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 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 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.

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.

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.

Martin joined DFA in 2018 after a 25-year career with Fonterra and New Zealand dairy co-ops, where he most recently directed a joint venture partnership, expanding Fonterra’s global strategy and footprint in Russia. In his current role as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Ingredients Division, Martin is responsible for DFA’s global ingredients business. Martin has extensive global experience in the dairy industry, including global operations and manufacturing, customer and government relations and global extended supply chain and optimization across a wide range of cultures and geographies.

Steve Cooper grew up in Southern California where he was first exposed to the dairy business through high school friends that lived on dairy farms where he first started milking cows. He graduated from Mt. San Antonio Junior college with an A.S. degree in dairy science. While at Mt. SAC he was the student herdsman of the school dairy and ran the colleges processing facility. Upon graduation he finished his education at California State University – Fresno with a degree in dairy technology. While attending college he worked for California Milk Producers, Dairyman’s Cooperative Creamery Association, and Foremost Dairies. He was also the Plant Manager of the colleges processing facility that processed milk from the college’s dairy herd and supplied the food services on campus. Upon graduation he started his career with Sonoma Cheese Factory as assistant plant manager for a period of 3 years. He then went to work for California Milk Producers which after merging with two other cooperatives became California Dairies Inc. the second largest milk marketing cooperative in the U.S. His career there spanned twenty two years starting as a plant supervisor and lastly as Vice President of Operations over three of the Cooperatives processing facilities. During his career at CDI Steve was responsible for plant operations, marketing and logistics as well as design and commissioning of numerous dryers, evaporators, ultrafiltration and butter operations.

In 2009 Steve became the COO/ General Manager of Continental Dairy Facilities LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of Select Milk Producers Inc., where he was involved in the business development and design of a new powder processing plant in Coopersville Michigan which started operations in March 2012. The plant produces nonfat dry milk, condensed milk, cream, butter and buttermilk powder.

The Coopersville facility has received several awards during that time, to name a few it was named Michigan’s Ag Exporter of the year in 2104, Dairy Foods Magazine Top 100 companies in 2015 – 2018.

Steve is currently Select Milk Producers, President and General Manager of Dairy Manufacturing Operations responsible for the Michigan Continental Dairy Facilities plant and the Texas Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest plant starting up in 2019.

Elizabeth Riordan holds the position of Divisional Vice President, Global Supply and Dairy Operations, Abbott Nutrition Supply Chain. This role is responsible to define, develop and execute a more robust global dairy supply network for Abbott’s Nutrition and Pharmaceutical divisions for all brands and plants inclusive of China and India. This includes creative ingredient manufacturing strategy and execution. Global Supply responsibilities include short and long term capacity and capability assessment and strategy.

Her previous Abbott Nutrition (AN) responsibilities included various Third Party Manufacturing, Planning and Sourcing roles. Prior to joining AN, Liz held a commercial role in Pharmaceutical Products Division and various roles in Global Purchasing and Global Engineering, all at Abbott.

Liz holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois.

Mike McCully owns The McCully Group, LLC, a firm that provides strategic consulting services to dairy and food companies. The McCully Group has worked with many of the top dairy and food companies in North America as well as major global food companies. Client projects include business analysis, procurement and supply chain strategies, market research, and commodity risk management. In addition, The McCully Group has provided subject matter expertise for global consulting companies, private equity firms, and Wall Street investment banks. Mike has spoken at numerous conferences around the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Prior to starting The McCully Group, Mike worked for over 15 years at Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat, and grain purchasing.

Mike has worked on many dairy industry issues and served on the Board of Directors for International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) Milk Industry Foundation and the Dairy Institute of California. He has been a member of IDFA’s Legislative Oversight Committee, IDFA’s Farm Bill Committee, the National Cheese Institute’s Economic Policy and Legislative Committee, and the California Dairy Institute’s Producer Relations committee. He is also a member of American Dairy Products Institute Center of Excellence.

Mike grew up on a grain and beef cattle farm in north central Illinois and remains active in the beef industry through his partnerships in purebred Angus and Hereford cattle. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Western Illinois University and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.

Phil Vanderpol grew up with Vanderpol’ s Eggs Ltd., a local BC company with over 65 years of history. Phil worked in many positions, even running a delivery/sales route throughout the Vancouver region during his summer breaks while at university.

Phil has been the President & CEO of Vitalus Nutrition since 1998 and has led the company through many changes. Phil was integral to developing the first Milk Protein Concentrate/Isolate plant in North America and recently commissioned the first commercially operating GOS plant in the Americas positioning Vitalus Nutrition as a leader in specialized dairy ingredients.

Phil is Vice Chair of the Dairy Processors Association of Canada, Vice Chair of the Western Dairy Council in addition to holding various positions both officially and unofficially in the Canadian Dairy Industry. Phil received his International MBA from McGill University in early 2014 and qualified and completed the Quantum Shift™ program in early 2015. He is a past member of TEC Canada and current member of the MacKay CEO Forums.

Phil has given key presentations to audiences in Canada sharing his knowledge and expertise on dairy market innovation.

Tony Pallios joined Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. in 1996 and is the Vice President & General Manager of Hilmar Ingredients. Tony started with HCC as a Product Development Coordinator and moved into key positions in sales and business management. He played an instrumental role in establishing the Hilmar Ingredients division, and subsequently growing its market presence worldwide.

As VP General Manager, Tony guides the Ingredients team in development and sales of highly functional whey proteins, lactose and milk powders. Tony’s team manages an expanding portfolio of sophisticated ingredients into more than 30 countries worldwide. With a keen eye on market trends, Tony has encouraged research and commercialization of leading-edge nutritional ingredients in food, beverages and infant formula.

Representing Hilmar Ingredients, Tony serves on the United States Dairy Export Council, is an executive board member of ADPI, and is a member of the Institute of Food Technologies.

Tony has previous entrepreneurial experience in the dairy industry and he holds a food biochemistry degree from UC Davis. He and his wife, Joy, reside in Turlock, California. They have two sons in college.

Brian Linney has spent his career marketing Agricultural Products in various Sales Management positions and Senior Leadership roles. His current Position is Chief Operating Officer for Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers based in Reston, VA. The Dairy Farmer Owned Cooperative Markets Dairy Ingredients to large manufacturers and Consumer Products primarily focused on fluid milk products under the Maola brand. Prior to working at Maryland and Virginia Brian worked for 14 years at Darigold where he was the Senior Vice President of Consumer Products. Brian has a degree in Business Administration and Economics from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA.

Brian is a current member of Several Industry Boards including Milk Pep, American Dairy Products Institute, Virginia Milk Commission, Fluid Milk Board IDFA and Ingredients Board IDFA.

Joe Diglio has served as chief executive officer and board secretary for Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), a member owned and operated dairy cooperative serving approximately 1,600 dairy farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio since July 2014. Joe has over 27 years of experience with MMPA, serving in various accounting and finance functions and as director of finance, controller and assistant treasurer throughout his tenure.

He is active in industry organizations and is a member of the Executive Council of the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives, board member of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and board member of National Milk Producers Federation. Joe also serves as a member of the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) Committee, NCFC Investment Committee and U.S. Dairy Export Council. Joe is past national annual meeting general chair and member of the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives and past president of the Great Lakes Chapter for the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives.

Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wayne State University and master’s degree in management and strategic leadership from Walsh College. He has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 22 years.

Ted Jacoby, III is the President and CEO of T.C. Jacoby & Company, one of North America’s leading dairy product trading companies. Ted graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a B.S. in Food Science. After working in cheese production at Bongards Creameries in Minnesota for 3 years Ted returned to school and earned his M.B.A. from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis in 1996.

Ted joined T.C. Jacoby & Company in 1996 and relocated to the company’s recently opened Mexico City office. In 1998 he returned to the St. Louis office to develop the company’s cheese trading business and successfully incorporated risk management into its operation. Under his guidance the company began integrating risk management into all aspects of the business in the early 2000s. Ted became Vice President of the Trading Group in 2010 and managed the trading operations of all storable dairy commodities including cheese, butter, and dairy powders. Ted moved into the role of President and CEO in January 2016.

As CEO of T.C. Jacoby & Company, Ted leads a team of traders who work with many of North America’s leading dairy manufacturers and farmer cooperatives, helping them balance the sales and production cycles of their products. Ted’s team manages a portfolio of dairy commodities, including raw milk, ultra-filtered milk, cream, butter, cheeses, and a full range of milk and whey powders, distributing these products throughout North America and to 35 counties worldwide.

Since April 2010, Chief Executive Officer at Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S, a fully owned subsidiary of Arla Foods amba.

Member of the Board in Arla Foods Ingredients S.A. in Argentina, Member/Chairman of the Board on a rotation basis in Biolac GmbH & Co. KG (Joint Venture in Germany), ArNoCo GmbH & Co. KG (Joint Venture in Germany), and MV Ingredients Limited (Joint Venture in the UK).

Joined Arla Foods amba in 1994 as Executive Director for the global milk protein business and in 1998, took on the role as Senior Vice President for Arla Foods Ingredients amba, Arla Foods’ global business unit for whey processing activities.

From 1986 to 1994 Management Consultant with McKinsey and Co in Copenhagen.

Master of Science degree in Engineering from Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, and Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Stanford University, California, US

Rudy Dieperink joined FrieslandCampina Domo, Americas in April 2011 as President & CEO. He became President & CEO for FrieslandCampina Ingredients North America, Inc. in 2015 when FrieslandCampina decided to centralize all North American ingredient activities in Paramus, NJ.

FrieslandCampina is one of the world’s top five, largest and leading dairy companies with annual revenue of 12 billion euro, and over 20,000 employees.

Prior to joining FrieslandCampina, Rudy worked in several sales, marketing and senior management positions with flavor and ingredients companies in the United States and Europe. Rudy has an MBA from Duke University and his main interest is in business development and innovation.

Goedhart Westers is V.P. Business Development at Grassland Dairy Products. Grassland Dairy Products is a 4th generation family owned dairy company located in Greenwood WI with plants in WI, NE and UT. The company started in 1904 and currently is one of the leading butter manufacturers in the USA. Over time the company evolved from just butter into a full range dairy company including a cheese plant, protein dryers and it currently runs the biggest milk intake in WI where it picks up milk from 700 farms on a daily basis. Mr. Westers is responsible for managing the milk program (sales and procurement of raw milk as well as dairy ingredients) including government relations and strategic investments the company has made in related assets. Before joining Grassland, Mr. Westers worked for Rabobank, a leading international ag lender, as a dairy and farm-inputs analyst assisting the bank in risk management and product development. Mr. Westers also was partner in an international dairy production holding with farms in Europe, Russia and the USA. Mr. Westers joined Grassland in 2010 and is based in the main office in Greenwood WI.

Niamh Kelly is a Senior Vice President at Glanbia Nutritionals and is responsible for Product Strategy for Dairy Proteins. Glanbia is a Global Nutritional company who employs over 6,900 people across 34 countries and our products are sold or distributed in over 130 countries.

Niamh graduated from Dublin Business School and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants. Prior to joining Glanbia, she trained at one of Ireland’s top Chartered Accountancy practices and worked in various financial and management accounting positions before becoming an IT consultant.

She joined Glanbia’s Irish Consumer Foods division in 2000 as IT director and moved to Idaho in 2005 as Chief Information Officer. She has subsequently held a number of roles in Business Unit Strategy, Customer Market Strategy, Key Account Management and Product Management

Niamh is now located in Chicago and is responsible for Glanbia’s global whey protein portfolio and their healthy snacking business.

Niamh is married to George and they have two young sons.

A graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.B.A. degree, Mr. Hoeger joined the former Swiss Valley Farms in 2001. In 2004, he became Director of Sales and a part of the co-op’s Executive Management Team. In 2008, he became VP of Procurement and Member Relations. Mr. Hoeger led the company through a merger with Prairie Farms Dairy in 2017 and now serves as the president of Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. Cheese Division. He has 18 years of dairy industry experience in sales, procurement and executive leadership.

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.