ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:

American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Va.
Kaitlyn Palatucci joined as vice president of conferences. Palatucci most recently served as manager of meetings and expositions for the National Apartment Association, and previously worked for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as the senior coordinator of medical meetings. Emma Gregory was named manager of nutrition and regulatory affairs. Most recently, she worked at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a dietetic intern. Gregory’s nutrition background will strengthen AFFI’s efforts to engage consumers, key opinion leaders and public policy makers in support of the frozen food and beverage category. In addition, Ron Davis was promoted to manager of communications and government affairs. Davis joined AFFI in October 2013 as the coordinator of communications and government affairs. He previously worked at the Alliance for American Manufacturing and Cliffs Natural Resources.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, Long Beach, Calif.
Veteran human resources executive Louis Gutierrez was appointed managing director of human resources and team development, tasked with enhancing the strategic alignment of the human resources and team development divisions with the ongoing business of the Harbor Department. Gutierrez, an attorney and former Fortune 500 company executive, will lead a new bureau dedicated to supporting recruitment, hiring and training of Harbor Department personnel. Previously, he was vice president of human resources for the Lewis Group of Cos., and served as an executive managing human resources at Cox Enterprises and divisions of Time Warner, The Walt Disney Co. and Viacom.

Produce Marketing Association (PMA), Newark, Del.
Natalia Gamarra was appointed new global business development manager, responsible for working with PMA’s membership from countries such as Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Mexico, New, Zealand, Peru and South Africa to support the development of key research and discover emerging trends in the fresh produce industry. Gamarra holds eight years of international business experience and possesses proficiency in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Previously, Gamarra served as the international tourism sales manager for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she gained industry knowledge and experience in association management, relationship building and plan implementation. Previous roles include co-founder of Latinas Take Charge, and a member of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s 2013 trade mission to Brazil and Chile.

National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa
Dave Pyburn was named new senior vice president of science and technology, responsible for leading the science programs and research priorities. He will also participate in the six volunteer pork producer committees that assist in prioritizing scientific focus and will manage the on-staff team of experts. Pyburn joined the National Pork Board in 2013 as assistant vice president in the science and technology department, and previously served 13 years as the senior veterinary medical officer at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services.
 

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich.
Carolyn Tastad was elected to the board of directors, effective Dec. 1. Tastad is currently group president of Procter & Gamble North America, responsible for the company's business in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Tastad's extensive 30-year career in consumer goods at P&G has included roles in general management, acquisition integration and customer business development. Tastad also serves on the boards of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Cincinnati Museum Center. Also new to the board of directors is Noel Wallace, effective Oct. 1. Wallace is currently president of Colgate-Palmolive Latin America. He began his consumer products career at Colgate-Palmolive in 1987, and has gained nearly 30 years of experience building, growing and transforming businesses within the company and in emerging markets. He has also held responsibilities in Turkey, Russia, Poland, Mexico, South Africa, Puerto Rico and Uruguay, and previously led the company's North American unit and global sustainability strategy.

The Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Jessica Adelman will serve as group vice president of corporate affairs, effective Nov. 1. Adelman boasts 20 years of experience as a public affairs executive in the food industry, most recently as senior vice president of corporate affairs for Syngenta North America, where she was responsible for corporate brand oversight, government affairs, media relations, crisis and issues communications, litigation communications, internal communications and employee engagement, corporate social responsibility and giving. Adelman was also director of Cargill government solutions.

Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Lake Success, N.Y.
Pasquale (Pat) Conte was named executive vice president and CFO, taking over for Stephen Smith, who will remain with the company through Sept. 30. Conte was named senior vice president, finance and treasurer in October 2014. Conte joined the company in July 2009, after acting as a financial consultant, responsible for overseeing the company’s worldwide financial planning and analysis and working strategically on mergers and acquisitions, quarterly reporting, taxes and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Conte also worked at Colgate-Palmolive Co., NYNEX Corp., Arthur Anderson, LLP and Motorola, Inc.

G. Willi-Food International Ltd., Israel
Ilan Admon was appointed new member of the board. Admon has served as the chairman of the board of directors for Nachshonit Ltd. since April 2012. Admon also serves as a member of the board of directors of Levinstein Properties Ltd., Termokir Industries Ltd. and Plastnir Ltd. From 2004-2007, Admon was general manager of Hafestus Ltd., and served as chairman and general manager of Serafon Ltd. and Zach Ltd., as a senior vice president at Pelephone Communications Ltd., and chief executive officer of Elite Foods Ltd.

FOODSERVICE:

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., Atlanta
Greg Vojnovic was appointed to the newly created position of chief development officer, tasked with attracting new franchisees, as well as spearheading the construction and remodeling process among current franchise and company-owned restaurants. Vojnovic comes from Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., where he served as chief development officer for eight years and consistently opened more than 100 new company and franchise restaurants per year. Vojnovic returns to Arby’s after a 20-year hiatus.

Dunkin' Donuts, Canton, Mass.
Suzanne DeChant was appointed as regional vice president for the Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington (PBW) region and upstate New York, responsible for providing support to Dunkin' Donuts franchisees and field teams throughout the region. DeChant has spent the last 14 years with Starbucks Coffee Co., most recently as regional vice president of operations, and has held senior positions in operations and marketing with Papa John's and Ciao Cucina Restaurants.

SUPPLIERS:

Navistar International Corp., Lisle, Ill.
President Bill McMenamin will add responsibilities as senior vice president and treasurer, taking over for Jim Moran, who is leaving to pursue other career opportunities.McMenamin joined Navistar in 2001 as director of corporate finance and has held roles of increasing responsibility, including vice president of strategy, vice president of credit and chief financial officer and treasurer. Prior to Navistar, McMenamin served as the chief financial officer of the Advanced Group, and worked at Continental Bank and Ernst & Whinney.

Coveris, Chicago
Craig Reese joined as president – Americas food and consumer products, responsible for leading the company’s recently formed Americas food and consumer products business unit and integrating the Latin American operations that were acquired during the recent purchase of Olefinas. Reese maintains nearly 30 years of marketing, sales, manufacturing and general management experience. Most recently, he served as president, McDonald’s distribution for Golden State Foods, and held several management roles with The Pepsi Bottling Group, PepsiCo and Benjamin Moore & Co, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

Danfoss Turbocor Compressors, Tallahassee, Fla.
Jose Alvareswas appointed vice president of sales and marketing and global customer support, responsible for application/technical support, product management and marketing, business development and operating a digital service platform.Alvares has more than 20 years of experience in various global HVAC and refrigeration roles, including sales, business development, market analysis, product management and application and design engineering. He previously was director of sales for North America.

AIT Worldwide Logistics, Itasca, Ill.
C. Ryan Carter joined as director of operations, East Region, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations at all AIT locations in the eastern third of the United States while ensuring the delivery of a world-class experience across product lines. He has been a leader in the transportation management industry for nearly two decades with vast expertise in regional and global logistics operations. Carter most recently served as vice president freight operations for CEVA Logistics.

ESE, Inc., Marshfield, Wis.
Michael Richart was named president and CEO. Richart moves from his position as director of business operations, where he led the sales team and grew ESE staff. He previously served as managing director of IntelliWorks, LLC, was a director with Kimberly-Clark, and worked as a manufacturing engineer and operations manager with Cummins, Inc. Tom Walther was promoted to chief innovation officer, responsible for leading the sales staff. Walther has served ESE customers for 20 years, including the past 15 years as president and CEO.

Key Technology, Inc., Walla Walla, Wash.
Alvaro Núñez was promoted to regional manager for Mexico, responsible for developing sales to bring the company’s high-performance digital sorters, conveying solutions and process automation systems to food processors in Mexico. Núñez has been with Key for 15 years, working as an applications engineer. Previously, he held engineering positions with Key’s research and development team as well as its service department. 

EnWave Corp., Canada
Daniel Henriques was named new chief financial officer, replacing Salvador Miranda, who will be leaving the company to pursue other interests. Henriques is a chartered accountant and brings extensive experience in finance effectiveness and financial reporting. Previously, Henriques was a manager in the assurance group at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and supported numerous mid-market companies, including companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, with financial reporting and compliance.

NewAge Industries, Southampton, Pa.
Robert Volk was named executive director of operations, responsible for leading the manufacturing, engineering, purchasing and warehouse departments. Previously, he was director of manufacturing, responsible for planning and overseeing the company’s thermoplastic and thermoset tubing and molded components production, as well as the engineering and facility functions. He has been with the company for three years. Meanwhile, Michael Allard was appointed to the newly created position of executive director of sales and marketing. Allard was hired five years ago as global sales manager for NewAge’s AdvantaPure biopharma tubing, hose, single-use systems and molded components.

Zethcon Corp., Lombard, Ill.
Errol Gonzales joined as account executive. Previously, Gonzales was customer account manager and sales/marketing executive with Maves International Software, and held a similar position with Logimax, a division of the Freidman Operating Group. He is an active voice in trade industry organizations such as the International Warehouse Logistics Association, International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses/Global Cold Chain Association, Warehousing Education and Research Council and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

X2 Cold Chain, Thailand
Ron Valkenburg, commercial director of DL Logistics Group, will the role as ambassador, working with the network on a number of global projects.

Provisur Technologies, Inc., Mokena, Ill.
Brian Perkins was promoted to executive vice president, Americas, responsible for overseeing operational and commercial activities across the Americas region. Patrick Corcoran was promoted to vice president and CFO with financial oversight over all Provisur activities on a global basis. Sri Sathyanathan joined as vice president of information technology and business operations, responsible for leveraging technology to further enhance the company's business processes and facilitate continued growth and global expansion. Finally, William Wight, vice president of research and development, will lead the company's new product development and corporate engineering. And, Jeff Johnson, vice president of human resources, joined the company approximately a year ago after 13 years in leadership roles with OfficeMax.

Key Technology, Inc., Walla Walla, Wash.
Randy Unterseher was named senior director of aftermarket for North America and the Intercontinental region, including Latin America, Asia Pacific and Australia/New Zealand. Unterseher brings 28 years of leadership experience in the food processing industry, including 20 years with Key. Most recently, he was vice president of marketing at Lyco Manufacturing. Prior to that, he held a number of management positions at Key in marketing, sales operations and sales engineering.
 
SpecPage, Bradenton, Fla.
The provider of integrated software solutions for recipe and product information management appointed Massimo Antoniello as vice president global development, responsible for leading the global team of support and project managers. He will also assist the company in expanding further in Europe and the United States. Previously, Antoniello acted as sales and services director at Selerant, and worked at ACNielsen and Dun & Bradstreet.