Media Contact
Marti Pupillo
(202) 220-3535

IDFA Names Katie Sparrow Manager of International Affairs

(Washington, D.C. — October 27, 2008) The International Dairy Foods Association has named Katie G. Sparrow to the position of manager of international affairs. In this role, Sparrow will support IDFA's efforts concerning international trade and import and export issues. She'll also oversee the association's sweetener and trade committees.

Sparrow recently received a Master of Arts in international economic relations from the School of International Service at American University, and her master's thesis analyzed the impact and evolution of trade agreements between the European Union and its former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va.

This past summer Sparrow supported fundraising, outreach and lobbying efforts at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as executive assistant to the Chamber's senior vice president of political affairs and federation relations.

While attending American University, Sparrow worked for the Asian Studies Center of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that promotes policies based on free enterprise and limited government. At the Foundation, she reported on issues affecting U.S. interests in Asia and researched recent developments in Chinese defense spending and military modernization.

Fluent in French, Sparrow also worked for a semester at the Institute of International Finance, a global association of financial institutions, and another semester at the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, where she attended Congressional hearings, tracked legislation and researched the economic and security impact of America's engagements abroad.

"We're very pleased to have Katie on our team at IDFA," said Clay Hough, IDFA senior group vice president and general counsel. "Global trade is a key growth area for the U.S. dairy industry, and IDFA will continue to focus attention on international issues that will help to open foreign markets for our dairy products."

# # #

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $100-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI), and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org