Dairy Ingredient Applications Program Coordinator
Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research

1605 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: 608-265-9297
Email: burrington@cdr.wisc.edu
 

 

 

 

Owner
Dairy Advance Business Consulting LLC

1015 18th Avenue, Suite 211
Monroe, WI  53566

Phone: 608-325-4543
Email: mculhane@dairyadvance.com

 

 

Michael started his dairy career in Europe as an employee of Glanbia and transferred to the company’s U.S. operations in 1990. Over the course of fifteen years at Glanbia he held management positions including general manager, executive vice president and president at the company’s North American ingredient division helping during this time to advance business through several stages of growth for commodity and specialty dairy ingredients. His experience of dairy global markets includes many years of direct involvement in the management of business and customer relationships in North & South America, European Union and Asia.

In his consulting business Michael combines business and technical expertise to assist customers with business development and investment evaluations, strategic planning, dairy manufacturing technology, operations design, dairy market/competitive analysis, regulatory guidance.

Michael Culhane received his B.Sc. in Agricultural and Food Chemistry and Ph.D. in Nutrition from University College Dublin. .

Strategic Development Consultant 
American Dairy Products Institute

4842 Van Ness St. NW
Washington, DC   20016

Phone:  202-316-1265
E-mail:  vlagrange@adpi.org
 

Veronique Lagrange has over 22 years of experience in the dairy industry that includes planning and supervising strategic, product, and nutrition research projects, working with U.S. ingredient suppliers, international manufacturers, multinationals and research institutions throughout the world and leading international food assistance research programs.  

 

In 1996, Lagrange joined the U.S. Dairy Export Council as the director of Latin America programs. During her time with USDEC, she worked as director of applications, director of global ingredient programs, was named Vice President of Strategic Research and Business Development and in 2010, she was named Senior Vice President of Strategy and Insights.

Lagrange is the author of many publications, technical manuals and reference guides on the topic of dairy ingredients, from milk powders to specialized protein products, their applications in human nutrition products, their functionality and manufacture.  

Lagrange is a member on the Steering Committee of the Whey Protein Research Consortium, an international non-profit group dedicated to funding clinical trials. She also leads the US industry’s “Dairy for Global Nutrition” initiative to fund independent scientific studies to address stunting and manage moderate malnutrition, and collaborates with foundations, universities and researchers worldwide to advance science in this area.

She has a BS and MS in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, a nutrition degree from Ecole de Medecine Paris V, France, and completed the course requirements for the doctorate in Engineering Management at George Washington University, Washington, DC.  She also completed classes for the Executive Program at MIT, Cambridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President
Blimling and Associates, Inc.

5201 East Terrace Dr.
Madison, WI 53718

Phone: 608-249-5030
Email: pplourd@blimling.com
 

Areas of expertise: Dairy Ingredient Market Analysis, Research, Forecasting & Risk Management
 

 

 

 

Schweitzer Consulting LLC
 

Phone: 847-977-6270
Email: cschweitzerashton@gmail.com
 

Cindy Schweitzer founded Schweitzer Consulting LLC to provide nutrition and food science expertise for the food industry, including insights about complex diet-health relationships, translating scientific evidence and identifying research priorities. Schweitzer’s global technical expertise spans more than 30 years in non-profit, ingredient and food service organizations.

Most recently Schweitzer was Technical Director for Global Dairy Platform where she facilitated world-wide collaborative efforts on dairy nutrition and health issues and research initiatives to promote dairy foods as nutritious components of healthy sustainable diets. Schweitzer previously worked for McDonald's Corporation driving their worldwide nutrition strategy on regulatory guidelines and labeling standards. As Senior Scientist with Cognis Corporation (formerly Henkel), Cindy led research and regulatory efforts, similar to prior work directing the nutrition research program for the National Livestock and Meat Board. Her career started in dairy food manufacturing as a technical sales representative for Marschall Products Division of Miles Laboratories.

Cindy obtained her PhD in human nutrition at Utah State University and BS in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

Owner & Director
Geoffrey Smithers Food Industry Consulting Services

24B Railway Parade
P.O. Box 158
Highett, Victoria
3190 Australia 

Email: geoff.smithers@gmail.com
 

Geoffrey Smithers has a background in both fundamental and applied R&D in the areas of dairy processing and ingredient functionality. During a career with CSIRO and Food Science Australia, Geoffrey successfully built client relationships in critical capability areas, including processing systems, ingredient functionality and delivery, and nutrition science in Australasian, European and North American markets. Geoffrey formed his own dairy (and food) consulting business in early 2009, operating out of Melbourne, Australia, and has established a global client base.

He has a Bachelor of Applied Science and a PhD in Biochemistry, and nearly 30 years experience in dairy processing, and ingredient science and technology. He has published extensively in the scientific literature, by way of original research articles, reviews and books, and is an inventor on a number of patent applications.

In 2007, Geoffrey was awarded the Sir Ian McLennan Achievement for Industry Prize that recognized his achievements in translating dairy science and technology into the marketplace, and resultant national economic impact. In 2009 Geoffrey was elected a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) recognizing his contributions toward advancing the science and technology of foods, notably dairy foods; and he was a member of the governing board of AIFST from 2012 – 2014. In 2011 Geoffrey was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of the International Dairy Journal published by Elsevier, and in 2015 Geoffrey was appointed as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier Reference Module in Food Science. In 2013 Geoffrey was a member of the inaugural class of Certified Food Scientists conferred by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Geoffrey takes an active role in the work of the IFT, the AIFST, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) (he is the current deputy-chair of the Standing Committee for Dairy Science and Technology within IDF), the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), the Food Technology Association of Australia (FTAA), and the Dairy Industry Association of Australia (DIAA).
 

 

Dairy Safety and Quality Coordinator
Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research

1605 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: 608-265-6346
Email: msmuk@cdr.wisc.edu
 

Marianne is the Dairy Safety and Quality Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research. She has over 30 years of experience in butter grading and manufacturing including her past positions working for USDA-Dairy Division and Land O’ Lakes.

Marianne coordinates the only Buttermakers Workshop held in the US. The workshop is a two- day course that covers a variety of topics including butter manufacturing, cleaning and sanitation, packaging, sensory evaluation and food safety. The Center for Dairy Research also offers the Wisconsin Buttermakers License Apprenticeship Workshop. A five-day workshop that covers principles and technology. Marianne answers questions regarding quality and processing issues, regulatory requirements of grading butter, and food safety of butter.

Marianne holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Principal
J.E. Sullivan Enterprise, LLC

10030 Green Level Church Rd., Suite 802 #52
Cary, NC  27519

Phone: 919-463-0438
Email: jim@sullivanenterprise.com
 

Jim Sullivan's work experience has been in the feed ingredient, dairy and food byproduct industries. This included 25 years in the byproduct based feed ingredient business as President of the International Ingredient Corporation (IIC). He brings over 30 years of knowledge and experience in the feed and dairy industry to the Center of Excellence. He shares his expertise in animal nutrition, new product development, maximizing value of dairy by-products, market research, problem solving and exporting of feed ingredients.

Dr. Sullivan holds an animal science degree from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in animal nutrition from the University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign.

4593 Spanish Oaks Drive
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Phone: 805-440-8149
Email: ptong@adpi.org
 

Dr. Tong has over 35 years of experience in conducting research and development in dairy foods science and technology with Cal Poly, Kraft, Clorox, and Foremost Technical Center. He was instrumental in establishing and growing Cal Poly’s Dairy Products Technology Center, and served as a Professor and its Director for over 15 years. Dr. Tong is an internationally recognized expert in dairy foods science. His work has involved a wide range of separation, concentration, purification and thermal processes as it applies to dairy foods (fermented milks, fluid milks, dairy beverages, frozen desserts, cheese, butter, etc.), dairy ingredients (MPC, WPC, NFDM, SMP, etc.) and other food systems. He has co-authored over 100 publications on dairy foods and related technologies. He organized and led the instruction of over 50 short courses and symposia on dairy foods and he has given over 300 presentations to industry groups and academics in 10 countries including China, Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland, Australia, Canada.

Dr. Tong is now an independent consultant to the dairy and food industries and Cal Poly Professor Emeritus. He is currently serving as Technology Consultant and member of the Center of Excellence of the American Dairy Products Institute, Executive Director of the California Creamery Operators Association, Section Editor of the Journal of Dairy Science, Member of the International Dairy Federation Dairy Science and Technology Committee and he writes a quarterly column for Dairy Foods Magazine. He has served as President and member of the Board of Directors of the American Dairy Science Association, and Past Chair of the Dairy Foods Division of Institute of Food Technologists. He has received numerous awards including: 2016 Fellow of the American Dairy Science Association, 2015 Southern California Institute of Food Technologists Distinguished Achievement Award, the American Dairy Science Association Award of Honor in 2014, Cal Poly Graduate Studies and Research 2014 Career Award in Recognition for Securing Over $10 million, the American Dairy Products Institute Award of Merit in 2013, and the International Dairy Foods Association Dairy Research Award of the American Dairy Science Association in 2006.   

Principal
PCV& Associates, LLC
  811 Mary Lane
River Falls, WI 54022

Phone: 715-426-5513
Email: Purnendu.C.Vasavada@uwrf.edu
 

Dr. Purnendu Vasavada is a Professor Emeritus of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Principal of the PCV & Associates, LLC. He is internationally recognized for his innovative teaching and training programs in Food Science and Technology, Milk Quality and Dairy Microbiology, and Rapid Methods and Automation in Food Microbiology.

 

Dr. Vasavada served as a FDA-ORISE Fellow and the Coordinator of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA). He is the author/co-author of over 100 publications, including peer reviewed papers, technical abstracts and book chapters. Dr. Vasavada is a Fellow of the AAM, the IFT, and the IAFP and has received numerous awards and professional honors, including the Educator award (IAMFES 1997), the Harry Haverland Citation Award (IAFP 2011), the GMA Food Safety award, Honorary Achievement award (FDA-CFSAN, 2012), Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (2016), and the NSF International’s Food Safety Leadership award (2016), the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association’s, the Babcock Award (2018).