SPEAKERS

Dr. Manojit Basu is the Vice President of Science Policy and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, the U.S. national trade association representing manufacturers, formulators, and distributors of pesticide products. His primary areas of responsibility include advocating for science-based policies and regulations to approve and support pesticide products and technologies. Before joining CropLife America, Dr. Basu was the Vice President of Product Safety at the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). Before GMA, Dr. Basu worked at Monsanto, conducting safety reviews of biotech products.

Benjamin P.C. Smith, PhD, is the Executive Director and President of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an independent nonprofit research institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses.

Dr. Smith has worked at the intersection of sensory science and consumer health for most of his career, holding positions in academia, government and industry, including the fragrance and flavor industry. Acknowledged as a leader in the science of “team science”, he has built high performing research and product safety teams across the globe. He has a particular passion for bringing together different fields of science to find solutions for addressing health and environmental challenges, and has key experience in translating foundational research for societal impact in such diverse areas as toxicology, food science, and chemical ecology.

During his time working in the fragrance and flavor industry, Smith worked closely with FEMA and IOFI on the safety and risk assessment of flavouring substances and has worked with regulatory agencies in Europe, the US and Asia to support the safe use of food and consumer product ingredients. He is a strong proponent of non-animal alternative methods for safety testing and research and continues to study new ways to assess the effect of chemicals on the body, and especially our sensory systems.

His presentation at FEMA will introduce the varied work being conducted at Monell and potential areas for collaboration with the the flavor industry.

After graduating from La Salle University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Experimental Psychology, Linda began her career at the Monell Chemical Senses Center investigating sensory perception. With Carol Christensen, Linda studied the effects of salivary composition on taste perception. With Barry Green, she investigated the sensations (chemesthesis) produced by menthol, capsaicin, and other irritants on the skin outside the oral cavity. She started her career at Unilever investigating skin perception and care among different cultures, blending the expertise she gained at Monell and Temple. She then moved to International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) to work with Carol Christensen, again studying taste, smell, and chemesthesis. In 2006, Linda joined PepsiCo, first as R&D Director of Sensory & Consumer Science for Global Beverages, and then creating and leading the Perception & Psychophysics Program within Long Term Research. In 2018, Linda retired from the industry; in 2019, Monell invited Linda to return “home.” She returned, happily conducting research in the chemical senses and mouthfeel. In February 2024, Linda began leading the Corporate Partners Program, which connects industry with academic scientists.

Benjamin P.C. Smith, PhD, is the Executive Director and President of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an independent nonprofit research institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses.

Dr. Smith has worked at the intersection of sensory science and consumer health for most of his career, holding positions in academia, government and industry, including the fragrance and flavor industry. Acknowledged as a leader in the science of “team science”, he has built high performing research and product safety teams across the globe. He has a particular passion for bringing together different fields of science to find solutions for addressing health and environmental challenges, and has key experience in translating foundational research for societal impact in such diverse areas as toxicology, food science, and chemical ecology.

During his time working in the fragrance and flavor industry, Smith worked closely with FEMA and IOFI on the safety and risk assessment of flavouring substances and has worked with regulatory agencies in Europe, the US and Asia to support the safe use of food and consumer product ingredients. He is a strong proponent of non-animal alternative methods for safety testing and research and continues to study new ways to assess the effect of chemicals on the body, and especially our sensory systems.

His presentation at FEMA will introduce the varied work being conducted at Monell and potential areas for collaboration with the the flavor industry.

After graduating from La Salle University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Experimental Psychology, Linda began her career at the Monell Chemical Senses Center investigating sensory perception. With Carol Christensen, Linda studied the effects of salivary composition on taste perception. With Barry Green, she investigated the sensations (chemesthesis) produced by menthol, capsaicin, and other irritants on the skin outside the oral cavity. She started her career at Unilever investigating skin perception and care among different cultures, blending the expertise she gained at Monell and Temple. She then moved to International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) to work with Carol Christensen, again studying taste, smell, and chemesthesis. In 2006, Linda joined PepsiCo, first as R&D Director of Sensory & Consumer Science for Global Beverages, and then creating and leading the Perception & Psychophysics Program within Long Term Research. In 2018, Linda retired from the industry; in 2019, Monell invited Linda to return “home.” She returned, happily conducting research in the chemical senses and mouthfeel. In February 2024, Linda began leading the Corporate Partners Program, which connects industry with academic scientists.

Devin Peterson is a CFAES Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University. He is the founding director of the Flavor Research and Education Center, is the faculty director of OSU Foods for Health Theme Initiative and is the Dean’s Chair in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. His research efforts focus on characterizing chemical stimuli that impart flavor to foodstuffs (gustation, olfaction, somatosensations) and he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Joan has worked in the Food, Beverage and Flavor Industries for 30+ years. She has an education in chemistry, while working in the restaurant industry. Joan started her career at Godiva Chocolatier in product development then she worked for Hershey Foods, and Cadbury (now owned by Mondelez).

Joan moved into the flavor industry and work at David Michael (now IFF), AM Todd (now ADM/Wild flavors), Frutarom (now IFF), IFF/International Flavors and Fragrances. Her career has now taken her to Chicago, home of a family owned flavor and fragrance company - Bell Flavors.

For the past 20 years Joan has been leading R&D teams to develop new flavors and products to surprise consumers appetites.

In the early 90’s Joan became a certified flavorist and served as past president for the Society Flavor Chemist and Chemical Sources Association.

Passion for flavors, people, and innovation are the driving forces in Joan’s career.

Paul Graham has more than 30 years of international experience in general management, innovation, marketing and business development, and new product development for B2B and consumer markets in Australasia, Europe and the United States. In addition to his flavor industry experience, he has worked at Allied Domeq and he held various sales and marketing roles at Unilever. He earned an MBA from the University of New England and the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Coming from an analytical and food chemistry background, Dr. Gerhard E. Krammer is a pioneering leader in flavor science, regarded globally for his cutting-edge research. Dr. Krammer has long been interested in applying new tools to identify novel flavor molecules. As Senior Vice President of Research and Technology and Regulatory and Formula Management at Symrise, Dr. Krammer’s outstanding scientific work has resulted in the identification of bitter masking solutions based on natural extracts and molecules, among other achievements. Before joining Symrise in 2003, Dr. Krammer also conducted significant research in flavor development at Haarmann & Reimer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the German government, where he developed an exceptional knowledge of global industry regulations. Having obtained applications for over 70 patent families and authorship of over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, Dr. Krammer’s outstanding contributions have been pivotal to advancing flavor science. FEMA is honored to award Dr. Gerhard Krammer the 2024 FEMA Excellence in Flavor Science Award.

Charlie Cook is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading authorities on U.S. elections and political trends. In 1984, at the age of 30, he started The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan newsletter that The New York Times once referred to as “being regarded as authoritative by both parties,” while legendary CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer has called it “the bible of the political community.”

In addition to lecturing, Charlie continues to write his weekly column for National Journal, while also serving as a political analyst for the publication. He is also a co-author of the 2020, 2022, and 2024 editions of The Almanac of American Politics.

Al Hunt, in the Wall Street Journal, referred to Cook as “the Picasso of election analysis.” The late David Broder of The Washington Post, long considered "the Dean of the Washington political press corps," once wrote that Charlie Cook is “perhaps the best nonpartisan tracker of Congressional races.”

Charlie has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and on ABC’s This Week — as well as several other leading news programs. He has also made more than a dozen appearances on NBC’s Meet the Press — the longest-running show on television — and was initially recruited for the show by then-host Tim Russert in the early 1990s. Over the years, he has served as an Election Night analyst for CBS and CNN — including many election nights on Decision Desk in New York.

In 2010, Charlie was the co-recipient of the American Political Science Association’s prestigious Carey McWilliams award to honor “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics." In 2013, Charlie served as a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

For speaking engagements, Charlie is represented by Leading Authorities Inc, and has been for more than 30 years.

Dr. Tanya Ditschun is a food scientist specializing in taste perception, sensory evaluation, and taste methodology. Dr. Ditschun has over 20 years of experience in taste science, supporting the discovery and development of innovative ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries. She spent 15 years at Senomyx Inc., a biotechnology-based flavor discovery and development company, before its acquisition in 2018 by Firmenich Inc. and subsequent merger to become dsm-firmenich.

Dr. Ditschun began volunteering with FEMA in 2012 as co-chair of the subcommittee developing sensory guidance for Flavorings with Modifying Properties. She received the FEMA Emerging Leader award in 2022 and continues to serve as chair of the FEMA Scientific Affairs Sensory Subcommittee. Currently, Dr. Ditschun works as the Senior Director of Food Science and Technology at dsm-firmenich in San Diego, California.

Richie Pisano is the General Manager at Citrus and Allied Essences Ltd. In his role, he oversees production and assists with account management at C&A’s facility in Belcamp, MD. Richie is passionate about the long-term success of the essential oil and flavor industries. Richie has a MBA from The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a dual-degree in Biomedical Engineering and History from Bucknell University.

Richard Hofmann has worked in the flavor and fragrance industry for more than 38 years, starting his career on the lab bench and quickly ascending into various senior management positions.

Rich joined Berjé in 2006, where he assumed the role of Director of Quality for eight years as he worked on developing the quality programs at Berjé. He was then promoted to VP of Quality Assurance, during which he started to work more directly with regulatory and R&D at Berjé to expand the company’s position as a technical leader within the flavor and fragrance industry. His endeavors in this role eventually culminated in his ascension to SVP of Compliance at Berjé – a role that pulls together the company’s quality, regulatory, and R&D teams to drive the future of the company forward.

Throughout his career, Rich has consistently proven himself as a builder of teams and constructive collaborator within Berjé, demonstrating a full range of expertise on essential oils for the flavor and fragrance industry. He has represented Berjé on the IFRA – NCS (Natural Complex Substance) Committee and joined the FEMA Natural Data Task Force in 2023, an organization that supports the flavor side of Berjé’s industry.

In his spare time, Rich enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, and spending time with his granddaughters.

William (Bill) Scheiner has worked in the flavor and food & beverage industry for more than 36 years, all in the procurement function. Bill currently works at Döhler which he joined in 2022 as Head of Sourcing for North America. Prior to his time at Döhler, he worked in the procurement of flavors and citrus raw materials at high-profile companies including Symrise NA, Agrana Fruit, Robertet Flavors, Campbell Soup, Dunkin Donuts Mid-Atlantic Co-Op, and Redi-Cut Food. Bill started his career with McCain Citrus where he first learned the citrus industry in the 1980s after graduating from Rutgers University.

Denver Christopher has been a flavor industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Denver has also been a leader as in FEMA committees and task forces for over 15 years, having lent his expertise to two FEMA poundage surveys, the Naturals Task Force, and most recently, served as the Chair of FEMA’s Science Affairs Committee. In that capacity, he led the development of the Biological Risk Decision Tree, the Check Sample Program, and, most recently, the analytical method development for solvents. Under Denver’s leadership, the Science Affairs Committee ensures that its initiatives provide value to member companies and helps FEMA develop technical solutions to various issues confronting our industry.

Erik Speer joined ADM through the acquisition of Florida Chemical in 2019. Over the last several years, he has integrated the two citrus sites into the ADM portfolio and built a solid presence on the global market. In addition, he manages ADM’s mint, vanilla, aroma, and food base businesses. Before joining ADM, Speer had a successful 20-year career, with most of his tenure at Georgia-Pacific, where he served as a national sales manager, director of sales and customer service, and last served as a leader of the pine chemical business. Erik completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (1999) and, later, his MBA from Baylor University (2007). He is the president of the Blythe Madelynne Speer Foundation.

Gillian Bleimann Boucard has more than 17 years of experience in the essential oils and aromatic chemicals industry. Following roles in quality compliance, regulatory, and sourcing, Gillian is now serving as CEO of Berjé, a leading global ingredient supplier to the flavor and fragrance industry. She has spearheaded numerous growth initiatives, placing particular emphasis on international facility and farm level expansions, as well as new product development. All of these initiatives are rooted in her firm commitment to sustainability, expanding the scope of Berjé’s environmental programs through the creation of the Berjé solar network and focused supply chain sustainability and global partnership programs. Gillian is also an active member of the FIT Board and was previously a long-serving director of the WFFC and still an active Education Committee member.

John Lin is a seasoned senior executive with expertise in international business development and business model design. He is currently the Chief Business Officer at Citrosuco’s new business unit, Evera Ingredients, a role he ascended to after serving as Citrosuco’s Chief Commercial Officer. Before his time at Citrosuco, he lent his expertise to companies like Unilever, Intel, Pernod Ricard, Oney, and Avon Products. John has a BS in Mechanical Engineering in Industrial Engineering from the University of São Paulo and attended the Advanced Management Program at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.