The American Dairy Products Institute is proud to announce Chelsie Reinwand as the first recipient of the Jim Page Memorial Scholarship. This presentation was made during the 2009 ADPI/ABI Annual Conference in Chicago.

Reinwand is a junior at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and maintains a straight A average 4.0 on a 4-point scale. She also is on track to complete her Doctorate in Pharmacy in a total of just six years. Reinwand, whose mother is an employee of Foremost Farms in Baraboo, Wis., was chosen from among 43 applicants for the award.

A student who has demonstrated a high commitment to community service and volunteerism, Reinwand started working in her local Walgreen's and soon determined that she would be able "to better the lives of others on a daily basis by serving as a pharmacist."

The Jim Page Memorial Scholarship was created in memory of James J. Page who enjoyed a distinguished marketing career in the dairy industry and demonstrated exceptional leadership skills while serving as the chief executive officer of ADPI from 2002 through 2008.

The scholarship is awarded to the dependent of an employee or to an employee whose company is a member of ADPI. The scholarship is a one-year grant of a minimum of $1,000. The recipient of this scholarship should be currently in good standing academically at an accredited college or university and must have/maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 using the standard 4.0 scale. The award may be used for any educational expenses that a student may have in furthering his/her education.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Jim Page Memorial Scholarship or if you are a dependent of an employee or an employee of a company who is a member of ADPI and would like more information on the scholarship, please visit the ADPI Web site at www.adpi.org.

Additionally, ADPI announces Lee E. Blakely as the 2009 Recipient of the Award of Merit. The Award of Merit was established in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made a significant difference in the processed dairy products industry.

Blakely has enjoyed a long, multi-faceted dairy career, which has spanned an unusually broad range of responsibilities in fields of teaching, manufacturing, quality assurance and marketing. Over the course of his career, Blakely has contributed in many ways and roles to the advancement of the American dairy industry.

Blakely's career in the dairy industry was built on an impressive foundation of academic achievement. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Food Technology from the University of Georgia in 1962 and subsequently earned Master of Science and Doctoral degrees in Food Science from Michigan State University.

After receiving his doctorate, Blakely began teaching future dairy industry managers as an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and later moved to the well-regarded dairy science program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

After several years of teaching, Blakely's expertise was sought by the dairy industry, and he joined Dairyman's Cooperative Creamery Association in 1973 as senior vice president of manufacturing.

In 1999, DCCA merged with Land O' Lakes where Blakely assumed the role of vice president of quality assurance. In 2002, Blakely was named chief technical officer for Cheese & Protein International LLC, which was acquired by Saputo and reorganized as Saputo Cheese & Protein. Blakely, who retired last fall, still remains active in the dairy business taking on various consulting assignments from Land O' Lakes and other industry clients.

During his long and distinguished dairy career, Blakely had a very active relationship with the American Dairy Products Institute. Since 1973, Blakely has served on ADPI's Technical Committee, Board of Directors and Executive Committee as well as eight years as an officer including president of ADPI from 1999-2001.

Blakely also has served on numerous dairy industry scientific and research advisory committees. He is currently serving on the 3-A Sanitary Standards Board of Directors where he will play a key role in developing dairy and food equipments standards that underlie the strong safety record of the dairy industry. Blakely also will serve as the chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2011 International Whey Conference, which will be held in Chicago in 2011.

Blakely was born and raised in rural western New York, and now resides in Visalia, Calif. with his wife of 26 years, Fern. They have three grown sons, Steve, Michael and Brandon.