How do you identify?
I am a lesbian woman.
What is your background?
I was born in Chicago, and grew up in Bloomington, IL. I earned my BS in Biology and my PhD at U of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. After 2 years as a post-doctoral Research Associate at the USDA ARS outside Philadelphia, I began an almost 27-year career at PepsiCo, starting as a scientist in product development at Frito-Lay and eventually moving to a role in nutrition research at Quaker. I retired from PepsiCo in 2016 after working in a variety of roles within Global R&D. I have been an active volunteer for IFT, both at a local level and with the global organization (Feeding Tomorrow Fund, Women’s Resource Group, Proud Resource Group, and now also as a member of the Board of Directors).
How has being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community impacted you personally and/or professionally?
After coming out as a grad student, I met my (now) wife and we have been together for more than 37 years. We were married in 2015. After earning my PhD, I snuck back into the closet to begin my professional life. This didn’t just impact me, but also my partner Kris. It was very challenging to live one life personally and another professionally. During my time at Frito-Lay, I gradually came out to my friends at work, and by the time I moved to Chicago, I was completely out to family, friends, and colleagues. After I moved to Quaker, Indra Nooyi took over as PepsiCo’s CEO and challenged all employees to “bring your whole selves to work.” Indra inspired me and many others with her challenge, and I felt very comfortable and engaged in the leadership of each of our Resource Groups within the Barrington IL PepsiCo R&D community.
What advice do you have for somebody to be a part of the community within the food industry?
Get involved with you communities, whether your local or work community, or within your professional organizations. You’ll meet people and learn more about them as well as yourself. Engage in activities and they will help you grow and others learn and grow. Although interacting with those you don’t know can initially be quite daunting, it gets easier with time – give it a try! Also, remember that getting involved doesn’t mean giving up your other areas of interest. Within IFT, I’ve been able to continue my passion around supporting students by engaging in work on scholarships and motivating students to enter our field.
What do you hope to see in the food industry or IFT?
I sincerely hope IFT and the industry continue to improve the safety and healthfulness of the global food supply and reduce waste. I also look to their leadership to address the need to develop new products to address a growing population in a world dealing with global climate change. I also see both industry and IFT partnering in the effort to support professionals within the many sciences of food moving the banner of DEIB forward. Diversity is critical to all employers and employees as it helps better address consumer needs as well as enabling employees in attaining happy and productive professional and personal lives, which leads to more engagement at work and helps employers better address their goals going forward.
How do you think IFT Proud can best provide support to the LGBTQIA+ community in the food industry and beyond?
Proud provides a professional community for IFT members to build friendships, grow understanding, teach and share through experience, and work closely with colleagues across all IFT Resource Groups to build connection and understanding and to break down barriers. Resource Group members can be engaged at committee and leadership levels. There is so much we can all learn from one another and the best way for us to start this process is through engagement. Please get involved with us!