Our Staff

Julie Anna Potts is the President and CEO of the Meat Institute, where she leads the Institute in implementing programs and activities for the association. An agriculture veteran, Potts previously served the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) as its executive vice president and treasurer. Potts first joined AFBF in 2004, serving as general counsel until 2009. In 2009, she was named chief counsel of the Senate Agriculture Committee, serving under then-Chairman Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Earlier in her career, Potts was an associate in the environmental law groups of the Washington, DC, law firms Mayer Brown, LLP, and Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. She also clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 1997-1998.

Potts earned her law degree at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC, and her Bachelor of Arts in English from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She is a trustee of The Pennsylvania State University and serves on the boards of the International Meat Secretariat and the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. In January 2021, Potts was appointed to the USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee.

Nicole Johnson-Hoffman began her career as an attorney at Cargill where she eventually became Vice President, Law Cargill Meat Solutions, and later, Vice President and General Manager of Cargill Beef at Fort Morgan, CO. Subsequently, she was the Vice President, Managing Director of Cargill’s Value-Added Protein/Cargill McDonald’s Business Unit where she managed Cargill’s McDonald’s business segments in the US and Canada.

After 19 years at Cargill, in 2016 Nicole joined OSI Group as Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer where she managed the company’s global McDonald’s business unit, encompassing 64 markets, and led OSI’s global sustainability strategy, creating infrastructure for successful execution.

Johnson-Hoffman served two terms as the President of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and was the founding Chairperson for the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, both key partners in the Protein PACT.

From 2022-2023, Johnson-Hoffman served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board Member of the Israeli cultivated meat startup Future Meat Technologies (d/b/a Believer Meats), leading the creation of a new consumer-facing brand, building a professional leadership team, and implementing foundational systems in Finance, HR, Legal, IT, and Corporate Governance.

Susan Backus is the vice president for regulatory and scientific affairs at the Meat Institute. In this capacity, she is responsible for nutrition and health activities, which include staffing the Human Health and Nutrition Committee. Backus also manages staff responsible for international affairs.

Backus previously served as President of the Meat Foundation and led the organization through its merger with the NAMI Scholarship Foundation. She joined the American Meat Institute in June 1997 and began working in the Foundation in 1999.

She also serves as the executive secretary of the Shelf-Stable Food Processors Association, which is managed by the Meat Institute.

Backus received a Bachelor of Arts in history from West Virginia University.

Norm Robertson serves as Meat Institute's Vice President of Regulatory. Prior to joining Meat Institute, Robertson served as the Executive Associate Director of Regulatory Issues at the North American Meat Association (NAMA) and at the National Meat Association (NMA), where he managed a highly skilled Regulatory Services staff.

Robertson began his career as a Slaughter Food Inspector for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in Vernon, California, in 1990. Robertson was promoted to an off line pro­cessing position in 1993 and then to a Consumer Safety Inspector position in the Long Beach Circuit in 1994. In 2001, Robertson was selected as one of two individuals to be promoted to the position of Consumer Safety Officer (CSO), now referred to as an Enforcement Investigation and Analysis Officer (EIAO), in the Alameda District. After work­ing for almost two years as a CSO, he was selected to be a Frontline Supervisor (FLS) in Vernon and then Petaluma, California, and finally as the District Case Specialist at FSIS’ Alameda District Office. Robertson participated in national level workgroups and assisted in the official classroom training of subsequent EIAO classes during his time at USDA. Robertson’s experience working at various levels of USDA has provided him with a detailed and thorough understanding of how the regulatory Agency operates, which adds a strong regulatory skill-set to help our general members navigate the regulatory environment.

Robertson joined the National Meat Association (NMA) regulatory team in 2008 to begin his second career, serving the needs of NMA, NAMA, and now Meat Institute members in the meat industry.

Nathan Fretz is the vice president of Government Affairs at Meat Institute, previously serving as the organization’s senior director of legislative affairs since 2015. Nathan brings a wide range of experience from his time as an associate attorney at OFW Law, counselling clients on food and agriculture, legislative, regulatory, and policy issues.

Previously he spent six years as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, first as majority counsel and later as minority counsel. In that capacity, he helped to negotiate and draft the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills, primarily focusing on meat and poultry, dairy, conservation, and food safety issues. Before working at the Agriculture Committee, Nathan served in the Congressional and Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Nathan was born in Santa Maria, California, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. He received his B.A. from the College of Wooster, and his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is admitted to the Maryland Bar.

Sarah Little is vice president of communications for the Meat Institute following 20 years of traditional and social media relations experience on Capitol Hill. Little served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Most recently, Little determined media strategy for debate, negotiation and passage of the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill and the Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act. She has a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Bryan Burns is Vice President and General Counsel of the Meat Institute. Among other duties, Burns will serve as the primary staff liaison to the Worker Safety Committee, Environmental Committee, and Labor & Employment Committee. Burns is an accomplished attorney and a veteran of the protein industry, with more than 20 years’ experience working for two different meat and poultry companies. During that time, he served both as in-house counsel and as an executive in the areas of environmental, health, safety, and risk management. He has handled matters involving, among other topics, antitrust and environmental litigation, commercial litigation, transactions and corporate governance, government investigations, health and safety, environmental, sustainability, and labor and employment.

Earlier in his career, Burns was an attorney in private practice specializing in business litigation. He also clerked for the Honorable Judge Robert Fussell in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Arkansas. He earned his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas in 2000, where he served as an editor of the Arkansas Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Arkansas in 1997.

As Vice President of Finance, Thao Grimes manages Meat Institute’s financial operations, supervising financial planning and forecasting, reporting, grants and contracts, audit and compliance and knowledge management. Thao has over 15 years’ experience working with non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining Meat Institute, Thao worked in public accounting with a local CPA firm specializing in international non-profit organizations. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland University College and has further expanded her knowledge in auditing and accounting through continuing professional education programs.

Bill Sessions serves as Meat Institute’s Director of Product Marketing and Promotion. In this capacity, he is responsible for the activities conducted under Meat Institute’s contract with the Beef Checkoff Program for veal promotion, industry information, quality assurance and post-harvest beef safety research. Sessions completed his 37 year career with USDA as the Associate Deputy Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Livestock and Seed Program. Over his career with USDA, Sessions was responsible for managing programs that included Meat Grading and Certification, Auditing, Federal meat and fish purchases, Country of Origin Labeling, Market News, Standardization and many Department level issues related to marketing, research, promotion and food safety. He brings a wealth of regulatory and marketing experience to his position with Meat Institute. In 2012, the North American Meat Association recognized Sessions with its Presidents Award for his many years of dedicated service to USDA and the industry.

Sessions earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in Animal Science.

Roya Galindo serves as Meat Institute’s senior director of regulatory services where she provides members with assistance on a variety of regulatory topics including but not limited to: HACCP, Labeling, enforcement actions, recalls, inspection issues and guidance on Listeria monocytogenes control programs.

She first began her career in 2005 when she was one of the first successful consumer safety inspector interns (CSI) to complete the internship program with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). She worked as a CSI in the Southern California area and was quickly promoted to an Enforcement Investigation and Analysis Officer (EIAO). She served as a mentor for many of the new EIAO recruits and later switched gears to work for the industry in meat and poultry manufacturing and corporate quality assurance covering fully cooked, raw, and FDA regulated products such as spices and seasonings. While serving in industry she managed the food safety and quality departments, food safety programs, refined food safety procedures as well as serving as the team leader for third party audits. Galindo’s extensive background in industry and regulatory compliance allows her to provide expertise on a wide array of subjects to members.

Roya has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science- Pre-veterinary emphasis from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona and is HACCP certified and maintains certification with BRC third party auditing scheme.

Clarissa Moreaux serves as Meat Institute’s director of regulatory services where she provides expertise on a variety of topics including HACCP, labeling, enforcement actions, noncompliance appeals, inspection issues, import/export issues among other regulatory topics.

Prior to joining Meat Institute, Clarissa began her regulatory career in 2010 as an Enforcement Investigation Analysis Officer (EIAO) for the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) where she enforced FSIS regulatory requirements and gained valuable knowledge and experience that is currently used to help members. She later moved on to work for the industry in regulatory affairs and corporate quality assurance roles covering FDA and FSIS regulated products. She has experience with both USDA-FSIS and FDA food safety systems, 3rd party audit standards, supply chain, labeling, and regulatory compliance.

Clarissa has a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutritional Sciences from Fresno State University of California and a Master’s of Science in Global Supply Chain Management from University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. She is HACCP certified, Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Dr. KatieRose McCullough serves as the senior director of science and public health at the Meat Institute where she provides expertise on a variety of topics including: meat science, food safety, meat consumption, public health, and more. As the scientist for Meat Institute, McCullough works to ensure policies are created on a sound science-based foundation.

McCullough also serves as the Chief Scientist to the Meat Foundation and acts as the staff liaison for the Scientific Affairs Committee. She also manages the Meat Institute’s Scholarship program which funds multiple scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students each year.

McCullough received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas Tech University, her Master of Science in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University with research focusing on meat quality and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Animal Science from Colorado State University with her research focusing on food safety. McCullough also holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health focusing on Animals, People and the Environment.

Casey Lynn Gallimore serves as the senior director of regulatory policy at the Meat Institute where she provides analysis and expertise on a variety of topics including: food safety, processing, animal welfare, and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining the Meat Institute, Gallimore spent seven years in the food industry in food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance roles. She has worked in FDA and USDA regulated facilities ranging from chocolate and ingredient manufacturing to portion cut steaks and market hog slaughter.

Gallimore earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Truman State University, with minors in Chemistry and Justice Systems.

Jesse Fulton, M.S. serves as the director of animal health and welfare at the Meat Institute where he provides timely assistance, analysis, guidance, and technical support for the meat, and poultry packing and processing industry on various topics, including animal production, health, handling, welfare, foreign animal disease, veterinary drugs, and pathology. As the staff liaison to the Animal Welfare Committee, Fulton ensures members have a forum for discussing issues, sharing best practices, and establishing industry-wide positions. Fulton oversees the Animal Welfare Guidelines and Audit. He provides technical support to other committees and represents the Meat Institute at external meetings and before government agencies on animal health and welfare issues.

Before joining the Meat Institute, Fulton spent five years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and nearly five years with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he directed the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance program.

Fulton received his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Morehead State University, his Master of Science in Animal Science from South Dakota State University with research focusing on beef cattle fetal programming and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Philosophy in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with his research focusing on ruminant nutrition.

Chris Chaffee joins the Meat Institute as Director of Government Affairs working with Vice President of Government Affairs Nathan Fretz advocating for the meat and poultry industry with members of congress and federal officials. Chaffee will also help manage the Meat Institute’s Political Action Committee, MeatPAC.

Previously, Chaffee led efforts to promote the leadership of American agriculture as Director of Industry Relations with the U.S. Farming and Ranching Foundation. Prior to that, he served as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in the Trump Administration, where he led outreach to the food and agricultural community and coordinated policy communications across multiple federal agencies. In addition, Chaffee has served at the state government level, including for Iowa’s economic development agency and the governor of New Jersey. A Kansas City native, Chaffee graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in finance and international business.

Casey Kammerle serves as the Communications Director at the Meat Institute, where he manages Meat Institute communications to members, assists with media relations, and promotes Protein PACT efforts. Kammerle manages Meat Institute’s weekly member newsletter, Lean Trimmings, and Meat Institute’s daily news clippings e-blast. He also assists with media inquiries and writing and promoting press releases on current issues. Kammerle previously managed Meat Institute’s social media accounts.

Prior to Meat Institute, Kammerle graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism and a minor in general business. While at UMD, Kammerle was the managing editor and audience engagement editor at The Diamondback, the University of Maryland's independent newspaper. He also worked on the Philadelphia Inquirer’s audience engagement desk.

Anne Truong serves as senior accountant for Meat Institute.

She is responsible for the company’s bank reconciliations; monthly financial reports for several organizations with in the Meat Institute family; supervision of accounts receivable and accounts payable; maintenance of financial records and general ledger; assistance in monthly/yearly closing, budgeting, billings, payroll, audits, taxes; and performing other accounting duties as assigned.

Anne joined Meat Institute in June 2015. Previously, she worked as an accountant at Crossway Community, Inc. Anne graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Grace Ekness serves as The Manager, Office & Executive Operations. In this role she plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth and professional functioning of the Meat Institute’s daily operations and executive office.

Grace holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Houston. Prior to joining the Meat Institute Grace worked at IAVI, a global scientific research organization dedicated to developing equitable solutions for infectious diseases. During her tenure at IAVI, she supported senior leaders and gained valuable expertise in managing high-level administrative and logistical processes.

Isabella Naz Worpel is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas (KU), where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Global and International Studies. At KU, she represented the University as a student ambassador and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Naz has previously worked with the Meat Institute as a government affairs intern.

Michael Schumpp serves as the Vice President of International Affairs for the Meat Institute, where he advises and consults its members, U.S. government stakeholders, and international partners on pertinent issues affecting U.S. meat and poultry trade, providing both technical expertise and strategic guidance to facilitate trade in U.S. meat and poultry products. He has led and participated in numerous trade missions to Asia, Africa, and South America, where he has worked to reduce trade barriers and improve market access for U.S. meat, poultry, and animal by-product exports. In addition to overseeing international affairs and trade policy issues for the Meat Institute, Schumpp manages the association’s supply chain and transportation issues portfolio, with particular emphasis on ocean shipping and Federal Maritime Commission rulemakings.

Schumpp earned his Master of Arts in Political Management from The George Washington University, in Washington, DC in 2014, with a focus on advocacy and strategic communications. He also received his Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in Political Science from The George Washington University in 2012. Schumpp is a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Technical Advisory Committee for Animals and Animal Products, where he advises the Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative on policies impacting U.S. meat and poultry trade.

Matt Allan serves as the Manager of Regulatory Affairs for the Meat Institute where he monitors, analyzes, and responds to federal regulatory activities affecting the meat and poultry industry. He is currently appointed to the Cattlemen's Beef Board as a member of the Importer Unit.

Allan received his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Vassar College and a Master of Science in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. He joined the Meat Institute in 2022 after working at the Consumer Brands Association and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Eric Mittenthal is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Meat Institute, previously serving as the organization’s vice president of public affairs and vice president of sustainability. He leads the Meat Institute’s Protein PACT strategy focused on implementing a framework for continuous improvement throughout the industry and a commitment to greater transparency to meet consumer and customer expectations.

Mittenthal joined Meat Institute from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) where he worked closely with food industry communications leaders, led IFIC’s efforts in connecting with journalists and influencers and launched many of IFIC’s successful social media platforms. Mittenthal moved to Washington D.C. following a career as a television reporter and producer in several markets around the country including Atlanta, Jacksonville, NC and Idaho Falls, ID. He graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and also received a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA.

Kristi Block is the Strategy Director at the Meat Institute. In this capacity, she is responsible for assisting members in their sustainability journeys as evidenced by their participation in Protein PACT, which is the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and transparency for healthy people, healthy communities, healthy animals and a healthy planet. She joined the Meat Institute in March 2022.

Block brings experience in the ag tech, grain elevator, ethanol, and animal feed manufacturing industry. She is part of a third-generation family farm in Nebraska that grows corn and soybeans and raises cattle. Block received a Masters of Business Administration from Midland University and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Block is a Nebraska LEAD Alumni graduate.

Sam Wildman is Director of Strategic Projects and will be leading on our supply chain activation of the continuous improvement strategy. He grew up as the 8th generation on his family’s pork and crop farm, spent 7 years as a lead facilitator and project manager for a global food and agribusiness consulting firm and has spent the last three years helping build, launch and lead livestock partnerships and projects for the world's largest environmental non-profit.

Anne Halal is the chief experience officer and served previously as the senior vice president of exposition, education and member services for Meat Institute. Starting in 2001 with AMI, she previously served as the vice president of convention and exposition services. Halal oversees business development strategies for the organization including membership, sponsorship and educational content. Her responsibilities include marketing and execution of all live and virtual Meat Institute and Meat Institute Foundation events programming, including awards.

Halal has over 25 years of experience with various trade associations, having worked as an account executive for NaylorCMG, and at the International Inline Skating Association, Citizens for a Sound Economy and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Halal received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

Eric Zito serves as the vice president of business development for Meat Institute. He previously served as vice president of membership and exposition services for the American Meat Institute, joining the organization in 2006.

In his role, Zito handles a variety of tasks in the department. He is responsible for managing the membership database and serves as a customer service representative to Meat Institute members and prospective members.

Zito earned a bachelor’s of science in economics from The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business.

As the Director of Marketing and Sponsor Experience, Teena Vinh leads the marketing efforts for Meat Institute's virtual and in-person events, focused on implementing strategies to elevate Meat Institute's sponsorships and event experiences. Before joining Meat Institute in 2022, Vinh worked at the Plastics Industry Association and Food Industry Association. She earned a bachelor's of arts in communications from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and received a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute.

Nicole Vetsch is Meat Institute's director of event experience. She previously served as manger of education and workforce development, a position which she has held since January 2013. Vetsch assists in meeting registration and customer inquiries, executes event logistics including housing and onsite needs and helps facilitate Meat Institute special event programs.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and minor in American Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Megan McCullough serves as the Director of Member Engagement for the Meat Institute. She is responsible for improving member retention through customer engagement. In this role, Megan assesses member needs and works to implement them to increase member involvement. She coordinates the annual Emerging Leaders Program as well as executes the logistics for the Meat Institute awards programs.

Megan received her B.S. in Animal Science and her Equine Certification from Texas Tech University.

Brian Peteritas is the Marketing Manager for the Meat Institute and oversees the Institute's email marketing and social media efforts with a focus on integrated marketing campaigns for events. He has worked in the association world for over a decade and was previously with the American Frozen Food Institute and the National Apartment Association. He earned his B.A. in Communications from Penn State University and also holds a Digital Marketing Professional certificate from the Digital Marketing Institute and the American Marketing Association.

Megan Lynn Gifford serves as Director, Strategic Content and Programming at Meat Institute. In this role she is responsible for the development and dissemination of industry targeted educational programming, resources and content across in-person and digital channels.

Gifford joins Meat Institute from JBS USA where she worked for nearly 10 years in value added beef product management. She received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, minor in Agriculture Business, and Master of Science in Animal Science with research focused on meat science and beef quality from Colorado State University. She grew up in southwestern Colorado on her family ‘s diversified livestock operation and was actively involved in 4-H.

Maggie O’Quinn serves as the Director of Member and Sponsor Recruitment at the Meat Institute. In this role, she leads the organization's strategy on expanding membership and sponsorship opportunities by identifying prospects, building relationships, and communicating the value of engaging with the Meat Institute.

O’Quinn has spent 28 years in the global meat business as a sales and marketing executive. She is passionate about the interdependence of the global meat supply chain, and her career has been focused on building B2C and B2B demand for red meat brands. She previously held sales and marketing roles at Midan Marketing and Certified Angus Beef LLC. She has also served on the Annual Meat Conference Planning Committee and the U.S. Meat Export Federation Executive Committee.

Emily Irsik serves as the Content and Education Manager at the Meat Institute. In this role, she develops and delivers high‑quality educational programs and resources across in‑person and digital platforms. She collaborates closely with the Director of Strategic Content and Programming and the broader experience team to ensure content aligns with organizational goals, supports member engagement, and reflects emerging industry needs.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Health from Kansas State University and is completing a master’s degree in Public Policy with an emphasis on food and agricultural law. Her background in food policy and leadership development informs her approach to program design, content strategy, and industry education. Originally from Kansas and raised in a ranching and farming family, she brings a deep connection to agriculture and a strong foundation in nutrition and policy to her work at the Institute.

Alison joined Meat Institute in May of 2023. With over ten years of previous nonprofit association membership and database experience, she holds a Bachelor of Art in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medical Technology. Her duties include assisting members with renewals and website access, troubleshooting technology issues, database administration, maintenance, and training; managing integration projects, and completing advanced data analytics and reports. As a Licensed Veterinary Technologist, she brings both her prior animal and association experience to Meat Institute. Alison has lived in six different states but now permanently resides in West Virginia with her husband, two children, three dogs, cat, and many fish. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to Ed Sheeran music, watching reality TV, and attending canine agility classes and trials with her dogs.