AOAC INTERNATIONAL’s Past Presidents Council serves as a nexus for information and expertise exchange between the stakeholder community and AOAC. The Council advises AOAC on analytical science activities worldwide and facilitates engagement and support from the private sector, government, and international regulatory and business communities.
Individual council members may be available to represent AOAC at meetings as delegates or speakers. The Council offers a wealth of expertise across a broad range of analytical science topics.
To inquire about availability of a member of the Past Presidents Council, please email [email protected].
| Tony Lupo, Chair | DeAnn Benesh | Michael Brodsky |
| Henry Chin | Mark Coleman | Erin Crowley |
| Jonathan DeVries | Norma Hill | Robert Koeritzer |
| Erik Konings | Darryl Sullivan |
Lansing, Michigan
Tony Lupo is Senior Director of Neogen’s Technical Services department, which is responsible for providing global technical support for Neogen’s comprehensive line of food safety products totaling $250 million USD in annual sales.
He has served on the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Board of Directors since 2016 and as AOAC Past-President, President, and Treasurer. Tony also serves on the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergen Research and Resource Program Board of Directors, is HACCP certified and a Preventative Controls Qualified Individual. In addition, he is a guest lecturer for Michigan State University Master’s Program in Food Safety on the topic of Food Allergens. Tony’s four laboratories in Lansing, MI are home to 24 scientists and support staff providing technical support for all of North America, in addition to support of satellite operations totaling an additional 10 scientists located in Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, India, and China.
St. Paul, Minnesota
Global scientific and regulatory affairs expert with experience as AOAC President and as Chair of the Research Institute. Expertise in method development, validation and verification; understanding microbiology requirements in global regulations and standards; working with regulators, and presenting scientific topics to both large (>500) and small audiences.
DeAnn Benesh is a Global Regulatory Affairs Manager in 3M Food Safety, where she provides leadership to global teams to engage in strategic local regulatory activities to drive recognition and acceptance of methods, and partners with government and non-government organizations in development of standards and methods.
DeAnn has 38 years of management and experience in analytical sciences, product development, technical service, microbiology, food safety and method validation within various Health Care businesses within 3M Company and at United Hospitals. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from the College of Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; a Mini-master’s in International Business from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN; and a Certificate in International Food Law through Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
DeAnn is active in standards development within AOAC INTERNATIONAL (Past-President, Past-Chair of the Research Institute, and an AOAC Fellow), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) where she is a Co-Project leader for the drafting of ISO 16140-3: Verification, within ISO TC34/SC9/WG3 on Methods. She is a member of the MicroVal General Committee and is active in the International Food Protection Association Professional Development Groups (PDGs): Past Chair of Food Law PDG, and current Vice Chair of International Food Protection Issues PDG. She participates in the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) as a member of several INGOs. DeAnn has been lead author for a number of papers on methods, and over the last 3 decades has presented in every region of the globe on a variety of technical topics relating to methods, standards and regulations.
Thornhill, Ontario
Environmental microbiology expert with experience in AOAC’s Official Methods Board, Board of Directors, ALACC program, Microbiology Expert Review Panel, Nominations Committee, and Membership Committee.
Michael Brodsky is currently operating as Brodsky Consultants, an independent microbiological consultant in food and water safety, laboratory accreditation and quality assurance.
He is also a certified lead auditor by Exemplar Global and a lead auditor and technical assessor in microbiology for the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation.
Michael has been an Environmental Microbiologist for more than 47 years. In 1972, he joined the Laboratory Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health as a Research Scientist. In 1982, Michael accepted the position of Chief, Environmental Microbiology, which he held until he changed his career path in March of 1999.
Michael graduated from the University of Toronto School of Hygiene in 1972.
Michael is a Past President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), the Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA) and AOAC INTERNATIONAL. In 2018 he was re-appointed to the AOAC Board of Directors for a one-year term. He serves as Co-Chair for the AOAC Expert Review Panel for Microbiology, as a scientific reviewer in microbiology for the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis and the AOAC Research Institute, as a reviewer for Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and as a chapter editor on QA for the Compendium of Methods in Microbiology.
Moraga, California
Global scientific and regulatory affairs expert with experience as AOAC President and Chair of the Pesticide committee. Expert on the analysis and risk assessment of food contaminants including heavy metals, pesticide residues, other environmental contaminants, and on the chemical composition of foods.
Henry retired in 2013 as Senior Director, Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company.
At The Coca-Cola Company Henry was responsible for scientific and regulatory policy on food safety issues, including the safety of ingredients, and packaging. He has made numerous presentations on food safety and on managing food safety risks in both national and international settings.
Prior to joining Coca-Cola in 2005, Henry was with the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) for nearly 30 years, providing scientific and technical advice to most of the major food companies in the United States. At NFPA, he held positions as Vice President of the Laboratory Centers, with responsibility for analytical chemistry, food microbiology and process development, and as Vice President of Toxicology and Food Chemistry, with responsibility for food safety programs related to food composition, and chemical contaminants.
Henry received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Southern California, and Bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing his doctoral studies, Henry returned to Berkeley as a post-doctoral research associate in chemistry.
Henry is a past President of AOAC (2004-2005 and 2019-2020) and has been a member of several government and academic advisory panels on various aspects of food safety including food additives and pesticide residues, including being a Task Force leader in the 2004 JIFSAN Workshop on Acrylamide in Foods, and a participant in the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) and the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), co-chaired the Food Safety and Defense Committee of the International Food Information Council, chaired the Chemicals Management Committee of Grocery Manufacturers Association, a task force leader on food safety policy at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and a member other professional and trade organizations.
He is a Guest Faculty Scholar in the Center for Health and Risk Communication at George Mason University, where his interest is in developing better ways to communicate about food safety and understanding the impact of social advocacy on regulatory policy. He is also Chair of U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention’s Hazard Identification and Food Adulteration Expert Panels. He also assists several organizations as an independent consultant and advisor on food safety and regulatory affairs.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Virology, microbiology, and analytical chemistry expert with experience in drug development, research and development, and method development. Experienced in AOAC’s Methods Committee, Official Methods Board, Central Section, and Research Institute.
Mark Coleman is retired from Eli Lilly and Company and currently is an independent Scientific Consultant.
Mark retired from Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly and Company after more than 35 years in Research and Development of animal health products for food producing animals (poultry, swine, beef and dairy) and companion animals (dogs and cats). Mark spent most of his career developing analytical methods for drug substances, drug products and drugs in feeds, environmental samples and tissues.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from The Ohio State University, a Masters of Science degree in Microbiology (Yeast Physiology) from Miami University and a Ph.D. from Miami University in Microbiology (Virology).
Mark is a Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, past Chair of a Methods Committee, the Official Methods Board, the AOAC Research Institute Board of Directors, and a Past President of AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Erin Crowley is the Chief Scientific Officer at Q Laboratories, Inc in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the past 15 years, Erin and her R&D team have served as an independent third-party laboratory with a primary focus on providing high quality method validation for microbiological rapid detection methods. These validations include independent laboratory evaluations for pathogen detection, qualitative methods and confirmatory biochemical assays for AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested Methods Program, MicroVal and AFNOR NF Certification Programs.
Erin frequently presents technical symposia globally on Method Validation, Harmonization and ISO 17025 Accreditation often representing the perspective of the third-party laboratory. In addition to being an active member of the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) and AOAC, Erin currently serves as Past President of the AOAC Board of Directors, Past Chair of the AOAC Official Methods Board, and a member of the MicroVal Technical Committee (MVTC), ISO TC34/SC9/WG 3 Committee on Method Validation, and the JIFSAN Advisory Council. Erin earned a B.S. from the University of Cincinnati and an M.A. from Tufts University.
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Chemistry, food safety, food nutrition, ingredients, and food fraud expert with experience with AOAC’s Expert Review Panels, Board of Directors, Proficiency Testing, and Official Methods Board. Expertise in wet chemistry; GC; HPLC; MS; ICP; IR; and thermal analyses.
Jonathan recently retired as Senior Technical Manager of Medallion Laboratories, a division of General Mills Inc. that provides analytical services to the food and other industries. He was recently appointed as Adjunct Expert of the Food Protection and Defense Institute of the University of Minnesota.
Jonathan has been active in quality related analytical work for more than 48 years with more than 39 years in nutrition and food safety analyses and research.
His analytical methods work included dietary fiber(s); dietary fiber components; fats, oils, and components; vitamins; minerals; sugars; pesticide/fumigant residues; sulfites; heavy metal residues; food packaging (traditional and microwaveable); and natural toxins (aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins).
Jonathan received a B.A. in chemistry with a minor in mathematics from Augsburg College and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry with minor(s) in physical and biochemistry from the University of Minnesota.
Jonathan worked for over 37 years addressing international standardization of analytical methods through AOAC INTERNATIONAL (Past president and currently treasurer), AACC International (currently co-chair of the Dietary Fiber and other Carbohydrates committee), and Foods Chemicals Codex (USP). Jonathan has been Chair of the Food Ingredients Expert Committee of USP, active in pursuit of risk reduction from EMA (economically motivated adulteration).
Jonathan received the Prestigious Harvey W. Wiley Award from AOAC INTERNATIONAL and the Edith A. Christensen award of AACCI in 2009 for outstanding contributions to analytical methodology.
Jonathan has authored or co-authored over 80 publications including the 2000 report of the AACC Dietary Fiber Definition Committee to the AACC Board of Directors and Membership.
Expert in requirements and analyses necessary to label wine, beer, and distilled spirits.
Norma Hill’s expertise includes knowledge of the requirements and analyses necessary to label wine, beer and distilled spirits. She was the Chief of the ATF and the Tax and Trade Bureaus alcohol compliance laboratory from 2001-2011.
Norma is a trained facilitator able to move a group to a useful end product without causing animus or having anyone feel that they lost an argument.
Norma has a very good feel for the Federal Code of Regulations, specializing in interpreting those documents into every day practical usage.
St. Paul, Minnesota
Regulatory affairs, microbiology, molecular biology, engineering, and statistics expert.
Robert Koeritzer is Regulatory and Quality Leader for the Food Safety Division of 3M Company’s Healthcare Business. He leads a team of regulatory affairs specialist and quality engineers with expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, engineering and statistics. 3M Food Safety is a leader in innovative solutions that help the food and beverage industry optimize the quality and safety of their products for consumer protection and increased efficiency.
Robert has 32 years of experience in food safety, microbiology, quality, analytical sciences and product development. His career began at Land O’Lakes Inc., a dairy foods and agriculture company, where he was Microbiologist and Laboratory Manager for the analytical laboratory in the Corporate Research, Technology and Engineering Division. After 13 years at Land O’Lakes, Robert joined 3M Microbiology in as a Technical Service/Regulatory Manager, supporting product development and global sales of 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plate products. In 2012, he joined Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods as a Food Safety Section Leader for Lunchables, Oscar Mayer meats, Planters, and Kraft Beverages. Robert returned to 3M Food Safety in 2016 as the Division’s Quality Manager.
Robert is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.S. Bacteriology and received his Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Robert was President of AOAC International (2006-2007), Chair of ILSI Food Microbiology (2015) and is a long-time member of IAFP.
Lausanne, Switzerland
Expert in chemistry, nutrition, food analysis (specialized in vitamin analysis), food safety, risk assessment, method validation for chemical methods, infant/adult nutrition, and standards development/method harmonization (AOAC, ISO, IDF, CEN).
Erik Konings is Program Manager in the Nestlé Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences at Nestlé Research in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he provides leadership to global quality, laboratory and regulatory teams to engage in strategic local activities to drive alignment/harmonization of analytical methods and partners with government and non-government organizations in the development of standards for analytical methods.
Erik graduated in 1984, with majors in Analytical and Clinical chemistry and started his professional career at the then called Food Inspection Service in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He holds an MSc degree in Epidemiology and a PhD in Health Sciences of Maastricht University, the Netherlands (2001). In 2008 he started at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Parma, Italy, for a secondment as Scientific Officer at the Data Collection and Exposure Unit, and from there accepted, in 2009, a position at the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Erik is active in several standard developing organizations including AOAC INTERNATIONAL (Past-President), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (Chair ISO TC 34, Working Group 14 on Vitamins, carotenoids and other nutrients), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) (Chair CEN TC 275 Working group 9 on Vitamins and carotenoids), and the International Dairy Federation (IDF). He participates in the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) as member of the Inter-Agency Meeting. Erik is (co)author of more than 40 scientific publications.
Madison, Wisconsin
Laboratory testing, food chemistry, nutrition, food safety, method validation, infant formula, dietary supplements, and regulatory affairs expert experienced in AOAC’s Board of Directors, Official Methods Board, Research Institute, SPIFAN, Proficiency Testing, Expert Review Panels, and international engagement.
Darryl Sullivan is the Chief Scientific Officer for Eurofins Scientific, where he provides expertise on designing comprehensive testing programs to meet scientific and regulatory requirements. In this role he is often called upon as an expert witness for litigation and dispute resolution. He is considered an international expert in the analysis of infant formula and dietary supplements.
Darryl has more than 40 years of experience in laboratory testing of food and dietary supplements. Darryl earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a brief period as a research scientist at Aprilaire, Darryl spent 40 years at Covance Laboratories, starting as a research scientist and rising to Director of Industry and Regulatory Affairs. He became Chief Scientific Officer at Eurofins in 2019.
Darryl is an expert in the field of validation of analytical methods, having served for three years as Chair of the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Official Methods Board.
He is currently the Past President of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, and the Chair of the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals. He is also Chair of the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Dietary Supplements. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the AOAC Research Institute.
Darryl is the Chair of the IFT Nutraceutical and Functional Foods Division; Chair of the Analytical Laboratories Committee of the American Herbal Product Association; a member of the USP Expert Committee for Dietary Supplements, and a member of the Joint Committee on Dietary Supplements of NSF. He is also a member of the CRN Regulatory Affairs Committee.
Darryl has developed and validated hundreds of analytical methods in the areas of nutrient and residue testing, and is the author of more than 75 publications and hundreds of scientific presentations.
