Mike McCully owns McCully Consulting, a firm that provides strategic consulting services to dairy and food companies. Client projects include business analysis, purchasing and supply chain strategies, market research, and commodity risk management. In addition, McCully Consulting has provided subject matter expertise for global consulting companies, private equity firms, and Wall Street investment banks. Prior to starting McCully Consulting, Mike worked for over 15 years at Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat, and grain purchasing. 

Throughout his career, Mike has provided leadership on dairy industry issues. He has served on the Board of Directors for International Dairy Foods Association’s Milk Industry Foundation, IDFA Dairy Ingredients, and the Dairy Institute of California. He has been a member of IDFA’s Economic Policy Committee, Legislative Oversight Committee, Farm Bill Committee, the National Cheese Institute’s Economic Policy and Legislative Committee, and the California Dairy Institute’s Producer Relations committee. He also has served on numerous dairy industry task forces on dairy policy issues. 

Peter Ernster, Jr. is the SVP, Valley Natural Beverages at California Dairies, Inc., overseeing the sales, marketing, and operations for CDI’s newest facility. He brings over 20 years of dairy business leadership experience and is the fifth generation of his family in the dairy business.

VNB, a state-of-the-art fluid packaging facility located in Bakersfield, CA, introduces a new product line to CDI’s portfolio, with high quality dairy beverages including Extended Shelf Life (ESL) and Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) products.

Previously, Peter held the position of VP of Sales-Powder and VP, Ingredients for CDI. Before joining CDI, he was the Director of Sales and Marketing-Cheese at Hilmar Cheese Co., one of the world’s largest natural American style cheese and whey production manufacturers. Peter has also held roles of increasing leadership and responsibility in both sales and manufacturing at Pacific Cheese Co, Chateaux Cheese Corp, Northern Utah Manufacturing, Inc.

Peter has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

John Talbot brings more than 25 years of marketing and brand management experience to his role as CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) where he focuses on building awareness and demand for California dairy products across the U.S. and around the world.

Mr. Talbot began his career in sales at Procter & Gamble before joining Pepsi-Cola where he spent 12 years in a variety of brand management and product development roles. His background in consumer products also includes 2 years leading new product development for E&J Gallo Winery and 3 years running global market development for the Almond Board of California.

Steve Tienvieri is the Sr. Lead Microbiologist at Hydrite. Steve has over 26 years of experience in food microbiology and food manufacturing.  His background is extensive and includes Safe Quality Food (SQF), audits, regulatory, environmental monitoring and investigations, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Preventive Controls (PC), and food quality/food safety plan development and employee training. Steve is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certified trainer.

Lagrange directs the California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC) since its formation in December 2020. The CDIC was formed by the California Milk Advisory Board, USA, to stimulate and support product-oriented innovation in the industry. The CDIC funds research, applications and training programs for the dairy industry, and support the “incubator” program for entrepreneurs and start-ups.

She worked for the American Dairy Products, USA (2018-2020) with a focus on educating American consumers on the superior benefits of dairy proteins, while also providing technical support to the industry. Previously, she spent over 20 years with the US Dairy Export Council, USA, where she ran business development, product and nutrition research programs in China, North and SE Asia, Mexico and Latin America.

She holds a BS and MS in Food Science, Engineering Management PhD programs at George Washington University, and  executive courses as Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She lives in Sacramento, California.  

Jodeen Meenderink was born and raised in Nebraska and was a graduate of Food Science at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  Upon graduation she transferred to Meadow Gold Dairies in Salt Lake City as the Quality Assurance.  Through the years she worked into regional positions and now is the Senior Director of Quality Assurance for Dairy Farmers of America.  Jodeen has worked for the company for 40 years.

Bob has been with the California Milk Advisory Board for ten years as the Vice President for Business Development, and was promoted to CEO, effective on May 7, 2025.  Previous assignments include marketing and general management at Blue Diamond Growers, where he led the division which launched branded snacks and beverages across Europe, Australia & Asia, and Kraft Foods in brand management roles for Taco Bell Home Originals, Kraft Cheese, DiGiorno, and Miracle Whip.   A U.S. Army veteran, Carroll served from 1991 to 2006 as an Infantry officer, in roles from Rifle Platoon Leader to Battalion Operations Officer. While in the Army Reserves he was mobilized for a one-year deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. Carroll holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Bucknell University.  

Dr. Carmen Licon is a professional with a deep expertise in dairy products. In August 2023, she assumed the role of Director at Cal Poly’s Dairy Products Technology Center, where she continues to drive innovation for dairy manufacturers. Prior to this, she was an Assistant Professor for Food Processing and Engineering at Fresno State’s Department of Food Science and Nutrition. She holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Science and Engineering from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, and a B.Sc. in Food Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. She is also a Certified Cheese Professional by the American Cheese Society. Dr. Licon’s international research experiences, particularly in Poligny and Lyon, France, enhanced her focus on cheese aromas and emotions. Her work on developing a Manchego-type cheese with saffron, which has won multiple medals at the World Cheese Awards, is a testament to her innovative contributions to the cheese industry. Her commitment to artisanal and culturally diverse dairy production is evident in her role as Director of the Pacific Coast Coalition.

Gary is the Vice President of Production Operations for Leprino Foods, a leading manufacturer of mozzarella cheese and nutrition products.   He has been with the company for the past 14 years and he currently leads the Western Region production facilities in California and New Mexico.   Before moving responsibilities to operations, Gary was the Vice President of Global Quality for Leprino Foods.   He was responsible for the food safety and quality systems for all nine manufacturing facilities.  Prior to joining Leprino Foods, Gary was part of the Western Region Operations team at Land O Lakes for 18 years, where he worked in the manufacturing of cheese, butter and dried dairy products. 

He went to college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a Master's degree in Business Administration.   He is still actively involved with the campus and participates on the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Science Advisory Board. 

Kaylin Prayitno is a recent graduate of California State University, Fresno, where she earned her B.S. in Food and Nutritional Sciences. As part of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Honors Program, she conducted research on workforce training needs within the U.S. dairy processing industry. Her experience in dairy production at the Fresno State Creamery informed her contribution to projects focused on optimizing methods for analyzing cheese functionality and understanding consumer preferences for dairy products. She is passionate about driving innovation in dairy processing to support the continued growth of the industry.

Justin Loyear leads the Business Development for Cummins Alternative Technologies in the Western United States. Justin is focused on supporting Cummins' Destination Zero pledge by consulting with customers on the future of powertrains.  Based in Fresno, California, Justin’s territory covers the 11 states from Colorado to California plus Alaska and Hawaii. Justin specializes in Cummins near-zero natural gas engines, hydrogen, gasoline, propane, advanced diesel, and electric powertrains.  Justin has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and a juris doctorate from the San Joaquin College of Law.

Katie Davey is the Executive Director for the Dairy Institute of California. She has over 20 years of experience successfully implementing federal, state and local legislative and regulatory programs, political strategies and initiatives in business and government. Prior she served for over 10 years during her career as a senior lobbyist for the California Restaurant Association.  Katie has extensive experience in government service, the private sector, and trade associations across a variety of industries from construction to biotechnology. 

A graduate of San Diego State University, Katie in her free time enjoys participating in the She Shares Mentorship Program, spending time with her family, dining in Sacramento restaurants and traveling.

Eric Hassel serves as Vice President, Sustainability Standards, Measurement and Reporting at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. In his 6-year tenure working on behalf of America’s dairy farmers, he has helped shape the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment – the national sustainability program for credibly demonstrating U.S. dairy’s longstanding values of responsible production. Additionally, Eric supports the Innovation Center’s CEO Task Force on GHG Accounting, providing technical expertise and driving consensus across cooperatives and processors to achieve an optimal environment for farmers and the broader industry to decarbonize with speed and at scale. Eric also leads the Processor Working Group, a pre-competitive forum for U.S. dairy processors to collaborate on challenges and opportunities associated with environmental sustainability, enabling and empowering companies to drive progress toward the industry’s 2050 environmental stewardship goals.

Darrin Monteiro is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability & Member Relations for California Dairies, Inc. He manages CDI’s sustainability team that develops and maintains key sustainability metrics throughout the supply chain, from the farm to the customer. Additionally, he engages with customers, identifying and securing value-add opportunities on behalf of CDI and our member-owners. Darrin also manages the CDI field team and government relations for the company.  With nearly 25 years of experience in the industry, he started his career on his family farm, Monteiro Bros. Dairy. Prior to joining CDI, Darrin worked for the USDA – Farm Service Agency.

Dr. Annette Jones is the State Veterinarian and the Director, Animal Health and Food Safety Services. For more than 20 years, Dr. Jones has served as Director of the Animal Health and Food Safety Services Division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. In this capacity, she oversees all programs for animal health, milk and dairy food safety, meat and poultry inspection, and livestock identification. In 2010, besides continuing to perform as Director, Dr. Jones was appointed California State Veterinarian, the position ultimately responsible for the state's veterinary authority on animal health and food safety related to livestock and poultry.

Michael Boccadoro serves as executive director of the  California Creamery Operators Association.

Michael  has participated in California’s environmental policy arena for more than 30 years. He specializes in public affairs consulting and has distinctive expertise in the areas of environmental, climate, natural resources, and sustainability management. As president of West Coast Advisors, Boccadoro is responsible for overseeing the firm’s climate and sustainability practices. Boccadoro has served as the executive director of Dairy Cares since its inception 20 years ago and is a leading national expert on sustainable dairy production. Dairy Cares is a statewide coalition of dairy farmers, processors, and trade associations that works to help advance sustainable practices on California’s family dairy farms. Additionally, Boccadoro serves as executive director of the Agricultural Energy Consumers Association. Boccadoro received his Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from the University of California, Davis.