Check out our 2026 Virtual Consumer Food Safety Education Conference Speakers!
Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on all conference information!
Keynote Speakers
Gwen Biggerstaff, Sc.D., MSPH
Deputy Division Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Biggerstaff is currently the Deputy Division Director of NCEZID’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED). Prior to this appointment in 2025, she served as the Associate Director of DFWED’s Office of Program Support, Coordination, and Implementation (OPSCI).
Gwen began her public health career with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006 with the Surveillance and Outbreak Response Team in the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch. Over the past 20 years, she has led and supported national efforts in enteric disease surveillance, multistate outbreak response, capacity building, and program quality improvement. Dr. Biggerstaff earned a Master of Science in Public Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a Doctor of Science from Tulane University.
Mindy Brashears, Ph.D.
Undersecretary for Food Safety
United States Department of Agriculture
Dr. Mindy M. Brashears is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Food Safety. Dr. Brashears previously served as Under Secretary for Food Safety from 2020-2021, and Deputy Under Secretary in 2019. Dr. Brashears returns to USDA from Texas Tech University where she was a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Public Health, the Roth and Letch Family Endowed Chair for Food Safety and the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence.
Dr. Brashears’ research program has advanced food safety in meat and poultry production, with a focus on on public health. Her work evaluated interventions in pre- and post-harvest environments and antimicrobial drug resistance in animal feeding systems. She has led international research teams across the globe to enhance food safety, security, and sustainable agriculture systems. She has also taught courses in food microbiology and food safety and provided industry training in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points , sanitation, recalls and food security. Dr. Brashears has an extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and has delivered keynote addresses here in the U.S. and abroad. Her research has resulted in more than 20 patents and patents pending for innovations in food safety.
Beyond academia, Dr. Brashears has held leadership roles on boards and advisory committees, including the American Meat Science Association, the Development Council, the International Stockman’s Educational Foundation, and the Protein Pact. She was a founding member of the SAFE Think Tank and has chaired the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security and the USDA’s multi-state research group. Her contributions have earned national and international recognition, including induction into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, Fellow status in the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and the National Academy of Inventors, and numerous awards from leading associations. Top among them include the International Association for Food Protection Laboratorian Award, the AMSA Signal Service Fellow Award, the AMSA Distinguished Research Award, and the AMSA Distinguished Industry Service Award. She was named among the National Provisioner’s Top 25 Future Icons in the Beef Industry and honored as an Outstanding Graduate of Distinction at Oklahoma State University.
Under Dr. Brashears’ leadership, FSIS will advance its core mission of safeguarding public health while enhancing these efforts through the implementation of Secretary Rollins’ Five-Point Plan to Bolster Food Safety.
Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Microbiological Food Safety
Human Foods Program
Food and Drug Administration
Conrad Choiniere, PhD, is the Director of the Office of Microbiological Food Safety at FDA’s Human Foods Program. He oversees regulatory policy for managing microbial risks in foods and developing strategies for the prevention of foodborne illness.
He has been with the Agency for over twenty years working in a variety of roles, in both food safety and tobacco control, primarily focused on risk and decision analysis, social and behavioral sciences, and executive leadership. Conrad has a doctorate in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.
Ashley Dunworth, MS, RDN, CDCES
Manager of Nutrition
Presbyterian Healthcare Services
Ashley Dunworth, MS, RDN, CDCES serves as the Manager of Nutrition Services for Presbyterian Healthcare Services’ Community Health Department. She is a licensed registered dietitian as well as certified diabetes care and education specialist. She completed her bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics and internship at the University of New Mexico in 2016 and completed her master’s degree in science and nutrition in 2021.
Ashley is a dynamic and energetic educator that specializes in healthy lifestyle cooking classes, counseling, and goal setting. She has years of experience facilitating both in-person and virtual cooking classes and has a wealth of food skills and nutrition knowledge. In addition, she manages and coordinates programming for active living classes and provides individual and group diabetes education and support for the department’s accredited DSMES program. She serves on the board for the New Mexico Diabetes Advisory Council and continues to work to improve care for people with diabetes in the communities she serves. Ashley also co-leads the nutrition committee for the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, increasing shared collaboration among peers and strengthening the work of teaching kitchens and Food is Medicine.
Ashley was born and raised in New Mexico and has a passion for fun and learning. She enjoys teaching and helping others achieve their best health. Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, cooking, eating, traveling, and playing together.
Cheryl Jitta, RD
Scientific Projects Coordinator, Bureau of Microbial Hazards
Food and Nutrition Directorate, Health Canada
Cheryl Jitta is a Scientific Projects Coordinator with Health Canada’s Food and Nutrition Directorate, where she leads and contributes to national food safety and nutrition education initiatives. Since 2021, she has provided strategic direction and subject‑matter expertise on major food safety projects, including the development of interactive online courses for health professionals and educators, a curriculum‑aligned food safety course for children in grades 4 to 6, and the Safe Recipe Style Guide, which embeds food safety steps directly into recipes to help prevent foodborne illness. Her work emphasizes plain language, accessibility, and meaningful engagement with diverse stakeholders.
Over her career, Cheryl has held senior roles at both Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), providing authoritative advice on policy, programs, regulations, communications, and emergency response. She has played a key role in the development and delivery of regulatory and educational initiatives related to nutrition labelling, sodium reduction, front‑of‑package labelling, food allergens, and healthy eating.
Earlier in her career, Cheryl worked in the food industry, leading product development, nutrition and allergen communications, food safety audits, and ingredient standardization for an international foodservice brand.
Cheryl is a Registered Dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario and a Red Seal–certified Chef. Her work has been recognized with numerous Awards of Excellence for advancing food safety, nutrition education, collaborative leadership, and the health of Canadians.
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.
Allison Righter, MSPH, RDN
Director of Membership & Programs
The Teaching Kitchen Collaborative
Allison Righter, MSPH, RDN is a public health professional and registered dietitian nutritionist dedicated to advancing food initiatives that promote health and sustainability. She serves as Director of Membership and Programs at the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a global network improving lives through culinary and lifestyle education.
From 2021-2024, Allison was Director of Health and Sustainability Programs at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she guided strategy for the Menus of Change and Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conferences and three industry collaboratives influencing millions of meals daily. She also spent seven years on the CIA faculty, teaching nutrition, food systems, and public health, and integrating wellness and sustainability into the curriculum.
Earlier, Allison coordinated the CIA’s teaching kitchen pilot study with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2013–2015), which led to the creation of the TKC in 2016. She previously managed programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, supporting Meatless Monday and community food initiatives in Baltimore. She earned her BA and MSPH from Johns Hopkins University and was named a “Forty Under 40 Mover & Shaker” by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2019.
Brian Ronholm
Director of Food Policy
Consumer Reports
Brian Ronholm is the director of food policy for Consumer Reports. He leads CR’s advocacy efforts to advance a safe and healthy food system. Brian brings deep legislative and regulatory experience in food policy to CR. He also writes and speaks extensively on food policy issues, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies, food safety modernization, and pending regulatory policies facing the food industry.
Brian served as deputy under secretary of food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for five years. Brian provided leadership, management and oversight of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health agency with more than 9,000 employees responsible for ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, catfish, and processed egg products.
Prior to joining CR, Brian most recently served as senior director of regulatory affairs at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, and he served in the same senior position at Arent Fox LLP.
He serves on the Board of the Directors for the non-profit the Partnership for Food Safety Education.
Brian graduated from California State University – East Bay with a Bachelor of Science in Finance as well as a Master of Art in Public Policy from The George Washington University.