Center of Excellence

ADPI is committed to becoming the world’s premier authority on dairy ingredients. As such, we are pleased to introduce a network of seasoned dairy industry professionals capable of addressing a wide range of topics.

The ADPI Center of Excellence (COE) is the key resource to the ADPI Academy and they provide an easy and economical way for members to gain access to a pool of dairy industry experts with competencies in the following areas:

• Product Applications	• Regulatory / Legal
• Feed Industry	• Quality / Food Safety
• Marketing	• Risk Management and Supply Chain Management
• Environmental Compliance	• Business Development and Strategy

COE resource professionals, as listed below, are ready and willing to address ADPI member questions or concerns. Simply identify the person that has the expertise that you require, and make contact with that resource professional by phone or email. Please identify yourself as an ADPI member, there will be no cost for this initial consultation. A member may then choose to employ the consultant directly if more extensive assistance is required.

For additional information, please contact: Dan Meyer, ADPI Director of Technical Services (dmeyer@adpi.org (630) 530-8700 ext. 224)

Disclaimer: Center of Excellence resource professionals are not employees of ADPI, they are independent consultants. As such, ADPI will not be privy to communications between COE resource professionals and individual members, and ADPI disclaims any responsibility or liability in connection with or stemming from such consultations.

Kimberlee (K.J.) Burrington

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

Areas of expertise: Dairy Ingredient Applications

Ms. Burrington is the Dairy Ingredient Applications Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research. She has over 25 years of experience in product development including her past positions at Ridgeview Industries, the Keebler Company, and as a consultant to the baking industry.

In her current position, she provides technical support for U.S. dairy processors and end users on dairy ingredient functionality and applications. She also provides technical support for food companies internationally through visits and seminars provided by the U.S. Dairy Export Council to countries such as Mexico, Latin America, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Ms. Burrington holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also an IFT Certified Food Scientist.

Eric Bastian

Vice President, Industry Relations
Dairy West

195 River Vista Place, Suite 313
Twin Falls, ID 83301

Phone: 208-316-0710
Email: ebastian@dairywest.com

Areas of expertise: Dairy Ingredients Research & Product Development

Eric D. Bastian was born in central Utah and reared on a dairy farm. He obtained his education at Utah State University with a BS degree in Dairy Science, and MS and Ph. D. (1989) degrees in Nutrition and Food Sciences. He spent one year (1989-1990) as a research fellow with the Danish Government Research Institute for the Dairy Industry in Hillerod, Denmark. Subsequently, he returned to post-doctoral work at Utah State University (1990-1992).

In 1992, Eric accepted a faculty position at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and for six years he led a research team focused on milk protein and enzyme chemistry, process cheese functionality, and milk protein fractionation. In 1998, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. In the same year, he accepted a position with Avonmore West (now Glanbia) as Director of Research & Development (R&D) and relocated to Twin Falls, Idaho.

Eric was promoted to Vice President of R & D for Glanbia Nutritionals in 2006 and began leading the cheese R&D for Glanbia Foods in 2013. In 2015, Glanbia restructured its entire Nutritionals group of businesses creating a single business unit. As part of that restructuring, Eric was promoted to Senior Vice President of Innovation. During his time at Glanbia Nutritionals, he developed a research team, starting with 5 people and building to a team of 80. His work with Glanbia focused on whey protein, cheese, specialty grains, aseptic beverages and flavors. In July of 2016, Eric joined the United Dairymen of Idaho, now Dairy West, as Vice President of Industry Relations.

Eric is married, has five children and lives in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Lee Blakely

Dairy Industry Consultant

241 E Arlen Avenue
Visalia, CA 93277

Phone: 559-730-6046
E-mail: lee.blakely@aol.com

Areas of expertise: Quality Assurance, Processing and Food Safety

Mr. Blakely has been employed in the dairy industry for 40 years. He gained experience and commissioned the following operations: cultured products, ESL, cheese, butter, whey powder, WPC and NDM during his 25 years at Dairyman’s Cooperative Creamery Association as VP of Manufacturing. The last 3 years at DCCA were as VP Sales & Marketing. That experience was followed by VP Quality Assurance, Land O’ Lakes Dairy Foods and then Chief Technical Officer for Cheese & Protein International. Lee retired from Saputo Cheese & Protein in 2008 and began consulting in the Dairy Industry with emphasis on processing, quality assurance, environmental risk mitigation in dry processing areas, food safety and mentoring. He is currently serving as Chair, Scientific Committee for the 2017 International Whey Conference.

Lee acquired an AAS in Food Technology, SUNY Morrisville; BS in Food Technology, University of Georgia; MSc & Ph.D. in Food Science, Michigan State University.

Michael Culhane Ph.D.

Owner
Dairy Advance Business Consulting LLC

1015 18th Avenue, Suite 211
Monroe, WI 53566

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

Areas of expertise: Dairy Technology, Market Intelligence, Business Planning
Regulatory and Dairy Industry Competitiveness

Michael Culhane is the owner of Dairy Advance Business Consulting LLC which provides multidisciplinary technical expertise and business development services for dairy and food industry organizations. He established his consulting business in 2005 and has over 25 years of experience in dairy sector operations, technical development and business planning.

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 feasibility studies, strategic planning, processing operations development, dairy technology evaluation, market research for dairy products, competitive analysis for businesses and help in managing regulatory and dairy policy concerns.

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

Raymond L Dyke

Vice President of Technology (Retired)
Agri-Mark

465 Rotary Street
Morgantown, WV 26505

Phone: 802-343-7343
Email: raceta@aol.com

Areas of expertise: Cheddar Cheese and Related Cheeses, Whey Processing

Mr. Dyke has been employed in the dairy industry for 40 years. He gained experience in cheese manufacturing, cultured products, quality control, and environmental permitting during his career at Cabot Cooperative Creamery, Associated Milk Producers, Cabot Cooperative and Agri-Mark Inc. Ray retired from Agri-Mark in 2015 and has done consulting with Agri-Mark after his retirement. .

Ray has a B.A. in Zoology from UVM and a M.S. in Dairy Technology from UVM..

A. Kent Keller

President, Keller Technologies, Inc.

901 Main Street
P.O. Box 158
Mantorville, MN 55955

Phone: 507-216-9070

Cell: 507-259-1817
E-mail: kent@kellertec.com

Areas of expertise: Lactose and Permeate Manufacturing

Kent Keller began his experience with whey processing 40 years ago during the industry's infancy and has continuously served the industry ever since. In 1980, he founded his first company, Whey Systems, Inc., and later changed the company name to Keller Technologies, Inc. His company has grown its worldwide presence based on his patented technology and turnkey design/installations for lactose and dairy permeate.

Kent has been involved in the design of the majority of the world's lactose processing facilities. In 2000, he was honored with the American Dairy Products Institute's Award of Merit for his lifetime contributions to the dairy products industry. Today, Kent and his team continue that tradition of excellence and creativity.

Veronique Lagrange

Strategic Development Consultant
American Dairy Products Institute

4842 Van Ness St. NW
Washington, DC 20016

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

Areas of expertise: Strategic Planning and Business Development

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.

Mary Keough Ledman

Keough Ledman Associates, Inc
DailyDairy Report.

1642 Old Barn Circle
Libertyville, IL 60048

Phone: 847-680-9693
E-mail: mary@dailydairyreport.com

Areas of expertise: Dairy Markets Research, Policy Analysis, Price Forecasting,
Risk Management, and Strategic Planning

Mary Keough Ledman has over three decades of experience in the dairy industry that includes production, regulatory, sourcing, forecasting, and policy. Mary’s government service includes: Federal Milk Marketing Order 30, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Mary's private sector experience includes: Manager of Dairy Economics for Kraft Foods USA, Manager of Strategic Planning and Financial reporting for Kraft International in Bremen, Germany, and Director of Materials Planning for Stella Foods (now Saputo). As Director of Materials Planning, Mary was responsible for purchasing four billion pounds of producer milk and 20 million pounds of nonfat dry milk powder annually. .

In 1995, Mary founded Keough Ledman Associates, Inc. a dairy economic consulting firm that provides a wide range of consulting services from “Dairy 101” educational workshops to milk and dairy product price forecasts and futures and options trading strategies. Mary is a Commodity Trading Advisor and member of the National Futures Association. In 2012, she acquired the Daily Dairy Report, a dairy market newsletter.

Mary serves as a Trustee of the Farm Foundation and is a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Journalism and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A& M University. She also received a Fulbright Fellowship to study the European Community’s dairy policy at the University of Goettingen, Germany.

Mike McCully

President

The McCully Group, LLC

25 Preserve Way

New Buffalo, MI 49117

Phone: 312-646-0361

Email: mike@themccullygroup.com

Areas of expertise: Risk Management, Purchasing Strategies,
Market Research and Strategic Planning

Mr. McCully is currently the president and owner of The McCully Group, LLC, a strategic consulting firm focusing on dairy and food companies. He has experience in business analysis, long-term strategic planning, purchasing strategies, risk management policies and procedures, and M&A, among other supply chain issues.

His past experience includes over 15 years with Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat and grain purchasing. His responsibilities included sourcing dairy commodities as well as commodity risk management, dairy policy and industry relations. While in the Oscar Mayer division of Kraft, he was also responsible for meat commodity risk management and corn purchasing. His knowledge base also reaches into dairy policy and price volatility issues.

Mr. McCully holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Western Illinois University and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.

Dan Meyer

Director of Technical Services

American Dairy Products Institute

126 N. Addison Avenue

Elmhurst, IL 60126

Phone: 630-530-8700 ext. 224

Email: dmeyer@adpi.org

Areas of expertise: Dairy Product Standards

Dan Meyer is a Director of Technical Services at the American Dairy Products Institute. He handles all the technical matters relating to grade standards for dairy products and regulatory matters including food labeling, food safety issues, and allergens.

Mr. Meyer is currently serving as the Treasurer at 3-A SSI, an independent, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing hygienic equipment design for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. He has worked in the dairy industry for over 25 years and has been with the American Dairy Products Institute for the last 15 years. Dan has past experience with Dean Foods and Associated Milk Producers. He has extensive involvement with fluid milk, dry milks, and whey proteins. He was born and raised on a dairy farm in Northeastern Illinois.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from Olivet Nazarene University.

Phil Plourd

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

Phil Plourd is President of Blimling and Associates, Inc. and President of the services division of Dairy.com. He has been involved in dairy market analysis, research, forecasting and risk management activities for 20 years. Phil draws on that experience to lead an expert team of 16 committed to helping clients find better ways to do business. He is a popular speaker who engages audiences on a variety of topics. .

Phil resides near Madison, Wisconsin with wife Rhonda and daughters Rebecca and Leah. He is currently President of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and his family is involved with the Madison Public Library Foundation.

Geoffrey W. Smithers, PhD, FAIFST, CFS

Owner & Director
Geoffrey Smithers Food Industry Consulting Services

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

Email: geoff.smithers@gmail.com

Areas of expertise: Reserach and Development – Dairy Processing and Ingredient Functionality, Characterization, Dairy Proteins & Bioactives, Sweet & Acid Whey

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).

Dr. Jim Sullivan

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

Areas of expertise: Animal Nutrition, Export of Feed Ingredients & Feed Use of Dairy By-Products

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.

Phillip Tong, Ph.D.

Technical Consultant, ADPI
Consultant, Tong Dairy and Food Consulting, LLC

4593 Spanish Oaks Drive
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

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

Areas of expertise: Dairy Ingredients Functionality, Membrane Technology,
Dairy Technology and Milk Composition

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.

Purnendu C. Vasavada

Principal
PCV& Associates, LLC

811 Mary Lane
River Falls, WI 54022

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

Areas of expertise: Areas of expertise: Food Microbiology, Training on Food Microbiology, cGMPs and HACCP, FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), FSPCA Foreign Supply Verification Programs (FSVP)

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).