QUALITY ASSURANCE EXECUTIVE

Results-driven Quality Management Executive with 25+ years of experience in CPG, food service, and private label industries. Extensive expertise in new Plant start-ups, lean manufacturing, contract manufacturing, project management, quality improvement, and innovation quality. Strong combination of Supplier Quality, Operations Quality, Consumer Affairs, Laboratory, and Customer Quality leadership. Diverse product knowledge including cannabis, food, personal care/cosmetics, OTC, and pharmaceutical excipients. A highly effective communicator at all levels with excellent coaching, mentoring, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Experienced with GFSI schemes including FSSC 22000, BRCGS, and SQF. Experienced with other quality systems including ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 22716, and IPEC-PQG.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MSO Cannabis Company

2019-Present

Vice President of Quality

Responsible for overseeing quality-related activities for 21 Cannabis facilities across 10 states. Ensured products were being produced in a manner that meets product safety, quality, and brand reputation standards. Responsible for leading efforts to identify potential quality risks while working with operations to develop improvement opportunities. Developed the Quality vision and company quality strategy including GFSI certification readiness. Maintained overall accountability for the entire quality organization (Documents and Training, Supplier Quality, Operations Quality, Product Quality, Analytical Quality, and Quality Systems). Oversaw a department of 8 direct and 70 indirect reports across the U.S. Currently reporting to the EVP of Operations COE.

• Integrated quality and product safety management systems into acquired company’s business including corporate quality and product safety protocols, KPI’s, GMPs and other key pre-requisite programs. Combined multiple quality organizations into single team with shared objectives.

• Reported Quality Executive Summaries with key actions and drivers.

• Member of the COVID-19 task force and led implementation of cleaning and disinfecting protocols to minimize disruption to Cresco Labs’ Operations.

• Responsible for the Quality department budget of approximately $9MM.

• Led investigations and CAPA for all critical quality events including withdrawals and potential recalls.

• Led organization to significantly improve First Pass Quality to >95%

• Reduced quality nonconformances by 50% in 12 months.

• Improved external testing pass rate from 85% to 96% in 12 months

• Decreased held Inventory from $2.4MM to $73K in 12 months.

• Maintained consumer complaint rate at <1% Year over Year.

• Worked with HR to recruit and train >20 key Quality positions for the organization.

• Led “Clean by Design” requirements for new construction and major renovation projects.

• Led first Quality Summit while partnering with various departments on key updates and deliverables.

XYZ Co LLC, Hodgkins, IL 2018-2019

Director of Quality Assurance, Countryside, IL

Responsible for taking the corporate quality assurance system and team to the next level to promote customer satisfaction and positively impact the financial performance of the company through continuous improvement efforts. Developed, applied, and maintained quality standards with adherence to both internal and external standards for OTC and personal care/cosmetics. Owned the quality management system while leading quality initiatives across (2) facilities in the U.S. Responsible for (7) departments including compliance, incoming inspection, analytical, micro, documents, quality control, and stability. Responsible for a team of 10 direct reports while reporting to the VP of Quality Systems.

• Partnered with key strategic customers including Johnson & Johnson, Vogue International, Mast Global, Colgate[1]Palmolive, Proactiv, Galderma, Guthy-Renker, Inspired Beauty Brands, Estee Lauder, and Rodan + Fields on all major Quality related issues.

• Maintained external manufacturing risk level rating of “low” for major customers.

• Implemented key quality baseline metrics for customer complaints, out of spec occurrences (OOSs), COA conformity, first pass quality, rework, release cycle time, and held inventory.

• Decreased held inventory across the network from 60% to 30% in <3 months.

• Revamped and enhanced the cGMP program across (2) facilities.

• Supported customer and third-party audits including ISO 22716, Health Canada, Social Compliance, and Halal.

Food Company, Oakbrook, IL 2015 – 2018

Director of Quality Assurance-Customer Facing, 2016 - 2018

Directed and guided Food Co’s strategic customers in all aspects of food safety and quality of products being manufactured across >40 facilities in U.S., Canada, and Italy encompassing (5) business divisions (snacks, condiments, beverages, meals, baked goods). Built confidence and trust from customers enabling teams to conduct ongoing business as collaborative partners. Responsible for a team of (3) direct and (1) indirect reports while reporting to the VP of QualitySystems.

• Directed the program for 22 strategic customers which also included Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Kroger, Safeway-Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold, and Topco while providing “Platinum” service to maintain Food Co. as the leading supplier in private label.

• Implemented the customer quality strategy including a quarterly scorecard across the Food Co’s organization.

• Led Top to Top meetings at customer locations and closed >95% of gaps identified.

• Launched a new call center without disruption to the Food Co’s business.

• Circumvented >20 product withdrawals while avoiding >$500,000 in costs to the supply chain in 2017.

• Staffed, trained, and mentored the consumer affairs department resulting in improved initial complaint acknowledgement decreasing from 45 days to 2 days within 3 months.

• Maintained the “voice of the customer” to Food Co. while partnering with various internal departments to provide solutions back to the customer.

• Member of the Crisis Management/Special Situations Team while also involved in a Class II Recall in 2016.

Supplier QA Manager, 2015 – 2016

Responsible for the Corporate Quality Assurance Program for 3,500+ suppliers and 15,000+ ingredients globally which included qualification/disqualification/probation and monitoring of all suppliers, ingredients and food contact packaging. Responsible for the Supplier auditing and QA Ingredients Teams consisting of (8) direct and (3) indirect reports in U.S. and Canada regions while reporting to the Director of Quality and Food Safety Systems. Partnered with Legal, Procurement, and Manufacturing during vendor performance investigations and claims.

• Led audit “Blitz” execution resulting in 61% completed for high-risk domestic suppliers as a result of a Class I Recall and multiple product withdrawals in 2016 resulting in several gap closures in Food Safety.

• Performed 60+ domestic and international supplier on-site audits resulting in 300+ corrective and preventative actions reducing risk to the Supply Chain.

• Performed 100+ ingredient risk assessments which included biological, chemical, physical, public health, and economically motivated adulteration risks.

• Trained (4) business divisions in 2015 on the vendor complaint log and defect material reporting process resulting in >$8MM in credits along with corrective and preventative actions.

• Implemented Quality Improvement Process (QIP) monthly review meetings resulting in decreased overdue vendor complaints >30days from 63% to 21% in 2015.

• Member of the Food Co’s Corporate HARPC/HACCP team to meet the new FSMA regulations specifically on Supply-chain Preventative Controls and Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).

ABC Food Co. USA, Lisle, IL 2011 – 2015

Regional Manager, Operations Quality Appetizers, U.S., 2014 – 2015

• Responsible for quality and food safety for (6) Appetizer Plants across the U.S.

• Directed (6) plant QA Managers on all food safety and quality issues while reporting to the Director of Operations Quality for North America. Provided Quality leadership to union and non-union facilities ranging up to 400,000 sq. ft.

Regional Manager, Operations Quality Co-manufacture & Specialties, NA, 2011 – 2014

• Responsible for quality and food safety for (17) co-packers and (2) specialty plants across U.S. and Canada while maintaining the written quality program.

• Led qualification audits for all potential McCain co-packers for ready-to-eat and not-ready-to-eat product lines in USDA, FDA, and CFIA regulated facilities. Markets included U.S. Canada and International.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified HACCP Auditor (CHA), American Society for Quality (ASQ)

Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), American Society for Quality (ASQ)

Certified Professional Food Safety (CP-FS), National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

Registered Food Safety Trainer, National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

Licensed in Structural Pest Control (CPT) Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)

Certified Global Food Defense Manager, Global Food Defense Institute (GFDI)

ISO/FSSC 22000 Internal Auditor, D.L. Newslow & Associates, Inc.

Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance (FSPCA)

Massachusetts Cannabis Responsible Vendor Training, Quality Control Analytics

Medical Marijuana Training Course, Pennsylvania Department of Health

EDUCATION

Master of Science (M.S.), Food Science

Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Food Science

COMPUTER SKILLS

MS Office, SAP, TraceGains, Tableau, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, Minitab, Astute ePower Center, LIMS

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), American Society for Quality

(ASQ), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Greater Beta Alumni Association (GBAA)

VOLUNTEERING

Greater Chicago Food Depository

Chicago Lakeview Pantry

Cannabis Guest Lecturer Olive Harvey College South Chicago Campus