Actions towards creating an inclusive and equitable culture require a personal and an organizational vision. We must name how our commitment with equity intersects with our life and the values that guide our decisions. George Washington Carver was a role model for this and more. During this DEI Discussion, we will honor the life of George Washington Carver while understanding the impact he has on the science of food today. Our panelists will explore his contribution to the science; education and community outreach; and policy.

George Washington Carver once said, “It has always been the one ideal of my life to be the greatest good to the greatest number of my people possible.” He lived these words every day through his teaching, research, and care for others. Join us to better understand the vision that sustained his work and expand the conversation about how George Washington Carver embodies our hopes for inclusive and equitable leaders in science of food.

Moderator:
Larry Keener CFS PA IFT Fellow, president and chief executive officer of International Product Safety Consultants, Inc. (IPSC)

Panelists:
Theressa Cooper, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Iowa State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Norma Dawkins, Professor and Chair, Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University

Catherine Woteki, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University Distinguished Institute Professor with the Biocomplexity Institute at the University of Virginia

Biographies:
Larry Keener is president and Chief Executive Officer of International Product Safety Consultants, Inc. (IPSC) based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1996, IPSC is a global leader in providing food safety and food technology solutions to the food processing industry for a broad client base of Fortune 500 food companies, academic research institutes and government agencies. IPSC is engaged in the conformity, risk assessment and food safety verification business.

Larry is an internationally regarded microbiologist and process authority in the food industry. As such, his areas of expertise range from applied food microbiology, the development and application of novel preservation technologies, including high pressure processing (HPP), microwave and pulsed electric field (PEF), high powered ultrasound, atmospheric plasma and the design and implementation of food safety management and control systems and   strategies
Mr. Keener is a 2013 Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT); a Certified Food Scientist (CFS) (International Food Science Certification Commission); and a 2018 recipient of an International Union of Food Science and Technology’s (IUFoST) life time achievement award for his work in microbiology and food safety, presented at Mumbai, India.

He has written and published many papers and book chapters on food safety, microbiology and process validation. He is a frequently invited speaker to food industry, business and scientific conferences, workshops and seminars. Larry is chair of the editorial advisory   board at Food Safety Magazine and a past editorial advisory board member for New Food Magazine (UK).

Theressa Cooper, Ph.D currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Diversity for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – this is the first person to hold an dean’s level administrative position dedicated to solely dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the university’s history.  Dr. Cooper also  jointly holds an adjunct assistant professor position in the department of agricultural education and studies.  She has life-long experiences of working informally within the agricultural system and  over 15 years of administrative leadership within a university system. In Dr. Cooper’s role as assistant dean, she is responsible for the coordination, management, and implementation of the college's diversity and inclusion programs. Her research areas focus on increasing the pipeline of underrepresented groups in agriculture and life sciences, multicultural education, and youth development. It is Dr. Cooper’s passion for agriculture and social justice that enables her to work across the teaching, research, and extension (outreach) missions of the university to build cultural competency within the community based on a shared love and passion for agriculture.

Norma L Dawkins, Ph.D, CFS, is a professor and Department Chair, Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences at Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL. She has been actively involved in teaching, research and outreach for more than 20 years. Dr, Dawkins has been a lead scientist in nutrition and food research internationally and in the food. industry.   Her most recent work involves basic and applied research in the prevention and reduction of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer and overweight and obesity among African Americans in Alabama Black Belt counties.  Other research activities focus on the use of underutilized vegetable sources containing high levels of bioactive compounds and other agricultural raw materials in innovative product development.  She has numerous publications covering foods, nutrition and community-based interventions to her credit.

She believes that the concept of learning should be focused around four areas: independent thought process, critical thinking and problem solving skills, group interaction, and utilization of learned ideas.  Her primary role as a professor is to create an environment that supports the concept of learning.