2023 Annual Meeting Speakers
Terry Brockman
Chief Business Officer
Saputo USA

Terry Brockman is Chief Business Officer of Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Brockman joined Saputo Cheese USA Inc. 26 years ago and served as President and Chief Operating Officer for 14 years before he was appointed to Chief Business Officer in August 2020. Prior to this, he held a variety of roles in Human Resources at Saputo. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a B.A. in Public Administration and Political Science.
Dr. Frank Mitloehner
Professor & Air Quality Specialist
UC Davis, CLEAR Center

Dr. Frank Mitloehner is a professor and air quality specialist in cooperative extension in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis. As such, he shares his knowledge and research, both domestically and abroad, with students, scientists, farmers and ranchers, policy makers, and the public at large. Frank is also director of the CLEAR Center, which has two cores – research and communications.
Veronique Lagrange
Director
California Dairy Innovation Center

Lagrange directs the new California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC) since December 2020. The CDIC was formed by the California Milk Advisory Board 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.
Amy DeLisio
CEO
Dairy Council of California

Amy DeLisio serves as CEO at the Dairy Council of California bringing a wealth of executive and professional expertise and strategic leadership to the position. Amy has over 15 years of experience in food and nutrition security initiatives, public health, nutrition policy, partnership development, and consensus building. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a master’s in public health from the University of Southern California.
Josh Long
President & CEO
E4E Solutions, LLC

Josh is the President & CEO of E4E Solutions, an energy efficiency and decarbonization Consulting & Design/Build Engineering firm. E4E works with manufacturing clients, primarily in Food & Beverage, to design and delivery high ROI projects that also achieve sustainability goals for our clients.
Stephen Cain
Director, Economic Research & Analysis
National Milk Producers Federation

Stephen Cain serves as the director of economic research and analysis with NMPF and supports the federation through the analysis of both domestic and international dairy markets. He regularly publishes reports on dairy market dynamics and provides ad-hoc analysis on a wide range of dairy and related areas.
Justin Loyear
Business Dev. Manager, West Region
Cummins Alternative Technologies

Michael Boccadoro has participated in California’s environmental policy arena for more than 30 years. He has served as executive director of Dairy Cares since its inception and is a leading expert on sustainable dairy production. He also serves as executive director of the Agricultural Energy Consumers Association and the California Creamery Operators Association. Before launching West Coast Advisors, he served as President and Sacramento Office Director of the Dolphin Group.
Mary Ledman
Global Sector Strategist – Dairy
Rabobank

Mary Ledman joined RaboResearch as ‘Global Sector Strategist – Dairy’ based in the Chicago office in January 2018. Mary is a thought leader who has extensive knowledge of international dairy markets and policy with over thirty years of experience in the sector, including USDA, Kraft Foods, Stella Foods, and the publisher of the Daily Dairy Report.
Erik Covey
Fleet Manager
Shehadey Family Foods

With more than a decade of experience in the Fleet industry, Erik specializes in sustainable Fleet solutions in the dynamic California market. Under Erik's leadership, Shehadey Family Foods has implemented new technologies by bringing the first two fully electric Volvo VNRs to California, increased mechanic training, improved driver training programs, streamlined maintenance processes, achieving significant cost savings, and increased operational efficiency.
John Talbot
CEO
California Milk Advisory Board

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
Dr. Ermias Kebreab
Associate Dean of Global Engagement
University of California, Davis

Ermias Kebreab is Associate Dean of Global Engagement and Director of World Food Center at University of California, Davis. He holds the Sesnon Endowed Chair in Sustainable Agriculture. He conducts research in nutrition modeling and impact of livestock on the environment. He is contributing author to 2019 IPCC update, and chaired the feed additive and methane committees of FAO of the United Nations. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Susan Pheasant
"Cowkeeper"
Pacific Coast Coalition- Dairy Business Initiative
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Dr. Susan Pheasant is “cowkeeper” for the Pacific Coast Coalition – Dairy Business Innovation Initiative, a >$23 million USDA funded capacity building (people, facilities, technical assistance) endeavor spanning 6 states and 8 universities. She also serves as Director for Fresno State's Institute for Food and Agriculture.
Jacob Outzen Dransfeldt
Sr. Technical Advisor
Consulate General of Denmark

Jacob Dransfeldt has more than 20 years of experience from the Danish process industry. Jacob has broad knowledge of energy efficiency, water savings, and industrial process optimization and has managed several small and large-scale projects within the Danish food & beverage process industry. Jacob helps support California food & beverage processors in their efforts to optimize energy and water use, especially within the dairy processing industry.
Michael Boccadoro
Executive Director
CCOA, Dairy Cares, AECA

Michael Boccadoro has participated in California’s environmental policy arena for more than 30 years. He has served as executive director of Dairy Cares since its inception and is a leading expert on sustainable dairy production. He also serves as executive director of the Agricultural Energy Consumers Association and the California Creamery Operators Association. Before launching West Coast Advisors, he served as President and Sacramento Office Director of the Dolphin Group.
Paul Bleiburg
SVP, Government Relations
National Milk Producers Federation

Paul Bleiberg leads NMPF's policy and advocacy efforts before Congress and works closely with various federal agencies. During his tenure at NMPF, Bleiberg has worked with the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to enact major dairy policy reforms, including in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, 2018 Farm Bill, and multiple COVID response packages.
Cliff Gladstein
Founding President
Gladstein, Neandross & Associates

Since founding GNA in 1993, Cliff has been instrumental in the development of environmental programs and policies that have improved air quality, increased the use of clean fuels and advanced technologies in transportation, and spurred the creation of innovative public-private partnerships in a variety of sectors. It is for these reasons that he has become one of the most sought after leaders within the environmental and energy communities.
Jared Ruiz
Regional Vice President – West
Volvo Trucks North America

Jared Ruiz has spent the past 10 years working in the trucking industry. He is currently the Regional Vice President for the Western U.S. with Volvo Trucks North America. He has been key in the execution and commercial launch of the Volvo VNR Electric offering in North America. Prior to that, he spent several years in fleet sales and leasing roles within the industry. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University and resides in Saratoga Springs, UT.
Phil Plourd
President
Ever.Ag Insights

Phil Plourd is Head of Market Intelligence for Ever.Ag. He has been involved in dairy market analysis, research, forecasting, consulting and risk management activities for more than 25 years. Phil draws on that experience to lead an expert team helping clients find better ways to do business – across the supply chain and around the world. He is a popular speaker who engages audiences on a variety of topics.
Arun Gupta
CEO
Skyven Technologies

Arun Gupta is the founder and CEO of Skyven Technologies, an Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS)
company focused on cutting CO2 emissions related to industrial process heat. As a
leading expert on industrial decarbonization, Arun is recognized by the NSF and other
distinguished institutions for excellence in clean energy. Arun has a PhD in electrical
engineering.
Darrin Monteiro
VP, Sustainability and Member Relations
California Dairies, Inc.
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Darrin Monteiro is the VP, Sustainability and Member Relations for California Dairies Inc. He actively participates in political, regulatory and sustainability activities on behalf of the membership and cooperative in Sacramento and Washington DC. Prior to joining CDI, Monteiro worked for the Farm Service Agency (FSA), a branch of the USDA. Before working for the FSA, Monteiro worked on his family’s farm in Fresno County where they have been successfully dairying for over 30 years.