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GMA Leadership

Cal Dooley
President and Chief Executive Officer

Cal Dooley serves as President and CEO of GMA, a position he has held since January 1, 2007. Prior to his appointment, he served as President and CEO of the Food Products Association, a 100-year-old trade association which merged with GMA in January 2007. Prior to taking the helm of FPA in 2005, Mr. Dooley served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2004, representing the 20th District of California. He served on the House Agriculture Committee, as well as the House Resources Committee. Mr. Dooley was a founder of the New Democrat Coalition, an organization of centrist, pro-growth Members of Congress dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems. As a Member of Congress, Mr. Dooley was a leader in promoting a pro-trade agenda, and he was instrumental in securing passage of Trade Promotion Authority. He was honored by the Washington International Trade Foundation with its prestigious Distinguished Service Award, and was twice recognized by Consumers for Free Trade for his strong support for international trade. Congressional Quarterly named Mr. Dooley one of the House’s most influential “Power Players,” in recognition of the breadth and effectiveness of his leadership in Congress. Mr. Dooley is a former partner in Dooley Farms, which grows cotton, alfalfa and walnuts in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis and, as a Sloan Fellow, earned a Master’s degree in Management from Stanford University.


Bob Brackett, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Officer

Bob Brackett is GMA’s Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Officer. Dr. Brackett oversees all of the association’s scientific and regulatory activity, including the operation of its in-house food safety laboratory. Prior to coming to GMA, Dr. Brackett served in various positions within the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, eventually attaining the position of Center Director. As Center Director, he provided executive leadership to the Center’s development and implementation of programs and policies relative to the composition, quality, safety, and labeling of foods, food and color additives, dietary supplements and cosmetics. Dr. Brackett has served elected leadership positions in several professional associations, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the International Association for Food Protection. He is also the recipient of numerous professional awards and serves on the Advisory Boards of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology.


Mary Sophos
Senior Vice President and chief  Government Affairs officer

Mary Sophos serves as the Senior Vice President Chief Government Affairs Officer. She is responsible for developing strategy and providing senior leadership, staff management and financial oversight of the GMA International, Federal and State Affairs programs. Prior to the GMA merger, Sophos served as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Chief Government Affairs Officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) where she was responsible for the development and implementation of government affairs public policy goals at the state, federal and international levels. Sophos addresses federal and state legislative and regulatory policy governing foods and consumer products. She works on issues such as allergens, nutrition, food standards and warnings, labeling, taxes, recycling, environmental/chemical standards and warnings, water, privacy, counterfeiting, transportation, worker safety and biotechnology.


Stephen Sibert
Senior Vice President, Industry Affairs

Stephen Sibert is the Senior Vice President of Industry Affairs at GMA. He also promotes the GMA comprehensive offering of products and services to member and nonmember company management, recruiting executive talent to serve on executive councils, committees and other platforms and developing new membership products and services. Additionally, Sibert oversees the GMA Industry Affairs Council, Associate Member Council and the Chairman's Advisory Council. He has project management responsibilities that include several annual research initiatives, including an annual financial performance project.


Steve McCroddan, CPA
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer

As Senior Vice President and CFO, Steve McCroddan heads up and is responsible for the Finance and Accounting, Information Technologies and Facilities departments at GMA. He has been working for 10 plus years in the Accounting and Finance department for GMA & the former FPA. Prior to that Mr. McCroddan worked for KPMG, Peat Marwick as a Senior Manager in the Audit Group for 13 years.


Craig Henry, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs

Craig Henry, Ph.D. serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. He is responsible for setting strategy and providing senior leadership, staff management, program direction, and financial control to the scientific and regulatory activities of the Association including oversight of the Center for Technical and Laboratory Services, the Center for Northwest Seafood, the Office of Food Safety programs, Regulatory Affairs, the Office of Food Security and Emergency Preparedness programs, and the GMA Research and Education Foundation. Dr. Henry has published numerous articles in scientific journals. He is a member of the American Association of Avian Pathologists and the U.S. Poultry Science Association, where he has served as a member of the Committee on Drugs and Chemicals since 1994, including a term as Chairman. He earned his Ph.D. in Animal Science from Auburn University, holds a M.S. in Poultry Science from Clemson University, and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Delaware.


James Skiles
Vice President and General Counsel

Jim Skiles is the Vice President and General Counsel at GMA. He is responsible for legal and regulatory issues concerning the association. Before joining GMA in 1995, Skiles served as the associate general counsel of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. He also held a variety of senior positions in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, where he was primarily involved in law enforcement initiatives relating to advertising of food, over-the-counter drugs and cigarettes. Additionally, Skiles worked for the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under Law in Washington, where he litigated cases involving the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and housing discrimination. Skiles received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.


Sean McBride
Vice President, Communications

Mr. McBride serves as Vice President of Communications for GMA where he directs the association’s external affairs efforts, including brand marketing, media relations and policy communications activity. Sean has twenty years of experience in public relations, crisis communications and political campaign management. For the past decade, he has developed and implemented strategic communications programs for a wide variety of private and not-for-profit organizations, including the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Porter Novelli Public Affairs and The Coca-Cola Company.


Carla Mitchell, SPHR
Vice President, Human Resources

Ms. Mitchell is responsible for the Association's strategic HR initiatives and employee programs, including recruitment and retention, benefits and compensation, training and development, performance management systems, employee relations and organizational development. She obtained her Master's degree in Human Resources Management from Marymount University, with additional graduate level education in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio. She received her Senior Professional in HR certification from the Society of Human Resource Management.


 


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5/13/2008
Managing the Safety and Quality of Foreign Ingredients Six Sigma Workshop and Webinar
Washington, DC
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5/13/2008
Better Process Control School
Las Cruces, NM
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5/27/2008
Better Process Control School
Lincoln, NE
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06/06/2008
GMA Executive Conference
White Sulphur Springs, WV

6/9/2008
Better Process Control School
Columbus, Ohio
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View Complete Events Calendar »
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