Monica Amburn
Vestcom International Inc.
Senior Director of Health & Wellness
Monica Amburn, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian/nutritionist with a passion for creative wellness education and communications. Amburn’s experience in clinical nutrition, weight loss counseling, and as a corporate supermarket dietitian has allowed her the privilege of leading thousands of people towards healthier lifestyles and personal goal achievements. Amburn is the Senior Director of Health & Wellness with Vestcom, the leading provider of shelf-edge nutrition communication solutions to over 30 banners and 15,000 supermarkets nationwide. In her spare time, she enjoys ballroom dancing, cooking, spending time with her pug Daisy, and writing about food & nutrition at nutritionguru.com.
Vestcom International Inc.
Senior Director of Health & Wellness
Monica Amburn, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian/nutritionist with a passion for creative wellness education and communications. Amburn’s experience in clinical nutrition, weight loss counseling, and as a corporate supermarket dietitian has allowed her the privilege of leading thousands of people towards healthier lifestyles and personal goal achievements. Amburn is the Senior Director of Health & Wellness with Vestcom, the leading provider of shelf-edge nutrition communication solutions to over 30 banners and 15,000 supermarkets nationwide. In her spare time, she enjoys ballroom dancing, cooking, spending time with her pug Daisy, and writing about food & nutrition at nutritionguru.com.
Felicia Billingslea
Food and Drug Administration
Director, Food Labeling and Standards Staff, Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling, CFSAN, FDA
Felicia B. Billingslea is the Director of the Food Labeling and Standard Staff at FDA and has held this position since 2002. Billingslea has been involved in food labeling since 1991 and has authored, coauthored or managed several labeling rules addressing areas such as ingredient labeling, standards of identity, allergen labeling, and gluten free labeling. Most recently, Billingslea and her staff have been responsible for developing the requirements for nutrition labeling in restaurants and vending machines in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Food and Drug Administration
Director, Food Labeling and Standards Staff, Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling, CFSAN, FDA
Felicia B. Billingslea is the Director of the Food Labeling and Standard Staff at FDA and has held this position since 2002. Billingslea has been involved in food labeling since 1991 and has authored, coauthored or managed several labeling rules addressing areas such as ingredient labeling, standards of identity, allergen labeling, and gluten free labeling. Most recently, Billingslea and her staff have been responsible for developing the requirements for nutrition labeling in restaurants and vending machines in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Leslie Bonci
Active Eating Advice
Owner
Leslie Bonci, MPH,RDN,CSSD,LDN is the owner of Active Eating Advice, a nutrition consulting company. She works with the Kansas City Chiefs, Carnegie Mellon University, the WNBA and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She was the sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays , University of Pittsburgh athletics and the Washington Nationals. Bonci is an author, blogger, contributor to weekly segments on television and radio and a former spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She works with chefs to encourage kids and adults to cultivate a love for cooking and gardening.
Active Eating Advice
Owner
Leslie Bonci, MPH,RDN,CSSD,LDN is the owner of Active Eating Advice, a nutrition consulting company. She works with the Kansas City Chiefs, Carnegie Mellon University, the WNBA and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She was the sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays , University of Pittsburgh athletics and the Washington Nationals. Bonci is an author, blogger, contributor to weekly segments on television and radio and a former spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She works with chefs to encourage kids and adults to cultivate a love for cooking and gardening.
Susan Borra, RD
Food Marketing Institute
Chief Health and Wellness Officer, Executive Director, FMI Foundation
Sue T. Borra, RD leads the Food Marketing Institute's (FMI) health and wellness initiatives recognizing the unique assets of a grocery store - food, nutrition experts and pharmacy,- and food retail’s important role in helping customers lead healthy lives. Borra is also executive director of the FMI Foundation which supports research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition and health.
A registered dietitian, she is a nationally recognized as an expert in nutrition, food and health. Borra has built her career working with national and international organizations representing the food retailing and food processing industries.
Prior to this appointment, Borra served as senior vice president of communications and strategic planning at the Food Marketing Institute. Borra also served as executive vice president at the International Food Information Council (IFIC).
Borra has held many leadership and advisory roles for professional organizations and societies, including serving as president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) (2001-2002) and chairman of the ADA Foundation (1999-2000). She has also served as a member of the Subcommittee on Interpretation and Uses of Dietary Reference Intakes of the National Academy of Sciences (1998-2001).
Food Marketing Institute
Chief Health and Wellness Officer, Executive Director, FMI Foundation
Sue T. Borra, RD leads the Food Marketing Institute's (FMI) health and wellness initiatives recognizing the unique assets of a grocery store - food, nutrition experts and pharmacy,- and food retail’s important role in helping customers lead healthy lives. Borra is also executive director of the FMI Foundation which supports research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition and health.
A registered dietitian, she is a nationally recognized as an expert in nutrition, food and health. Borra has built her career working with national and international organizations representing the food retailing and food processing industries.
Prior to this appointment, Borra served as senior vice president of communications and strategic planning at the Food Marketing Institute. Borra also served as executive vice president at the International Food Information Council (IFIC).
Borra has held many leadership and advisory roles for professional organizations and societies, including serving as president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) (2001-2002) and chairman of the ADA Foundation (1999-2000). She has also served as a member of the Subcommittee on Interpretation and Uses of Dietary Reference Intakes of the National Academy of Sciences (1998-2001).
Thea Bourianne, RD, LDN
Label Insight
Senior Food & Beverage Data Analyst
Thea Bourianne is a Chicago-based business dietitian with a wide range of experience from CPG to QSR. Prior positions include clinical nutrition, product development, and regulatory affairs with companies and clients such as Starbucks and Taco Bell. In her current role at Label Insight, Bourianne works closely with brands, retailers, government, and industry organizations to provide product-based data to promote transparency for both companies and consumers.
Label Insight
Senior Food & Beverage Data Analyst
Thea Bourianne is a Chicago-based business dietitian with a wide range of experience from CPG to QSR. Prior positions include clinical nutrition, product development, and regulatory affairs with companies and clients such as Starbucks and Taco Bell. In her current role at Label Insight, Bourianne works closely with brands, retailers, government, and industry organizations to provide product-based data to promote transparency for both companies and consumers.
Karen Buch, RDN, LDN
Nutrition Connections LLC
Founder and Principal Consultant
Karen, our Healthy Shopper Summit Emcee, is a nationally-recognized nutrition expert with extensive experience in the world of retail dietitians.
As founder and principal consultant at Nutrition Connections LLC, Karen provides strategic counsel and a variety of nutrition communication services to food companies, commodity boards and retail dietitians nationwide. She shares her insights as a speaker at various national symposia, and she is a contributor to national publications and an advisor to various organizations including Progressive Grocer’s Retail Advisory Board. In addition, Karen writes reviews of food and food products for monthly publications.
In an effort to help other RDNs prepare for a retail career-path, Karen helped develop and co-author the Academy’s certificate of training program: Supermarket Business and Industry Skills to Thrive in Retail Dietetics. As a trusted nutrition expert with more than 12 years of experience working in grocery retail, Karen uses multi-media communications to translate nutrition science into practical solutions for consumers.
Connect with her on Twitter @karenbuch, Facebook @NutritionConnectionsLLC, Instagram @karenbuch1, or visit her website and Food News & Reviews blog at karenbuch.com.
Nutrition Connections LLC
Founder and Principal Consultant
Karen, our Healthy Shopper Summit Emcee, is a nationally-recognized nutrition expert with extensive experience in the world of retail dietitians.
As founder and principal consultant at Nutrition Connections LLC, Karen provides strategic counsel and a variety of nutrition communication services to food companies, commodity boards and retail dietitians nationwide. She shares her insights as a speaker at various national symposia, and she is a contributor to national publications and an advisor to various organizations including Progressive Grocer’s Retail Advisory Board. In addition, Karen writes reviews of food and food products for monthly publications.
In an effort to help other RDNs prepare for a retail career-path, Karen helped develop and co-author the Academy’s certificate of training program: Supermarket Business and Industry Skills to Thrive in Retail Dietetics. As a trusted nutrition expert with more than 12 years of experience working in grocery retail, Karen uses multi-media communications to translate nutrition science into practical solutions for consumers.
Connect with her on Twitter @karenbuch, Facebook @NutritionConnectionsLLC, Instagram @karenbuch1, or visit her website and Food News & Reviews blog at karenbuch.com.
Joan Driggs
EnsembleIQ
Director of Content
Joan Driggs oversees Progressive Grocer’s events and is the Managing Director of Strategy, Member Development for the Path to Purchase Institute, also part of the EnsembleIQ family, where she works with industry partners to provide solutions for shared, focused challenges.
Prior to joining EnsembleIQ, Driggs was was the Director of Research at Mintel, a global consumer and market research firm, where she oversaw the company’s robust series of syndicated reports.
EnsembleIQ
Director of Content
Joan Driggs oversees Progressive Grocer’s events and is the Managing Director of Strategy, Member Development for the Path to Purchase Institute, also part of the EnsembleIQ family, where she works with industry partners to provide solutions for shared, focused challenges.
Prior to joining EnsembleIQ, Driggs was was the Director of Research at Mintel, a global consumer and market research firm, where she oversaw the company’s robust series of syndicated reports.
Phil Lempert
RDBA
CEO
For more than 25 years, Phil Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide. Know as The Supermarket Guru, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. Lempert is the founder and editor of The Lempert Report, Food & Nutrition & Science, Facts, Figures & the Future and The Food Journal. He is a contributing editor at Progressive Grocer, which exclusively runs his trade columns and videos both in its magazine and on its website, as well as strategic alliance to develop and manage industry initiatives.
RDBA
CEO
For more than 25 years, Phil Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide. Know as The Supermarket Guru, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. Lempert is the founder and editor of The Lempert Report, Food & Nutrition & Science, Facts, Figures & the Future and The Food Journal. He is a contributing editor at Progressive Grocer, which exclusively runs his trade columns and videos both in its magazine and on its website, as well as strategic alliance to develop and manage industry initiatives.
Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Retail Dietitians Business Alliance
Executive Director
Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND is the Executive Director of the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA). With five years of experience as a retail dietitian at Target followed by three years spent working with retailers across the country as the Sr. Director of Nutrition at NuVal LLC, Maggi brings extensive knowledge of the industry to her role as Executive Director. Maggi is a sought after resource in the nutrition and regulatory field with experience at Fortune 500 companies including Pillsbury, General Mills and Target. She is recognized as a distinguished speaker and writer, and has a reputation as a driven performer and partnership builder. In her role with RDBA, she will help build the organization with focus on education, membership and sponsor relations.
Retail Dietitians Business Alliance
Executive Director
Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND is the Executive Director of the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA). With five years of experience as a retail dietitian at Target followed by three years spent working with retailers across the country as the Sr. Director of Nutrition at NuVal LLC, Maggi brings extensive knowledge of the industry to her role as Executive Director. Maggi is a sought after resource in the nutrition and regulatory field with experience at Fortune 500 companies including Pillsbury, General Mills and Target. She is recognized as a distinguished speaker and writer, and has a reputation as a driven performer and partnership builder. In her role with RDBA, she will help build the organization with focus on education, membership and sponsor relations.
Carol May
Wisdom Natural Brands/SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener
CEO
Carol May is the CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands® (WNB), maker of SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener products, which are sugar-free, zero calorie sweetener alternatives.
She has been integral in moving the company from a small Arizona company to a multi-million-dollar international brand competing with the world’s largest companies in the rapidly growing natural and specialty food industries. WNB does business in more than 30 countries and throughout the United States and is the #1 sugar alternative sweetener in natural and health food stores, and #2 in mainstream grocery.
WNB has been honored with 29 global awards for taste and innovation. May’s recognitions include international Stevie awards for women: Executive of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and Entrepreneur of the Year, all in the consumer products category, as well as Lifetime Achievement in Business across all industries. She has been named a Top Woman in Grocery; one of Arizona’s most influential Business Women. May has also served on the board of directors for the Calorie Control Council.
Wisdom Natural Brands/SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener
CEO
Carol May is the CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands® (WNB), maker of SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener products, which are sugar-free, zero calorie sweetener alternatives.
She has been integral in moving the company from a small Arizona company to a multi-million-dollar international brand competing with the world’s largest companies in the rapidly growing natural and specialty food industries. WNB does business in more than 30 countries and throughout the United States and is the #1 sugar alternative sweetener in natural and health food stores, and #2 in mainstream grocery.
WNB has been honored with 29 global awards for taste and innovation. May’s recognitions include international Stevie awards for women: Executive of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and Entrepreneur of the Year, all in the consumer products category, as well as Lifetime Achievement in Business across all industries. She has been named a Top Woman in Grocery; one of Arizona’s most influential Business Women. May has also served on the board of directors for the Calorie Control Council.
Barbara McFadden
Wisdom Natural Brands/SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener
Marketing
Barbara McFadden is the Co-founder and President of McFadden/Gavender, Inc., an award-winning international marketing firm specializing in branding, PR, social and digital media, website development and packaging. With nearly 30 years of retail experience, McFadden brings a deep knowledge of how to take a product from concept to the shelf to the consumer shopping cart. McFadden’s agency is known for producing flawless CPG strategies and implementing tactics that work in the fast-moving natural and specialty food industries. McFadden will share her unique experience with retailers, manufacturers, consumers, physicians and healthcare professionals looking for healthier products.
Visit the McFadden/Gavender website at: www.mcfaddengavender.com or email Barbara McFadden directly at: barbara@mcfaddengavender.com.
Wisdom Natural Brands/SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener
Marketing
Barbara McFadden is the Co-founder and President of McFadden/Gavender, Inc., an award-winning international marketing firm specializing in branding, PR, social and digital media, website development and packaging. With nearly 30 years of retail experience, McFadden brings a deep knowledge of how to take a product from concept to the shelf to the consumer shopping cart. McFadden’s agency is known for producing flawless CPG strategies and implementing tactics that work in the fast-moving natural and specialty food industries. McFadden will share her unique experience with retailers, manufacturers, consumers, physicians and healthcare professionals looking for healthier products.
Visit the McFadden/Gavender website at: www.mcfaddengavender.com or email Barbara McFadden directly at: barbara@mcfaddengavender.com.
Erin Quann
Nestlé Nutrition
Associate Director, Nutrition Research
Erin Quann, PhD, RD, LDN, is the Associate Director of Nutrition Research for Gerber Products Company. She leads the activation of the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) in the U.S. in support of laying the foundation for healthful diets early in life. This includes gaining a better understanding of the diets and lifestyle habits of infants and young children to help optimize nutrition guidance and related products, communications and services available to parents. Previously Dr. Quann worked for the National Dairy Council holding roles in Nutrition Research, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, as well as Nutrition Marketing and Affairs. She led their NHANES research program, as well as helped to develop and drive the nutrition strategy for the dairy and broader food and restaurant industries. She also worked for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, the University of Connecticut Human Performance Laboratory, and the Hawley Armory Fitness and Wellness Center. She is a University of Connecticut alum where she received Masters and PhD degrees in exercise science with a concentration in nutrition. She is actively involved in the American Society for Nutrition and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and recently served on the Board of Trustees for the American College of Sports Medicine.
Nestlé Nutrition
Associate Director, Nutrition Research
Erin Quann, PhD, RD, LDN, is the Associate Director of Nutrition Research for Gerber Products Company. She leads the activation of the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) in the U.S. in support of laying the foundation for healthful diets early in life. This includes gaining a better understanding of the diets and lifestyle habits of infants and young children to help optimize nutrition guidance and related products, communications and services available to parents. Previously Dr. Quann worked for the National Dairy Council holding roles in Nutrition Research, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, as well as Nutrition Marketing and Affairs. She led their NHANES research program, as well as helped to develop and drive the nutrition strategy for the dairy and broader food and restaurant industries. She also worked for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, the University of Connecticut Human Performance Laboratory, and the Hawley Armory Fitness and Wellness Center. She is a University of Connecticut alum where she received Masters and PhD degrees in exercise science with a concentration in nutrition. She is actively involved in the American Society for Nutrition and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and recently served on the Board of Trustees for the American College of Sports Medicine.
Shari Steinbach
Shari Steinbach & Associates, LLC
Owner/President
Shari Steinbach and Associates, LLC is a nutrition and culinary communication consulting firm connecting food companies, health professionals and consumers in the retail setting. Owner and President Shari Steinbach, MS RDN is a nationally-recognized food and nutrition consultant who crafts unique client programs that provide meaningful consumer solutions and increased sales through educational selling. With over 25 years of experience as a health professional with two major retailers, Steinbach understands the retail wellness landscape and consumer needs. She shines a light on what’s important to differentiate your product messages from the crowd and creates practical programs, partnerships and strategies that leverage nutrition to drive sales.
Shari Steinbach & Associates, LLC
Owner/President
Shari Steinbach and Associates, LLC is a nutrition and culinary communication consulting firm connecting food companies, health professionals and consumers in the retail setting. Owner and President Shari Steinbach, MS RDN is a nationally-recognized food and nutrition consultant who crafts unique client programs that provide meaningful consumer solutions and increased sales through educational selling. With over 25 years of experience as a health professional with two major retailers, Steinbach understands the retail wellness landscape and consumer needs. She shines a light on what’s important to differentiate your product messages from the crowd and creates practical programs, partnerships and strategies that leverage nutrition to drive sales.
Dagan Xavier
Label Insight
Co-Founder
When Dagan Xavier’s father’s illness meant serious changes to his diet, Xavier realized how challenging it could be to meet one’s dietary needs just by reading a food label. In 2008, he co-founded Label Insight to provide product transparency to consumers, helping them better understand what’s in the products they use and consume.
Today, Xavier works with a team of dietitians, chemists, food technologists and other subject matter experts, leading the development and ongoing evolution Label Insight’s database. He also heads up Label Insight’s Open Data Initiative, providing academic researchers with complimentary access to Label Insight’s unique data and tools, in order to impact and improve food and nutrition policy.
Label Insight
Co-Founder
When Dagan Xavier’s father’s illness meant serious changes to his diet, Xavier realized how challenging it could be to meet one’s dietary needs just by reading a food label. In 2008, he co-founded Label Insight to provide product transparency to consumers, helping them better understand what’s in the products they use and consume.
Today, Xavier works with a team of dietitians, chemists, food technologists and other subject matter experts, leading the development and ongoing evolution Label Insight’s database. He also heads up Label Insight’s Open Data Initiative, providing academic researchers with complimentary access to Label Insight’s unique data and tools, in order to impact and improve food and nutrition policy.