Konrad Ahlin is a Senior Research Engineer for Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and was the first R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellow in Poultry Technologies. Ahlin received his Ph.D. in robotics from Georgia Institute of Technology and joined GTRI as a research engineer in 2018. His focus is in advanced robotics controls and path planning, and he works closely with the Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP), which funds, in part, research with the intention of integrating new technologies into the agricultural industry of Georgia. Ahlin has worked on numerous robotics programs for GTRI, including leaf picking, apple identification, and chicken processing applications, and he strives to makes his research relevant for the modern food industry.
Dr. Natalie Armour received her veterinary degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 2004, and worked as a state veterinarian at a provincial veterinary laboratory in South Africa for the next 4 years. She received her Master of Avian Medicine degree in 2010 and her PhD in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in 2014, both from the University of Georgia. Dr. Armour is diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, and has worked as an Associate Clinical Professor of Avian Medicine at Mississippi State University’s Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory for the past 8 years.
Mindy Brashears is the former Under Secretary of Agriculture in Food Safety where she served at the USDA from 2019-2021. She is currently the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at TTU and serves as a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor in Food Safety and Public Health and holds the Roth and Letch family Endowed Chair of Food Safety at Texas Tech University. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Her work has resulted in the commercialization of various mitigation strategies and she has 27 patents/patents pending. She holds a B.S. in Food Technology from Texas Tech University (magna cum laude) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from Oklahoma State University. She is married to Dr. Todd Brashears who is a professor of agricultural education at Texas Tech and has three daughters, Bailey, Reagan and Presley and one son-in-law, Eli Jimenez (married to Reagan). Her research focuses on mitigation strategies in pre-harvest production and post-harvest processing environments to improve food safety and public health. She also studies the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance in food and animal systems. Her interests are primarily in meat, poultry and vegetable products. She also has a passion for food security and leads international research teams to South and Central America and the Caribbean to improve food safety and security in those sectors and to set up sustainable agriculture systems in impoverished areas. She teaches courses in food microbiology and food safety and offers industry training in HACCP, food sanitation, GMPs and food security. Recently she was named outstanding Graduate of Distinction by Oklahoma State University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. She has received multiple awards including the IAFP Laboratorian Award, The AMSA Research and Industry/Extension Award and was named as a Future Icon in the Meat Industry by the National Provisioner Magazine. She serves on many national boards and advises the industry on food safety and federal affairs.
Jesse Campbell has a B.S. in Poultry Science, M.S. and Ph.D. in Adult Education at Auburn University with a 100% extension role and over 22 years of service at Auburn University. Father grew 9-pound broilers for Wayne Farms in North Alabama for almost 24 years. Jess has hosted over 112 poultry ventilation, housing and construction seminars at Auburn University, conducted over 413 presentations, co-authored The Poultry House Ventilation Guidelines and Poultry House Construction Books, written 68 poultry newsletters, written 179 magazine articles, designed and built 22 hands-on training modules, and designed 3 poultry research buildings at the Auburn Miller Poultry Farm. Website is poultryhouse.com and smartphone app is Poultry Toolkit. Spends the majority his time troubleshooting housing and management issues with new and retrofit design houses, ventilation, heating, plumbing, and electrical systems in the U.S. poultry industry and well beyond. Currently has one daughter (23), two boys (17 & 15), and one patient wife that he has known since the 5th grade.
Joel Cline attended Reinhardt College in his hometown of Waleska, GA prior to transferring to the University of Georgia where he received his bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and Master or Avian Medicine. Dr. Cline worked briefly for Tyson Foods before going to work for the Alabama Department of Agriculture where he served as director of the J. B. Taylor Diagnostic Laboratory in Elba, Alabama for over 16 years. For the last 8 years, Dr. Cline has worked for Wayne Farms and now Wayne-Sanderson farms as a corporate veterinarian. Dr. Cline continues to live in Elba, Alabama with his wife Anne and son Joseph and with his daughter Grace and her family nearby.
Dr. Kurt Dobson was born and grew up in Utah raising turkeys. He received his B.S. degree from Utah State University, D.V.M. from Colorado State University, and M.A.M. from the University of Georgia. He is a diplomate in the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. He worked with allied companies in the industry for 19 years and has worked in broiler production for the last 13 years.
Mary Katherine Foy is currently the Director of Technical Services for Proxy-Clean Products out of Melissa, TX. She holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Microbiology and has spent her entire career in the Agricultural field. She started as a researcher focused on water on the processing side, moved to QA supervisor for Cargill then was a Lab Manager and Cooperative Extension agent for Dr. Susan Watkins at the University of Arkansas. Here she conducted trials on water conditioning additives and worked one on one with growers on their farms to test, evaluate and develop solutions for their water quality needs. She now continues this kind of water education and farm consultation for Proxy-Clean Products.
Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo is a poultry veterinarian with experience in poultry production, management and health. He obtained his DVM degree from the University of Chile and a PhD from Auburn University in avian molecular virology. He is board certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians (ACPV). He worked for several years in a layer breeder facility in charge of reproduction and hatchery for Hy-line international. He has worked as an assistant veterinarian in diagnostic laboratories using serological, virological and molecular methods for detection of viral diseases affecting the poultry industry including Newcastle disease (NDV), avian influenza (AI), infectious bronchitis (IBV), etc. He has been involved in manufacturing NDV and IBV biological products both live attenuated and inactivated. In research, he has worked on characterizing viral pathogens and the immune responses they elicit in chickens. During his career he has been working with RNA viruses, particularly corona and reoviruses, trying to understand their variability and evolution in immunocompetent and immunodeficient hosts. Currently, he is the head of the Poultry Medicine Program at the University of California in Davis where he teaches, performs research and outreaches. His passion is to help the poultry industry translating research into practical actions. He currently collaborates with the broiler and layer industry in California in the surveillance and prevention of Newcastle disease, Reoviruses, IBV and infectious coryza.
Dr. Maricarmen García has authored and co-authored around 76 peer review articles and 8 book chapters. Recently she received the Phibro Animal Health Award on Excellence in Poultry Disease Research. Dr. García's research efforts are focused in understanding and developing means to control respiratory diseases of poultry in particular Infectious laryngotracheitis, avian Mycoplasmas and avian influenza. In the past decade most of her efforts have been towards understanding the epidemiology and control of Infectious laryngotracheitis. Her laboratory serves as a national and international reference laboratory for the genetic typing of ILTV isolates and for evaluation of ILT vaccines safety and efficacy.
Dr. Deirdre Johnson is the company Veterinarian for GNP Company, a broiler company located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and Arcadia, Wisconsin. She has been actively working in the broiler industry since 2004 and has been employed by GNP Company for 4.5 years. Deirdre appreciates being asked to speak at this meeting and thanks you for your attention.
Dr. Tim Johnson is a Professor of Microbiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He has developed an internationally recognized research and outreach program focused on bacterial pathogens of poultry, including avian pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella. In tandem, his work focuses on antimicrobial resistance and the identification of antibiotic alternatives that manipulate the animal microbiome allowing for enhanced growth and reduced disease. Tim currently serves as Director of Research and Development at the Mid-Central Research and Outreach Center in Willmar, MN. He also serves on the Executive Committee for online poultry training programs for working professionals, recently developed at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Megan Lighty received her BS in Animal Science with a minor in Poultry and Avian Science from The Pennsylvania State University in 2007. She obtained her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013 and her PhD in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences with an emphasis in Poultry Medicine from Virginia Tech in 2015. Dr. Lighty attained board certification through the American College of Poultry Veterinarians in 2017. She spent 4 years working as a Staff Veterinarian for a large integrated turkey producer in the upper Midwest, providing veterinary services to company-owned and contract turkey farms throughout central Minnesota. Dr. Lighty returned to Pennsylvania in January of 2020 as an Associate Clinical Professor and Avian Diagnostic and Outreach Veterinarian at the Penn State Animal Diagnostic Laboratory. In her current role, Dr. Lighty provides diagnostic and extension services to the commercial poultry industry, researchers, and small flock poultry clients.
Dr. Milos Markis is the owner and president of AviServe LLC, an independent avian diagnostic and research laboratory in Newark, Delaware. Dr. Markis received his bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Delaware in 2008. He received his Master's degree in Animal Science in 2010 from the University of Delaware, under the mentorship of Dr. Robin Morgan. His research focused on the molecular biology ofMarek's disease virus. Dr. Markis received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Delaware in 2014 while conducting research with Drs. Jack and Sandy Rosenberger at Avi Serve LLC, where he investigated the roles of reovirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus in viral enteritis/enteropathy in broiler chickens. Dr. Markis continues to conduct research on the emerging and evolving poultry pathogens of economic significance to the poultry industry.
As senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, Dr. Ashley Peterson’s responsibilities at the National Chicken Council include providing scientific and technical expertise on a variety of topics including food safety, poultry inspection, and broiler health and welfare. She oversees regulatory policy development and scientific initiatives within the regulatory agencies in Washington, D.C. and represents industry views on policies impacting the broiler industry. Prior to joining the council, Peterson served as vice president of government relations for the United Egg Producers where she worked with Congress and the regulatory agencies on issues impacting the egg laying industry. She has also served both as the director of legislative affairs and director of regulatory affairs at the American Meat Institute, where her responsibilities included environmental and sustainability issues, animal welfare and lobbying Congress. A native of Kentucky, Peterson came to Washington, D.C., as a Congressional Science Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, working on agriculture, energy and environment issues. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Maryland, her Master of Science in Animal Science from Michigan State University and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky.
Jeff Root is a Research Wildlife Biologist with the Wildlife Disease, Epidemiology and Response Project of the USDA National Wildlife Research Center. He has worked with a variety of wildlife-associated pathogens during his career and has a keen interest in peridomestic wildlife at the wildlife-livestock interface. At present, his research focuses on avian influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife.
Dr. Marcos Sanchez-Plata is an Associate Professor of Global Food Security at Texas Tech University. Previously, he served at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and Texas A&M University in different food research, teaching and technical assistance roles. He received his PhD and MS in food science & technology; and his MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and his degree in food biochemistry from Central University of Ecuador. Dr. Sanchez-Plata's research focus is in-plant validation of antimicrobial interventions and their effects on pathogen control, quality and product shelf-life in foods by conducting in-plant biomapping studies, and microbial challenge testing studies measuring microbial indicators, pathogen surrogates and matrix specific-pathogens to support decision making in risk-based food safety management systems.
Dr. Holly Sellers, professor at the Poultry Diagnostic & Research Center, pursues clinical and molecular virology research with an emphasis on viruses that cause respiratory, enteric and musculoskeletal diseases in poultry, focusing on the identification, characterization, and control of those viruses. She works closely with the poultry industry to provide diagnostic services that contribute to solving field problems. She also teaches and mentors professional and graduate students in several programs at UGA. Sellers received her B.S. in Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University and is a UGA alumna who received both her master’s and Ph.D. in medical microbiology from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. David E. Swayne is a veterinarian with specialization as a Veterinary Pathologist and Poultry Veterinarian. For the past 36 years, his personal research has focused on pathobiology and control of avian influenza. He serves in avian influenza leadership roles at the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and OFFLU, the WOAH and Food and Agriculture Organization network of animal influenza experts. Previously, he served for 28 1/2 years as the Laboratory Director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Athens, Georgia, USA and for 7 years as a tenured faculty member at The Ohio State University. He is currently a private veterinarian consulting on avian influenza control.