NextGen Leadership Program - Cohort 4 (2022-2023 Class)

Sponsored by:

• Nathan Bass, Vice President of Operations, Valley Queen Cheese
• Gale Beard, Director, Quality Assurance, Grande Cheese Company
• Melissa Bischoff, Director, Milk Procurement, Leprino Foods
• Corey Brower, Director - R&D, Saputo Dairy USA
• Brian Carden, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Crystal Creamery, Inc.
• Steven Christiansen, VP of HR and OD, Idaho Milk Products
• Rylen Dickey, Category Manager – Ingredients, Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.
• Dakonya Freis, VP-Product Management & Marketing, Nelson-Jameson Inc.
• Jeff Galbraith, Director of Operations, Continental Dairy Facilities LLC
• Grant Gondell, Head of Global Commodities, United Dairymen of Arizona
• Erin Graf, Leader - Total Rewards & HR Operations, Darigold, Inc.
• Ben Hoperich, Dairy Category Manager, Abbott Labs
• Heather Krebsbach, Director - Operational Quality, Sargento Foods Inc.
• Ana Leach, Assistant General Counsel, Land O'Lakes, Inc.
• Edward Learoyd, Vice President, Safety, Food Safety, Quality, Regulatory, Great Lakes Cheese Company
• Jose Maldonado, R&D – Lead, Lala US Inc.
• Matthew Maxson, VP, Corporate Controller, California Dairies, Inc.
• Ryan Murphy, Director, National Sales & Operations, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.
• Mark Petersen, Ingredients Sales Manager, Valley Milk LLC
• Chris Pritchard, Chief Financial Officer, DairyAmerica, Inc.
• Matthew Ryan, Director, Operations and Capital Management, Hershey Creamery Company
• Casey Sallander, CFO - Kemps LLC and Central, Dairy Farmers of America
• Sarah Schmidt, Vice President of Public Affairs, Associated Milk Producers Inc.
• Billie Shaffer, Vice President, Product Strategic Management, Glanbia Nutritionals
• Jason Smith, Director of Sales and Logistics, Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Inc.
• Sean Steichen, Director of Sales, Diversified Foods, Inc.
• Blake Tangen, Director of Supply Chain & Risk Management, First District Association
• Klazien Voogt, General Manager, Columbia River Technologies
• Jeff Wilkerson, Supply Chain Operations Leader, Kroger Co.
• Matt Zimbric, Senior Director of Cheese Technology, Foremost Farms USA