Joelle Mosso

---

Joelle Mosso, Entrepreneurial Scientist

Joelle Mosso is an entrepreneurial scientist passionate about pathogenic food microbiology, risk assessment, and working towards practical solutions for the food industry. Joelle currently is Western Growers Assoc. VP of Science Programs, working alongside growers to develop improved approaches to food safety and sustainability challenges. She has a background in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA), building microbial testing laboratories, evaluating and designing microbial diagnostic tools/approaches, and firsthand produce experience, managing food safety for complex international supply chains. Before Western Growers, she was Sr. Director of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the Organic Trade Association (OTA), was the chief scientific officer for the Eurofins Produce, and held food safety and business leadership roles at Earthbound Farm and Olam Spice & Vegetable Ingredients. She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland in Microbiology with honors in Molecular Biology. She holds an M.S. in Food Science focused on pathogenic food microbiology from the University of California, Davis. Joelle has served on numerous industry technical groups including the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee, the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Food Safety Council, the USDA National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), and the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). 

Dr. Jay-Russell is a Research Microbiologist and Manager of the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS), an FDA Center of Excellence at the University of California-Davis. Prior to joining the university, she worked as an epidemiologist for over 15 years in state and local public health including in the role of California State Public Health Veterinarian, and member of the California Food Emergency Response Team (CalFERT). She received her D.V.M. and M.PV.M degrees in 1992, and her Ph.D. (Microbiology) in 2011, from the University of California-Davis. She is specialty board certified by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

 Dr. Channah Rock is a Professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Environmental Science and also maintains a joint appointment as a Water Quality Specialist with UA Cooperative Extension. Dr. Rock holds Ph.D. and MS degrees from Arizona State University in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a BS degree in Microbiology from New Mexico State University. Dr. Rock is a Principal Investigator on several projects relating to microbial evaluation of water quality for the protection of public health including surface water, recycled water, and potable reuse. She is currently facilitating a multi-year study between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the University of Arizona, the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District, and local members of the Yuma growing community to evaluate the environment in and around the 2018 Spring E. coli outbreak area to enhance food safety. Additionally, her recent research efforts have focused on the efficacy of agriculture water treatment options that are viable to the fresh produce industry to meet new risk reduction LGMA and FDA FSMA metrics. She currently serves as Past President for WateReuse Arizona and as a founding member of the national  

Justin Kerr, Factor IV Solutions LLC

Justin Kerr has a B.S. in Dairy Product Technology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has worked in sanitation and support of food processing for the last 25+ years.

Justin founded Factor IV Solutions, LLC in 2013. The team at Factor IV focuses on building stability in food safety and sanitation programs through procedure verification, training, and monitoring of operations throughout North America.

Trevor Suslow, Ph.D.

Trevor Suslow, Ph.D. formed Trevor Suslow Consulting, LLC in 2021 and holds an Emeritus faculty position at UC Davis with an emphasis on preharvest to postharvest quality and safety of fresh consumed specialty crops. Trevor still devotes substantial time to Extension service and effort across the U.S. and internationally. His former full-time position at UCD included statewide responsibilities in quality and safety on diverse whole fresh and minimally processed horticultural foods from annual row crops to tree and vine commodities. Before his tenure at UCD, Trevor held a Senior Director of R&D position at DNA Plant Technology, Inc. in Berkeley, CA for 15+ years He served in a technical committee role at the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee from its creation in 2008. He transitioned to a CPS technical advisory role to the CPS Executive Director in 2021. Trevor received the United Fresh Produce Association Technical Award in 2012 and received The Packer 25 Profiles in Leadership Award in 2014. He was named to the Food Safety News list of The Best of Food Safety in Education and honored with the National Steinbeck Center’s Valley of the World Award in Education in 2017. Trevor served as Faculty Director for the UC Postharvest Technology Center from 2016 to October 2018. Dr. Suslow was recognized by the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) with the 2018 Elmer Marth Educator Award and in 2019 the IAFP President’s Award. Most recently, he was selected as one of AFDO's The Food Safety Set: 16 People Who Have Shaped the Last 30 Years of Food Safety.

Robert J. Whitaker, Ph.D., President, Whitaker Consulting, LLC

In 2020, Dr. Bob Whitaker founded Whitaker Consulting to develop educational material and provide produce safety and technology consulting services to the fresh fruit and vegetable industries. From 2008 to early 2020, Bob served the Produce Marketing Association as its Chief Science & Technology Officer, responsible for product safety, technology, supply chain management, government affairs, and sustainability. Bob also served on the Center for Produce Safety board of directors and executive committee from its founding in 2007 until June 2020 and was the first chair of the CPS technical committee (2008-2013).  

Before PMA, Bob spent 16 years in the agricultural biotechnology field with DNA Plant Technology Corporation as a researcher and finally as Vice President for Fruit and Vegetable Research and Development. After DNAP, Bob worked 10 years at NewStar Fresh Foods and its subsidiary, MissionStar Processing in produce safety, product development, and as Vice President of Process Operations.  Bob’s work has been widely published in several disciplines including enzymology, plant tissue culture, microbiology, food safety, and technology.

Actively involved in produce association activities throughout his career, Bob served as a volunteer leader for several national and regional industry trade groups. Bob served on the board of directors for the International Fresh Processors Association (2002-2006) becoming the chair (2005-2006) and the board and executive committee of United Fresh from 2006-2008. Bob provided technical expertise through participation on the food safety and technical committees at IFPA (chair 2000-2004), United Fresh, LGMA (2007-2009), and the Salinas Valley Grower/Shipper Association (2005-2007). Bob has been honored by several groups for technical achievement and leadership including the International Fresh-cut Processors’ Association (IFPA) Technical Achievement Award (2006), USDA National Advisory Committee on Microbial Criteria for Foods committee member (2010-2012), NSF Food Safety Leadership (2015), CPS leadership (2015 and 2018), National Academies of Science Genetically Engineered Crops Review panel (2016) and the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement’s Golden Checkmark Award for Achievement (2019). 

Bob holds a doctorate in biology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. 

Dr. Eduardo Gutierrez-Rodriguez

Dr. Gutierrez-Rodriguez brings over two decades of expertise in research, extension, and business within the realm of food safety systems, particularly focusing on fresh produce and minimally processed food environments. His research is dedicated to understanding the microbial ecology of human pathogens in both farm and food processing settings. This includes examining microbial interactions, risk assessment, and the development of remediation practices aimed at sustaining fruit and vegetable production while minimizing the transfer of human pathogens into the food supply chain. In addition to his research, Dr. Gutierrez-Rodriguez has collaborated extensively with the food industry in Latin America and the U.S., supporting training related to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in areas such as the fresh produce, preventive controls for human food, and foreign supplier verification regulations. His industry involvement extends to guiding research and development, as well as quality assurance departments, in both the U.S. and Costa Rica. He has been instrumental in establishing benchmarks for on-farm process validation, risk assessment, water systems, co-management, and practices in washing fresh produce, sanitation, bioremediation, and preservation. His work has also spanned in assisting the food and chemical industries in the U.S. with the registration of antimicrobial products with the FDA and EPA. This includes strategizing to reduce the transfer of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within diversified farming systems, composting processes, and ready-to-eat foods. Dr. Gutierrez-Rodriguez's food safety systems research and education efforts emphasize the interconnectedness of human health with the health, stability, and biodiversity of our food and agricultural ecosystems. His approach underlines the direct impact of human activities on climate, land use, global trade, and animal husbandry, which in turn affect our food and water supplies, as well as the overall health and disease susceptibility of consumers. 

Jim Brennan,  President, SmartWash Solutions, LLC

Jim has over 40 years of experience in the food, beverage, and produce industries and has held executive positions in R&D, Engineering, and Operations.  Jim specializes in the development and commercialization of new businesses and technologies that enable new businesses. He has successfully guided international joint ventures in the fruit and vegetable sector. He has established long-term joint development efforts in bioengineering focused on alternative disease and pest control. Equally as important are his efforts to integrate microprocessor control technology into everyday agricultural practices and processing, leading to significant reductions in disease and pest control costs as well as positively impacting food safety in products. In his current position, he has guided the development and commercialization of novel processing approaches for the prevention of water-mediated microbial cross-contamination in food and agricultural wash systems. He has also been instrumental in the advancement of GAPs in produce items ranging from tropical fruits to tree nuts to a broad spectrum of vegetables.

Lianna Kelly, Produce Safety Expert, CFSAN Office of Food Safety, FDA

Lianna holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Davis and has worked in food and agriculture for 10 years. In 2020 she joined the FDA’s Produce Safety Network doing outreach and education work for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. She began her career working in small wineries, where she first learned the importance of cleaning and sanitation. Since 2014, Lianna has worked exclusively in produce food safety. She was the Director of Food Safety for a fresh produce purchasing cooperative where she interacted with over 200 very small to very large produce operations across North America helping to understand and improve food safety practices. Lianna has a passion for fresh and safe produce. 

Richard Warsaw, Vice President – Food Safety & Quality Assurance for Braga Fresh

Richard serves as Vice President – Food Safety & Quality Assurance for Braga Fresh, a grower/shipper/processor based in the Salinas Valley.  Richard provides Braga Fresh technical and regulatory support as a bilingual Microbiologist with diverse industry exposure.  His background includes an MBA from the University of Arizona, a B.S. in Biology from Humboldt State University, laboratory experience from his time at IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group, Inc. as Laboratory Director – Produce Southwest, as well as produce farming & processing experience with GreenGate Fresh, LLLPas Director – Food Safety & Quality.