The Food Safety Summit Educational Advisory Board (EAB), comprised of industry leading experts across the entire food industry is working collectively to develop the education program for the 2019 event scheduled for May 6-9, 2019 at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.  The EAB members consists of leaders across the supply chain, from food manufacturing to retail, foodservice, distribution, regulatory and academia. The group had its first meeting in July to determine the educational direction of the program and is working to develop the best possible education plan to match the evolving needs of the industry.

"Our Educational Advisory Board has been meeting regularly to share innovative and timely ideas on ways to present the most up to date solutions focused on important issues,"said Scott Wolters, director, tradeshows & conferences, BNP Media, producers of the event. "We thank this outstanding group of experts from across the supply chain to help us shape and execute the educational direction for our show next May."

Members of the Educational Advisory Board, include: 

  • Gary Ades, PhD - president, G&L Consulting Group, Chair of Educational Advisory Board
  • Dane Bernard (NEW) - managing director, Bold Bear Food Safety
  • Chirag H. Bhatt, RS, CCFS - director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Buc-ee's Ltd.
  • Joe Corby - senior advisor, The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)
  • Will Daniels - president, Produce Division, IEH
  • Oscar Garrison (NEW) - senior VP of food safety and regulator affairs, United Egg Producers
  • Craig Henry, PhD - Food Safety consultant, Intro Inc.
  • Lee-Ann Jaykus, PhD - William Neal Reynolds distinguished professor & Noro CORE Scientific director, North Carolina State University
  • Gillian Kelleher - vice president of food safety and quality assurance, Wegman's
  • Hal King, PhD (NEW) - founder/CEO, Public Health Innovations
  • Mahipal Kunduru, PhD - vice president, Quality Assurance, Topco Associates
  • Bill Lachowsky (NEW) - food safety, education, and training consultant
  • Alvin Lee, PhD (NEW) - director, Center for Processing Innovation; Institute for Food Safety and Health and associate professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Glenda Lewis - M.S.P.H., director, Retail Food Protection Staff, FDA
  • Arthur P. Liang, MD, MPH - senior advisor for Food Safety, CDC
  • Steven Lyon, PhD (NEW) - operations manager, Food Safety Solutions, Chick-Fil-A
  • Joan Menke-Schaenzer - chief quality officer, Van Drunen Farms/FutureCeuticals
  • Brendan Niemira, PhD (NEW) - research leader, Food Safety and Interventions Research Unit, USDA-ARS Easter Regional Research Center
  • Donna Schaffner, MS - associate director, Food Safety, Quality Assurance & Training, Rutgers University
  • John Spink, PhD - director and assistant professor, Michigan State University
  • Shawn Stevens - national food industry lawyer, Food Industry Council
  • Mary Lynn Walsh (NEW) - regional director, Food Safety, Sysco
  • Craig Wilson - vice president, GMM, Costco
  • John Zimmermann - vice president, Quality Assurance & Food Safety, First Watch Restaurants


The Food Safety Summit is the leading interactive forum on food safety with an in-depth conference program offering solutions for today and planning for tomorrow. The Summit features the world's leading authorities examining the most up-to-date innovations in the food industry. The event will start on Monday, May 6th and will offer seven certification programs followed by three days of interactive education sessions along with a trade show floor with over 200 exhibiting companies and Community Cafes and a Community Learning Lounge to facilitate networking with attendees. 

For additional information about exhibiting at the Summit or sponsorship opportunities contact Kim Hansen, National Sales Manager at 248-786-1233 or hansenk@bnpmedia.com.  For additional information about the education sessions and registration information, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com. 

The Food Safety Summit is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 60+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events and market research.