Portland, Maine, United States
I build the technical systems that let great products get to market - and stay there. With 18+ years across dietary supplements, food, beverage, and CPG, I sit at the intersection of quality governance, regulatory strategy, product innovation, and manufacturing scale-up. What I actually do: I take new product concepts from formulation through commercial launch and govern the compliance systems that protect the brand after they land. Across my career I've supported 100+ SKUs through launch, compliance, and scale, managed 17+ co-manufacturers domestically and internationally, led FDA inspections with zero findings, and built quality and regulatory infrastructure that survives growth, acquisition, and audit scrutiny. Now at Grüns governing product, quality, and innovation systems across the full organization and all co-manufacturing partners at a fast-scaling gummy supplement brand - compliance decisions, pipeline gatekeeping, and regulatory strategy flow through this role organization-wide. At First Day I expanded from Director of Quality into leading all of Technical Services - commercialization, packaging, supplier compliance, and regulatory - because quality and innovation are the same function when done right. At Plum Organics I built a heavy metals testing program that Consumer Reports recognized as best-in-class. What I bring to a leadership role: •Regulatory depth and decision ownership - 21 CFR 111, FSMA, FSVP, Prop 65, NSF, SQF, BRC, retailer compliance, outside counsel liaison •Co-manufacturer governance - domestic and international, brand owner model, audit-ready, accountability-driven •Product and innovation partnership - I'm the technical voice when new products are being scoped, not just the person who reviews them afterward •Systems builder - minimum viable but defensible programs that scale without adding headcount •AI-powered workflow infrastructure - actively building automation tools for compliance tracking, specification generation, and regulatory assessment that multiply what a lean quality team can execute
Scope expanded to govern product, quality, and innovation systems across the full product organization and all co-manufacturing partners. Direct report managing day-to-day execution; functional governance authority across a 12-person product team - internal compliance decisions, pipeline gatekeeping, and technical counsel flow through this role organization-wide. •Own governance, decision rights, and standards across a multi-co-manufacturer gummy supplement network - no formula, packaging, or regulatory change proceeds to production or print without a documented, retrievable decision record •Actively building AI-powered compliance workflow infrastructure — packaging revision tracking, specification generation, and regulatory assessment tools in active use — reducing manual execution load and scaling the function's capacity without adding headcount •Owned regulatory response strategy for a manufacturing partner quality event - analyzed inspection findings, led internal response development, and ensured the brand's compliance position was documented and protected before the regulatory deadline •Identified and corrected a compliance record documentation gap — reframed the record around a formal safety analysis to ensure the regulatory position was defensible before closure •Built and deployed packaging version control automation across all active SKUs •Designed and initiated a specification automation system to generate controlled, version-tracked product specs across the co-man network •Submitted a five-priority AI automation roadmap to C-suite leadership identifying highest-leverage workflows for scaling the function beyond manual execution
Joined to stabilize quality execution across a fast-scaling gummy supplement brand with no formal quality governance in place. Built the foundation - specs, co-man accountability, change control, and governance cadence - while managing active production across multiple manufacturing partners. •Stabilized quality execution across a multi-co-manufacturer gummy network: built and standardized specification packages, completed on-site partner visits, and converted transactional co-man relationships into accountable operating partnerships with defined escalation paths and shared definitions of done •Led FDA response workstream for a key manufacturing partner under active inspection - delivered technical documentation, response edits, and 30/60 day CAPAs to close GMP and traceability gaps •Built and enforced change control discipline for formula and premix transitions, preventing undocumented process drift across manufacturing sites •Stood up co-man governance cadence across the full network including issue management, root cause ownership, escalation paths, and audit readiness •Built and standardized ingredient, packaging, and finished product specifications - ensuring manufacturers consistently ran to current requirements at point of use
Led Technical Services for a high-growth dietary supplement brand specializing in gummy vitamins, owning product commercialization, manufacturing scale-up, and cross-functional go-to-market execution. Oversaw co-manufacturer relationships, ensure regulatory alignment, and integrate customer insights into product and process improvements. • Directed scale-up of multiple new gummy product lines, optimizing production efficiency and reducing time-to-market • Negotiated and realigned co-manufacturer capabilities with formulation and packaging requirements, reducing onboarding time • Embedded QA processes into commercialization workflows, achieving consistent product quality and regulatory compliance in first production runs • Built proactive risk management protocols that prevented potential launch delays • Assumed leadership of the Customer Experience team, connecting technical operations with front-line customer strategy to improve retention and reduce complaints by 50%
Directed quality, food safety, and commercialization readiness for 7 co-manufacturers and 2 co-packers, enabling consistent supply, regulatory compliance, and faster launch timelines. • Partnered with Product Development to validate and commercialize new SKUs at external facilities, ensuring first-pass success rates. • Authored and implemented the Supplier Quality Expectation Manual, cutting onboarding time across partners. • Overhauled heavy metals testing programs, unlocking new retail distribution opportunities. • Led packaging redesign to meet Organic and Kosher certification standards without disrupting market supply.
Javo Beverage Company – Indianapolis, IN | Apr 2019 – Sep 2020 Built QA and FS systems for a start-up beverage facility while enabling expansion into new product categories. • Directed FSQA programs for new product lines, including tea concentrates and iced coffee/latte, alongside existing coffee extract production. • Oversaw validation of HTST pasteurizer programs for compliance and safe market entry. • Improved SQF audit scores over consecutive cycles through targeted process improvements.