Speaker Information
Sherri Dublin (She/Her), Ingredion Incorporated
Sherri Dublin is the Vice President of DEI, Culture, Internal Communications, and Talent Acquisition at Ingredion Incorporated. She is responsible for advancing workforce engagement and strengthening the culture in line with Ingredion’s purpose, values, and business strategy. Sherri is responsible for the global operating philosophy, strategy, as well the design and execution of programs to promote diversity and equity, and cultivate a culture of inclusion, while embedding DEI into the talent acquisition, culture, and internal communication strategies and programs.
With over 20 years of DEI experience, Sherri has also led strategic initiatives for learning and development, corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, talent management, and leadership development.
Seen as a thought leader and recognized as a Top Diversity Officer in 2021 by the IL Diversity Council and named by Savoy magazine as one of the 2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity and Inclusion. Sherri continues to be a contributor in articles, books, and a notable keynote speaker and panelist.
Fueling her passion to help others, Sherri is the Vice President and Secretary of Fox Valley Hands of Hope and is a member of the executive committee and board. She is also serves on the boards of the Illinois Manufacturers Association Education Foundation, and the American Heart Association Heart Ball for Chicago.
Mohamed Badaoui Najjar PhD, PepsiCo
Mohamed is the R&D Strategy Senior Director at PepsiCo. He partners with all international teams across food and beverage to setup the future R&D strategy as well as build the future of R&D across people, programs and assets.
Mohamed has 14 years global industry experience in leading and shaping new platforms and strategies from ideation to launch. He is passionate about new innovation, trends, and understanding different generational consumer behaviors.
Mohamed believes that motivated engaged and empowered people drive exceptional results. He is passionate about building high performing teams and mentoring of talent.
Mohamed Is a professional Member of IFT. He believes in the critical role IFT plays in the future of our profession. He had been a volunteer for 17 years leading across sections, divisions, award jury and AMSPAP.
Mohamed received his BS & MS from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and his doctorate in food science from Rutgers University. He enjoys playing sports, exercise and fitness, the outdoors as well as experiencing new food & beverage innovation.
Stephanie Jung, PhD, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Stephanie Jung has more than 20 years of experience in academia and is on the IFT Board of Directors. She is currently a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, SLO) where she has been department head...
Speaker Information
Sherri Dublin (She/Her), Ingredion Incorporated
Sherri Dublin is the Vice President of DEI, Culture, Internal Communications, and Talent Acquisition at Ingredion Incorporated. She is responsible for advancing workforce engagement and strengthening the culture in line with Ingredion’s purpose, values, and business strategy. Sherri is responsible for the global operating philosophy, strategy, as well the design and execution of programs to promote diversity and equity, and cultivate a culture of inclusion, while embedding DEI into the talent acquisition, culture, and internal communication strategies and programs.
With over 20 years of DEI experience, Sherri has also led strategic initiatives for learning and development, corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, talent management, and leadership development.
Seen as a thought leader and recognized as a Top Diversity Officer in 2021 by the IL Diversity Council and named by Savoy magazine as one of the 2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity and Inclusion. Sherri continues to be a contributor in articles, books, and a notable keynote speaker and panelist.
Fueling her passion to help others, Sherri is the Vice President and Secretary of Fox Valley Hands of Hope and is a member of the executive committee and board. She is also serves on the boards of the Illinois Manufacturers Association Education Foundation, and the American Heart Association Heart Ball for Chicago.
Mohamed Badaoui Najjar PhD, PepsiCo
Mohamed is the R&D Strategy Senior Director at PepsiCo. He partners with all international teams across food and beverage to setup the future R&D strategy as well as build the future of R&D across people, programs and assets.
Mohamed has 14 years global industry experience in leading and shaping new platforms and strategies from ideation to launch. He is passionate about new innovation, trends, and understanding different generational consumer behaviors.
Mohamed believes that motivated engaged and empowered people drive exceptional results. He is passionate about building high performing teams and mentoring of talent.
Mohamed Is a professional Member of IFT. He believes in the critical role IFT plays in the future of our profession. He had been a volunteer for 17 years leading across sections, divisions, award jury and AMSPAP.
Mohamed received his BS & MS from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and his doctorate in food science from Rutgers University. He enjoys playing sports, exercise and fitness, the outdoors as well as experiencing new food & beverage innovation.
Stephanie Jung, PhD, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Stephanie Jung has more than 20 years of experience in academia and is on the IFT Board of Directors. She is currently a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, SLO) where she has been department head since 2019. The central goal of her research is to improve the sustainability of food systems, with an emphasis on bioconversion of food waste, by applying green, environmentally friendly strategies.
Stephanie is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Archer Daniels Midland Award for Best Paper in Protein and Co-Products, Engineering/Technology Category. She has generated more than 64 peer-reviewed journal publications and several book chapters and mentored many undergraduate and graduate students. She is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion and is passionate about educating the next generation of food scientists. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys horseback riding and hiking, as well as art, live concerts, and exploring new cultures through travel.
Stephanie became a professional member of IFT in 2003. Since then, she has been actively engaged in numerous IFT activities and served in many elected and volunteer positions in three IFT Divisions (Engineering, Nonthermal Processing, and Biotechnology) and award juries. She was also an organizer of and speaker at an IFT symposium. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Service Award, Food Engineering Division, and Outstanding Volunteer Award, Nonthermal Processing Division.
Tracy Bargman, PhD, Owner and President, T-Catalyst, LLC
Tracy had first hand experience with the realities of creating and launching new products while at General Mills and ConAgra Foods. She leveraged her training and experience as both a scientist and a marketer to form collaborative teams, identify new opportunities and develop forward-thinking products. While at General Mills, she was instrumental in early identification of whole grain as an opportunity in the cereal business. Later as the Vice President of Product Innovation at ConAgra Foods she developed a line of innovative healthy frozen meals. Both the technical innovation and consumer messaging have been used to expand the Healthy Choice portfolio.
In 2004, Tracy started her consulting firm T-Catalyst which specializes in innovation strategy and new product development. As the president and owner of T-Catalyst, Tracy has worked with both large and small CPG companies to create new products and concepts for a variety of consumer targets and many product categories including frozen foods, grain-based products, refrigerated and dairy foods, coffee and alcoholic beverages. She has facilitated strategy development in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, several food categories and in the area of health and wellness. Tracy has been a guest speaker at a number of industry conferences, presenting on topics including wellness, long range planning and new product development.
Clients of T-Catalyst include: Barilla USA, Bush Brothers Co., ConAgra Foods, Dean Foods, Diamond Foods, E&J Gallo Winery, HealthFocus Inc, Ocean Nutrition, PepsiCo, Schwan Food Company and Starbucks.
A native of the Midwest, Tracy holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Nebraska. In addition to the above mentioned experience, she has worked in both sales and human resource management. She is trained in creative problem solving techniques and ideation and focus group facilitation.
