Speakers

Grace Danao

Grace Danao, Ph.D. is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Her research interests are in the broad area of food and bioprocess engineering focusing on value-added processing, high pressure processing (HPP), and utilizing near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for process control and quality assurance applications. Since 2017, she has coordinated the HPP & Engineering Services Laboratory of The Food Processing Center at UNL. She and her team conduct applied research projects that have helped U.S. and Nebraska food manufacturers comply with USDA FSIS and FDA food safety regulations and bring their products to market. At UNL, Dr. Danao teaches a class in Pet Food Manufacturing to support the new undergraduate minor program in Food Technology for Companion Animals at UNL.

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is the consumer insights and trends thought leader in the Pet Specialty industry, regularly consulting retailers, veterinarians, distributors, and manufacturers on the dynamics of the pet industry and how to best develop and position their products, brands, programs, and services to connect with consumers. Mr. Johnson brings over twenty years of experience in marketing, strategic planning, and consumer and market research from across the Food, Drug, Mass, Wholesale, and Pet channels.

Mr. Johnson frequently lectures on pet trends and has been featured at events on behalf of organizations such as PIDA, PILS/PIJAC, SuperZoo, Pet Food Workshop, APPA, Pet Industry Executive Summit, as well as many retailer, veterinary, and pet distributor conferences. In addition, his opinions and observations are frequently solicited by trade publications, and he has authored articles and/or been quoted in magazines such as Pet Business, Pet Age, Pet Product News, Veterinary Advantage, and Pet Food Industry, among many others.

Rich Kelleman

Rich Kelleman is the Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods, a Boulder, Colorado-based start-up that’s working with biotechnology to make meat proteins like chicken, turkey and fish without the animal for the pet food industry. Using some of the same processes that are employed in craft brewing, Bond produces high-quality animal proteins through fermentation, harvests them to better meet the nutritional requirements of companion animals, and supplies the ingredients to manufacturers for pet food, treat and supplement applications.

Before diving into the world of pets and food tech Rich was a Vice President and Director at some of the world’s most respected advertising agencies including Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, FCB, and Fallon, where he led brand strategy for Burger King, P&G, Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola, among others. 

Rich has a B.A. in Marketing from Boston College, with additional study at Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation.

Lara Moody

Lara Moody is the Institute for Feed Education and Research’s executive director. She provides visionary leadership to the public charity’s activities including program development, strategic partnerships and collaborative resourcing. Working closely with IFEEDER’s Board of Trustees and committee members, she develops and supports resources and efforts to advance the public charity’s research and education mission. Collaborating with the American Feed Industry Association to pursue and communicate the institute’s work, she creates opportunities to engage donors and further the dialogue on important issues impacting the feed industry. Prior to joining IFEEDER in April 2021, Moody served as the vice president of stewardship and sustainability at The Fertilizer Institute. She also worked in research and extension programs at Iowa State University and the University of Tennessee. Moody holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and master’s degree in biosystems engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Erin Perry

Erin Perry, Ph.D. is an award-winning scientist and author with more than a decade of research experience investigating working canine health and performance. She has been a canine search specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for more than 20 years. She is a tenured professor and an invited speaker on working canine health and performance at both national and international conferences. Dr. Perry has served on the DoD Military Working Canine Research Forum Steering Committee, the US Joint Forces NORTHCOMM Canine Decontamination Working Group, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation Review panel and as a consultant for various law enforcement and emergency response agencies. Dr. Perry’s canine research program focuses on challenges faced by working dogs in operational conditions.

Dr. Perry spent several years with Purina Animal Nutrition before moving to academia. She has presented her research on equine palatability and gut microbiota at both national and international conferences. Dr. Perry has published multiple studies related to equine feeding preferences and gut microbiota stability. Dr. Perry’s current equine research program focuses on flavor preferences in horses and impacts to their feeding behaviors.

Julia Guazelli Pezzali

Julia Guazzelli Pezzali, Ph.D. earned her Bachelor’s in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, her MS from Kansas State University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Guelph. During her M.S., Dr. Pezzali investigated the utilization of various carbohydrate sources on nutrient digestibility and sulfur amino acid metabolism in dogs. Additionally, she characterized the production of extruded sorghum crisps for inclusion in granola bars for dogs. In her Ph.D., Dr. Pezzali conducted multiple trials to validate the indicator amino acid oxidation technique in domestic cats. Subsequently, she utilized this technique to empirically determine the minimum Phe and Met requirement in adult cats. After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Pezzali embarked on her academic career as an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University, contributing to teaching in companion animal nutrition and pet food processing. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and serves as the Director of the Pet Food Program at Kansas State University, where she contributes to teaching and research related to pet food processing technologies, and companion animal nutrition and metabolism. The overall goal of her research program is to employ both basic and applied approaches to explore new ingredients, processing techniques, and dietary strategies to assist the industry in developing sustainable products that target and promote the overall health and well-being of companion animals. 

Timothy Schell

Timothy Schell, Ph.D. is the Director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance (OS&C) in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at FDA. The Office is responsible for monitoring marketed animal drugs, food additives, and veterinary devices to assure their safety and effectiveness. Prior to the OS&C Director role, he led regulatory affairs strategies at Elanco Animal Health, expanding the firm’s global initiatives in animal drugs and feed additives. In 2019, he rejoined FDA where he previously he served with CVM for fourteen years. Over the course of his tenure, he held increasingly more challenging and higher profile positions throughout the Center that solidified his expertise in animal foods and drugs. Prior to joining the FDA, Dr. Schell was an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia with specialization in swine nutrition.  He also worked at Continental Grain Company as a swine research consultant, conducting nutrition research and consulting with livestock producers. 

Dr. Schell earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. in animal nutrition at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He completed his undergraduate degree in animal and dairy sciences at Auburn University.

Laura Scott

Laura Scott is a National Manager in the Animal Feed Division of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency where she is responsible for leading the feed regulatory modernization project and outreach and communications for the feed program. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a BSc in Animal Biology and an MSc in Animal Nutrition. Her experience with the CFIA includes product registration, policy development and regulatory development. Laura serves on AAFCO’s Feed and Feed Ingredient Manufacturing, Ingredient Definition, and Inspection and Sampling Committees, and as a member of the AAFCO Board of Directors.