ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
American Bakers Association (ABA), Washington, D.C.
The board approved new slate of officers for the March 2016 to March 2018 term. Fred Penny, president of Bimbo Bakeries USA, was named chairman; Bradley Alexander, executive vice president and COO of Flowers Foods, serves as first vice chairman; Cordia Harrington, chief executive officer of Tennessee Bun Co., serves as second vice chairman; Erin Sharp, group vice president, manufacturing of The Kroger Co., remains as treasurer; and Rich Scalise, chairman and CEO of Hearthside Food Solutions, serves as immediate past chairman.
Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), Washington, D.C.
Stephanie Childs, PepsiCo vice president, federal affairs, was elected as the new chairman of the board of governors.Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and most recent past chair of the HWCF board of governors, is now chairman emeritus.
Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA), Marietta, Ga.
RFA’s 36th Annual Conference & Tabletop Display experienced a change in board members. For example, Tom Davis, chief executive officer of Lakeview Farms, was elected as a new board member. Re-elected to serve 3-year terms were Don Klausing, purchasing manager at Flexible Packaging; Jeff Rhodes, national accounts sales manager for Ventura Foods; and Wes Thaller, vice president of House of Thaller.
International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), Alexandria, Va.
Lois Stirewalt O’Connor was appointed executive director of the association’s non-profit research and education arm, the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation. O’Connor brings with a substantial background in advancement and development in the non-profit sector. Previously, she served as senior director of advancement, programs and outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. Prior to that, O’Connor was director of advancement for the Air Force Association, building philanthropic partnerships with aerospace companies and other organizations that culminated in the establishment of the Air Force Memorial, adjacent to the Pentagon. She has also held roles in university
advancement and development at American University and at George Washington University.
Short Line Safety Institute, Washington, D.C.
Mike Long was named senior safety and operations manager. Long most recently served as senior vice president of compliance at Genesee & Wyoming Railroad (G & W), responsible for compliance on 108 small railroads. Prior to G & W, he spent 12 years in various positions at the Federal Railroad Administration, where he was responsible for all aspects of rail safety in FRA Region 4. Long began his railroading career in 1995 with BNSF Railroad, following eight years of active-duty service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Meanwhile, Michele Malski was appointed safety programs manager, responsible for outreach to short line and regional railroads regarding the benefits of the institute, and the management of safety and educational projects and initiatives. Throughout Malski’s operational and field experience, she has focused on operations, safety and customer service at Amtrak, BNSF, Canadian Pacific (former D & H territory), Norfolk Southern and Bombardier Transportation (MARC commuter rail).
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Denver, Colo.
Kendal Frazier was named new chief executive officer. His priorities include working with NCBA’s stakeholders and other organizations to oppose the continued assault by the government on private property rights; working to expand and open markets around the world for U.S. beef; increasing trust in U.S. beef production and ensuring consumers fully understand the importance of beef’s role in their diets. Frazier was raised on a diversified cattle and grain operation in South Central Kansas. Previously, he was director of communications for the Kansas Livestock Association.
PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Organto Foods Inc., Canada
Arturo Bickford resigned as a director, in conjunction with his recent resignation as chief operating officer. Bickford served as a director for an interim period following the completion of the merger with Agricola Nuova Terra Guatemala S.A.
Bonafide Provisions, San Diego, Calif.
In tandem with the Boulder Investment Group Reprise (BIGR) partnership comes the appointment of the new Bonafide board of directors, including Jeff Church, chief executive officer of Suja Juice. Church has spearheaded numerous successful entrepreneurial ventures, ranging from a multi-million dollar private equity firm to a socially conscious bottled water company. He boasts an extensive background in social entrepreneurship and expertise in product branding and operations. Also sitting on the board are industry veterans Kurt Cahill, executive vice president of operations for Suja Juice; Carole Buyers and Duane Primozich, co-founders and managing partners of BIGR; and Tracy Meidema, vice president of innovation and brand development at Presence Marketing, as well as Bonafide Provisions co-founders Sharon Brown and Reb Brown.
The Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Michael Marx was promoted to president of Roundy's Supermarkets, effective April 1. Marx joined Kroger in 1975 as a stocker at the former Highland Village store in Houston, Texas. After completing the management development program, he served in numerous leadership positions through the years, including store and district management and produce, floral and natural foods merchandiser. He was promoted to director of regional operations for the Southwest division in 2006, and to vice president of operations in 2007. Marx was named vice president of transition at Kroger's general office in 2011 and took on his current role of vice president of people operations earlier this year. Also,Don Rosanova was promoted to president of Mariano's, effective immediately. Rosanova has served in his current role as executive vice president of operations for Roundy's since May 2006. He previously served as group vice president, supply chain from 2002-2006. Before joining Roundy's, Rosanova was vice president of operations of Edward Don & Co. from 1999-2002. He also served as group vice president of operations at Dominick's Finer Foods from 1996-1998, and held various management positions within Dominick's from 1971-1996.
Pinnacle Foods Inc., Parsippany, N.J.
Robert Gamgort announced plans to leave his chief executive officer position at the end of April to assume a CEO role with Keurig Green Mountain. Gamgort has been the chief executive officer since July 2009.
SUPPLIERS:
Norfolk Southern Corp., Norfolk, Va.
Ann Adams was named vice president human resources, effective April 1, succeeding Juan Cunningham, who retired earlier this year. Adams will be responsible for all employment planning and staffing, employee development, employee benefits, compensation, Equal Employment Opportunity compliance and employee assistance programs and medical services. Adams joined Norfolk Southern in 2001 as a human resources manager, and subsequently served in a number of HR roles, including recruiting, employee development, planning and human capital management relating to SAP implementation. Since 2012, she has served as assistant vice president human resources. Before joining Norfolk Southern, Adams founded a business developing customized database applications for retail clothing sales businesses, and served as a product manager for a database application marketing company. Cunningham joined a Norfolk Southern predecessor railroad in 1973, and served in a wide variety of HR roles, retiring as vice president Jan. 31. His service included an assignment as assistant vice president executive office, where he coordinated administration of the chairman’s office. Meanwhile, Amy Miles was tapped to serve as chair of the board’s audit committee, succeeding Karen Horn, who is retiring. Miles has served as a Norfolk Southern director since 2014, and will continue to serve as a member of the board’s finance and risk management committee. She has served as chief executive officer of Regal Entertainment Group Inc. since 2009. Prior to that, she served as executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of the company. Horn has served as a Norfolk Southern director since 2008. She has been a partner with Brock Capital Group since 2003. She also served as president of Private Client Services and managing director of Marsh Inc., a subsidiary of MMC, from 1999 until her retirement in 2003. She is a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
