ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), Arlington, Va.
The newly-elected officers are Mike McEvoy, executive vice president of operations for Sargento Foods, as chair; Meghan Swan, senior director of sales operations and planning at J.R. Simplot Co. as chair elect; and Shawn Campbell, president and CEO of NORPAC, as immediate past chair. The nine board members elected are Tracey Beck, vice president, chief counsel -- marketing and government affairs of Conagra Brands; Doug Carlson, chief executive officer of Tommy’s Superfoods; Kurt Deibel, vice president of food safety and quality, Americas, of Kraft Heinz; Angelo Fallucca, chairman and CEO of Palermo Villa; Jordan Greenberg, vice president and general manager of B&G Foods; Julia Sabin, vice president, government relations and corporate sustainability of The J.M. Smucker Co.; Tony Shurman, president and CEO Jasper Wyman & Son; and Glen Tellock, president and CEO of Lakeside Foods.

Poultry & Egg Sustainability and Welfare Foundation (PESWF), Tucker, Ga.
Molly Parker, director of food safety and animal care for Butterball, joined the board of trustees.

International Dairy Deli Bakery Association, Madison, Wis.
Michelle Lieszkovszky, marketing manager of emerging innovation for Butterball, was appointed to a 3-year term on the board of directors, tasked with working with two advisory committees to direct show events and influential industry speakers, as well as guide market research insights to be applicable to the trade and the future editions of IDDBA’s “What’s in Store” publications. Prior to joining Butterball’s innovation team, Lieszkovszky was the brand manager, deli for Butterball retail marketing.

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC)
Debbie Reed was selected executive director. Reed has been working on this project since its inception.

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
Mark Richardson, senior vice president, global supply chain for OSI Group, LLC, joined the newly established International Programs Advisory Committee for a 3-year term, in which Richardson will provide advice and support to help identify opportunities and set priorities for the college’s research, outreach, partnership development and other initiatives. Richardson joined OSI in 2000 as purchasing manager for OSI Australia. In 2004, he was promoted to supply chain director for the company’s Asia Pacific zone. After relocating to the United States in 2009, he became vice president, global supply chain. He currently serves as senior vice president, global supply chain and managing director of the company’s businesses in Australia and India.

The Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del.
The Center for Growing Talent (CGT) named Doug Bohr as the next executive director, effective March 20, succeeding Margi Prueitt, who is retiring after 9 years at the helm. Bohr will oversee leadership for CGT, help advance fundraising efforts and provide solutions to attract, develop and retain talent. Bohr maintains extensive experience in public programming in the non-profit sector. Since 2017, he’s served as vice president of the Philadelphia Zoo, where he oversaw the strategic planning, development and implementation of new initiatives. He also launched a planning and evaluation unit to improve the organization’s collection and use of data to measure impact and improve business intelligence. Previously, Bohr spent 12 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where one of his initiatives was a 3-part research study on the creation of a talent attraction and retention strategy for the city of Philadelphia.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Kainos Capital, Dallas, Texas
Rob Ruegger joined as managing director, further expanding its operations management capabilities. Ruegger most recently served as chief operating officer of Gehl Foods, LLC, where he was responsible for all aspects of manufacturing and supply chain. Ruegger maintains over 30 years of extensive experience in financial and general management in the food and consumer goods industries. Prior to Gehl Foods, Ruegger served as senior vice president and general manager of Bay Valley Foods, where he managed multiple business units. Prior to Bay Valley Foods, he was chief financial officer of Sturm Foods, Inc. for 12 years. Ruegger also held a wide range of financial positions at Schreiber Foods and Schneider National. 

Ahold Delhaize, The Netherlands
Katie Doyle and Peter Agnefjäll were appointed to the company’s Supervisory Board, effective April 10, succeeding Rob van den Bergh and Mark McGrath, both of whom will retire after 8 and 11 years of service on the board, respectively. Doyle is chief executive officer and a board director of Swanson Health Products, and serves as a board director at Bemis Co. and board director at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Agnefjäll served as president and CEO of IKEA Group from 2013-2017, after holding several senior management positions within company. He currently serves on the board of directors of Orkla, and on the board of directors of Wizz Air. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of Deichmann.

Amazon, Seattle, Wash.
Indra Nooyi was elected to the board of directors and to the Audit Committee. Nooyi previously served as chief executive officer of PepsiCo, Inc. from October 2006 to October 2018, where she also served as the chairman of its board of directors from May 2007 to February 2019. She became president and CFO of PepsiCo in 2001, and held leadership roles in finance, corporate strategy and development and strategic planning since joining PepsiCo in 1994. Nooyi has served as a director of Schlumberger Ltd. since April 2015.

B&G Foods, Inc., Parsippany, N.J.
Erich Fritz was appointed executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, responsible for managing the company’s end-to-end supply chain, from procurement to delivery, including quality assurance, research and development, information technology and post-acquisition supply chain integration. Fritz has been with Ocean Spray for the past 9 years, most recently serving as vice president of research and development, quality, engineering and medical research. Before that, he served as vice president of manufacturing and engineering. He’s has also held operations leadership positions at POM Wonderful, Naked Juice Co., balduccis.com and Michael Foods. Fritz began his career at Nabisco, where he served for 19 years, including as head of operations for the Nabisco U.S. Foods Group. Jordan Greenberg was named executive vice president and chief commercial officer, responsible for marketing, strategic and annual planning and delivery of the overall P&L. Greenberg joined B&G Foods in 1999, and has served in roles of increasing responsibility, including as vice president of marketing and his current position as vice president and general manager – Green Giant. In fact, Greenberg was instrumental in the reviving the Green Giant brand after B&G Foods acquired the brand in 2015. Prior to joining B&G Foods, Greenberg served in the marketing departments of Land O’Lakes and Alpine Lace. Ellen Schum joined as executive vice president and chief customer officer, responsible for all sales and trade marketing and acting as the key customer liaison for the company. Schum joined B&G Foods in July 2018 as vice president of U.S. retail sales. Prior to that, she served as executive vice president of sales and marketing, and then chief operating officer of Schuman Cheese. Schum started her career in finance at Nabisco, and spent 24 years at Nabisco and Kraft Foods in leadership roles of increasing responsibility, first in finance for 5 years, then in sales for 19 years, most recently serving as area vice president – East. All three appointments are effective March 11. Also, Vanessa Maskal, executive vice president of sales and marketing, announced plans to retire, effective April 5. Since assuming responsibility for the company’s sales organization in 2006 (approximately 2 years before assuming responsibility for the company’s marketing organization), B&G Foods’ net sales grew from more than $400 million to $1.7 billion. She also played a key role in the integration of numerous acquisitions over the years. Kenneth Romanzi, who currently serves as executive vice president and COO, will become president and CEO, effective April 6.

Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark.
Justin Whitmore, chief sustainability officer, added executive vice president for alternative proteins to his title, tasked with leading the company’s alternative and emerging proteins growth initiatives in prepared foods, sales, distribution and research and development. Whitmore was appointed the newly created position of chief sustainability officer in 2017. Also, Scott Stillwell, vice president of food safety quality and assurance, announced plans to retire in March after a 30-year career with the company. In addition, Sally Grimes, group president, prepared foods, announced her intent to leave the company. She joined the company when Tyson Foods purchased Hillshire Brands in 2014. Grimes was named group president prepared foods in August 2017.

Price Chopper Enterprises, Overland Park, Kan.
Brian Haaraoja was named president and CEO, succeeding Peter Ciacco, who announced plans to retire in April. Haaraoja most recently served as vice president of marketing and merchandising for H.A.C. Inc., Homeland Foods’ parent company. He maintains extensive grocery experience thanks to divisional and departmental vice president roles with Spartan/Nash, Shaw's and Giant Foods. He began his career with Jewel Foods.

SUPPLIERS:
Dover Corp., Downers Grove, Ill.
Peter Francis and Richard Lochridge will not stand for re-election when their current terms expire. Francis has been a director since 2007. He currently serves as managing member of Mukilteo Investment Management Co., responsible for investments in gas royalty and real estate partnerships, private equity funds, leveraged buyouts and stock portfolios. Francis is the former chair, president and CEO of J.M. Huber Corp. He’s also a faculty member at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses on business transition planning. Lochridge has been a director since 1999. He is the retired president of Lochridge & Co., Inc., and for many years, worked with Boston Consulting Group, where a majority of his experience was with non-U.S. companies or covering international or global markets. Lochridge also serves as a director of Knowles Corp., and is a former director of The Lowe's Co., Inc. and PETsMART Inc.

Haul Street Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.
Josh Jonte was named president and co-founder of the newly formed company launched by UTXL, Inc. Prior to joining UTXL in 2017, Jonte most recently served as a principal engineer at Angie's List's. 

Clarion Safety Systems, Milford, Pa.
Todd Wilson joined as new director of business development. Wilson maintains over 30 years of sales and business development experience with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their engineering staff members. He most recently led a gearmotor product line for North American markets with Telco Intercontinental Corp., and prior to that, held leadership roles with Wittenstein Inc. (Alpha Gear) and Brother International Corp. – Gearmotor Group.

Eriez-USA, Erie, Pa.
John Klinge was promoted to the newly created position of director, strategic sales-aftermarket, responsible for developing key sales strategies, tactics and action plans to expand all facets of Eriez’s aftermarket business. Klinge joined Eriez in 2008 as a technical sales representative. Most recently, he served as light industry market manager, where he spearheaded the development and release of the company’s Xtreme metal detectors. Prior to his employment with Eriez, Klinge served as a captain in the U.S. Army.

GTI, Des Plaines, Ill.
Dr. Paula Gant joined as senior vice president, corporate strategy and innovation, tasked with driving strategy, innovation and global development, overseeing the evolution of GTI’s corporate strategy, developing a future-focused vision for innovation, commercialization, acquisitions and new ventures and deepening engagement with energy leaders around the world on pressing issues impacting energy systems worldwide. In previous private and public sector roles, Gant has focused on the technology, market and policy solutions needed to transition energy systems. She maintains a strong track record in addressing complex business and policy challenges through building effective teams, communicating science and technology impacts and organizing diverse interests around a common goal. Previously, she served as principal deputy assistant secretary for international affairs and as deputy assistant secretary for oil and natural gas for the U.S. Department of Energy, where she administered natural gas export regulation, international clean energy deployment initiatives and R&D programs executed by the National Energy Technology Lab. She also previously led policy, regulatory affairs and strategy for the American Gas Association, and directed policy and government affairs for Duke Energy Corp. She has also served on the economics faculties at the University of Louisville and Louisiana State University.

Be Green Packaging, Atlanta
Nicole Juntunen joined as new vice president of sale and marketing. Juntunen has worked in various sales and marketing positions at companies such as Mars, Wrigley and PepsiCo. Scott Havlovic was named national director of foodservice. Havlovic maintains a 20-plus-year track record as a foodservice account manager, building relationships with both distributors and end users. And, Pete Hannesson assumed responsibilities as Eastern foodservice manager. Hannesson is an experienced sales professional in both B2B and B2C environments.

NexusFx, a Tompkins International company, Raleigh, N.C.
Stephen Tallevi was named chief commercial officer, responsible for building direct-to-consumer channels for consumer packaged goods companies. Tallevi is the co-founder of Grocer Gateway, and maintains more than 25 years of experience in e-commerce and online marketing. Previously, Tallevi held senior positions with several large retailers, and launched online grocery for Walmart Canada. He also sits on the board of advisors for PUDO Inc., KitchenMate and Runner.

KM Packaging, UK
Stephen Upton was appointed new business unit director, responsible for spearheading the company’s targeted push to drive new business in the European and Middle Eastern markets. Upton maintains a wealth of experience drawn from a variety of roles within corporate and small and medium enterprise environments, including as founder of SME Indigo Concept Packaging Ltd.

IN MEMORIUM: TOBY MOORE, USA POULTRY & EGG EXPORT COUNCIL

Toby Moore, vice president of communications for the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), Stone Mountain, Ga., passed away Feb. 15.

Moore was a writer and editor of MondayLine, the association’s newsletter, until his retirement in 2017. He also handled communications duties for the International Poultry Council.