Lee Blakely has enjoyed a long, multi-faceted dairy career, which has spanned an unusually wide range of responsibilities in fields of teaching, manufacturing, quality assurance and marketing.  Over the course of his career Lee has contributed in many diverse ways to the advancement of the American dairy industry.  

 

Lee successful career in the dairy industry was built on an impressive foundation of academic achievement. He received his BS Degree in Food Technology from the University of Georgia in 1962. He subsequently earned MS & PhD degrees in Food Science at Michigan State University, concluding his studies there in 1968. 

 

After receiving his doctorate, Lee began teaching future dairy industry managers starting some 40 years ago as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, followed by a move to the well-regarded dairy science program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. 

 

After four years of teaching, the dairy industry called and Lee joined Dairyman’s Cooperative Creamery Association in 1973 as Senior VP of Manufacturing. It was a prescient move as California was quickly emerging as a major milk producing state. A DCCA merger with Land O’ Lakes in 1999 resulted in Lee assuming a new role as VP of Quality Assurance for LOL. In 2002, he was tapped as the Chief Technical Officer for Cheese & Protein International LLC, which was eventually acquired by Saputo and reorganized as Saputo Cheese & Protein. 

 

Lee retired in the Fall of 2008, although he remains active in the dairy business taking on various consulting assignments from Land O’ Lakes and other industry clients 

 

In addition to his long and distinguished dairy career, Lee has had a very active relationship with American Dairy Products Institute. He attended his first American Dry Milk Institute Annual Meeting in 1973. His record of service to ADPI to includes active roles on the ADPI’s Technical Committee, Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Lee served as for eight years as an officer of ADPI, culminating in his term as President during the years of 1999-2001. 

Lee has also served on numerous dairy industry scientific and research advisory committees. He is currently serving on the 3-A Sanitary Standards Board of Directors, where his extensive technical knowledge and practical experience plays a key role in developing dairy and food equipments standards and sanitation codes which protect consumable dairy products from contamination, safeguard consumers and contribute to the strong safety record of the dairy industry.  

 

Lee also continues his career-long practice of “giving back” to the dairy industry by currently serving as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2011 International Whey Conference, which will be held in Chicago in 2011.

 

Lee was born and raised in rural western New York, and now resides in Visalia, California with his wife of 26 years, Fern. They have three sons, Steve, Michael and Brandon.

The members of ADPI and the entire dairy industry congratulate Lee Blakely, the 2009 recipient of ADPI’s Award of Merit.

Lee Blakely has enjoyed a long, multi-faceted dairy career, which has spanned an unusually wide range of responsibilities in fields of teaching, manufacturing, quality assurance and marketing.  Over the course of his career Lee has contributed in many diverse ways to the advancement of the American dairy industry.  

 

Lee successful career in the dairy industry was built on an impressive foundation of academic achievement. He received his BS Degree in Food Technology from the University of Georgia in 1962. He subsequently earned MS & PhD degrees in Food Science at Michigan State University, concluding his studies there in 1968. 

 

After receiving his doctorate, Lee began teaching future dairy industry managers starting some 40 years ago as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, followed by a move to the well-regarded dairy science program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. 

 

After four years of teaching, the dairy industry called and Lee joined Dairyman’s Cooperative Creamery Association in 1973 as Senior VP of Manufacturing. It was a prescient move as California was quickly emerging as a major milk producing state. A DCCA merger with Land O’ Lakes in 1999 resulted in Lee assuming a new role as VP of Quality Assurance for LOL. In 2002, he was tapped as the Chief Technical Officer for Cheese & Protein International LLC, which was eventually acquired by Saputo and reorganized as Saputo Cheese & Protein. 

 

Lee retired in the Fall of 2008, although he remains active in the dairy business taking on various consulting assignments from Land O’ Lakes and other industry clients 

 

In addition to his long and distinguished dairy career, Lee has had a very active relationship with American Dairy Products Institute. He attended his first American Dry Milk Institute Annual Meeting in 1973. His record of service to ADPI to includes active roles on the ADPI’s Technical Committee, Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Lee served as for eight years as an officer of ADPI, culminating in his term as President during the years of 1999-2001. 

Lee has also served on numerous dairy industry scientific and research advisory committees. He is currently serving on the 3-A Sanitary Standards Board of Directors, where his extensive technical knowledge and practical experience plays a key role in developing dairy and food equipments standards and sanitation codes which protect consumable dairy products from contamination, safeguard consumers and contribute to the strong safety record of the dairy industry.  

 

Lee also continues his career-long practice of “giving back” to the dairy industry by currently serving as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2011 International Whey Conference, which will be held in Chicago in 2011.

 

Lee was born and raised in rural western New York, and now resides in Visalia, California with his wife of 26 years, Fern. They have three sons, Steve, Michael and Brandon.

The members of ADPI and the entire dairy industry congratulate Lee Blakely, the 2009 recipient of ADPI’s Award of Merit.