On Aug. 1, I succeeded Amy Vodraska as publisher of Dairy Foods, a publication I have long admired in my decade at parent company BNP Media. I also knew her predecessor, the late Tom Imbordino. Tom was an early friend and mentor to me at the company, and he is missed. I’m grateful that his legacy endures via the Tom Imbordino Dairy Science Scholarship established by the Food Processing Suppliers Association Dairy Council.

Throughout my years at BNP Media, I’ve worked on the content side of the business, overseeing editorial on multiple publications in our food, beverage, and packaging divisions. This work has encompassed titles dedicated to snacks and baked goods, candy and confectionery products, meat and poultry, cannabis foods and beverages, food safety, private label, processing and packaging equipment, and more. Regardless of the specific publication, these titles all share a common goal of addressing market dynamics and opportunities for growth across the food industry for our customers. Add in my experience at previous publishing companies following agriculture, food ingredients, foodservice, and retail product R&D, and a 360-degree view of the food industry emerges.

Now, as publisher, my areas of focus include dairy, meat and poultry, snacks and baked goods, candy and confectionery, and packaging. Collectively, this broad-based perspective will provide distinctive, valuable, informative context to my brand leadership.

This is my life’s work. I’m nearly three decades down my career path in food publishing, truly following food from field to fork, and I relish every moment.

While running the business side of the publications under my care is central to my role, I’m not a typical publisher. Coming from the editorial side brings a unique, audience-driven perspective. Like our editors, I’ll continue to interact with dairy product developers, digging deeper to better understand the top challenges within the dairy industry, while shining a spotlight on the new supply-chain innovations that will help solve those very same challenges. It’s about continual improvement and embracing strategic investment.

And I’m still a writer. I’ll continue to write about the companies that comprise the Dairy Foods’ audience, listening and learning along the way. I’ll report monthly on market and category dynamics. There’s always more to learn about our wonderful world of food, fueling our journey.

To that end, I’d encourage you to reach out and connect. I’d love to hear about your challenges — and success stories. Together, we can continue to drive the industry forward and find opportunities for growth.