This workshop is specifically designed for state, local, territorial, and tribal regulatory agencies. It is recommended that participants from regulatory agencies be program managers and/or staff responsible for working on self-assessments, preparing for verification audits, or both.   Registration will be capped at two per jurisdiction and will close once capacity is reached. A waitlist will then be created. 

Taking Your Instructor Skills from Ordinary, to Extraordinary!

Location: Amway – Imperial Ballroom – 1st Floor (8:00 - 11:30 am) Get ready for an interactive learning experience that will challenge your current way of delivering training. Walk away with new ideas on how to engage your participants and make not-so-exciting topics the most memorable and enjoyable for your learners.   Who should attend: If you deliver training and have a mindset of continuous learning and improvement, then this session is perfect for you. 

SPEAKERS

• Catherine Hosman, Funding Programs Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials 
• Brenda Morris, Director of Produce Safety, Association of Food and Drug Officials

Adapt and Thrive: Cultivating Change Management Concepts

Location: Amway – Gerald R. Ford Room – 1st Floor (8:00 - 11:30 am) Unravel the mysteries of change by discovering how to lead and implement change techniques that help your team adapt and thrive.  Who should attend: Anyone who is in a position to lead, seeking to be in a position to lead, or is given opportunities to lead. 

SPEAKERS

• Jacob Fleig, SAFHER Implementation Manager, Association of Food and Drug Officials 
• Kellie Isaac, Chief Innovation Officer, SAFHER Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials
• Debbie Pickle, SAFHER Implementation Manager, Association of Food and Drug Officials

Joint Retail and Manufactured Program Managers Roundtable Discussion (Invitation Only)

Location: Amway – Ambassador West – 2nd Floor (8:00 - 10:00 am) Session info coming soon.  

Retail Foods Program Managers Roundtable Discussion (Invitation Only)

Location: Amway – Pantlind Ballroom – 2nd Floor (10:00 am - 1:00 pm) Session info coming soon.  

Location: Amway - Ambassador West – 2nd Floor FDA’s Office of Partnerships will provide an update on its current funded and programmatic partnerships.

Location: Amway - Ambassador West – 2nd Floor In April 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in collaboration with its federal agency and regulatory/public health association partners, launched a 5-year strategic plan to transform how the IFSS workforce obtains the job-specific competencies needed to do their important work. Beginning in 2025, the reimagined, collaboratively governed RLTS will leverage the expertise and resources of all IFSS partners - including federal/SLTT agencies, academia, industry, and private training companies - to improve access to high quality training and other learning resources. This presentation will introduce attendees to the RLTS and the National Curriculum Standard (NCS) - a national competency standard for HAF regulatory and laboratory professionals. Attendees will participate in an interactive, “Choose Your Adventure” exploration as we navigate through the RLTS ecosystem to ensure Food Inspector Anthony has the competencies needed to do the mission-critical work he's been assigned. Lastly, attendees will learn how they can get involved in this exciting initiative.

Location: Amway - Ambassador West – 2nd Floor Dr. Don and Professor Ben will record a live episode of their (mostly) biweekly hit food safety podcast called Food Safety Talk. They have been recording together for almost 13 years and still strive to be relevant, funny, and informative… or at the very least make each other laugh. Don and Ben will open the session by talking about food safety in the news. After they cover the stories of the day and anything else they have on their minds they will take questions from the audience. Download the presentation here

Location: Amway – Ambassador East – 2nd Floor AFDO considers first time attendees to be VIPs at the Annual AFDO Conference. If this is your first AFDO meeting we invite you to attend the First Time Attendee Welcome Reception that is being held in your honor. During the session, you will have the opportunity to meet AFDO alumni, fellows and other first time attendees; learn about AFDO and its affiliate organizations; and find out about the exciting events that will take place during the 2024 conference. 

Location: DeVos Center – Ballroom A – Street Level

Introductory Remarks and Welcomes

MODERATOR

• Steven Mandernach, Executive Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials

Download the presentation here

SPEAKERS

• Dr. Tim Boring, Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development  
• Adam London, Ph.D., RS, DAAS, Administrative Health Officer, Kent County Health Department   
• Ted McKinney, CEO, The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) 

Endowment Foundation Address

SPEAKER

• Cynthia Culmo, Principal Consultant, CC Consulting   

President’s Address

SPEAKER

• Katherine Simon, Food and Feed Safety Division Director, Minnesota Department of Agriculture 

Glenn W. Kilpatrick Memorial Conversation

MODERATOR

• Joseph Corby, Senior Advisor, Association of Food and Drug Officials 
• Brian Ronholm, Director, Food Policy, Consumer Reports

SPEAKER

• Roberta Wagner, Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, International Dairy Foods Association

Location: Amway – Ambassador West – 2nd Floor Live Band Karaoke supporting the AFDO Endowment Foundation