Ermias Kebreab, PhD, Professor and Sesnon Endowed Chair, Sustainable Animal Agriculture Department of Animal Science, UC Davis

Dr. Ermias Kebreab is a professor of Animal Science and holds the Sesnon Endowed Chair in Sustainable Animal Agriculture at the Department of Animal Science, UC Davis. Dr. Kebreab was appointed associate vice provost at UC Davis Global Affairs in 2016 to advance the university’s engagement in international education. Dr. Kebreab also serves as the deputy director of Agricultural Sustainability Institute. Dr. Kebreab conducts research on reducing the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, including the sustainable use of feed additives.

Dr. Kebreab has served in several national and international committees including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine. Dr. Kebreab has mentored or hosted over 30 scholars in his laboratory and authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, 34 book chapters, and edited 5 books.

Dr Kebreab received several awards including International Agriculture Award and AFIA Ruminant Nutrition Award from American Society of Animal Science. Dr. Kebreab received his Bachelor of Science degree from University of Asmara, Eritrea, Master of Science and Ph.D. from University of Reading, United Kingdom.

Ashley Rosales, Program Director of Nutrition Sciences, Dairy Council of California

Ashley Rosales, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, is the Program Director of Nutrition Sciences for Dairy Council of California where she oversees programs and strategies that improve the health of children and families through developing lifelong healthy eating habits. Driven by Dr. Bruce Daggy’s quote, “Let’s build wellness rather than treating disease,” Ashley specializes in applying consensus research to amplify the important role of milk and dairy foods in healthy, sustainable eating patterns and addressing nutritional needs across the lifespan to support optimal health. With a professional background in strategic planning, issues management, trends tracking and communications, Ashley leads efforts to empower stakeholders to use evidenced-based nutrition science to ensure communities have access to nutritious foods and to make healthy eating easier. Ashley serves as a steering committee member for the California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative and carries volunteer leadership roles in the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the California Conference of Local Health Department Nutritionists. Ashley is a media spokesperson for both traditional and social media channels. She received her Bachelor of Sciences degree in Clinical Nutrition from UC Davis and completed her dietetic internship program at Napa State Hospital.

Phil Lempert, Founder and Editor, Founder and CEO, The Lempert Report, Retail Dietitians Business Alliance

For more than 25 years, Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained impending trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide. Known as The Supermarket Guru®, Lempert has served as food trends editor and correspondent for NBC News’ Today show, reporting on consumer trends, food safety and moneysaving tips, as well as showcasing new products, with regular appearances on ABC’s The View, FOX Business, Dr. Oz, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, and FOX.

Well-known as an author and speaker, Lempert was one of the pioneers of the new information media, founding SupermarketGuru.com, one of the leading online food and health resources, in 1994. He is the founder and editor of The Lempert Report, the founder and CEO of the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance and develops and manages programs for organizations including the National Restaurant Association, Specialty Foods Association and Food Marketing Institute. He serves on numerous boards including: U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Honor the Harvest, Sial Innovation Jury, Seminis, Ingenuity and Betterer Foods Advisory Boards.

Phil Lempert graduated from Drexel University with degrees in Marketing and Retail Management and did his Post-Graduate studies at Pratt Institute. He worked at McDonald’s and Howard Johnson’s before joining his family’s food brokerage firm. Lempert went on to create Lempert Advertising. A resident of California, Lempert’s roots are in the Belleville, New Jersey dairy farm started by his grandfather. The family food tradition carried on through his father’s work as a food manufacturer, distributor and broker and then to Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru.

Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Karen Ross was appointed secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on January 12, 2011, by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Secretary Ross has deep leadership experience in agricultural issues nationally, internationally, and here in California. During Secretary Ross’ tenure, the Department has focused on core functions to protect and promote California agriculture in a time of significant budget reductions, and it has emphasized change-management to position the agency to more effectively and efficiently serve its stakeholders in meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.

Secretary Ross has strengthened partnerships across government, academia and the non-profit sector in the drive to maintain and improve environmental stewardship and to develop adaptation strategies for the specific impacts of climate change. She has initiated programs to provide greater opportunities for farmers and ranchers to engage in sustainable environmental stewardship practices through water conservation, energy efficiency, nutrient management and ecosystem services.

The Secretary has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a graduate of the Nebraska Ag Leadership Program.

Brad Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, California Dairies, Inc.

Brad Anderson is the Chief Operating Officer, and incoming Chief Executive Officer, of California Dairies, Inc. (CDI). At CDI, Brad oversees the day-to-day operations of CDI’s core commodity businesses. Brad joined CDI in September 2018, bringing more than 25 years of consumer products experience to the role.

Previously, he held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer at Dean Foods, the largest fluid milk processor in the U.S. Brad’s career began at Earthgrains (now Sara Lee) and progressed to Pepsi Bottling Group and Sara Lee Corporation.

He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Rick Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dairy Farmers of America

As DFA’s president and chief executive officer since 2006, Rick has established a values-based culture for the organization and instilled operational discipline and efficiency. Under his leadership, DFA has undertaken several strategic initiatives designed to bring members increased value, expand the Cooperative’s global footprint and grow its commercial businesses. In addition, Rick has played a key role in elevating DFA’s focus on its members in alignment with its mission, vision and values, improving its sustainability efforts and strengthening the Cooperative’s relationships within the industry.

Rick is a director on the boards of National Milk Producers Federation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. In addition, Rick chairs Global Dairy Platform. Rick and his wife, Janet, have three children.

Gregory Miller, Global Chief Science Officer, National Dairy Council

Gregory D. Miller, Ph.D., M.A.C.N., Global CSO for National Dairy Council, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the department of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois. He is also Nutritional Security Sector Lead for the Global Dairy Platform and is recognized as a leading voice in the global food system. He is currently leading the effort to enhance dairy’s contributions toward a more sustainable food system by examining the intersection between nutrition, health, food insecurity, and environmental impact.

Dr. Miller graduated in 1978 from Michigan State University with a B.S. degree in Nutrition, in 1982 earned a M.S. and in 1986 a Ph.D. in Nutrition (Toxicology)) from The Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Miller is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry and served on the editorial board of many other journals. He has served as President for the American College of Nutrition. He was a Member of the Board of Directors for the American Society for Nutrition.

In October of 2016, Dr. Miller was appointed to a Food and Agricultural Organization HLPE to carry out a study on Nutrition and Food Systems that fed into the CFS debates at the 44th session in 2017.

Dr. Miller has presented more than 120 invited lectures and has published more than 160 research papers, reviews, articles, and abstracts. He has co-edited three books on diet, nutrition, and toxicology and contributed chapters to nine books.

Frank Mitloehner, PhD, Professor and Air Quality Specialist, Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis

Frank Mitloehner is a professor and air quality specialist for Cooperative Extension in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Mitloehner received a Master’s of Science degree in animal science and agricultural engineering from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and a PhD in animal science from Texas Technical University. Dr. Mitloehner is an expert for agricultural air quality, livestock housing and husbandry.

Dr. Mitloehner has served as chairman of a global United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) partnership project to benchmark the environmental footprint of livestock production. Dr. Mitloehner serves as the North American scientific lead for the Global Feed LCA Institute. Dr. Mitloehner is workgroup member on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and member on the National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee on “A Framework for Assessing the Health, Environmental, and Social Effects of the Food System”.

John Talbot, CEO, California Milk Advisory Board

John Talbot brings more than 25 years of marketing and brand management experience to his role as CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) where he focuses on building awareness and demand for California milk and dairy products across the U.S. and around the world.

Mr. Talbot began his career in sales at Procter & Gamble before joining PepsiCo in 1985 where he spent 12 years leading brand management and product development. During his tenure at PepsiCo, Mr. Talbot managed global marketing properties between some of the company’s best-known and most prominent brands including Pepsi, Frito Lay, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. His extensive background in growing consumer brands also includes 2 years leading new product development for E&J Gallo Winery and running corporate marketing for technology-related businesses in communications and Internet services. In his most recent role as VP of global market development for the Almond Board of California, Mr. Talbot managed the continued growth of the global almond industry with a focus on market access, trade stewardship and consumer marketing.

Mr. Talbot holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois. He currently resides in California’s Bay Area where he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Fred Schonenberg, Founder, VentureFuel

VentureFuel helps large corporations and industries identify and partner with startups and breakthrough technologies to accelerate R&D, resulting in 100+ pilots, $12m+ in revenue for startups that are now valued at over $1.5bn.

Fred has spent 15+ years introducing new formats and first-to-market products to corporations with award winning creative solutions and ability to accelerate R&D to drive ROI. He runs innovation programs for brands like Nike, Pepsi, AB InBev, General Mills, Beam Suntory, etc. that include startup competitions, pilot programs, corporate strategy as well as large events such as the LIFT Summit, Rogue Women and Innovation Brew.

He is a frequent speaker at Cannes, SXSW, Advertising Week, Venturing Summit, etc. and an industry thought-leader published in Forbes, Ad Age, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, Media Post, The Drum, Creator Magazine, Adweek, Event Marketer, etc.