NYIFT Chair
Spencer Sullivan
Retired – PepsiCo
Twelve months ago, I was looking forward to my second opportunity to serve as chair for NYIFT. My first term coincided with the COVID pandemic, which presented a series of interesting challenges for the organization but dampened many of the activities that make section membership fun and professionally fulfilling. As I now consider the 2023-2024 program year, I think that it is safe to say that we are back! A combination of great topics and great venues resulted in full capacity for every event. Our biggest challenge was finding room for an extra five or ten people every time we met – that’s the kind of challenge we like!
The beauty of each meeting’s success was the range of contributors who took responsibility for a particular meeting and made it happen. Subcommittees worked through corporate mazes to make our events at Mondelēz and PepsiCo successful. The work done to create expert panels on subjects like AI was incredible. IFT President Sean Leighton’s in-person presentation at the March meeting was compelling while at the same time, it demonstrated that we are indeed pushing past pandemic limitations; and, as our capstone event of the year, Suppliers’ Day 2024 provided both a showcase for 166 vendors and a highly relevant technical program for attendees.
Less apparent but just as important, we were able to bolster the internal structure of the organization so that the New York IFT can continue its mission into the second quarter of the twenty-first century. Our bylaws have been updated to reflect best and current practices. Our financial “deep dive” brought on by the stress of the COVID years has resulted in improved investment strategies and financial management.
Before I move on to my second term as Immediate Past Chair, I would like to thank the entire board and all the committee members for making this a great year. Chair-Elect Suzanne Mutz-Darwell and Immediate Past-Chair Sophia Jin both made my job as Chair incredibly easy. Additionally, Gerri Cristantiello, as our Chapter Administrator, provided a helping hand with everything we do.
I am looking forward to working with our new board to make our 2024-2025 program year even better. The Board will be a great mix of new talent and seasoned veterans. Our planning efforts for the fall are already underway.
CNJIFT Subsection Chair
Carol BoNey
Retired – IFF
When I heard from our elected Chair for 2023-24 that she would not be able to continue for the year due to her new job position, my immediate reaction was “oh no what do we do now?” This section is very near and dear to me as it was started when General Foods relocated me from Dover, DE. I worked closely with Gary Wheelock and Marijan Boskovic to get the section started and I could not see it dissolved on my watch. So, I stepped in as Chair for the remaining calendar year.
We had a very successful Trivia Night at Rutgers University, and a wonderful Holiday Meeting with Gary Pavlis, Wine Expert from Rutgers University and Eric Schmoyer, Senior R&D Manager – Technical Services from Barry Callebaut. Nothing can ever go wrong with Wine and Chocolate!
We had another exciting Student Night held at Rutgers University. The program was expanded this year to include professionals from the food industry to speak with students one-on-one to learn about their company and for possible internship positions.
And lastly, we had a wonderful day for the golf outing. Included in this newsletter are some photos; it was a beautiful day for golf.
I would like to thank everyone on the CNJIFT Board for their support throughout the year. I welcome and also thank Debbie Levine from Ingredion for accepting the Chair position for the coming year. Kerri Goad-Berrios from Kalustyan has accepted our secretary position and Salvatore Mastriani will be moving from Director-at-Large to Treasurer. Thank you to Ronnie McBurnie for her many years of service as our Treasurer. Ronnie will be moving into the position of Director-at-Large.
Have a wonderful summer and we both look forward to seeing you all in September.
May 2026
CNJIFT Section Chair
Debbie Levine
Director, Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Ingredion, Inc.Dear NYIFT and CNJIFT Members,
Spring is in full swing, and with it comes a great lineup of opportunities to connect, learn, and engage with our NYIFT and CNJIFT communities. Thank you to everyone who continues to support our sections—through attendance, volunteering, sponsorship, and sharing your enthusiasm for food science. The momentum we built in April is carrying us right into a busy and exciting May and June.
Act fast! One of our most anticipated events is just around the corner—our upcoming meeting at PepsiCo on Wednesday, May 13th.
Registration closes Wednesday, May 6th, with this newsletter landing in your Inbox only one day before registration closes. If this event is on your radar, be sure to register immediately so you don’t miss out. NO walk-ins or late registrations will be allowed.
Looking back, April was a standout month for both sections. Our Suppliers’ Day at a new venue was a huge success, featuring strong attendance, outstanding speakers covering timely and relevant topics, and an engaging panel discussion that sparked great conversation. Events like our Somerset Patriots baseball outing show how our local section builds connections outside formal programming. We will be sharing photos from both events in upcoming newsletters—so stay tuned!
We also encourage you to check out and follow our NYIFT/CNJIFT LinkedIn page if you haven’t already. A huge thank‑you to Jordan Allen, Akino Tomizawa, and Sri Karthi for bringing our page to life—highlighting speaking events, sharing updates, and profiling the incredible volunteers who make these sections thrive.
Finally, don’t forget our June 1st Golf Outing! There is still time to register, and plenty of opportunities for companies to get involved through sponsorships, awards, door prizes, and more. It’s a fantastic way to support our sections while enjoying a great day of networking. Registration details for the Golf Outing and all other events mentioned can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event—and thank you for being such an engaged and vibrant part of the NYIFT and CNJIFT communities.
Warm regards,
Debbie Levine
Director, Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
Ingredion, Inc.
CNJIFT Chair
April 2026
NYIFT Section Chair
Margaux Mora
Senior Associate, Global Sensory Ingredion, Inc.Dear NYIFT and CNJIFT Members,
I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather (I am really hoping it’s not a terribly rainy day when the newsletter is issued)! Last month, I had the privilege of attending the IFT Section Leadership Conference (IFT SLC) alongside Ms. Jordan Allen (NYIFT Treasurer-Elect), Ms. Akino Tomizawa (CNJIFT Chair-Elect), and Mr. Greg Aloi (CNJIFT Director-at-Large).
It was not only an incredible opportunity to learn from and connect with other section leaders from around the world but also provided the opportunity for us to act and make intentional plans to implement these ideas to build stronger, more connected communities back home.
A key takeaway was clear: successful sections lead with purpose, empower volunteers, and create meaningful opportunities for engagement across students, early‑career professionals, and industry members. We are excited to build more pathways to bring this to life and encourage you to reach out if you would like to be involved.
These themes also came to life locally when we had the opportunity to welcome IFT President Dr. Peggy Poole to our NYIFT event at Mondelēz on March 24th. Dr. Poole highlighted the critical role of the IFT community in connecting science, people, and purpose, the role it played in her personal journey, and reinforced how local sections like NYIFT help turn that mission into action.
The conference insights, combined with Dr. Poole’s message, are shaping how we think about NYIFT and CNJIFT programming for the year ahead. From mentoring and professional development to new ways of bringing our community together, you’ll see this reflected in our upcoming workshops and events. This has already been implemented at our February Student Night, which is being highlighted elsewhere in this newsletter.
Thank you for being part of NYIFT and CNJIFT. We look forward to continuing to learn, connect, and grow together. If you are interested in getting more involved in volunteering and/or becoming a vital part of our Executive Committee, please reach out to us here.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Margaux Mora
Chair, NYIFT
Sr. Associate, Global Sensory
Ingredion, Inc