Carolyn Fisher received her B.S. from Wayne State Univ. (1972) and Ph.D. from Stanford Univ. (1978). Her career moved from Research (Kalsec, 1978-1991) to Teacher (Univ.of Delaware, 1992-1996) to Book Author (Flavours: Biology & Chemistry).  At McCormick & Co., Carolyn moved from Quality Assurance (1996-2005) to Regulatory (2005-2010) to managing the electronic storage of knowledge (2011).  Currently, Carolyn is a Senior Scientist working on the global regulatory database that the food industry knows as gComply and gComply+. (Decernis, 2012 – present).  An active IFT member, Carolyn is an instructor for the IFT short course, Labeling Requirements and Implications for Foods Marketed in the U.S.(2008 – present).

Kevin Kenny
Chief Operating Officer
Decernis

Kevin Kenny is a regulatory attorney who has worked for 17 years in the product safety and food areas.  A co-founder and principal at Decernis, Mr. Kenny is responsible for the global scope of coverage at Decernis, including database coverage for Contaminants, Food Additives, Food Contact, Food Standards, Inventories and Chemical Product Safety.

Since co-founding Decernis in 2003, Mr. Kenny has met with client companies and governmental agencies in ca. 50 countries while building the Decernis regulatory compliance offerings.  In 2010-11, he led a research project for the US FDA which identified and analyzed public and private capacity building programs across 40 countries. Specializations include comparative product safety and food law, and he is a regular speaker on food contact and food additive issues.

Mr. Kenny has lived and worked for seven years in five European and Asian countries, and is bilingual German-English, with oral proficiency in French and Spanish. He possesses an honors J.D., an LL.M. in Public International Law and the Hague Diplôm de Droit International.  In 1992, he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship in Bonn, followed by two-years teaching at the Walther Schücking Institute of International Law at Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany. Before Decernis, Mr. Kenny also worked for eight years at Ariel Research, last as VP International Operations. 

In 2001, Mr. Kenny wrote a detailed country and compliance report on India covering all aspects of Product Safety compliance, including health, safety and environmental issues. Since then, he has since done extensive research and consulting projects on the Middle East, Russia and several Asian countries, including Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

David R. Schoneker is the Director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Colorcon. His responsibilities include global coordination of Colorcon’s worldwide regulatory activities and raw material assessments.
 
He received his B.S. degree from Ursinus College and M.S. in Chemistry from Villanova University.  His previous position at Colorcon was Director of Quality Assurance and Quality Control.  He has been at Colorcon since 1977. 

Mr. Schoneker has been active in many professional organizations such as AAPS, PQRI, RAPS, ASQ, ACS, AOAC and the Delaware Valley Chromatography Forum.  He also is involved with a number of trade organizations such as the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC), the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). 

Mr. Schoneker is the past Chairman of IPEC Americas (2007-2008) and is the current Vice Chair for Maker and Distributor Relations where he is actively involved with the development of Excipient GMP and Qualification related guidelines to improve Global Supply Chain Security.  He also Chairs the Safe Color Coalition which is a group of food and pharmaceutical trade associations that are involved with various activities to support the understanding of color additive safety with regulators, industry and the public.

Christopher C. DeMerlis is currently the Manager of Regulatory Affairs for Colorcon, Inc., Harleysville, PA.  Mr. DeMerlis previously held various positions at FMC Corporation including Manager of Global Regulatory Affairs for FMC's Pharmaceutical Division and Drug Delivery Technologies.  Mr. DeMerlis is on the Board of Directors for the International Food Additives Council (IFAC) and the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM). Mr. DeMerlis is active in the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC) and is Chair of IPEC's Safety Committee and is the recipient of the 2009 Marshall Steinberg Memorial Award for outstanding contributions and achievements in excipient safety.

Gustavo Puente
Director of Procurement
Kalsec

Gustavo Puente is the Director of Procurement at Kalsec where he leads the company’s global sourcing strategy. Gustavo joined Kalsec’s procurement function in 2005 as a buyer, taking on global purchasing responsibilities in 2007, moving to a Supply Chain position in 2009, and in 2011 to his current role.

Kalsec Inc. is a privately held producer and marketer of natural extracts for use in food, beverage and pharmaceutical applications. Selling and marketing in more than 70 countries worldwide, Kalsec has expanded its focus, becoming experts not only in spice and herb extraction, but pioneering breakthrough products and processes in antioxidant management and color stabilization.

Gustavo Puente obtained his Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University. He also holds a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from EARTH University in Costa Rica. 

Carla Mejia, PhD
Food Chemical Codex
Scientific Liaison, Food Ingredients Department, Document Standards Division
U.S. Pharmacopeia

Carla Mejia, PhD, joined USP early in 2010 as one of the scientific liaisons to the Food Ingredients Expert Committee, responsible for development of new and the edition of existing monographs in the Food Chemical Codex.

Before joining USP, Dr. Mejia worked as a research scientist at the Science and Policy Office of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). In this organization, she leveraged expertise of IFT members in academia, government, and industry to articulate scientific viewpoints and develop recommendations that would promote sound public policy rooted in science for federal U.S. agencies and advisory bodies worldwide. She also worked for several years at Frito Lay North America, as part of the Research and Development Department, where she was responsible for formulation development, optimization and execution of various projects that resulted in several commercial novel food products under current or new technologies.

Dr. Mejia obtained her Masters and PhD degrees in Food Science from Purdue University, where her research focused on the chemistry of proteins structure-function relationships. She also holds a B.S. degree in Agriculture from Zamorano University in Honduras.

Ted Nixon joined D.D. Williamson in 1974 in manufacturing, becoming Director of Operations in 1976 and taking on sales and marketing responsibilities in 1980.  Nixon was promoted to President and COO in 1982 and CEO in 1992. 

D.D. Williamson is the world’s largest manufacturer of Caramel Color used in the food and beverage industries and operates ten plants around the world located in the U.S., Brazil, Ireland, United Kingdom, Swaziland and China. D.D. Williamson also manufactures and markets a full range of Natural Colors.

Nixon is currently or previously been active in several organizations including the Louisville Actors Theatre Board, Junior Achievement, Food Update Board, Louisville Metro United Way, Brooklawn Child and Family Services Center, The Louisville Orchestra, YPO International, The Clifton Center and various industry organizations.

He is currently on the Board of The Koss Corporation, a publicly held consumer products company and Rooibee Red Tea, a start-up beverage company.

The Board of Directors of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in Washington, DC elected David Schmidt as president & CEO effective January 1, 2006. Schmidt also serves as President & CEO of the International Food Information Council Foundation. Previously, he held the positions of executive vice president, vice president and director and has been a frequent speaker on a wide range of food safety and nutrition issues.

Prior to joining IFIC in 1993, Schmidt served as the first Bush Administration's director of external affairs for the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There he addressed a number of controversial food safety and nutrition issues, and managed the inspection agency's media, legislative and consumer education programs. Schmidt also gained a thorough understanding of the food industry in previous sales positions with leading food and beverage firms, Oscar Mayer Foods, Pepsi-Cola USA and Canada Dry Corporation. David also served on the National Advisory Board for the Center for Risk Communication Research at the University of Maryland, on a steering committee for America’s Heartland, and participated on the steering committee on Reinventing Agricultural Education for the Year 2020. He also served the Town of Leesburg, Virginia from 2000-2004 and in 2008 as a Town Councilmember.

Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee and has completed graduate business studies at the University of New Orleans.

Dr. Kantha Shelke is Founder and Principal at Corvus Blue LLC, a food science and research firm that assists food and allied industries with expert witness research and testimonial services, competitive intelligence, regulatory compliance, risk-managed new product /technology development and commercialization via flawless execution of science-based marketing strategies. 

Dr. Shelke is a diversified scientist, with demonstrated ability to conceptualize and manage ideas leading to technology patents, new product categories and new business opportunities for corporations, professional associations and university start-ups. She serves as the Technical Ingredients Editor for Food Processing and Wellness Foods magazines, as Editor-at-large of Functional Ingredients magazine and Nutrition Business Journal, as Science & Technology commentator for PLMA Live!, a video magazine of the Private Label Manufacturers Association, a spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and has appeared as a food science and history expert on CBS, Fox News, and NPR.  She works at the intersection of food science and market realization and is retained to usher honestly healthful ingredients into the marketplace.  She leverages her professional experience in conjunction with her ability to communicate complex scientific matters to an audience with varying educational backgrounds to serve clients with expert witness services for patent infringement, product recall, and FDA / FTC compliance litigations.

Dr. Shelke’s previous experience includes senior positions at ACNielsen, Ben & Jerry’s, Continental Baking Corporation, and Grand Metropolitan Food Sector (Pillsbury, Hagen Dazs, etc) and faculty positions at Kansas State University and North Dakota State University. She is often called to provide engagingly candid insights in the health, wellness, historical and business aspects of food and beverage. She has written several chapters for the Oxford Encyclopedia on Food in America and recently completed a cook on the Global Culinary History of Pasta.  She is intimately knowledgeable about the history of food color, the role of food color in health and wellness (which includes pleasure) and people’s perception over the years.

Henriette Oellgaard
Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility
Chr Hansen, Inc.

Henriette Oellgaard has been with Chr. Hansen for almost 10 years, currently heading global work on sustainability as Senior Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability in the Stakeholder Relations department. Previously, she worked in the Compliance function as Environmental Counsel in Denmark and the United States.

Prior to working for Chr. Hansen, Ms. Oellgaard was an International Coordinator at the Danish Technological Institute/Environment consulting in Denmark and abroad, primarily in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, for public and private companies, institutions, and organisations. She began her career as Head of Section in the Business Agency of the Danish Ministry of Business and Growth, where she developed and implemented business incentives and cooperation between business and research including the fields of food technology and the environment.

Charlie Cunningham
Senior Manager - Product Development
Colorcon

Charlie Cunningham is currently a Senior Manager in the Product Development Group at Colorcon where he is responsible for the development of new film coating technologies and applications.

Before assuming his current role, Charlie held the positions of North America Technical Services Manager and Global Technical Manager for excipients. In these roles, he provided technical support for film-coating processes and solid oral dose formulation using immediate and modified release technologies supplied by Colorcon. 

In his 19 year career at Colorcon, Charlie has focused on coating process applications and the scale-up and optimization of aqueous film-coating processes.  Charlie has published several articles in the areas of immediate release and delayed release film coating technologies as well as solid oral dose formulation and excipient technologies.  He holds three patents related to novel film-coating and excipient formulations. 

Prior to joining Colorcon, Charlie was employed by Niro Inc. and was involved in the development of spray-drying, fluid-bed coating and granulation processes.

Rajesh Cherian
Technical Manager
ROHA USA LLC

Over 15 year of experience in chemical process industry specialized in, extraction, purification and formulation of Natural Food colors, Oleoresins, Essential oils and Nutraceutical products. Area of interest includes process design, microencapsulation and spray drying. He also worked with food color industry in Europe and Asia.

Mr. Cherian received his Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering and MBA- Marketing
from India.

Catherine Culver holds a Ph. D. in Food Science from North Carolina State University.  She has over twenty years of experience in the food industry, including seven years as an applied enzymologist with Kraft General Foods and twelve years as a color specialist with Pepsi-Cola.

Sean Taylor, PhD, is currently a Managing Director of Verto Solutions, LLC. He is the Scientific Director at IACM.

Dr. Taylor received a B.S. in chemistry from Penn State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University in organic chemistry. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, where he studied directed evolution and design of enzymes involved in shikimate biosynthetic pathways.

From 2002-2005 he was an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Ohio State University, where his research group studied natural products biosynthesis and function.

Kyle Kraus
Vice President, Business Development & Strategy
The Food Group

Kyle Kraus has been bringing innovation to the food industry for over 14 years. As the Vice President of Business Development & Strategy at The Food Group, he and his teams monitor the pulse of consumers, chefs, and operators, spotting trends and advising clients how to navigate and capitalize on change.

Prior to his current role, Kyle served as The Food Group's Managing Director of Digital, overseeing the identification of emerging technologies and helping the company maintain their position as a thought leader in the industry. By leveraging technology, he was instrumental in helping the company gain access to the global food market. The Food Group now advises and influences their clients in marketing culinary innovations in stores and on menus around the world.