Regulatory Food Safety Expert - 25 yrs USDA FSIS

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

As a Regulatory Food Safety Expert for the meat and poultry industry I bring an unparalleled combination of practical, technical, and enforcement level expertise to the table. Raised in Nebraska, I started my exposure to the industry working in my father’s slaughter plant actually doing the work that I would later regulate. After a stint in the USMC, I entered federal service as an entry level GS 5 on the slaughter floors of establishments in Los Angeles, working my way up through the ranks in the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). I served as a Food Inspector for Slaughter, Consumer Safety Officer for Processing, Circuit Supervisor, Enforcement Investigation and Analysis Officer, Investigator, Supervisory Investigator, and Deputy District Manager for the Western Region. I served on the FSIS Recall Committee and have extensive experience with the management and mitigation of those situations. During my 25-year tenure with the USDA I worked in, or oversaw the regulatory inspection of, hundreds of slaughter and processing facilities and supervised / managed hundreds of FSIS personnel in 12 western continental states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Mariana Islands. During that time, I completed numerous training courses, certifications, and specialty programs at various Food Safety Inspection Service facilities nationwide including Texas A&M University, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in New Mexico earning numerous agency awards, Certificates of Merit, and Commendations. My expertise encompasses education, training, and experience derived directly from field application and hands-on experience in the food production industry. My reputation as a knowledgeable, ethical, and dedicated regulator, investigator, manager, and mentor in the industry followed me into the private sector when I retired from federal service in 2019 and established a regulatory consulting firm. I am continually sought out and retained by producers ranging from small family establishments to large multi-national conglomerates offering start-up assistance, food safety plan development and implementation, facility development, regulatory issue advocacy, crisis management, and expert witness consultation for food safety related litigation. My fluent literacy and in-depth working knowledge of CFR Title 9 Chapter III (Parts 300-592) relating to the USDA FSIS, CRF Title 21 Title 21, Chapter I, subchapter B (Parts 100–199) relating to the FDA, and extensive enforcement experience of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), Poultry Production Inspection Act (PPIA) and the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA) equip me with a broad and diverse knowledge base from which to provide expert consultation and sound, supportable opinions on most any food related litigation issue.