Top 10 Directors of Food Safety - 2026

She oversees food safety, quality assurance and regulatory strategy, connecting product development, supplier approvals, traceability and frontline operations to embed risk management throughout the product lifecycle rather than treating compliance as a standalone function.

With a background spanning project and operations,Tyler Mickesh leads as Director of Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Conagra Brands. His career includes roles in quality, microbiology and operations at Conagra, B&G Foods, Van Holten’s Pickles, United Vaccines and Kraft Foods Group.

With more than 25 years in food safety and quality, Dan Lasic, MS, MPH, is Global Food Safety Director at Bloomin’ Brands. His earlier work includes food safety, quality assurance and environmental health roles with MBM Foodservice, Compass Group and county agencies.

Partesha Verge is Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Distribution at US Foods. Her stated focus includes preventive controls, product risk assessment, audits, data analysis, KPI improvement and GFSI systems. She also holds an ASQ Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor credential.

Samantha Barstow Aaberg is Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Noodles & Company. Her experience spans quality assurance, quality control and sensory evaluation, with work across manufacturing environments and the restaurant field.

At Bunge, Jayd Kittelson serves as North America Quality, Food Safety Director. He previously spent 18 years at Cargill as Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Director and holds an MBA from Purdue University.

Food safety, quality and operations form Derek Richey’s role as Director at The Andersons. His background includes quality assurance and plant management positions at Lansing Trade Group, Pro-Pet and Paris Brothers. He also holds SQF auditor, lead auditor and PCQI certifications.

Carol Ardle is the Food Safety and Quality Systems Leader at The Hershey Company. Her background includes quality governance and food safety, with experience across Project Next Century, Operations Quality and the Hershey Plant.

With a career in food quality and safety, Chris Becker is Director, Corporate FSQA at Foster Farms. His background includes director and corporate quality roles at Smithfield Foods and Farmland Foods, along with experience in quality systems, regulatory compliance and operational excellence.

Nicolette Samson is Director of Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Compliance and Governance at Yum! Global. A quality and food safety professional, she also brings operations and technical experience from her career with KFC Africa.