Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
During my 30+ years working in analytical, flavor and color science, I honed my skills in trouble-shooting and providing solutions for challenging problems. I see myself as a detective, a sort of Sherlock Holmes if you will, for finding the correct scientific approach to solve issues. In my analytical role, I constantly emphasized the need to provide answers to customers and not just numbers. I have a true passion for communicating science in ways that are understandable to all and to bridge the gap between the science and the solution. Working for the world’s largest confectionery company, I’ve had the opportunity to provide solutions for a variety of high profile products in a timely manner. During those projects, I made sure that all members of the team had a clear understanding of the goal and worked together as a cohesive team. My strength in interpersonal skills allowed me to communicate and work closely with everyone from the VP of R&D to individuals on the production line. I truly believe that the ability to listen to the customer and fully understand the challenge is key before developing any type of solving approach. Emphasizing that everyone plays an important role in the solution is vital to team engagement and for ensuring that ideas can be received from everyone. On a personal note, running over 20 half marathons has shown me the importance of preparation and determination when trying to reach any goal.
Ran day-to-day operations, managing up to 8 direct reports with oversight for ~$1M budget. Partnered with other global analytical labs (U.S., England, China and Australia) and cross-functional teams, providing support for new product launches, existing product/quality development and troubleshooting and manufacturing issue resolution. Also reviewed and approved raw material specifications.
Served as analytical representative and POC for project teams (up to 9 months); providing support and resolution to product development, product improvement and product launches, representing >$1B/yearly sales and $100M/yearly product launches. Responsible for determining appropriate testing required and interpretation of date to provide analytical solutions to project teams and senior management. Conducted analytical testing and developed new and novel analytical methodologies to investigate new product components and ingredients.
Conducted flavor research on confectionery, main meal and pet food products and ingredients, supporting a >$10B/yearly business revenue. Isolated flavor volatiles using multiple techniques including: Solvent Assistant Flavor Evaporation (SAFE), Nikerson-Likens, SPE and headspace analysis. Identified volatiles by GC/MS and GC/O. Also identified off odorants in products, packaging and ingredients.