David T. Ingram

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David T. Ingram

Consumer Safety Officer 

Fresh Produce Branch, Division of Produce Safety 

Dr. Dave Ingram joined FDA/CFSAN in 2013 as a Consumer Safety Officer with the Division of Produce Safety in the Office of Food Safety. Previous experience includes over 14 years of service as a Food Safety Microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland, where he integrated his experiences in clinical, food, and environmental microbiology to further research in critical pre-and post-harvest food safety issues. Pre-harvest areas of interest include the potential for human pathogens to contaminate produce, especially leafy greens, as well as understanding how irrigation water quality management and the application of various standards for treating and handling soil amendments may help to reduce the prevalence and persistence of on-farm foodborne pathogens. Dr. Ingram has investigated how virulence factor regulation and expression may influence the growth and persistence of foodborne pathogens in farm environments, as well as during postharvest processing and packaging of lettuce and other leafy greens. Dr. Ingram’s research has been instrumental in the development of the United States Composting Council (USCC) testing standards for human pathogens in compost and his work on the fate of human microbial pathogens during the production of compost and agricultural teas was used to develop compost tea Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) adopted by the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB). Dr. Ingram is pleased with his transition to the FDA, where he serves in many capacities in continuance of his commitment to promoting public health by enhancing the safety of our nation’s food supply – mainly through the development of feasible, science-based regulations designed to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness associated with produce. He received his B.S. in Biology from Dickinson College, and both M.S. (Microbiology) and Ph.D. (Food Science) degrees from the University of Maryland at College Park. 

Natalie Krout-Greenberg 

 Director for the Division of Inspection Services, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)    

Natalie Krout-Greenberg currently serves as the Director for the Division of Inspection Services at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA); she has worked for CDFA since 2005. In her role, she and her team support and contribute to a safe, abundant, quality food supply; environmentally sound agricultural practices; and an equitable marketplace for California agriculture. During her time at CDFA, she has worked closely with California's agriculture industry-leading several specialized working groups and initiatives in the areas of Food Safety; Direct Marketing; Organic; Livestock Feed and Drugs; and, Food Access.

Natalie attended the University of California, Davis where she focused her studies in animal science and nutritional toxicology. Her research work surveyed mycotoxin contamination to the California feed supply. During her time with the Department, Natalie has completed the CDFA Executive Program in Leadership and has been instrumental in facilitating leadership classes to the staff at CDFA. 

Prior to working for CDFA, Natalie spent time working with dairy farms throughout the mid­western states and in California. Raised in Sonoma County, California, Natalie's passion for agriculture surrounded her growing up on a ranch in Petaluma.  She was actively involved in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) where she obtained her American Farmer degree and now enjoys 4-H with her kids. 

Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli

Executive Director, Center for Produce Safety

Ms. Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Business Management from California Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, and her Masters of Business Administration from Sacramento State University.  After fifteen years as Executive Director at the California Wheat Commission, she joined the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) in 2008 as its Executive Director working to leverage public and private expertise and research dollars to address critical risk management issues in the growth, harvest, processing, and distribution of fresh produce.  As Executive Director she focuses the CPC’s attention on critical food safety issues affecting the fresh produce industry and establishes collaborations among public agencies and private industry to maximize the impact of research budgets.   

Felice Arboisiere, Director FSQA N. America at DOLE Fresh Vegetables

Felice Arboisiere is the Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance Supply Chain for North America for Dole Fresh Vegetables. Ms. Arboisiere also has direct responsibility for the Diversified Division of Dole. She joined Dole in 2020 and is responsible for all food safety aspects of the supply chain for DFV as well as quality.  Prior to Dole, she was the Corporate Microbiologist / Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager for Taco Bell. Before joining the food sector Felice was a senior microbiologist for Estee Lauder, where she managed the microbiology department on all new products and did product development work on fermentative bacteria for cosmetic products. Ms. Arboisiere studied microbiology and biology at Arizona State University where she was born and raised.

Bryan Banks, Founder and COO, KipTraq 

Bryan Banks is the founder and COO of KipTraq (pronounced “Keep Track”), which is used daily by more than 60 companies across North America.  He has been developing software to help companies manage complex business processes since the late 90s.  He started his career as a Marine Biologist, but quickly found his calling in helping organizations collect and manage data.

Todd Berg

Todd spends his days working with customers throughout the food supply chain to understand their needs, applying iFoodDS technologies and products to benefit their businesses and identifying new opportunities for technology and innovation to revolutionize the food supply chain. Todd is an expert in traceability and supply chain quality solutions from the field to the end consumer. Todd has spent his career leading software product management specifically in SaaS and mobile solutions, and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University.

Michael Brautovich, Compost Operations,

Keith Day Company/Gabilan Ag Services 

Michael has more than 30 years of experience in agriculture and horticulture in all aspects of producing organic and conventionally grown greenhouse crops and field-grown fruits and vegetables from the farm too and through the processing facility. Michael spent more than 10 years at Earthbound Farm where he led the implementation of good agricultural practices for raw agricultural commodities. He has researched and implemented organic soil management and fertility practices and guidelines for ornamental and vegetable crop producers and compost operations throughout California. He has served on the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Technical Committee, the Global GAP National Technical Working Group, been a member of the Farm Food Safety and Conservation Network steering committee and served on the AB 856 Organic Input Materials Subcommittee. During his tenure with Sun-Land Garden Products, he developed and managed one of the first fully permitted solid waste facility compost sites in Monterey County at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District Environmental Park in Marina Ca. He is currently with Keith Day Company, overseeing compost operations and product quality, safety, and organic compliance.

Donna Lynn Browne, Naturipe

Donna Lynn began her career in Produce Food safety after graduating from Cal Poly SLO in 1989.  Her first job was as a research microbiologist at the Dole Technical Center in San Jose, CA. She then moved on to positions with Safeway Manufacturing and Dole Fresh Vegetables as a Quality Supervisor and QA Manager.  She then operated a very successful business for eight years as a food safety consultant; her main clients were Herb Thyme, Green line, Taylor Farms, and River Point Farms.  Her current position is Senior Director of Food Safety and Social Responsibility with Naturipe Farms LLC, which she has enjoyed for the past ten years. She holds a BS in Microbiology, and MS in international food law and has numerous food safety certifications (SQF, HACCP, GLOBALG.A.P, PCQI, FVSP, etc.).  She sits on the technical committee for the Center for Produce Safety (CPS), on the IFPA Food Safety and Technology Council, and most recently has joined the Consumer Goods Forums, where she works on the steering committee for the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI). She lives with her husband in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.

Kate Burr, Food Safety Director, Markon Cooperative

Kate Burr came on board as Markon’s Food Safety Director in January 2021. Since joining the company, Kate has completely revamped the Crisis and Recall Plan, making it easier to understand and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of team members. In addition to directing the supplier approval program, working closely with multi-unit accounts and regulatory agencies to ensure product requirement compliance, and performing mock recalls, she has also taken the Markon Food Safety Plan to the next level, including the transition to mandatory usage of GS1-128 scannable barcode labels on Markon branded items and Single Origin Romaine for suppliers who transition growing regions in Markon branded products.

Prior to joining Markon, Kate held multiple roles in the food safety department at Church Brothers Farms, from early 2015 through December 2020. Most recently Kate held the position of Sustainability & Customer Response Programs Manager. She was responsible for developing an inclusive Customer Assurance Tracking Program as well as implementing a detailed Food Safety Recall Plan. Additionally, Kate worked to create a comprehensive Sustainability Report focused on the company’s internal farming operations while serving on the PMA Sustainability Committee. 

A graduate of Oregon State University, she received her BS in Public Health; Kate originally hails from the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, when she’s not on the golf course, she enjoys volunteering with a local women’s service organization and spending time exploring the Central Coast. She is currently the president of the Junior League of Monterey County and President of the Monterey Tri Delta Alumni Chapter.

Kate is an active participant in the following industry organizations:

International Fresh Produce Association Food Safety Council

Western Growers Food Safety Advisory Subcommittee - Secretary

Keston was born and raised in King City, California, and attended Cal Poly where he earned a BS in 

Crop Science.  He works for L.A. Hearne Company as a Certified Crop Adviser in Monterey, Santa Cruz, 

San Benito, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

 Stacey Klinzing, Director of Food Safety- Sprouts Farmers Market
 

Stacey joined Sprouts in 2022 and oversees all aspects of the retail and supply chain food safety programs. Before joining the grocery retail space, Stacey has been in the food industry for over 30 years in food service operations with Darden, Bloomin Brands, and most recently FSQA manager for PF Chang’s Global Support Center. Her interest in food science led her to Innovadex, which today is known as UL Prospector, where she was part of the development team for the food and beverage platform that is used extensively in the food science community today resourcing technical information and B2B ingredient formulation needs. She has also worked for Corbion and Dupont Nutrition and Biosciences in both food safety and quality assurance.
 

An active member of IFT, NEHA, and IAFP, she has served on several scholarship selection committees, was the board chair for the IFT Kansas City chapter, and received recognition at the national IFT annual meeting as an outstanding volunteer for her service. She serves on the advisory board at the University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education Customer Experience Program and the Food Codex Committee with IFT. Receiving her bachelors from Kansas State University and her master’s from Michigan State University, she has dedicated her studies to social and behavioral science, food science, and food safety. Stacey is working on her Doctorate at Wilmington University in Prevention Science advocating for more equitable food safety, nutrition, and access to healthy foods for our country’s most underserved populations.
 

Barbara B. Kowalcyk is a recognized expert in food safety and has broad experience and training in epidemiology, public health informatics, risk science, regulatory decision-making, and public policy. For over 15 years, her efforts have focused on advancing a more systems-based approach to food safety. One that promotes evidence-based decision-making from farm to fork to physician, and considers the broader connectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. In 2006, Dr. Kowalcyk co-founded the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing a stronger, more science-based food safety system that prevents foodborne illness and protects public health.

In 2017, she joined the faculty at The Ohio State University (OSU) in the Department of Food Science and Technology and the Translational Data Analytics Institute. Dr. Kowalcyk has served on many national committees, including two National Academy of Sciences committees and her current appointment to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Science Board.

In addition to her extensive experience in food safety, Dr. Kowalcyk has more than 10 years of experience as a biostatistician. From conducting clinical research to providing support to data safety monitoring boards in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Kowalcyk’s research interests include linking public health information with data from across the food system to enhance the understanding of foodborne disease epidemiology. All while supporting the development of evidence-informed policies and practices that prevent foodborne illness, and change behaviors around food safety across the food system.

linkedin.com/in/barbara-kowalcyk-5b04148

David LaPlante, FDA 

David LaPlante has been working for the federal government for over 15 years. He began working for the FDA in New York as an Investigator in 2016. In 2022, he became the Division Recall Coordinator covering recall activities in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. His current job duties include working with firm management to initiate recalls, collect information needed to classify a memory, ensure a product is removed from sale, and make corrective actions.

Dragan Macura,  AgroThrive

Dragan Macura is the founder and owner of AgroThrive, Inc. of Gonzales, C.A. AgroThrive manufactures liquid organic bio-fertilizers by a proprietary, auto thermal, natural microbial digestion process that he calls Progressive Digestion Process (P.D.P.). AgroThrive was the first company in California to adopt the H.A.C.C.P. food safety system for the production of organic fertilizers. He did this right after the 2006 spinach poisoning with E. coli O157:H7 and before LGMA guidelines were in place because he understands that there is no kill step between the farm and the fork when it comes to the production of leafy greens.

Dragan holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Food Science and Technology and Applied Microbiology from U.B.C., Vancouver, Canada. After a brief research position at U.B.C., Dragan worked for McCormick spices and flavors company, growing plant tissue cultures of black pepper, Vanilla, and Cinnamon to produce their respective flavoring compounds under controlled laboratory conditions. He then worked for a company that developed some of the early modified atmosphere packaging technologies for the extension of the shelf life of small fruits and cut fruits and vegetables. After that, he had a successful private consulting business in Canada where he developed new products and solved technical problems in the food industry. After that, he move to California and became involved with organic fertilizer production. He eventually started AgroThrive in 2006 which he still runs with his two sons who hold business degrees from San Jose State University.

In today’s panel discussion, Dragan will represent the liquid organic fertilizer manufacturers and discuss the challenges they face as a result of handling heavily contaminated raw materials and having to decontaminate them before they are used as fertilizers in the leafy greens industry.

An accomplished attorney and national expert in food safety, William (Bill) Marler has become the most prominent foodborne illness lawyer in America and a major force in food policy in the U.S. and around the world.  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, has represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused life-altering injury and even death.

Bill began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993 when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the historic Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, in her landmark $15.6 million settlement with the company.  The 2011 book, Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat, by best-selling author Jeff Benedict, chronicles the Jack in the Box outbreak and the rise of Bill Marler as a food safety attorney.

For the last 27 years, Bill has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak in the United States, filing lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, Chili’s, Chi-Chi’s, Chipotle, ConAgra, Dole, Excel, Golden Corral, KFC, McDonald’s, Odwalla, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Sizzler, Supervalu, Taco Bell and Wendy’s. Through his work, he has secured over $750,000,000 for victims of E. coli, Salmonella, and other foodborne illnesses.

Among the most notable cases he has litigated, Bill counts those of nineteen-year-old dancer Stephanie Smith, who was sickened by an E. coli-contaminated hamburger that left her brain damaged and paralyzed, and Linda Rivera, a fifty-seven-year-old mother of six from Nevada, who was hospitalized for over 2 years after she was stricken with what her doctor described as “the most severe multi-organ [bowel, kidney, brain, lung, gall bladder, and pancreas] case of E. coli mediated HUS I have seen in my extensive experience.”

New York Times reporter Michael Moss won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Smith’s case, which was settled by Cargill in 2010 for an amount “to care for her throughout her life.” Linda’s story hit the front page of the Washington Post and became Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s touchstone for successfully moving forward with the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010.

More Than an Attorney

Bill Marler’s advocacy for a safer food supply includes petitioning the United States Department of Agriculture to better regulate pathogenic E. coli, working with nonprofit food safety and foodborne illness victims’ organizations, and helping spur the passage of the 2010-2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.  His work has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety, including testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. 

At little or no cost to event organizers, Bill travels widely and frequently to speak to food industry groups, fair associations, and public health groups about the litigation of claims resulting from outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the issues surrounding it.  He gives frequent donations to industry groups for the promotion of improved food safety and has established numerous collegiate science scholarships across the nation.

He is a frequent writer on topics related to foodborne illness.  Bill’s articles include “Separating the Chaff from the Wheat: How to Determine the Strength of a Foodborne Illness Claim”, “Food Claims and Litigation”, “How to Keep Your Focus on Food Safety”, and “How to Document a Food Poisoning Case” (co-authored with David Babcock). He is the publisher of the online news site, Food Safety News, and his award-winning blog, www.marlerblog.com is avidly read by the food safety and legal communities. He is a frequent media guest on food safety issues and has been profiled in numerous publications, including ABC News, New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.

In 2010 Bill was awarded the NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Education and in 2008 earned the Outstanding Lawyer Award from the King County Bar Association.  He also received the Public Justice Award from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association in 2008. 

Bill graduated from the Seattle University School of Law in 1987, and in 1998 was the Law School’s “Lawyer in Residence.”  In 2011, he was given Seattle University’s Professional Achievement Award. 

Frank Yiannas, Day 1 Keynote Speaker

Frank Yiannas is a renowned food safety leader and executive, food system futurist, author, professor, past president of the International Association of Food Protection, and advocate for consumers. Most recently, he served under two different administrations as the Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a position he held from 2018 to 2023, after spending 30 years in leadership roles with two industry giants: Walmart and the Walt Disney Company. Throughout his career, Frank has been recognized for his role in strengthening food safety standards in new and innovative ways, as well as building effective food safety management systems based on modern, science-based, and tech-enabled prevention principles.

Mr. Kennedy is a global leader in food traceability technology, standards, and regulations. He co-leads New Era Partners, a division of iFoodDS, dedicated to assisting companies with the FDA Food Traceability Rule, FSMA 204. 

Mr. Kennedy’s prior experience includes three years at the FDA in the Office of Food Policy and Response developing food supply chain traceability and recall systems, public-facing programs, and regulatory policy, including FDA’s Final Rule for Food Traceability and Tech-enabled Traceability, the first core element of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. At FDA, Mr. Kennedy led the team that developed 21 Forward, used by FDA’s Foods Program to assist with COVID-19 vaccine distribution, monitor the impact of the pandemic on the U.S. Food Supply Chain, and assist with the powdered infant formula crisis response.   

Prior to his work at the FDA, Mr. Kennedy led IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center and co-founded FoodLogiQ (acquired by Riverside). He co-convened traceability standards development working groups for GS1, the Produce Traceability Initiative and the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability. With Jennifer McEntire, United Fresh Produce Association, Mr. Kennedy edited “Food Traceability from Binders to Blockchain,” published by Springer.  

Mr. Kennedy began his career at Accenture in New York City, then helped grow two startups, Clarkston – an early leader in SAP Consulting, and Diba Industries – an innovator in clinical diagnostic precision fluid handling (acquired by Halma, LSE:HLMA). Mr. Kennedy holds an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and an A.B. in Economics from Lafayette College. 

Claire Zoellner, Ph.D., is Director of Data Science at iFoodDS, a leading provider of connected traceability, quality, and food safety solutions. She uses her expertise to lead innovation for data-driven decision-making in food safety and quality management solutions and collaborates with researchers in industry and academia on new decision-support tools for enterprise risk management. Claire has presented nationally and internationally on software, AI/ML, and predictive analytics for food safety and quality programs. She has published more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Claire holds a B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology with minors in Epidemiology and Systems Engineering from Cornell University.

The Future of AI and Advancing Food Safety & Quality Management

Artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities are rapidly advancing, driving efficiency across a wide range of sectors and business units, including food production, processing, distribution, and retail. This session will provide an update on the state of the art of AI/ML technology, examples of applications in food safety and quality management, and considerations for the future of fresh produce food safety and quality systems.

Kerry Bridges is the Vice President of Food Safety at Chipotle Mexican Grill. In her role, Kerry oversees food safety standards, quality assurance, and procedures. 

Kerry joined Chipotle in January of 2019 and manages a team of individuals who are committed to enforcing Chipotle’s zero-tolerance policy and industry-leading processes, focusing on supply chain, in-restaurant practices, food prep, and employee training. Food safety is more than a collection of programs and processes; it’s part of Chipotle’s culture and is incorporated into all elements of the company’s business, from supply chain to day-to-day restaurant operations.

Prior to joining Chipotle, Kerry oversaw supplier food safety for the world’s largest food retailer, Wal-Mart, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. During her time at Wal-Mart, Kerry’s food safety oversight included tens of thousands of Wal Mart’s, Neighborhood Market’s, and Sam’s Clubs food suppliers, in addition to researching and assessing new and emerging food safety issues and handling regulatory compliance. Prior to Wal-Mart, Kerry’s food safety career also included roles with TESCO and Jack in the Box, Inc. 

Kerry is a past president of the International Association for the Southern California Affiliate of Food Protection (IAFP) and former board member of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI). Kerry attended California Polytechnic State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Food Science. 

Johnny McGuire is the Director of Information Technology for The Nunes Company, Inc. AKA Foxy Produce and he currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Producesupply.org, a consortium of some of North America's leading produce suppliers who are working to facilitate technology adoption in the produce supply chain. For almost 20 years, Johnny has worked at the forefront of produce traceability in a variety of technology-based roles including the early development of field-based labelling systems and item traceability.”