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Board of Directors, Operating Chairs, & Staff

Maria Piedad Lopez

Maria Piedad Lopez Board Position: President
Company / Position: dsm firmenich / Head of Quality Excellence Suppliers and 3PM
ISBT Member Since: 2011
What I Love About ISBT: What I love about ISBT is that is a wonderful society where I feel at home my professional and personal interests, where I can easily collaborate with professionals across the globe. It is a special society where competitors in the market become partners in the betterment of the industry as a whole, where diverse voices will be heard to share what we know, where we can learn and have fun along the way. I have been honoured to meet a lot of wonderful and highly skilled professionals in different areas of the industry. Many of them I am happy to call my friends. I have learned along the way with ISBT, increasing my knowledge of the industry and ISBT has enormously enhanced my professional network.

Matt Lecky

Matt Lecky Board Position: Vice President - BevTech
Company / Position: Keurig Dr Pepper / Director, Product Development
ISBT Member Since: 2010
What I Love About ISBT: The International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) offers our industry a great forum to collaborate on the challenges and threats to our business. The best part of ISBT is how technically focused we are. Experts from across the industry are able to work together, share knowledge, network, and create change. The Guidelines generated from ISBT allow the industry to harmonize and focus. The programs and meetings are able to inform on key concerns, trends, and new technology which will drive us forward. Being able to develop relationships, both professional and social, here in ISBT is what keeps me coming back every year.

Andrea Belford

Andrea Belford Board Position: Vice President - Technical Content
Company / Position: Novonesis / Food & Health Applications Staff Scientist
ISBT Member Since: 2009
What I Love About ISBT: What I love about ISBT is the ability to have open communication with other beverage industry professionals on technical issues. The collaboration has allowed establishing comprehensive sweetener technical guidelines and keeping members well-informed on key industry topics. The other benefit of joining ISBT and working in the committees is the team work and friendships that develop.

Sal Calandra

Sal Calandra Board Position: Vice President - Operations
Company / Position: B&R Compliance Associates / President
ISBT Member Since: 2005
What I Love About ISBT: I love the fact that technical people from many industries, and from across the globe, come together and develop guidelines that improve the beverage industry. The diversity of thought really strengthens the publications usefulness. Over time I have learned the value of having customers and suppliers collaborating to balance the guidelines in a way that benefits everyone in the industry.

Sieg Mueller

Sieg Mueller ISBT Position: Treasurer
Company / Position: Analytical Science and Technologies Group, Inc. / CEO
ISBT Member Since: 2004
What I Love About ISBT: No other professional society has the depth and breadth of technical leaders as compared to ISBT. As an executive for a small company, I have the opportunity to collaborate with global leaders in the beverage industry, and often find our involvement has an immediate impact on technical, scientific and regulatory issues. As an active member, I've experienced significant personal and professional growth, an attribute common amongst members of the society.

Gaby Mejia Mecalco

Gaby Mejia Mecalco Board Position: Senior Director
Company / Position: Custom Sales and Systems, Inc. / Operations Manager LATAM
ISBT Member Since: 2012
What I Love About ISBT: The ISBT is a great meeting point for the Beverage Industry community, the society allows meeting people from all different technical areas of the beverage industry, and different regions of the world, then we can be able to not only befriend them but learn from each other and share knowledge and experiences that help our beverage business. Also, the ISBT allows to all members access to updated guidelines and knowledge according to the beverage market evolution, using that valuable information has given me a better understanding of the issues and facts of the beverage production lines, so I can offer faster and more accurate solutions to my customers.

Andy Reim

Andy Reim Board Position: Senior Director
Company / Position: Ecolab / Executive Area Technical Support Coordinator
ISBT Member Since: 1998
What I Love About ISBT: I first joined ISBT in 1997. Since then it has been a source of knowledge, a source of inspiration, a place to make friends, and a place to develop business networks and contacts for me. It is a place where the fiercest competitors (bottlers, brand owners, or suppliers) can unite and collaborate to solve common challenges. Every year after BevTech, I mark my calendar for the next BevTech and start counting the days until I get to see the friends and colleagues I've known for many years, the new friends and colleagues I've met in the current year, and the future friends and colleagues I'll meet at the next BevTech.

Philip Thonhauser

Philip Thonhauser Board Position: Senior Director
Company / Position: ZEP, Inc. / CTO
ISBT Member Since: 2005
What I Love About ISBT: I am thankful for being an ISBT member since this membership helped me shape my perception of the beverage industry. This group of people as both, inspiring and technical orientated in order to help move the beverage industry in the right direction. Also, through ISBT I was able to connect with technical decision makers in my specific field of interest. I feel the responsibility to represent ISBT in my business environment as a highly valuable organization. And I met really great people, had a lot of fun, and found good friends at the ISBT!

Bob Yeoman

Bob Yeoman Board Position: Senior Director
Company / Position: Spectrum Carbonics / Managing Director
ISBT Member Since: 2014
What I Love About ISBT: The work done by ISBT serves to create a lasting legacy. Future generations in the beverage industry will use ISBT to learn from as they start and expand their career. Similarly, the ISBT Guidelines help guide and ensure the quality and safety of beverages globally. Helping to shape and create that legacy is personally very rewarding.

Neil Marshall

Neil Marshall Board Position: Director
Company / Position: GCI LLC / Managing Director
ISBT Member Since: 2014
What I Love About ISBT: The ability to network with colleagues from across the industry.

Tricia O'Connell

Tricia O'Connell Board Position: Director
Company / Position: PepsiCo / FSQA Senior Manager
ISBT Member Since: 2014

Emi Rico

Emi Rico Board Position: Director
Company / Position: BCN Research Laboratories, Inc. / CEO
ISBT Member Since: 2009
What I Love About ISBT: There are many things that I love about the ISBT. Being a member of the ISBT has meant to me a lot of rewarding moments from meeting exceptional beverage industry professionals to contributing to the education of important subjects such as beverage microbiological control and sanitation. I have also gained a lot of knowledge from the excellent programs that the ISBT prepares every year. They always cover the current technologies, packaging, regulations, ingredients, innovative sanitation and microbial control technologies, and water treatment — among others. I am proud to be a part of this organization.

Sanjay Srivatsa

Sanjay Srivatsa Board Position: Director
Company / Position: Solecta Membranes LLC / Vice President, Food & Beverages
ISBT Member Since: 2011
What I Love About ISBT: It provides an informal, thought provoking forum where producers and solution providers can come together, exchange ideas, and further the cause of improving state of ART in beverage production. It also facilitates production of unique guidelines, assembled by industry experts, as well as several good refresher topics in the basics of Beverage manufacture. When it comes to beverages, if you have problems, you will most likely locate possible avenues to pursue solutions at ISBT.

Jim Barker

Jim Barker ISBT Position: ISBT Scholarship Committee Committee Chair, Membership Committee Chair
Company / Position: Niagara Bottling, LLC / Sr. Quality Manager Sanitation
ISBT Member Since: 2009
What I Love About ISBT: Ability to network with the quality professionals in the industry. Training and education for those individuals who wish to grow their knowledge and continuously improve the quality of beverages.

Nate Fryzek

Nate Fryzek ISBT Position: Business Development Committee Chair
Company / Position: Presage Analytics / Director of Sales and Marketing
ISBT Member Since: 2021
What I Love About ISBT: After the first few hours of my first visit to the ISBT conference, I was welcomed into the organization of talented, smart, and capable individuals and leaders within beverage institutions nationwide. By spending some time in casual conversations, I could make both friends and peers that could help me understand complex topics and business needs in simple terms, as well as ways in which they were solved IN PRACTICE. It's rare to find the level of invitingness that I found at the conference, willingness to connect and converse, and direct access to resources and tools for practical business needs.

Michon Mitchell

Michon Mitchell ISBT Position: Strategy Committee Chair
ISBT Member Since: 2013

Ron Puvak

Ron Puvak ISBT Position: Marketing Committee Chair
Company / Position: Contract Packaging Association / Executive Director
ISBT Member Since: 2002

ISBT Staff

Paige Jarvi

Paige Jarvi Company / Position: PMMI: The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies / Director of Association Services
Supporting ISBT Since: 2023

Tom Reimer

Tom Reimer Board Position: Beverage Institute Program Director
ISBT Member Since: 1988
What I Love About ISBT: I have had many roles in operations, engineering, innovation, and supply chain, and the ISBT has brought value to me in all of these roles, which created a benefit to my company. The ability to have visibility to all of the issues, advances, and changes in the industry allowed me to prepare my organization for the future. Being part of an organization that gives you the opportunity to talk openly and directly to the people who have the knowledge to identify / quantify the problems facing the industry and have them provide you with actionable steps to take that will solve that problem at your business is invaluable.

ISBT Org Chart

ISBT Org Chart