Leadership

Jack Cooper, Executive Director

Jack Cooper is the founder and Executive Director of the Animal Digestible Food Packaging Initiative. He retired in 2017 from the Food Industry Environmental Network (FIEN), the regulatory and policy email update service he founded in 1990. Mr. Cooper has had a long career in service, including: he worked with the National Food Processors Association (now Grocery Manufacturers Association) for 16 years, he is an Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) fellow, he served as chair of the Food and Beverage Environmental Conference, he served on the Leadership Board of the UC Davis Food Science and Technology Department, and he is a member of the International Association for Food Protection. Mr. Cooper has a BS and MS in Food Science from the University of California at Davis.

ADFPI Advisors

Meet ADFPI’s Advisors and Directors below. To join the Initiative, contact us!
The Initiative is continuously seeking volunteers to serve as Initiative Advisors who in their personal volunteer roles:

  • Keep the Executive Director informed of animal digestible food packaging innovative advancements; technical, regulatory and policy developments; and sources of initiative funding that come to their attention.
  • Review and offer comments on Initiative communications, including information and wording on the www.adfpi.orghomepage.
  • Assist the Executive Director in the ADFPI effort to encourage the establishment of a public-private partnership for the discovery of new animal digestible food packaging materials.

Angela Anandappa

Angela Anandappa, PhD is currently the President  of the Alliance for Advanced Sanitation and an instructor in food risk management at Northeastern Northeastern University. She has been a Research Assistant Professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was instrumental in establishing the Food Systems Innovation Center at the University of Kentucky. She is currently leading the effort to improve public health by implementing better tools for industrial sanitation. Dr. Anandappa has a BS in Biology, MS in food microbiology, and earned her PhD in Animal Science and Food Safety from the University of Kentucky. 

Steve Armstrong

Steve Armstrong

Steve Armstrong, JD, is a senior regulatory advisor with the law firm of Haynes and Boone, LLP, and has more than 20 years of experience advising leading consumer products companies on marketing claims and regulatory matters. Before joining Haynes and Boone, Steve served as the chief food law counsel at Campbell Soup Company, where he counseled Campbell businesses on food safety, food policy, labeling and regulatory compliance, including matters involving FDA, USDA, and food agencies around the world.  Steve was responsible for assuring compliance with labeling laws and regulations for products in a variety of core product categories, including soups, sauces, shelf-stable juices, breads and baked snacks.  He also served as the chairman of the company’s crisis management committee.

Before coming to Campbell, Steve served as an Assistant General Counsel for Unilever United States, Inc., where he oversaw legal and regulatory compliance for various foods and cosmetics, including beverages, dressings and hair care products.  Before moving to Unilever, Steve served as a regulatory and division counsel at Colgate-Palmolive Company, where he advised global and U.S. marketing teams on advertising and claims substantiation for oral care products.

Steve served on the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) board of directors from 2014 to 2017 and currently teaches food law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He frequently speaks on food law and policy issues. Steve earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and his law degree from Columbia University.  He also enjoyed a brief career as a newspaper reporter and editor before going to law school.

William Fisher

William Fisher, MS, CFS, most recently served as Vice President of Science and Policy Initiatives with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), serving as liaison with government agencies, elected officials and organizations that share a common commitment to the science of food and its application. As the lead executive in charge of science and policy initiatives, he ensured that IFT played a critical role in the identification and analysis of emerging food issues; oversaw development of programs addressing issues on the science of food and its application; and lead the development of key science reports, public comments, and policy-oriented documents. Mr. Fisher served as the first Executive Director of IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center.

Matthew Moore

Matthew Moore, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Moore currently leads a research program focused on food safety and human health, with a specific focus on applied and environmental virology. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed scientific works, and has received multiple federal, state, and internal competitive grants as lead or co-PI totaling over $4.5 million. Dr. Moore is active in numerous scientific organizations, serving as outgoing Chair of the International Association for Food Protection Developing Food Safety Professionals group, and is incoming Chair of the Journal of Food Protection Management Committee. He is also a founding member and incoming Treasurer for the World Society for Virology. He has also been highly active in the American Society for Microbiology and the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Moore has a BS in Food Science from Cornell University and a PhD in Food Science from North Carolina State University.

Damanna Ram Rao

Damanna Ram Rao, PhD worked for 25 years at Alabama A & M University teaching courses in food science, food safety, and biochemistry and nutrition, along with research resulting in 70 peer-reviewed publications in flagship journals. After this academic stint, Dr. Rao joined the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)-USDA as National Program Leader in Food Science and Technology. In this capacity, he worked with universities and other stakeholders in determining the direction of science. He has been elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Rao graduated from Auburn University with MS and PhD degrees in Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry.

Bill Roenigk

Bill Roenigk is an agribusiness consultant focused on the poultry industry and market. An important part of his work includes analyzing the situation and outlook for competing meat and other proteins. For most of his 40-year career with the National Chicken Council (NCC), he served as Senior Vice President and chief economist. Prior to joining the NCC, he was an agricultural economist with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and Economic Research Service and the Cost of Living Council.

Kathleen Smith

Kathleen Smith, RDN, LDN, is a nutrition and regulatory consultant, providing guidance to the food and beverage industry, as well as, nonprofit health organizations in the areas of nutrition, health, labeling, packaging, ingredients, and strategy.  Previously, she served as a Health Scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she participated in the development of food labeling regulations and nutrition policies.  In the health and nutrition space, Ms. Smith was a Chief, Clinical Nutrition, Education and Research at the Department of Veterans Affairs and worked at the Office of Inspector General on health policy.

Jessica Wasserman

Jessica Wasserman is the founder of Wasserman & Associates, a policy advisory firm with clients in the global food industry. A specialty of the firm is labeling and packaging, where increasingly food businesses are seeking sustainable packaging opportunities and alternatives, including opportunities to brand products as sustainable. Ms. Wasserman previously worked at the US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service and at the Department of Commerce where she represented the agency at the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment. 

Jesse Zuehlke

Jesse Zuehlke, PhD, METM, is General Manager of Prime Label Consultants, a regulatory consulting firm supporting food and beverage industry clients. They specialize in labeling, including third-party certification of environmental and sustainability factors. Previously, he served as Science Program Manager with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), coordinating public health and nutrition projects in alignment with industry, academic, and government stakeholders. Dr. Zuehlke holds a PhD in Food Science and MS in Engineering Management with Supply Chain Management Certification from Washington State University, and a BS in Microbiology from Michigan State University.

LEGAL COUNSEL

Jessica O’Connell

Jessica P. O’Connell is Partner at Covington & Burling’s Food and Drug practice group in Washington, DC. She advises companies and trade associations on complying with US regulatory requirements enforced by FDA, USDA, FTC, and state regulators for the manufacture and sale of foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, OTC drugs, and animal products, and the import and export of all FDA and USDA-regulated products.
Before joining Covington, she was an Associate Chief Counsel in FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel from 2008 to 2014.  While at FDA, Jessica counseled various components of FDA and HHS on legal issues primarily related to foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics, including the implementation of FSMA and nutrition labeling initiatives, and import-specific issues.  Prior to joining FDA, Jessica was a law clerk for Hon. Nancy B. Firestone at the US Court of Federal Claims. Jessica has a BS in biology and physics from University of Virginia, an MPH from Johns Hopkins, and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Quickbooks Accountant

Chris Batton

Energetic financial executive with a broad experience in diverse industries. Leader with proven track record of building highly efficient and productive teams. Visionary with strategic planning and analytical skills. Roll-up-the-sleeves accountant who enjoys closing the books and providing meaningful financial data. Exceptional ability to drive change management and create lasting infrastructure in high growth organizations.