Partnership for Food Safety Education

FightBAC!

PFSE Welcomes New Chair, Vice Chair to Board of Directors

Dr. Barb Masters of Tyson Foods elected as Board Chair, Ashley Eisenbeiser of FMI – The Food Industry Association elected as Vice Chair

The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) announced Dr. Barb Masters was elected as its new board chair during the October Board of Directors Meeting. Dr. Masters brings a wealth of experience and passion to the role of board chair. She succeeds Harold Chase of NSF, who served as chair since 2022.

Dr. Masters serves as vice president of regulatory policy, food and agriculture with Tyson Foods, Inc. She has a proven track record in advancing food safety from farm to fork.

Dr. Masters holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State University and a Food Animal Internship from Kansas State University. She has served on PFSE’s board since 2020.

“With more people eating at home, combining their meals with prepared and fresh foods for convenience, it’s so important to work across sectors to support information disseminators with science-based resources so they can be effective at influencing food handling behaviors,” said Dr. Masters. “I believe the Partnership is well positioned to provide such leadership.”

Additionally, Ashley Eisenbeiser, senior director of food and product safety programs at FMI – The Food Industry Association, was elected as vice chair of the PFSE Board of Directors. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in food science and technology, and earned a master’s degree in food science and technology from Virginia Tech. Eisenbeiser has served on PFSE’s Board since 2020.

As a previous family and consumer sciences extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Eisenbeiser is particularly passionate about food safety education.

“We will continue leading the way in consumer food safety education, all with one goal: to serve our communities and reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” said Eisenbeiser.

Dr. Masters and Eisenbeiser, alongside the full Board of Directors, are both committed to advancing the mission and expanding the Partnership’s reach to ensure that everyone has access to essential food safety education.

Under the leadership of its Board of Directors, the Partnership spearheaded a Collective Day of Action on Wednesday, Sept. 18, in observance of National Food Safety Education Month. The event united food industry, federal agencies, health, nutrition and food safety educators, garnering more than 150 posts across social media channels and internal communications with an estimated reach of 4 million people in one day.

Thirteen thousand community-based health, nutrition and food safety professionals rely on the Partnership for science-based resources and tools. PFSE has hosted educational webinars and events on topics such as the importance of food safety in nutrition, food safety for older adults, and perceptions of flour risk. Nearly 90 percent of respondents report that they are likely to share the information they learned from these events in their outreach efforts.

The Partnership will host the Consumer Food Safety Education Conference (CFSEC) on March 13-14, 2025, at the Sysco Headquarters in Houston, Texas. The CFSEC is the only conference in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to food safety education. This interactive two-day event will bring together forward-thinking leaders in food safety for dynamic discussions, provide opportunities to network with notable industry professionals, and offer new tools and resources to enhance food safety practices. For more information, visit cfsec.org or contact PFSE at cfsec@fightbac.org.

Visit the PFSE’s website to view the full list of the Board of Directors.

About the Partnership for Food Safety Education
The non-profit Partnership for Food Safety Education is the creator and steward of the popular Fight BAC!® national food safety education campaign and the national leader in disseminating information around the linkage of food safety consumer education with positive health outcomes. Food safety and health educators, and consumers, can download free food safety education information from the Partnership’s website at fightbac.org.

Contact PFSE Communications Associate Shawnte Loeri for more information. 

Partnership for Food Safety Education Grows with New Board Members, Partners

The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) announces several appointments to its Board of Directors. PFSE is a non-profit, public health organization that develops and promotes education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers.

The Partnership appointed four new board members:

  • Jane DeMarchi, president of the North American Millers’ Association
  • Stefanie Evans, Ph.D., vice president of quality and food safety sourcing and design at Danone North America
  • H. Lester Schonberger, Ph.D., associate extension specialist with Virginia Tech/Virginia Cooperative Extension
  • Sharon Mayl, partner at DLA Piper, appointed as board advisor


“We’re so happy to welcome our new board members,” said Harold Chase, PFSE board chair and director of government affairs with NSF. “Our talented Board of Directors is dedicated to stewarding PFSE to be effective at helping people reduce their risk of foodborne illness at home.”

Rotating off the board are Michael Roberson, director of corporate quality assurance with Publix Super Markets and past board chair, as well as Shauna C. Henley, Ph.D., family and consumer sciences educator at University of Maryland Extension. The Partnership is grateful for their dedication to food safety education and servant leadership.

PFSE also welcomes six new contributing partners: Albertsons, Amazon, Diversey, Home Chef, JBS and SmartLabel by Consumer Brands Association. Contributing partners help to keep food safety education resources free to access and provide thought leadership to program development and strategy.

“The Partnership’s historical leadership in public-private collaboration is unique and important to making an impact on foodborne illnesses,” said Britanny Saunier, PFSE executive director. “We’re grateful to have the thought leadership of our Board of Directors, contributing partners, federal liaisons and food safety educators to advance awareness of safe food handling practices for people preparing meals at home.”

View the full list of PFSE Board of Directors and the partner organizations who support this work.

About the Partnership for Food Safety Education
The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) is a non-profit, public health organization with a mission to develop and promote effective education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers. This important work is done through a historically significant cross-sector collaboration with the federal government, food industry, consumer groups, and scientific associations. PFSE supports more than 13,000 health and food safety educators with free, science-based safe food handling messages who reach 8.5 million U.S. households each year. Food safety professionals, health educators, and consumers can download free food safety education information from the Partnership’s website at fightbac.org.