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.
August 2025
NYIFT Section Chair
Margaux Mora
Associate, Global Texture Solutions Applications Ingredion, Inc.I’m honored to serve as Chair of NYIFT. Last year was packed with so many great events, thanks to our dedicated board and the energy of everyone who joined us!
A big shout out to Suzanne Mutz-Darwell, our Past Chair, for her thoughtful leadership and continued support. This year’s board brings a fantastic mix of familiar faces and fresh perspectives—check out the line-up elsewhere in the newsletter!
Planning is still on-going on several exciting events and continuing our collaboration with CNJIFT to bring even more value to our members.
Just a year ago, I was new to the NYIFT Board myself and remember wondering how to get involved. What I found was a welcoming group and a great way to connect with others in the food industry. I’ve really enjoyed building friendships and learning from the incredible people who make up this community.
Whether you’re a longtime member or just getting involved, we’d love to see you at our events and hear your ideas.
Looking forward to a fun and impactful year ahead!
June 2025
NYIFT Section Chair
Suzanne Mutz-Darwell & Debbie Levine
As our fiscal year begins to wind down, and springtime fades into summer, let us first start off by thanking our incredible EXCOM volunteer team members, from both NYIFT and CNJIFT, for helping to create and deliver a year full of pertinent and impactful programs. Thanks also to our IAMI administration team for supporting us through this year of transition as we try to position our organization for a sustainable future.
We would also like to welcome our new members from the Long Island Section IFT who were recently incorporated into the New York Section IFT. We would like to invite anyone who was active in the Long Island Section to join our EXCOM meetings and represent their fellow Long Island members so that we can understand and address their needs and interests.
We hosted a very successful Suppliers’ Day EXPO and Technical Seminar at the Edison Expo Center in Edison, NJ on April 15, 2025. The Technical Seminar, which was held in the morning, was entitled “Sustainability in the Food Industry: From Farm to Fork.” Special thanks to our presenters, Brian Nash (Ingredion), Cate Battey (HowGood), Kevin C. Kenny (Food Chain ID), Colin Preston (Ramboll), Ravi Karkar (BCD iLabs), Wei Qin (Ingredion) and Taylor May (Ingredion) for their time and expertise. Over 80 highly engaged attendees learned about the evolution of sustainable initiatives, tools for sustainable product development, relevant regulations, circular packaging, consumer perspectives on sustainability, and the food service industry’s contributions to environmental conservation.
There were over 800 people who attended the Suppliers’ Day EXPO, comprised of both exhibitors and attendees. They created a steady flow in the aisles and represented an increase over recent years. The exhibition featured more than 170 companies and 26 Corporate Sponsors for the expo. We look forward to seeing you all again next year as we plan on hosting Suppliers’ Day and the Technical Seminar at a new venue, the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ on April 16, 2026.
Eating for a “Healthy Brain: The Connection Between Gut Health and Cognitive Well-Being” was the topic for our May 15th dinner meeting held at the Sahara Restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ. Our presenter, Laura Roskosz, Ph.D., Principal Owner EGGLRock Nutrition LLC shared research on how the human microbiome has been proven to be an informative biomarker of cognitive health, and how these microbiome profiles may be modified through dietary intervention.
As we prepare this Chair’s message, CNJIFT is actively organizing our annual golf outing, set for June 2nd at the Meadows at Middlesex in Plainsboro Township, NJ. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors and all the participants who have signed up to enjoy a great day of golf. Stay tuned for details and photos in our next update and on the NYIFT website (www.nyift.org).
As we wrap up our program year, we would like to thank you for your interest and attendance at our events, and welcome you to consider volunteering on our EXCOM teams. For those who that will attend the IFT FIRST in July, we wish you a very engaging and productive meeting! Stay tuned for more news and information from the New York Section and the Central New Jersey Subsection!
Best wishes for an enjoyable start to the summer season.