Dan Zagzebski
President & CEO
Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc.

Dan Zagzebski is the President and CEO of Great Lakes Cheese, a natural and processed cheese manufacturer and packager. Dan has been with Great Lakes Cheese for 15 years, serving as President and CEO since 2015. He is an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. His focus on infrastructure and innovation has enabled the company to be a leader in cheese packaging and manufacturing in the United States.

Prior to his current role as President and CEO, Dan held various positions of increasing responsibility, including Chief Operations Officer and Vice President of Sales and Product Development. Dan joined the company when Great Lakes Cheese purchased Lemke Cheese and Packaging in Wausau, Wisconsin, where he was co-owner and CEO.

He earned an MBA from University of Notre Dame and a BS in Business Administration from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Dan enjoys traveling, sports, and spending time in nature. He and his wife, Dana, have three children and a beloved two-year-old granddaughter.

David Ahlem
Chief Executive Officer & President
Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.

David Ahlem, is the Chief Executive Officer and President for Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. a leading manufacturer of cheese and ingredients serving customers in more than 50 countries. He deepened his passion for the business and developed broad experience in previous roles as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President & General Manager, Cheese Operations and Vice President for Milk Procurement.

Ahlem joined Hilmar Cheese Company in 2004. In 2006, as Site Manager of the Texas plant, he led the company’s green field plant start-up and was instrumental in the development of the milk supply for the new facility. His expertise includes dairy policy, strategic management, and customer relations. Prior to working for Hilmar Cheese Company, he was a Business Manager for Cargill Animal Nutrition.

Ahlem is a proactive member of the dairy industry. He currently serves as Chair of the National Cheese Institute, and is a board member of the International Dairy Foods Association, the Innovation Center for US Dairy and the Dairy Institute of California. Ahlem also actively participates in several other industry-related groups.

Ahlem began his involvement in the dairy industry on his family’s dairy farm in Hilmar, California. He attended Westmont College, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.B.A from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Stan Ryan
President & CEO
Darigold, Inc.

Stanley Ryan is President and CEO of Darigold, a global dairy ingredient and consumer products cooperative based in Seattle, Wash. Prior to joining Darigold in February 2016, Ryan served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Bulk Shipping (Nasdaq: EGLE) based in New York City.

Ryan brings 25 years of international leadership experience from Cargill, Inc., where he served in a number of executive and general management roles. From 2011 to 2014, he was a Corporate Platform Leader responsible for co-leading all of Cargill’s global agricultural supply chain businesses (soft commodities), based in Shanghai, China. In 2010, he was President/Managing Director for Cargill Food Ingredients Australia/New Zealand in Sydney, Australia. From 2006 to 2010, Ryan was the President/Managing Director of Cargill Refined Oils Europe based in Schiedam, The Netherlands. From 1999 until 2006, he was stationed in Minneapolis, Minn., as President of Cargill’s North American Dressings, Sauces and Oils business. In 1998, Ryan was General Manager of Cargill’s Brazil Refined Oils in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Between1992 and 1997, he served as General Manager for Cargill’s Venezuela Refined Oils business in Caracas, Venezuela, and for Oilseeds Processing in Sidney, Ohio.

Ryan joined Cargill in 1989 at its global headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn., and worked in the Strategy and Business Development function until 1992.

He earned two master’s degrees from the University of Chicago in 1989 – an MA in international relations and MBA. He received his bachelor's degree in economics and computer applications from the University of Notre Dame in 1984.

Ryan resides in Seattle with his wife and daughter.

 

David Nelsen
Vice President, Manufacturing
Albertsons Companies

David Nelsen is the Vice President of Dairy Manufacturing at Albertsons. He has P&L responsibilities for 7 fluid milk and 2 ice cream plants which produce fluid milk, ESL, culture, bulk and novelty ice cream products. In addition, over the past 17 years he has led the successful startup of ESL, Ice Cream and Milk plants to better meet the needs of retail and external customers. David currently serves on the International Dairy Foods Association and Milk Industry Foundation boards.

Prior to his manufacturing assignment at Albertsons and Safeway David held increasingly responsible leadership roles at the following Fortune 100 companies; Exxon Mobil, Westinghouse and Rubbermaid. Throughout his career he has had a passion for learning and engaging the workforce in applying the continuous improvement principles of the Toyota Production System. He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M and has completed masters level courses in DOE and statistics.

David and his wife Julie have been married 29 years and reside in the Boise area. They enjoy visiting their two grown sons who reside in Scottsdale and Los Angeles along with golfing, biking, and going to the gym.

Jeffrey Kaneb
Executive Vice President
HP Hood LLC

Jeffrey J. Kaneb is Executive Vice President of HP Hood LLC in Lynnfield, MA, and has been with the company since the Kaneb family purchased HP Hood in 1995. Mr. Kaneb started with the company working in the distribution function, and currently oversees several aspects of HP Hood’s operations, including plant operations, distribution, sales, and marketing. Prior to his tenure at HP Hood, Mr. Kaneb worked at AT Kearney as a management consultant.

Mr. Kaneb is also a member of the board of directors of St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, MA, and former Chairman of the Board of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Boston.

Mr. Kaneb received his BA from Rice University and his MBA from Harvard University.

Mr. Kaneb, his wife and two children reside in Manchester, Massachusetts.

Ed Mullins
CEO/Executive Vice President
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.

Ed Mullins is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Prairie Farms Dairy. He began his career with Prairie Farms in 1980 and is only the fourth chief executive in the 80-year history of the Illinois based farmer-owned dairy cooperative. Before his appointment to the CEO position in 2006, Mullins served in various key executive management positions within the company.

Mullins sits on several industry-related boards including IDFA, IICA, MilkPEP, Milk Industry Foundation, and Missouri Grocers Association. In July 2018, he was inducted into the Missouri Grocers Association Hall of Fame. In 2014, Mullins received the IDFA Soaring Eagle Award for his extraordinary leadership in the dairy industry.

Michael C. Wells
President and Chief Executive Officer
Wells Enterprises, Inc.

Mike Wells started working in the family business in 1977 as a route driver while working his way through college and joined the Blue Bunny sales force in 1981 upon graduation with a BS in Business Administration. Early in his management career, Mike held various positions culminating with a series of Sr. management positions which eventually led to his title as COO in 2007. On November 13, 2007, Mike assumed his current position as President and CEO of Wells and today he continues to lead the family’s 100-year-old privately held company.

Mike is a recognized leader having received the Ernst and Young Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year for the central region, the Edward Deming Entrepreneurial and business excellence award, and the International Dairy Foods Associations Soaring Eagle leadership award. Mike serves on the International Dairy Foods Association Executive Council and is Chair of the International Dairy Foods Association ice cream board. He is the past President of the Iowa Dairy Foods Association, past Chair of the International Ice Cream Association, and past Chair of the Iowa Business Council. Mike is also a member of the Retail Owned Food Dealers Association, the Iowa Grocers Association, and the International Association of Ice Cream Distributors and Vendors.

Rich D. Draper
Chief Executive Officer
The Ice Cream Club, Inc.

Rich Draper is the CEO and Co-founder of The Ice Cream Club, Inc. headquartered in Boynton Beach, FL. Starting in 1982 with a single ice cream scoop shop, The Ice Cream Club, Inc. has steadily grown to become the leading Regional Manufacturer and Distributor of premium ice cream and related products to food service accounts throughout the Southeastern United States and Caribbean Islands. The Ice Cream Club, Inc. supplies over 650 ice cream shops, high-end restaurants, resorts and retirement communities. Pints of their premium ice cream are available direct to the customer via ecommerce.

Rich serves on the International Dairy Foods Association Executive Council and as Vice Chairman of the International Dairy Foods Association Ice Cream Board. In addition, he is the Interim Chairman of All Star Purchasing. He is past Chairman of the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, Suppliers Division.

Rich and The Ice Cream Club, Inc. support numerous organizations including the March of Dimes, the Literacy Coalition, Alzheimer Association, Diabetes Association, Hospice by the Sea and local police and schools.

Louie P. Gentine
Chief Executive Officer
Sargento Foods Inc.

Louie Gentine is Chief Executive Officer, Sargento Foods.

As a third-generation family owner, Louie has worked at the cheese company in many capacities - from washing trucks in high school to working on the production lines, in accounts receivable and retail sales during college.

Following family succession rules, Louie worked outside of the company as a commercial lender at American National Bank in Chicago for three years following his graduation from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA in Finance. He completed his MBA at Loyola and returned to Sargento, gaining additional experience with management roles in marketing, production and procurement.

Following several promotions, Louie assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer in October 2013.

Louie is married to Paula. They have four children and live in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Philippe L. Caradec
Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainable Development NORAM
Danone North America

Philippe Caradec is the Vice President Public Affairs and Sustainable Development of Danone North America, the North American business unit of Paris-based Danone. Danone North America was formed in April 2017 by combining the North American businesses of Danone dairy (including The Dannon Company) and WhiteWave Foods to further the company’s mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible. Mr. Caradec is responsible for all Government Affairs, Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility activities for Danone North America in the U.S. and Canada, as well as for Danone Waters, Happy Family and Nutricia North America.

Mr. Caradec joined Danone in April 1992 after spending four years as a consultant in Washington, D.C. specializing in technical and regulatory matters affecting the imported food and beverage industry.

Previously, Mr. Caradec was Assistant Agricultural Attaché for Technical and Regulatory Affairs at the Embassy of France in Washington DC.

Mr. Caradec received a Master of Science degree in Food Science from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, after completing his graduate studies at the National Superior School of Agronomy of Rennes, France.

Andrei Mikhalevsky
President and CEO
California Dairies, Inc.

Andrei Mikhalevsky is the President and CEO of California Dairies, Inc. (CDI). At CDI, Andrei is Board Chairman of Challenge Dairy Products, and Board President of Dairy America. Andrei joined CDI in January 2012 bringing more than 35 years of leadership experience to the role.

Previously, he held the position of managing director at Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd in Auckland NZ. Andrei’s career began at Campbell Soup Company and progressed to Georgia Pacific Corp. and Symrise Inc. Andrei currently serves as a Board Member of USDEC, is a Board Director of IDFA and the Milk Industry Foundation and a member of the Innovation Center for US Dairy. He also serves on CDFA’s Dairy Advisory council.

He is a graduate of Stetson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. In addition, he has attended the Food Executive Program at the University of Southern California.

Terry Brockman
President & COO, U.S. Division
Saputo Cheese USA Inc.

Terry Brockman graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1992 with a B.A. in Public Administration and Political Science. He joined Saputo in 1997 as Human Resources Manager. In 1999, he became Regional Human Resources Manager, and in 2000 was named Director, Human Resources Operations. Mr. Brockman was appointed Vice President, Human Resources, Cheese Division (USA) in 2001. Since April 2006, he serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Cheese Division (USA).

Jay Bryant
Chief Executive Officer
Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Inc.

Jay Bryant is the Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative.

A native of Boonville, N.C., Jay grew up on his family’s 70-cow dairy farm, which he returned to after graduating from North Carolina State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. He operated the family dairy in partnership with his father for three-years, after which he entered the world of milk marketing as a field representative for Carolina-Virginia.

Jay moved up the cooperative ladder into the field of milk marketing in 1992 and by 1997 he was named General Manager. He held that position until 1999 when Carolina-Virginia merged with Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers. Jay served as the director of milk marketing at Maryland & Virginia until 2002 when he was appointed CEO.

Russell Coleman
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Dean Foods Company

Russell F. Coleman is Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Government Affairs of Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF), a Fortune 500 dairy foods and beverages company with approximately 16,000 employees and annual sales of $8 billion. He oversees the company’s legal and regulatory matters and government affairs. Coleman previously was Senior Vice President & General Counsel of Belo Corp. (NYSE:BLC) and a partner of the law firm now known as Locke Lord LLP. He is involved in various civic and community matters; two immediate family members have been elected and re-elected to local public office in Texas and a third immediate family member's campaign was equally or more deserving. He is a former chairman of the Dallas Bar Foundation and of the Dallas Bar Association's Corporate Counsel section.

Peter Cotter
General Manager, Cheese & Dairy
The Kraft Heinz Company

Peter Cotter is the General Manager of the U.S. Cheese & Dairy business for The Kraft Heinz Company. He manages the company’s entire portfolio of Natural & Snacking Cheeses, Cultured Cheese, Cream Cheese, Sandwich Cheese and Ready To Eat Desserts.

Originally from Warwick, RI, Peter joined Kraft in 2007 and has held marketing and strategic leadership roles in the Biscuits, Snack Nuts, Meats, and Refrigerated Desserts categories. In 2016, Peter became General Manager of the highly successful Cream Cheese and Cultured Dairy business at Kraft Heinz. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, he worked as an actuarial consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and leading innovation research at Nielsen BASES. He has a BS from Providence College in Mathematics & Computer Science and an MBA from Boston College in Marketing & Finance.

Peter currently lives in Deerfield, IL with his wife and 5 children.

Tim Galloway
CEO
Galloway Company

Timothy E Galloway was born and raised in Neenah WI. He is a graduate of Neenah High School, the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in American Studies, and Santa Clara University with a J.D. Tim has worked for the family business, Galloway Company, since 1972. From 1972-1980 he worked in the summers as general labor for two years and then in sales for six years. Starting full time employment in 1980 he has been a salesman for ice cream mix, sweetened condensed milk, and beverage bases. He assumed the role of President in 1989, and then has been the CEO and Chairman of the board since 2000. He was also the Chair of the Member Board of Classic Mix Partners LLC from 1997-2010 which is now a wholly owned business unit of Galloway Company. Tim is proud to work with his two brothers and cousin as well as the rest of the professional Galloway team.

Galloway Company is a third generation owned and managed processor of concentrated fluid dairy blends for further food and beverage processing. It is the largest manufacturer of sweetened condensed milk for the confectionary, bakery, ice cream topping and variegate, and pumpable syrup industries. Galloway is also the largest producer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic dairy beverage bases for further processing and bottling. It is also a leading manufacturer of various ice cream mixes for the quick service restaurant and upscale scoopable dairy dessert trade which are distributed nationwide.

Tim is active in a number of professional organizations including IDFA, NCA, AACT and WDPA. He is also active in many local civic organizations related to the arts, community needs, health, youth, and his church. He lives in Neenah with his wife Siv Lindgren and they have three grown children. Tim loves to be with Siv travelling the world, snow skiing, sailing and boating, and golfing.

Douglas Glade
Executive Vice President, DFA
President, Commercial
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.

Doug joined DFA in 2012. In his current role as executive vice president of DFA and president of commercial, he is responsible for DFA’s commercial businesses, which include dairy ingredients, DairiConcepts®, and beverage and dairy foods. Additionally, Doug oversees the quality, operations and supply chain functions. Prior to his time with DFA, Doug served in a variety of executive roles for companies such as Nestlé, Novartis, Solo Cup Company and Monsanto.

Ken Jorgensen
Director, Dairy Operations
H-E-B

Ken Jorgensen is an eleven-year H-E-B Partner and is currently the Director of Dairy Operations within the Manufacturing Division. He has worked in the Dairy industry for 34 years across the United States ranging from Washington to Florida and resides in Texas. The foundation of his experience comes from 11 years as a Plant Engineer. Ken and his team provide many of the staple products for our H-E-B store operations including: milk, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, orange juice, and a number of UHT products.

Ken received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Boise State University. He has held Refrigeration and Boiler Licenses along with completing the first year of the Electricians Apprentice Program in the Pacific Northwest.

Ken is a past President of the Florida Dairy Products Association and is currently a board member serving on IDFA’s International Ice Cream Association, The Texas Dairy Products Institute in addition to serving as a MilkPEP Industry Representative. Ken has coached a wide range of sports: hockey, baseball, and basketball to name a few.

Ken is supported by Becky and kids, Andrew, Jamee, Katelyn, and Kyle. The family enjoys going to the gym, golfing, hunting and traveling to new places.

Jerry D. Kaminski
Chief Operating Officer
Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Jerry serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Land O’Lakes, Inc. In this role, Jerry leads efforts across the organization to develop, implement and monitor growth strategies and platforms consistent with the collective vision for Land O’Lakes. In addition to continuing to have oversight for the international businesses in South Africa, Kenya, China and Canada, Jerry also has overall responsibility for SUSTAIN, Crop Nutrients, International Development, Fuel for Growth, Ecommerce and Corporate Strategy.

Jerry comes to the COO role after serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer of International. Prior to that, he was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the total Dairy Foods Business/Retail and foodservice divisions, in addition to, Global Dairy Ingredients. Jerry joined Land O'Lakes in 2007. Before joining Land O’Lakes, he served as a vice president and general manager at General Mills, where he held various leadership positions in the retail and business-to-business segments. He also served as president and chief operating officer at Sparboe Foods. Jerry holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Scott McGinty
Chief Executive Officer
Aurora Organic Dairy

Scott assumed the role of CEO in 2018 with 20 years of experience developing the organic dairy sector. His background includes roles operating all aspects of the organic dairy supply chain, and building national and retailer brands. Scott most recently served as Aurora Organic Dairy’s President, responsible for overseeing operations and business strategies since 2010.

He joined Aurora Organic Dairy at its inception as VP of Sales and has grown it to be the country’s leading provider of private brand organic dairy products. Under Scott’s leadership, the company has extended its industry relationships, expanded its integrated producer-processor model and has built a nationwide product distribution footprint.

Scott’s experience in the consumer packaged goods industry began in retail management with Walmart Stores. He then developed a passion for entrepreneurial and conscious food businesses with Horizon Organic and Frontier Natural Products.

Scott received a degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University and resides in Boulder, Colorado.

Tom Murphy
President
Brewster Cheese Company

Tom Murphy is President of the Brewster Cheese Company. Tom joined Brewster Cheese in 2007 and was promoted to President in 2013. Tom started in the dairy industry with Kraft Foods in 1998 after serving in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer.

Tom received both his BS and MBA from Canisius College.

Tom, his wife Angie and three daughters reside in North Lawrence, OH.

Brian Phelan
CEO
Glanbia Nutritionals
Glanbia plc

Brian is currently CEO of Glanbia Nutritionals , it’s B2B arm and a global provider of dairy and non dairy nutritional solutions to a wide range of categories. It is also the number one producer and marketer of American style cheddar cheese. Brian joined the Board of Glanbia plc in 2013. Prior to taking up his current role, he held the position of Group Development and Global Cheese Director at Glanbia. He is also the Chairman of Glanbia Cheese Limited, a European based Joint Venture between Glanbia plc and Leprino Foods. Brian joined the Glanbia Group in 1993. Prior to this he worked with KPMG. He graduated from University College Cork with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Shelley Roth
President
Pierre's Ice Cream Company

Shelley Roth is President of Pierre’s Ice Cream Company, an 86-year-old regional ice cream manufacturer and distributor.

Pierre’s products are sold throughout Ohio, several other states, and China. The company also manufactures private label lines for several local and national retail chains as well as distributes many national brands of ice cream.

Since 1932, Pierre’s has remained in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio; with its original, classic recipes as daily reminders of the company's dedication to quality.

Shelley has been active in numerous community organizations, and supports the revitalization of Cleveland’s neighborhoods in many ways. Over the past 25 years, the company invested in new buildings for its production, distribution and headquarters on an 8-acre brownfield site at E. 65th and Euclid Avenue. These investments have sustained the company’s operation as well as demonstrated Pierre’s commitment and leadership in revitalization and redevelopment of a once blighted urban neighborhood.

Shelley is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland. In 1989 and 1990, Shelley served as chairman of the MidTown Corridor. She has served on the board of directors of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation since 1996, and chaired that board from 2004 – 2006. Presently, Shelley serves on the boards of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cuyahoga Community College Foundation and the International Ice Cream Association.

Shelley, and her husband of 36 years, Bruce Schwartz, live in Shaker Heights. She received a B.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan.

Erin Sharp
Group Vice President, Manufacturing
The Kroger Co.

Responsibilities
Erin Sharp is responsible for the company’s manufacturing plants as well as sourcing and planning for all Kroger Our Brands grocery products.

Experience
Erin joined Kroger in 2011 as Vice President of Operations for the Manufacturing Division. She was promoted to her current role in 2013. Before joining the company, she served as Vice President of Manufacturing for the Sara Lee Corporation. In that role, Erin led the Manufacturing and Logistics operations for the Central Region of their U.S. Fresh Bakery Division.

Education
Erin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario and a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Recognition
She serves on the Board of Directors for the national office for Feeding America, MilkPep, and serves as chair of the American Bakers Association (ABA).

Personal
Erin and her wife, Gloria, live in Cincinnati.

Patricia D. Stroup
Global Vice President and Head of Commodities
Nestle S.A.

Patty Stroup is global vice president and head of commodities at Nestlé. She has a long history in the dairy industry, with previous experience heading both North American and global dairy procurement for Nestle, as well as prior leadership roles at Hilmar Cheese Company in California and Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers in Virginia. Her career started as co-owner and manager of dairy farms in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

She holds a bachelors degree in communications with a cognate in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech, an MBA focused on Food and Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, and a leadership certificate from the London Business School.

Lawrence Webster
CEO
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.

Lawrence C. Webster, Chief Executive Officer of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. and General Manager of O-AT-KA Milk Products joined the cooperative in 2005.

Larry earned his degree in Food Science at the University of Kentucky. Following three years of military service in the U.S. Army and being discharged as a Captain, Larry worked on his Master’s Degree in Finance at Southern Illinois University

Larry’s career of more than 45 years has been spent working exclusively in agribusiness, and has spanned three Fortune 500 companies and one large independent. His employment began with the Kroger Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Southland Corporation in Dallas, Texas, followed by Labatt’s and Cloverland/Greenspring in Pennsylvania and Maryland, before joining Upstate Niagara.

In addition, Larry currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Milk Industry Foundation and the National Milk Producers Federation

Larry is married with three children and eight grandchildren.

Dale Andersen
President & CEO
Delkor Systems, Inc.

Dale Andersen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Food Science and Technology, and has an MBA from the Carson School of Management. After working for 12 years as Sales Manager of Delkor, he purchased the company in 1999. Over the past 20 years as President of Delkor, Dale has grown the company into one of North America’s leading packaging machinery companies, with a strong focus serving the dairy industry.

Mary Ledman
Global Strategist - Dairy
Rabobank - Chicago

Mary is a thought leader who has extensive knowledge of domestic and international dairy markets and policy. She has over thirty years of experience in production agriculture, food processing, government service, agricultural policy, dairy risk management, market information and dissemination, and milk and dairy product price forecasting.

Mary grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and has worked on farms in Germany and Japan. She received a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University and studied at the University of Goettingen, Germany. Mary’s work experience includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kraft Foods, Stella Foods, Keough Ledman Associates, and the Daily Dairy Report.

Mary joined Rabobank in January 2018 as their Global Dairy Strategist and directs a team of ten analysts around the globe. With a global exposure of $25bn spread across five continents, dairy is one of the most important sectors at Rabobank, the world’s leading Food and Agriculture bank.

Chris Olsen
Vice President, Community and Government Affairs
Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas LLC

Chris Olsen is currently Vice President of Community and Government Affairs for Tate & Lyle in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. In this position, Chris is responsible for federal, state, and local government relations as well as community and media relations for all Tate & Lyle facilities in the United States. The primary locations are in Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Maine, Arkansas, and Minnesota.

Prior to joining Tate & Lyle in February of 2005, Chris worked for Illinois Power, an electric and gas utility, for twenty-eight years. He worked in various public affairs, operations, and customer service roles.

Chris has been active in numerous community organizations promoting education, health, the arts, youth sports, and economic development.

Chris holds a BA from Millikin University (1974) and an MBA from University of Arizona (1976).

He has been married for forty-four years and has two children and three grandchildren.

Doug Simon
President, Agropur US Operations

Doug Simon grew up in the dairy industry as he was the third generation of a family cheese business. Currently he is President of Agropur’s US Operations. He has lead the US Operations for Agropur since his family’s business was sold to Agropur in 2008. Prior to that he held various roles within the family business.

He graduated from Marquette University in 1991 with a B.S. in business with a focus on accounting. He passed his CPA exam and worked in public accounting before coming back into the family business in 1994. At that time he was the controller and eventually became Vice President of Finance and ultimately President. In 1998, the family business merged with Weyauwega Milk Products and in 2000 acquired Krohn Dairy Products. The company changed names to Trega Foods, and he was the President of the combined company until it was sold in 2008.

He has been involved in various industry boards including IDFA, ADPI and WCMA. He was President of WCMA for two years during his eight-year involvement with the board.

Mike Neu
Senior Vice President, Food Cultures & Enzymes
Chr. Hansen, Inc.

Mike Neu is a third generation Dairy Processor who grew up in his family’s Cheese business. Mike attended the University of South Dakota where he received a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management and Marketing. After the sale of his family’s business to what is now DFA, Mike moved to California to build a successful cheese factory there.

After leaving the California plant, Mike joined Chr. Hansen where he has been for the last twenty five years serving customers in their Culture & Enzyme business. While at Chr. Hansen, Mike has lived in California, Wisconsin and Copenhagen Denmark holding the positions of Territory Manager, Marketing Manager - Cheese Cultures, Sales Manager – Cheese Ingredients, Global Vice President Commercial Development – Food Cultures, Business Manager, Cultures & Enzymes and his current role of Senior Vice President – Business Development, Food Cultures & Enzymes – North America.

Mike lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin with his wife and two children.

Trevor Farrell
Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer
Schreiber Foods, Inc.

Trevor was named Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Schreiber U.S. in June 2019.

He joined Schreiber Foods in 1998 as Supply Chain Team Leader after a four year career with Anchor Foods as Procurement Manager. Throughout his career with Schreiber, he has worked in many departments, including Marketing, Sales and Supply Chain.

He was named a Director in 2004, and held this title in three areas, New Business Development, Procurement, and Sales.  In 2016, Trevor was named Vice President of Retail Sales and Senior Vice President of Retail Sales in 2017.

In the community, Trevor serves as Board Chair at the Salvation Army. Trevor is also the President of the East High School Booster Club. He is actively involved in his local church.

Trevor has won numerous awards for his performance and leadership at Schreiber, including President’s Awards for Partnership, Customer Focus, Leadership and Community Service.

Trevor has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree, with majors in Accounting & Management, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

Trevor and his wife Brenda have three children, Hannah, Bennett and Gretchen. He is originally from Green Bay and feels very fortunate to be able to raise his family in this community, surrounded by family and friends.

Sue M. Taylor
Vice President - Dairy Economics & Policy
Leprino Foods Company

Sue Taylor is the Vice President of Dairy Economics and Policy for Leprino Foods Company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Leprino operates nine manufacturing plants in the United States and has joint ventures in the UK and in Brazil. Sue’s responsibilities at Leprino include leading the company’s economic, legislative and regulatory dairy policy efforts. She also managed the company’s milk procurement function for twenty years. Prior to joining the company, Sue was a principal in a dairy economics consulting business and held various positions related to milk procurement, dairy economics, and agricultural lending. Sue holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Professional Studies degrees from Cornell University.

Greg Schlafer
President & CEO
Foremost Farms USA

Greg Schlafer is President & CEO of Foremost Farms USA Cooperative. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the food industry and a proven track record of business and leadership success. He joined Foremost Farms in December 2019 when he was named President & CEO.

Foremost Farms, headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin, manufactures American- and Italian-style cheeses, butter and specialty whey ingredients for customers around the world. It also markets bulk fluid milk. The cooperative is owned by 1,200 dairy farmer-members from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The cooperative employs more than 1,000 people.

Before joining Foremost Farms, Schlafer served as Vice President, Food Group Sales & Marketing at J.R. Simplot Company. Prior to that he was President of Lamb Weston, a division of ConAgra Foods, Inc. Schlafer started his career at General Mills where he assumed roles as Vice President & General Manager, Bakeries & Foodservice Division.

Schlafer earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.