DFA names new vice president

Dr. Craig Schroeder, PhD, has been named vice president of research and development and quality assurance for Dairy Farmers of America. Schroeder was promoted to head DFA technology, product development and quality assurance efforts at the cooperative's research and development facility, according to a release from DFA.

The Springfield facility, newly dubbed the Technology Center, is a state-of-the-art laboratory and testing facility that offers product innovation, research and development services to support DFA manufacturing groups and customers. The center has R&D laboratories, a small-scale pilot plant that allows scientists to perform all current plant processes, offices for client use and a sensory lab for consumer testing.

Ray Silvey, DFA vice president of human resources and administration, announced Schroeder's appointment and said Schroeder will report to DFA chief executive officer and president Gary Hanman.

Silvey said Schroeder has a strong blend of academic credentials and scientific skill, along with a broad-based, hands-on industry knowledge of management and technical support for dairy ingredients and foods.

"Since 1995, Craig served as DFA's manager of cheese and milk-fat technology," Silvey said in the release. "Prior to that, he served four years as technical manager for Pfizer's Dairy Ingredients Division in Milwaukee, Wis., where part of his duties included worldwide technical support for dairy ingredients."

The Iowa native said his greatest challenge is to build upon the strengths that already exist within DFA's R&D team, and to capitalize on new opportunities through DFA, its customers and its joint-venture relationships. He said those initiatives led to the center's name change from Product Development Center to Technology Center.

"The name change was logical because DFA's Technology Center is a funnel of information," Schroeder said. "Yes, we do food research and product development by drawing on existing technologies; but we are also, increasingly, developing brand new technologies to create new foods and food ingredients."

Schroeder, who holds a doctoral degree in microbiology from North Carolina State University, earned master's and bachelor's degrees in microbiology from Iowa State University. His postdoctoral work was completed at the University of Minnesota. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Maine as assistant professor of food science and microbiology.

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