countries where I served as a food safety consultant to the governments of 13 countries in this region. Additional employment with ABC Research, a commercial microbiological laboratory, offered expansive understanding and experience in laboratory operations and project management. The meat industry was the first of the commodity groups to truly embrace and tackle the issue of food safety head-on. Working in the meat industry for over 13 years has provided me many opportunities to contribute to the safety of food products, not only for the companies I represented, but for the industry as a whole. I have had opportunities to serve on a number of key industry scientific and regulatory committees. Consequently, these contributions and ongoing commitment to food safety and employee training earned me national recognition early on, with distinction as a Rising Star by Meat Processing Magazine in 2007. My internal drive and passion have been rewarded with progressive leadership roles with Smithfield further expanding my areas of responsibility and skill sets. I have had the opportunity to develop and further the careers of many quality and food safety professionals who have progressed to leadership roles throughout the food industry as well as within Smithfield which I feel may have been my greatest contribution.
Listed skills include Haccp, Food Safety, Food Processing, Food Science, and 25 others.