Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN
President & CEO
International Food Information Council (IFIC)
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN is President and CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC), a nonprofit 501c(3) research and education foundation focused on effectively communicating science-based information about food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems, serving the public good. Prior to joining IFIC, Wendy served as the President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) (now known as the Foundation for Fresh Produce). At PBH, she guided the Foundation’s efforts with hundreds of public and private partners to advance fruit and vegetable consumption for happier, healthier lives. Under her leadership and through a two-year transformation, the organization launched the Have A Plant® Movement in 2019, which today inspires millions of consumers to eat and enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day. From 2012 to 2016, Reinhardt Kapsak held multiple leadership positions in the Food, Nutrition & Health Partnerships as well as Corporate Engagement verticals at what is now known as Bayer Crop Science. While in these roles, her efforts focused on connecting the food, nutrition, culinary, and agriculture communities for greater understanding, collaboration, and innovation. Wendy returned to IFIC after a previous tenure from 2000–2012, including service as Senior Director, Health & Wellness. During this time, she directed food and nutrition communication strategies, including consumer research, opinion leader and media outreach, as well as publications and partnerships, for multiple food safety, nutrition, and agriculture issues. Wendy earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutrition and exercise science from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and James Madison University, respectively. She completed her dietetic internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital — an affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine.
Bhakti Petigara Harp
Research Chemist
Office of Cosmetics and Colors, FDA
Bhakti Petigara Harp has been with FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors (OCAC) which now sits in the Office of Chief Scientist as a research chemist since 2000. Her current responsibilities as a supervisory research chemist include overseeing research and methods development for color additives and other components using various analytical for the agency’s color certification program. She also is a technical expert and troubleshooter to support the FDA district laboratories in regulatory actions concerning the analysis of atypical samples of food, drugs and cosmetics containing organic color additives. In addition, Bhakti oversees and performs chemistry reviews of data establishing chemical identity, composition, stability, and manufacture of color additives submitted in support of color additive petitions. Bhakti earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Tongtong Xu, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist II
Food Chemicals Codex
Tongtong is a Documentary Scientist supporting the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) at U.S. Pharmacopeia, where she leads the development and modernization of standards for food ingredients, including colors from natural sources. She also serves as staff lead for the USP Adulteration and Contamination Joint Sub-Committee. Her previous roles at the American Beverage Association and FDA focused on ingredient safety, nutrition, and food additive regulations. Tongtong holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from The Pennsylvania State University.
Elisabeth Anderson
Director of Science Communication
Michigan State University, Center for Research on Ingredient Safety
Elisabeth Anderson is the Director of Science Communication for the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety at Michigan State University. She focuses on the intersection of science, media, and technology, translating complex scientific information into accessible, evidence-based content that reaches audiences where they are, not where we think they should be. Her work focuses on the algorithmic amplification of chemical ingredient content, optimizing scientific information for discoverability across modern search and information retrieval ecosystems, and integrating AI-driven tools into science communication strategies. Her work has helped evidence-based content reach tens of thousands of readers and has supported national media coverage, including features in Tier 1 outlets. She co-authored Curated: The Reality of Ingredient Safety with Dr. Joe Zagorski, the forthcoming book (2027) that explores the intersection of ingredient safety, misinformation, and the algorithmic forces shaping public perception. She has her master’s degree in strategic communications from Michigan State University.
Doug McKalip
Former Chief Agricultural Negotiator
USTR
Ambassador Douglas J. McKalip is a globally recognized leader in trade, commerce, supply chain and national security issues. He served in the U.S. government for more than 30 years in senior food and agricultural trade and national security positions. From January 2023 to January 2025, McKalip served as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). He was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and was in charge of all global trade negotiations involving food and agriculture, representing a $1 billion sector of the U.S. economy. In this position, he secured over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access across the globe for America’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers, and led negotiation and reduction of more than 14 tariffs that had previously faced U.S. products. As a result of Ambassador McKalip’s work, the U.S. four-year average of agriculture exports was 28.5 percent higher than the previous four years. Prior to this position, McKalip served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture, handling all trade and national security matters. He coordinated supply chain and sourcing issues associated with military conflict in Eastern Europe, provided leadership on agriculture trade with the United Nations and served as point on matters involving the World Trade Organization. From 2011 to 2015, McKalip was Senior Advisor to the President of the United States for Agriculture and Rural Affairs at the White House Domestic Policy Council. McKalip has previously served in senior leadership positions with the Agriculture Marketing Service, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. McKalip was an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) and holds both a Masters and Bachelors Degree in Public Policy. He has delivered science and policy lectures on six continents. McKalip currently possesses a U.S. Coast Guard Master Mariner Captain’s License, and is authorized to operate commercial vessels up to 100 Tons.
Pam Gesford
Staff Scientist
The Hershey Company
Pam Gesford is a Staff Scientist at The Hershey Company, specializing in sweets and refreshment product development, with a focus on Jolly Rancher and Twizzlers innovation. She is an active member of the Professional Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association (PMCA) and serves on its Program Committee. Pam has taught confectionery industry courses for more than 25 years, including PMCA courses, former NCA and PMCA panning courses, and two current industry courses at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Pam has held senior technical and leadership roles across the confectionery industry. She began her career at Hershey Foods in product development, supporting chocolate and non-chocolate confections from concept through production startup. She later served as R&D Manager at the former Herman Goelitz Candy Company, now Jelly Belly Candy Company, where she developed new flavors for Jelly Belly and other Goelitz confections. Her experience also includes roles as Technical Service Manager at Colorcon, Technology Manager at Perfetti Van Melle USA, and Senior Consultant at Knechtel, Inc., where she provided R&D support, technical training, and troubleshooting for clients. Pam holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from The Pennsylvania State University and completed additional coursework in food science. Her contributions to the confectionery industry have been recognized with the Stroud Jordan Award in 2017, induction into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2021, and the Marie Kelso Award in 2022.
Andrea Martin
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Phytolon
Andrea Martin is Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Phytolon where she leads global initiatives to advance the company’s mission of bringing vibrant colors to the food and beverage industries through precision fermentation. A strategic communications and marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience, Andrea specializes in translating complex science, technology and health innovations into successful campaigns that connect with customers, consumers and industry stakeholders. Prior to joining Phytolon, Andrea led brand communications and corporate affairs across a diverse portfolio of nutrition and health businesses at Nestlé. She also founded an independent communications consultancy, partnering with organizations across healthcare, nutrition and consumer industries to develop and execute integrated communications strategies. Throughout her career, Andrea has focused on the intersection of science, innovation and consumer understanding – helping organizations communicate not only what they do, but why it matters. At Phytolon, she is applying that experience to the rapidly evolving natural colors category, helping translate the potential of food color production through precision fermentation into meaningful value for food and beverage brands and the broader industry.
Pavel Somavat
Associate Professor, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences and Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
University of Missouri Columbia
Pavel Somavat serves as an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences and the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Missouri Columbia. He obtained PhD degree from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests are multi-disciplinary and include extraction optimization of anthocyanins and polyphenolic compounds from pigmented corn varieties and utilizing them for novel, value-added applications including food colorants. His group also specializes in environmentally friendly soy processing for improved product development and performing techno-economic feasibility analyses of novel bioprocesses. His research has been supported by the USDA NIFA, NCR SARE, United Soybean Board, and Good Food Institute grants.
Kristen Giombi
Senior Manager and Economist
RTI International
Kristen Giombi is a Senior Manager and economist at RTI International whose work focuses on food and nutrition policy, regulatory economics, and evidence synthesis. She has more than 15 years of experience leading research and evaluation projects for federal agencies, including FDA and USDA, on topics such consumer behavior, food pricing, as product reformulation, and nutrition-related regulations. Her work includes contributions to FDA's Labeling Cost Model and Reformulation Cost Model, as well as studies using retail scanner data to inform food and nutrition policy. Ms. Giombi leads RTI's Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture team and has extensive experience translating complex research into evidence that supports policy and program decision-making.
John H. Cox, JD
Lawyer and Association Executive
Verto Legal Solutions
John Cox is a lawyer and association executive with decades of nonprofit legal and leadership experience. For more than twenty years, John has served trade and professional associations as executive director and general counsel. His subject-matter expertise includes food and beverage regulatory compliance, consumer protection, nonprofit governance, and litigation management. John holds a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and a B.A. from Spring Hill College. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Georgia.
Dr. Hudson Beyzavi
Executive Director of Global R&D – Color Innovation
Kalsec
Dr. Hudson Beyzavi is Executive Director of Global R&D – Color Innovation at Kalsec, where he leads global innovation teams focused on natural color technologies, ingredient discovery, and agricultural innovation. As a member of Kalsec’s R&D Leadership Council, he directs innovation strategy, portfolio governance, commercialization, and cross-functional collaboration across Regulatory, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Commercial teams. His work includes natural color discovery, formulation, stabilization, application development, and technologies that support the food and beverage industry's transition from synthetic to naturally derived color solutions. Prior to joining Kalsec, Dr. Beyzavi held R&D leadership roles at Ingredion and Beyond Meat, where he led multidisciplinary teams responsible for ingredient innovation, formulation, new product development, scale-up, and commercialization across a broad range of food and beverage categories. Throughout his career, he has advanced technologies related to natural ingredients, color systems, encapsulation, delivery technologies, and product performance. Earlier in his career, Dr. Beyzavi served as a professor, leading interdisciplinary research programs and mentoring more than 40 researchers and students. He also conducted postdoctoral research at Northwestern University and served as an NIH Scientist at Harvard Medical School, advancing research in molecular discovery, natural products, chemical biology, and cancer research. Dr. Beyzavi holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and an Executive MBA. He has authored more than 80 publications, patents, and book chapters and is recognized for bridging scientific innovation, business strategy, and commercialization to drive growth and innovation in the global food and beverage industry.
Allison Graham, MS, RD
Vice President, Food & Nutrition Policy
Food Directions
Allie Graham joined Food Directions in 2019 as the Director of Food Policy and Regulatory Affairs. Allie manages client’s policy and regulatory priorities for food, nutrition and food labeling. Until August 2019, she worked as a Science and Regulatory Manager at Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA, now Consumer Brands Association) supporting the development and implementation of domestic/international food labeling standards and nutrition policy positions. Prior to GMA, Allie earned her Master’s degree in Nutrition with a focus on Global Nutrition Education at University of New Haven in Connecticut and trained as a Registered Dietitian at Yale New Haven Hospital. Allie is also a trained chef; completing her Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Nutrition at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island in 2015. Allie lives in DC.
Natarajan Padmanabhan
Business Development Manager
Vivify
Natarajan Padmanabhan is a business development and product innovation leader with more than 12 years of experience across the food, biotechnology, CPG, and pet nutrition industries.
At Vivify, he leads business development for Natural Colorants, working closely with customers and sales champions to accelerate the transition from FD&C dyes to natural color solutions that balance performance, formulation requirements, commercial viability, and consumer expectations. His career spans scientific innovation roles with Chr. Hansen and Blue Buffalo, as well as five years with ADM Corporate Ventures, giving him a unique perspective at the intersection of science, emerging technologies, and commercialization. Natarajan has led global R&D and innovation programs and developed solutions across natural colors, precision fermentation, functional ingredients, sugar-reduction technologies, pet nutrition, and sustainable formulation. Throughout his career, he has focused on translating complex ingredient technologies into practical, scalable solutions and meaningful business opportunities. At Vivify, he brings this combination of technical depth, market insight, and customer-centric commercial leadership to help food and beverage manufacturers navigate natural color conversion and identify pathways that deliver both product performance and long-term growth.
David Pineda Ereño
Managing Director
DPE International Consulting
David Pineda Ereño is Managing Director of DPE International Consulting, an international consultancy firm that provides strategic and regulatory advice on the policy, regulation and trade of foods and food supplements. David has over 20 years of experience providing strategic solutions to companies, trade associations, and government bodies at national, regional, and international level, in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and the United States. He has a Law degree by the University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain and a Master’s degree in Comparative Law and European Law (LL.M.) by the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Lilia McFarland Horder
Deputy Director for Government Relations and Principal
Monument Advocacy
Lilia McFarland Horder is the Deputy Director for Government Relations and Principal at Monument Advocacy with 17 years of experience in government and government relations. On behalf of her clients, she works to inform the work of the federal government and Congress in the areas of food, agriculture, sustainability, nutrition, supply chain, and more. She represents Fortune 500 companies and national trade associations across multiple sectors, including food and beverage, agricultural production, biomanufacturing, animal health, sustainability, and transportation and logistics.
Prior to joining Monument Advocacy, Lilia spent nearly 13 years with the Department of Agriculture, including as the Acting Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Secretary and the Acting Chief of Staff for Departmental Administration, and established and led the USDA New Farmer Program. She has worked extensively across USDA in the areas of Departmental operations, beginning farmers, food safety, trade, disaster assistance, risk management, credit, and international food security. Lilia also served as a legislative fellow in the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), focused on the farm bill and agriculture appropriations.
Lilia was recognized in 2016 as a finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medals, which recognizes federal government employees who make significant contributions to the governance of the United States. Originally from Deep East Texas, Lilia earned a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.