With new leadership came the appointment of new section officers. Each new officer was asked to give a short bio to properly introduce him or herself.
Brian Giannini, Chair
Brian Giannini has over 25 years of experience in quality assurance market research, business development, sales and product retrieval and recall services. In 1993 he joined RQA, Inc. which provides international quality assurance services to manufacturers with operations in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Mr. Giannini developed an international product retrieval service delivered through a global network of registered dietitians and healthcare professionals.
In April 2007, Brian joined Stericycle which invested in the RQA retrieval business to enhance the recall services that Stericycle has been providing to the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Consumer Goods Industries. Stericycle now has the ability to provide a complete recall solution for companies which includes; consulting, notification/communication, retrieval, processing, fulfillment, reimbursement, transportation, storage, destruction and reporting. Brian has maintained his client account responsibility for all product retrieval services, including consumer complaint retrievals, product recall/withdrawal services and product retrievals for new product development and quality assurance purposes.
Mr. Giannini obtained his bachelor’s of science degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona. He has been a member of SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) since 1994; served on the SOCAP International Board of Directors from 2002-2004 and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Regional SOCAP Chapter. He is currently the Secretary of the Southern California Association for Food Protection, the Chair for the Cactus Section of IFT and a member of the Association of Food and Drug Officials.
Tony DeCastro, Chair Elect
Tony is currently Vice President of Product Innovation & Regulatory Affairs at Sun Orchard, Inc. at Tempe, AZ, a national producer and distributor of juices and beverages for the foodservice industry with facilities in Arizona, Florida and California. Tony has been involved with juice and beverage processing and packaging for over 25 years, with responsibilities encompassing product and process development, QA/QC, operations, and legal compliance. Tony earned his B.S. degree in Biology from the University of California at Riverside, is a Professional Member of the Institute of Food Technologists, a Culinology member of the Research Chefs Association, and a former board member of the American Fresh Juice Council. Tony is also a PADI Master Scuba Diver and Dive Master, member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and an avid motorcycle rider.
Lorraine Hansen, Treasurer
Lorraine Hansen has extensive experience in the food industry. She currently holds the position as Senior Quality Analyst for the Dial Corporation, a Henkel Company. In her role, she is the Lead Auditor of Quality Systems and FDA 21 CFR compliance audits for new and existing manufacturing facilities. She provides cGMP guidance to manufacturers on the FDA regulations 21 CFR. She provides Quality Assurance oversight of company Drug Stability Program. She develops quality assurance sampling/test plans, and quality standards for new and existing products and monitor implementation. She supports start of production on new products and develops, reviews, and approves process standards, test methods, and product formulas to assure adherence to company policy and Federal regulations. She also facilitated and led American Society for Quality certification study sessions that have resulted in 100% certificate attainment. Products and processes she has worked with include antibacterial liquid hand and body soap, hand and body lotion, bar soap, liquid and dry laundry detergent, laundry additives, electric and non-electric air fresheners, retorted low acid canned meats (USDA products), solid surface cleaners, insecticides, and aerosols. Previously, she has worked for Steris Laboratories, a division of Watson Pharmaceuticals as manufacturing services supervisor. She was also a quality assurance and control manager at ConAgra-Rosarita Mexican Foods and at ConAgra-Hunt-Wesson Foods. She also holds a MS in manufacturing management and a B.S. in biology (pre-med).
Lynn Abarr-Boubelik, Membership Committee Chair
Lynn Abarr-Boubelik’s career has been devoted to marketing and sales in the food industry and manufacturing where she has been recognized as a top performer, cultivating strong, long-term customer relations often times from a prospecting basis. Her resume includes employment with Unilever, Bestfoods of NA, Corn Products Company and J.P. Foodservice/Monarch. Lynn grew up in Iowa where she attended college and received her degree in travel and hospitality, where she learned superior customer service skills. Lynn joined the Vivion team in 2008 with enthusiasm and her extensive experience to her role as Account Manager allowing her rapidly expands her markets by targeting customers in all industries throughout Arizona and New Mexico representing Vivion. Lynn is the membership chair for the local Cactus Section IFT in Arizona.
Ken Baseman, Programs Committee Chair
Ken Baseman is an innovative manager with background in Food Processing, Product Development and Quality Assurance. He has extensive experience in product reconfigurations and cost reduction, ingredient substitution, new product introductions, regulatory compliance, Quality Assurance and HACCP protocols. He is experienced in plant reconfiguration, product improvement, aseptic packaging, and process control. He recently moved to the Phoenix area with his wife after spending much of his professional career in on the West Coast. He is presently Director of Food Safety and General Manager of Papa John’s Salads and Produce headquartered in the Phoenix area.
Holly Curtis, Secretary
Holly Curtis has more than 18 years of experience in the Nutritional Supplement Industry working in a wide range of areas including Formulations, R&D, Brand Management and Web Fulfillment. Her education includes a BS in Food Science from the University of Arizona, an MS in Food Science from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Utah.
Jessica Dykun, Student Committee Chair
Jessica Dykun is a Microbiologist in the Quality Assurance Division at Daisy Brand, LLC in Casa Grande, AZ. Jessica’s past work experience has included positions as the Sr. Research Scientist for XND Technologies, where she formulated nutritional water beverages, and as a Research Technician in the Research and Development Division at the H.J. Heinz Innovation Center. Jessica’s research has included areas of viscosity and rheological profile studies on sauces and condiments and the effects of chlorination and incubation times on Coliform growth. Jessica has also worked on developing a patented aseptic-cold fill process for the production of beverages without the need for heat pasteurization. Jessica received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently completing a graduate degree in Food Science with a concentration in Food Microbiology and Food Safety at the Food Science Institute at Kansas State University. Jessica has been an active member in IFT and the Society for Applied Microbiology since 2007. Jessica was recently nominated as the Student Outreach Chair for the IFT Cactus Section in 2011. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys brewing her own beer and jogging.
Darrel Swift, Member at Large
Darrel Swift has more than 15 years of experience working for the food industry in several capacities of Quality Assurance. He has mainly dealt with the quality control of food, dietary supplements and cosmetics. Darrel has a bachelor’s of science degree in Zoology from Arizona State University and an MBA in management from Western International University. He has worked for three and a half years at Isagenix International, LLC as a Quality Control Release Coordinator and Auditor.
David Despain, Newsletter Committee Chair
David Despain, MS, is a science writer and nutritionist. He earned a master's degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 2011. Previously, he earned a BA in English from University of Illinois at Springfield in 2004. At Isagenix International, LLC, a company that sells nutraceuticals, he currently holds the position as Senior Manager of Science Communications in Research and Science. He also works part-time as a freelance science writer for various avenues such as news Web sites and blogs. In the little spare time he has, David enjoys spending time with his family, reading, or exploring nature. He finds it strange to write about himself in the third person.
