Advisory Board
David Acheson
David
Acheson is the Managing Director, Food and Import Safety Practice, at Leavitt Partners a
consulting firm that advises clients in the practice areas of health, environment and trade.
Following his graduate medical training and internal medicine practice, Dr. Acheson moved
from England to teach at Tufts University where he also established a successful lab
researching foodborne pathogens.In 2002, Dr. Acheson became the Chief Medical Officer
at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition (CFSAN), and he later became the Director of the current FDA Office of Food
Defense, Communication and Emergency Response.
In January 2008, he was named the FDA's Associate Commissioner of Foods with an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues, including health promotion and nutrition. An international author and a sought-after expert on public health and food safety, Dr. Acheson graduated from the University of London Medical School in 1980, and is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Infectious Disease Society of America. David Acheson has one son and resides in Glenelg, Maryland with his wife, and four dogs.
Jacque Istok
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Jacque
Istok is the President of Professional Innovations, Inc. (PII), a high technology
firm developing and executing corporate strategies to provide strategic
product roadmaps, integration and management services to a variety of clients.
His insight has led directly to an increase in client revenue, profitability,
and stakeholder equity. Jacque has driven year over year revenue growth
well over 200% for PII, and has expanded its interest beyond business intelligence
and the data warehouse focus where it started into online application development
and social marketing.
Jacque Istok and his development teams have been recognized by Informix, Hyperion, and Oracle (leaders in the "IT" sector) and they consistently deliver high quality projects. Jacque has served as a consultant to several fortune 500 corporations and federal government entities where he's worked in the area of business intelligence strategy development and planning. Mr. Istok attended Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute for a dual undergraduate major in computer science and philosophy. He was born in San Diego, CA and currently resides in Boise, ID with his wife and four children.
William S. Kies, Jr.
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William
S. Kies, Jr. is the Principal of Kies Consulting, Friends of the Industry,
and Retail Operations & Insights LLC's. His clients include Fortune100
consumer package goods corporations plus many national & international
supermarket companies. The past President & COO of IGA, Inc, and having
experience with many food & beverage industry groups, Mr. Kies offers
extensive expertise in all channels of food production & distribution.
As a consultant he has served many companies with planning, training, and
marketing strategies, plus trade organization & media relations.
Mr. Kies was Senior Vice President of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the supermarket industry's international trade organization, where he served for 15 years to develop and enhance trade, manufacturer, and media relations. The Liaison to the Western Association of Food Chains' board of directors, Mr. Kies was the recipient of the Founders Award from MAGA, the Mexican American Grocers Association. He has also held political appointments in the Nixon Administration and was legislative assistant to the Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives. William S. Kies, Jr. is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Program, and the USC Graduate School of Business, Food Industry Management Program.
Tucker W. "Bill" Main
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Bill
Main is the Chairman & CEO of Bill Main and Associates. A nationally recognized brand
management, profitability and restaurant marketing consultant to the Foodservice & Hospitality
Industry, Mr Main is also a professional speaker with over 50 events a year. He holds the
prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Bill has also owned and
operated many successful and profitable restaurants, and based on a "Best Practices" approach,
his real-world perspective is hands-on. His "Trade Secrets" have been incorporated into a
variety of products including audios, videos, books, computerized training programs, and a
web site.
Bill Main was awarded the distinctive title of Maitre d' Table by the Confrerie de la Chaine de Rotisseurs in 1995. He served as Director in the California Restaurant Assn for ten years, and from 1996-97 as CRA President. He is currently a trustee in the CRA Educational Foundation, and is a member and former Director of the Foodservice Consultants Society Int'l (FCSI). Bill has a BS in Economics from Oregon State University, where he was a three time All-Pacific Conference halfback, wide receiver and kickoff returner. He was a 1970 draft choice for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was recently inducted into the OSU and the State of Oregon Football Halls of Fame.
Alfonso Martinez-Fonts, Jr.
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Alfonso
"Al" Martinez-Fonts, Jr. is the president of Alfonso Martinez-Fonts,
LLC a consulting firm specializing in homeland security and international
issues. He is a Fellow at the US Chamber of Commerce. In November 2005,
Mr. Martinez-Fonts was appointed Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector
Office at the Department of Homeland Security. He served at the department
since it was organized in 2002. There he worked directly with businesses
and trade associations plus other non-governmental organizations to foster
dialogue between the private sector and the U.S. government.
The retired Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase Bank, El Paso, Mr. Martinez-Fonts had a distinguished 30+ year career in banking including assignments in many foreign countries. Besides serving on many boards, including the Fannie Mae Advisory Board and the American Bankers Association Communications Council, he received the 1995 National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award. Mr. Martinez-Fonts' undergraduate degree is in political science from Villanova University in 1971 and he earned his MBA in finance from Long Island University in 1974.
W. Larry McCurry
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Larry
McCurry is a national speaker, writer, and consultant in the total grocery,
convenience, and value food industry. Having retired after 29 years with
Unilever Home & Personal Care, Mr. McCurry served at national and corporate
levels in Unilever as Executive Director of Industry & Business Development,
and at the Trade Development and the National Grocery levels. Besides a
Board of Directors member for the Food Industry Assn Executives, he also
serves on many other boards, advising on corporate business building strategy
and development for the consumer products & grocery retailing sectors.
Mr. McCurry is a member of the National Grocers Association, The University of Minnesota Leadership Board, and both Arizona State & Western Michigan University boards. He serves as Board Chairman for "Food for All." Mr. McCurry is well-known and well-respected throughout food industry trade groups, trade associations, the food trade press, and in academia. In 1970, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern Colorado. W. Larry McCurry lives in Colorado Springs, CO.
Bobby Mendez
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Bobby
Mendez is Senior Vice President at Ecolab, a large national/ international
food industry services company. He is responsible for the Retail & Specialty
Markets for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Since
1981, Mr. Mendez has managed various aspects of Ecolab including development
of new business sectors, record-setting sales growth, and a high rate of
customer retention. Prior to that, Mr. Mendez was the youngest general manager
of a premier hotel resort in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Mr. Mendez' strong background includes food processing & production plus retail food and beverage including dairy, beef, poultry and agriculture. On the Advisory Board for the Food Marketing Institute's Food Safety Foundation, Mr. Mendez' many board affiliations have also included the Caribbean Hotel Assn and the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Assn. He is a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Leadership Committee and the Latino Professionals Forum. Mr. Mendez is a graduate of St. Vincent Academy and he completed Cornell University's Hotel Management Program.
Joan Menke-Schaenzer
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Joan
Menke-Schaenzer is the Global Chief Quality Officer, Research, Quality &
Innovation for ConAgra Foods having joined in May 2007. Joan leads programs
to create a world-class foundation for quality and food safety through the
standardization of best practices across ConAgra. Prior to ConAgra, Joan
was the Vice President of Food Safety and Defense at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.,
in Bentonville, Arkansas. Joan led the creation of worldwide quality, food
safety and food defense programs and standards - all designed to protect
the public while mitigating risks to Wal-Mart and its brands.
Joan Menke-Schaenzer was Vice President of Kraft Foods North America Quality and Food Safety, culminating 20 years of service with Kraft Foods, Inc. Her accomplishments included leading the development of worldwide quality and food safety programs and policies through the Phillip Morris Worldwide Quality Council and the development of the company's Crisis Management Quick Response Team. Joan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. She is married and is the mother of two.
Thomas R. Saldin
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Tom
Saldin served as Senior VP & General Counsel for IDACORP, Inc. & Idaho Power
Company for five year until retiring in 2009. He was directly responsible
for all legal affairs of the company and was a participant in all Board
Meetings, Audit Committee & Governance Committee meetings. Prior to IDACORP,
Mr. Saldin served for many years as Executive VP & General Counsel of Albertsons,
a national leader in the Retail Food & Drug industry. His responsibilities
included all legal aspects of the company as well as human resources, public
affairs, and environmental affairs (including product quality and food safety).
Mr. Saldin currently serves on the Board of Directors of St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Boise Idaho, and has a long history of serving on Boards for business, public service, education, youth, and the arts such as Chambers of Commerce, Parents and Youth Against Drug Abuse (PAYADA) & the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Saldin graduated with a B.A. degree from Carleton College in 1968, served in Vietnam, and in 1974 earned his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Kevin Tripp, R.Ph.
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Kevin
Tripp recently culminated a successful 30 year career of leadership and strategic planning
expertise with grocery and drug store operations, pharmacy operations, managed care, pharmacy
marketing and regional management. As Executive VP, and President of Retail Midwest at
SUPERVALU INC, he served on the investment committee, executive council, and human resource
and people committee. In 2006 SUPERVALU INC. acquired Albertsons, Inc. where Kevin was
Exec. VP, Drug Operations, and President, Drug Store Division. He served on the executive
council that directed food and drug operations in 37 states.
Mr. Tripp serves on many boards including the Univ. of Southern Nevada, College of Pharmacy, and the Univ. of Wyoming. He previously served the National Assn of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) as an executive committee member and charitable foundation board member, and was also the executive sponsor for M.E.S.A., a women's affinity organization for Albertsons. Mr. Tripp is a registered pharmacist and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Wyoming. He also completed the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Negotiating Skills Program, and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Tripp resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his lovely wife of 35 years, Linda.