Speaker Biographies
GMA Consumer Complaints Conference 2012
Robert Burns, Ph.D.
Vice President, Health and Nutrition Policy
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Dr. Robert (Robbie) Burns oversees the development of positions on health and
nutrition labeling at GMA. Prior to joining GMA in 2011, he had a consulting business,
Nutrition Implications, LLC, which helped food organizations develop strategies,
research programs and communications for nutrition and wellness. Before consulting,
his professional experience included nutrition leadership roles in Cadbury Schweppes
and Mead Johnson Nutritionals. In both organizations, he worked with cross-functional
business and technical partners to leverage nutrition science and deliver business
objectives. He has an extensive knowledge of nutrition, health, public policy and food
regulations, and the ability to use this knowledge to drive changes which positively
impact human health and nutrition. He has contributed significantly to the successful
development and launch of brands including Viactiv, Boost, Enfamil Lipil, and upgrades
of Snapple, Halls, a wide range of Cadbury chocolates and the Enfamil family of
products. Dr. Burns is an active leader in the nutrition community. He has authored
consumer education articles and peer-reviewed scientific publications along with a
series of patents. He has also participated in numerous public speaking engagements
relating to nutrition and health. He is active in several professional organizations
including the American Society for Nutrition and the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr.
Burns has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry and a B.S. in Biochemistry, both from
Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Subsequent to his graduate studies, he
conducted postdoctoral research fellowships at Nottingham University, U.K., and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sidney W. Degan, III
Managing Partner
Degan, Blanchard & Nash
Mr. Degan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended both the University of
Louisiana and the University of New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in
1977. Mr. Degan then attended Tulane University School of Law, where he received a
Juris Doctor degree and was licensed to practice in Louisiana. Mr. Degan has over
twenty-eight (28) years of experience handling the defense of claims on behalf of
restaurants, hotels, and retailers involving contaminated foods, merchant’s duty of care,
shoplifting, security issues, and liquor liability. Mr. Degan also has experience in the
handling of sexual harassment, racial and age discrimination, wrongful termination,
personal injury and advertising injury, and product liability matters. Mr. Degan has also
has extensive experience in the handling of Workers’ Compensation and casualty and
insurance coverage matters.
Cathy Dial
Senior Director, Consumer Relations
Frito-Lay
Cathy Dial has spent her career at PepsiCo in the consumer services field. She joined
PepsiCo in 1982 working on the beverage side at Pepsi-Cola and transitioned to FritoLay in 1995. Cathy's team of 60 consumer service professionals responds to over
400,000 consumer contacts annually and is responsible for delivering service to
promote loyalty and retention to the Frito-Lay brands. Not only does the team respond
to consumer inquiries and concerns, but they share the information broadly within FritoLay so consumer feedback is incorporated into planning and decision-making to
positively impact the brand experience. Cathy is a Texas native and lives in Plano.
John Goodman
Vice Chairman
TARP Worldwide
Mr. Goodman graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in chemical
engineering. He received an M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business
Administration in 1971. Mr. Goodman worked at the Environmental Protection Agency,
supervising part of the Environmental Impact Statement System. He left the EPA to
rejoin TARP which he co-founded in 1971. Mr. Goodman has managed more than
1,000 separate customer service studies, including TARP's White House sponsored
evaluation of complaint handling practices in government and business and studies of
word of mouth and the bottom-line impact of consumer education sponsored by CocaCola USA. His clients have included Pepsi-Cola, Kraft, J&J, GSK, Food Marketing
Institute, USAA, Harley Davidson, Cisco Systems and Chick-Fil-A. The American
Management Association published his book, “Strategic Customer Service”, in May,
2009. Business Week credits Mr. Goodman’s research for creation of the GE Answer
Center, the original customer satisfaction contact center, as well as leading service
initiatives at American Express, Coors and Toyota in the 1980s. He has taught service
quality and service reengineering courses at Wharton Business School's executive
education program. He has appeared on “Good Morning America”, the ABC Evening
News, the Discovery Channel and as a panelist on the PBS show, “The Editors.”
Brian Harty
Recall Strategist
ExpertRECALL
Mr. Harty is responsible for retrieval and recall service offerings including working with
prospects and clients to ensure flawless customer integration and satisfaction. Brian
assists in scoping projects for product retrieval, recall execution and plan development
for food & beverage manufacturers, including many high profile companies over the
past five years. He has assisted manufacturers with the execution and setup in over
300 product recall situations. Prior to joining Stericycle ExpertRECALL, Mr. Harty
worked for CapitalOne as a Senior Sales Consultant. Brian is a graduate of Plymouth
State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources.
Steven Leslie, Esq.
Senior Manager and Counsel, Claims Program
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Steven Leslie has worked for the Grocery Manufacturers Association since November
of 2002. As Senior Manager and Counsel, Steven oversees all Claims Program
operations. These operations include litigation management, non-litigated claims
handling, laboratory testing, and claims system reporting. Steven also has primary
oversight of all Claims Program conferences and webinars, including the annual Food
Claims and Litigation Conference, Consumer Complaint Management Conference,
Food Litigation Webinar, and Consumer Complaint Management Webinar. Steven
completed his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, and graduated with
honors from the George Washington School of Law in May of 2011. Steven was
admitted to the Maryland Bar on December 15, 2011.
John Lovro
Director Quality Assurance
Sun Products Corporation,Wilton Connecticut
John Lovro is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering. He has extensive experience in manufacturing and quality assurance
having worked for Procter & Gamble company for over 25 years and for the past 1 ½
years with Sun Products Corporation. John held assignments in manufacturing and
quality assurance with Procter & Gamble including 10 years leading international joint
ventures, acquisitions, and building manufacturing and quality capability in China and
Australia. Prior to leaving P&G, he led quality assurance capability across global Beauty
Care working with 24 plants sites as well as leading improvement initiatives to global
shelf quality, Quality by Design, quality related loss elimination, and global supplier
quality management processes. While at P&G, John was awarded the James N.
Gamble Outstanding Quality Award for passion, leadership, and technical mastery of
quality. In October 2010, John accepted the position of Director, Quality Assurance for
Sun Products Corporation where he is engaged in building quality assurance systems,
work processes, and quality culture across Sun Products. This work includes the
recent start-up of a consumer comments system and improved design to the corporate
claims handling process.
Emily Mathusa
Senior Manager of Science Program Management
Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)
Ms. Mathusa applies her background in microbiology and food safety to help address
microbiological issues of importance to the industry. In her role, she provides scientific
support for food protection policy issues to assure science-based outcomes. Ms.
Mathusa leads several efforts related to implementation of the Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA) in the areas of preventive controls, supply chain
management, and imported food. In addition, she acts as the staff lead and as an
industry advisor to the US Delegation on the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. She
currently serves as the Vice President of the Capital Area Food Protection Association,
a local organization focused on national food safety issues. Ms. Mathusa holds a Master
of Science degree in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor
of Science degree in Biology from George Mason University. She is a certified Project
Management Professional (PMP).
Bud Miller
Certified Protection Professional
Executive Director, Coupon Information Center (CIC);
President, Efficient Research Solutions
Bud has worked on numerous industry initiatives and has managed CIC operations
since it began operations in 1986. The CIC is the coupon industry's only watchdog
group and has been involved in every significant coupon fraud case since its inception.
Bud has played a central role in the design, implementation and evolution of all CIC
activities, programs and data systems. Prior to his current position, Bud was a Staff
Assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a Member of the national
Economic Crime Council, a past Chairman for the 1,450+ Members of The National
Capital Chapter of The American Society for Industrial Security International; recipient
of the 2003 IMAN Outstanding Alumni Award. In 2011, Bud was presented with an
award for his Dedicated, Vigilant and Passionate Leadership in Protecting the Integrity
of the Coupon Industry by Manufacturers, Retailers and Coupon Processors. Bud has a
MA in International Commerce from the University of Maryland and a BA in International
& Public Affairs from The George Washington University.
Rhett Parsons
Senior Industry Consultant Food & Beverage
Astute Solutions
With over 23 years of experience in customer care, through work at TANDY, XEROX,
T.A.R.P. and ASTUTE Rhett has worked with over 150 companies defining standards of
excellence for customer interactions and using the information from those interactions.
Currently Rhett takes his 14 years of experience in various roles at Astute and channels
them into a mission focused on the Food & Beverage and Restaurant Guest Relations
sectors of the market. These industries face incredible challenges, dealing with product
recalls, regulatory compliance, liability, customer retention and brand loyalty. This focus
will allow Rhett to help these organizations meet these demands and grow with
confidence in the coming era. In the last few years Rhett has partnered with great
companies such as ConAgra, Unilever, Kraft, Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza
Kitchen, Darden, Brinker and dozens of other customer focused organizations.
Peggy S. Rochette
Senior Director of International Affairs
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Peggy S. Rochette serves as for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). In that
role, she manages international regulatory and trade issues to support the interests of
over 400 food companies and has expertise in international regulatory trends and
requirements. Peggy provides leadership for GMA work in Codex Alimentarius and for
the U.S. Food Industry Codex Coalition. She is the secretariat for the International
Alliance of Grocery Manufacturer Associations (ICGMA) which represents the interests
of allied food associations in ten nations. She serves on the USDA Agricultural Trade
Advisory Committee (ATAC) on Processed Foods and on the Department of Commerce
Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) on Standards and Technical Trade Barriers.
Peggy provides industry leadership for APEC’s Partnership Training Institute Network
(PTIN) on food safety. Peggy is also a member of several Washington based coalitions
dedicated to facilitating trade in agricultural products and engaged in influencing the
development of U.S. regulation and legislation as it applies to global trade in food
products. Prior to joining the association in 1996, Peggy served as the Director of
Government Affairs for the National Grocers Association (NGA) where she represented
the retail and distribution sector of the food industry. Peggy has a B.S. degree from
Cornell University.
Marie Shubin
Director, Global Consumer Relations
E & J Gallo Winery
Marie’s long career has blended her formal education as a teacher, experience working
in both supermarkets and consumer products and a passion for service excellence.
Marie has developed customer care curriculum and trained thousands of individuals
during her career. She advocates deploying technology to improve operational
effectiveness in the contact center while maintaining the human interaction and
personal service. She has managed both B2B and B2C customer care teams in
supermarkets, consumer products, and technology and health care industries. Marie
joined E & J Gallo in 2004 as part of the newly formed Consumer & Product Insights
division. Her mission is to create a world class consumer service operation that delivers
the voice of the consumer and meaningful insights to all areas of the winery while
creating brand loyalty and trust. She has had a pivotal role in driving Gallo’s CRM and
product quality initiatives and is a member of Gallo’s Crisis Management Team as a
trained Incident Commander. Marie has a Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona State
University and an MBA from Western International University. She serves on the
SOCAP Board of Directors as Treasurer and was recently certified by the Word of
Mouth Marketing Association as an expert in Social Media.
Jason Young
President
Leadsmart, Inc.
Jason Young has been called a "rare breed" when it comes to developing leaders and
customer service initiatives. No wonder. As a former senior-level manager at Southwest
Airlines, Jason learned the value of a successful workplace culture. During his 10-years
with the airline consistently rated No. 1 in customer service and employee satisfaction,
Jason Young was a key driver in creating and developing the company’s innovative
training programs for its successful leadership and customer service culture that have
become renowned in the business world today. Driven by the need to extend his unique
insight in leadership development to others outside Southwest, Jason Young separated
from the pack in 1998, when he left the airline to launch his own consulting practice to
focus on corporate training and development services specializing in leadership,
customer service and team building. Today, as president of LeadSmart, Inc., Jason
Young shares his vision in developing successful corporate cultures and workplace
environments with forward-thinking companies, including Starbucks, IHOP, Radio
Shack and Tyson Foods, to name just a few. He has even returned to his old turf—
Southwest Airlines—to extend his knowledge as a corporate training consultant in the
leadership development area once again. Capturing the innovative strategies and
tactics he created at Southwest Airlines, Jason Young offers insight and practical
information that can be implemented immediately.