Dr. Amanda Gipe McKeith received her A.A. degree in General Agriculture from Merced College in 2003. She went on to receive her B.S. degree in Animal Science and Food Science and M.S. in Animal Science from Kansas State University in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2012, she received her Ph.D. in Animal Science from The Pennsylvania State University. She joined the faculty of the Department of Agriculture at Western Kentucky University in 2012 and in 2014 joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State).

Her research has focused on the microbial safety of naturally cured meat products, validation of Appendix A in roast beef products, seasonality of the quality of grassfed beef, and the effects of olive pomace on beef quality and sensory characteristics. She teaches graduate courses for animal science and agricultural education in statistics and research methods and communication. Dr. McKeith teaches meat science and food safety courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She serves as an undergraduate academic advisor and has directed the research of numerous M.S. graduate students in addition to undergraduate research.

Dr. McKeith serves as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the MS in Agricultural Sciences Program at Fresno State. Besides being active on campus, WMIN, and AMSA, Amanda also serves as the Chairman for the California Association of Meat Processors Cured Meat Championship Competition and President for the California Shorthorn Breeders Association.

Cathy East is the Vice President of National Replenishment and Planning for the Albertsons Companies supporting the Meat, Seafood, Deli, Food Service, Starbucks and In Store Bakery departments across all Regional Divisions. In her role, Cathy is responsible for oversight and standardization of best practices within decentralized replenishment and planning teams in more than 20 distribution centers across the enterprise. She is a valued member of Supply Chain leadership, responsible for managing inventory, reducing waste, strategizing collaborative purchasing and planning for and meeting retail demand while maintaining the highest food safety and quality standards throughout the distribution network.

She began her career as a Production Supervisor for IBP (now Tyson) and held positions in both operations and quality control where she gained valuable industry experience working on several major initiatives including the development of the first HACCP documentation in a beef production facility as well as standardizing yields for close trim products. She then moved to a similar role within Safeway, Inc. before transitioning to supply chain in 2006 when she was named Group Director of the Meat and Seafood Product Supply Department. Upon the acquisition of Safeway by the Albertsons Companies, she was promoted to her current role of Vice President.

Cathy holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Although raised in a big city, she has become a passionate advocate of sustainable animal agriculture and serves as the lead member of Albertsons Companies Animal Well Being Committee. Cathy served as the first female co-chair of the Annual Meat Conference in 2018 and 2019 and is a recent board member addition to the newly formed Women in Meat Industry Network (WIMN). She also serves as the Chairperson of the Retail Advisory Committee for the National Pork Board and is a member of Colorado State’s Ag Next Industry Innovation Group. She has been named to Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and 2020.

Cheyenne McEndaffer grew up in New Mexico where her family has owned and operated a meat slaughter plant for over 25 years. She attended Colorado State University and received her B.S. degree in Animal Science and M.S. degree in Meat Science. Following school, Cheyenne worked as an Audit Specialist for Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), where she conducted food safety, British Retail Consortium (BRC), animal welfare and transportation, sanitation, N60 beef testing, and BSE/SRM audits for numerous industries. She then worked for the U.S. Meat Export Federation in export services. Her duties included providing technical assistance for market access matters, assisting with the technical development of international marketing materials and programs, and assisting exporters with interpretation of export requirements and troubleshooting issues that arise throughout the export process. Cheyenne currently works for Eocene Environmental Group as the Special Projects Liaison, supporting on business development and operations. Cheyenne and her husband also help with the family dryland farming operation in Colorado and run a Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle seedstock operation. Cheyenne’s volunteer activities including being on the Women’s Meat Industry Network (WMIN) board, three National Western Stock Show (NWSS) committees, and the Sterling, Colorado FFA Chapter Advisory Council.

Collette Kaster currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) as well as the Executive Director for PAACO, the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. She has 30 years of experience in the meat industry working with companies such as PIC, Premium Standard, Farmland and Smithfield where she led teams in the areas of quality assurance, technical services and livestock procurement including the implementation of some of the first animal handling and audit programs, along with the implementation of modern handling and CO2 stunning equipment. She is an AMSA Fellow and has served on the Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry Inspection along with many other industry committees and task forces in the areas of animal welfare, food safety, and meat quality.

She has a passion for working with, and improving production agriculture; along with showing people all the great opportunities, it can offer. She loves to help people better understand where their food comes from and to set the record straight on the role of meat in the diet. Outside of work, she and her husband Dennis reside outside of Kansas City and stay busy with their kids, grandson, dogs and cow herd.

Danette Amstein co-founded Midan Marketing with a vision of transforming the meat industry by establishing the first marketing agency solely dedicated to championing the value of meat. As managing principal, she provides strategic guidance to clients and stays closely in tune with meat consumers and how to best market to them. Her lifelong love for the meat industry started on her family’s farm in Kansas, deepened during her involvement with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and state beef organizations and continues today with her passionate work for Midan clients. A well-respected thought leader in the meat industry, she speaks at conferences and writes content for industry publications. She also enjoys developing each Midan team member to achieve their full potential by facilitating training sessions and doing one-on-one coaching.. Married to Todd, she is a proud parent of a son and daughter, is a diehard Kansas State Wildcats fan, loves chocolate and still drives a combine when she goes home to Kansas for the annual wheat harvest.

Drea’s passion and involvement in the meat industry has been life-long. From her childhood raising 4-H livestock, through her college career majoring in Animal Science, to her career today where she continues developing over a decade of experience in building meat brands and sales strategies, progressing culture, and leading successful teams. She’s found a great fit in her current role as Niman Ranch’s Senior Director of Sales because much like Niman Ranch, Drea has always challenged the status quo. She’s driven by a passion for creating opportunities and environments which counteract the systemic lack of diversity and equality across the agriculture industry. Outside of work, you can find her hiking, boating, cooking or traveling with her husband, family and friends.

A native of Northeastern Colorado, Kelsie's passion and roots are steeped in production agriculture. Kelsie grew up on a production farming and ranching operation raising crops and livestock. An active member of 4-H and FFA, she served as a Colorado State FFA officer before continuing her education at Colorado State University obtaining her dual B.S. in Agriculture Business and Animal Science. Following school, Kelsie pursued her passion for marketing, joining the Minnesota based strategic marketing agency, Curious Plot, where she worked as a Senior Account Executive overseeing a diverse portfolio of clients. After several years in the agency world, Kelsie returned to her roots in Colorado with Pilgrim's as the PR & Communications manager for Just Bare, Pilgrim's and the corporate organization. Her heart was called home to the Beef segment when she earned the opportunity to lead the marketing function for the Fed beef division of JBS, with responsibility for implementing the strategic brand and beef program vision. Kelsie partnered with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to successfully launch the fastest growing value-added meat brand in the U.S., growing La Herencia Marinated Meats to $25M in sales, with 49% Repeat Purchase Rate in the brand's first year. She also lead the launch of Just Bare Beef and La Herencia Marinated Meats on Amazon Fresh, supporting +$50M in sales growth with a key customer. She also supported the sell-in and branded launch of Aspen Ridge Natural Angus Beef with a leading national retailer delivering 40%+ program growth. In 2023, Kelsie lead marketing activations that supported JBS being recognized as a Top Branded Growth Driver in CPG (IRI/BCG Annual Study and was named a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer.

Kelsie now owns and operates Kapple Consulting Group and is focused on supporting small to mid-sized businesses with strategic marketing efforts that fuel their growth and help them navigate the shifting tides of the agriculture industry.

Dr. Kimberly Fleming serves as a Principal Program Lead, Supplier Quality and Safety for Chick-fil-A, Inc. working with food suppliers to ensure safe, quality products arrive at Chick-fil-A’s 3,000+ restaurants. She is responsible for identifying and implementing effective corrective actions for non-conformances, minimizing supply chain disruptions, and stewardship of resources while maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality. Prior to her current role, Kim served as a Sr. Supplier Quality and Safety Lead, performing similar responsibilities with poultry suppliers. 

Kim began her career in Research and Development as a Technical Services Lead for Wayne-Sanderson Farms where she gained valuable industry experience working with R&D, QA, Operations, Maintenance, and Sanitation to commercialize new recipes and products. She then moved into the Corporate Food Safety Manager role where she supported 11 facilities, both fresh and fully cooked, to maintain food safety standards and meet regulatory requirements. In this role, Kim led a cross-functional team to develop a HACCP plan, test, validate, and approve a new production line and process at the fully cooked facility. She also partnered with Live Production teams to evaluate on-farm interventions to reduce incoming pathogen loads to processing facilities.

Kim holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Animal and Poultry Sciences from Virginia Tech and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Auburn University with her research focusing on the use of a novel antimicrobial solution to reduce pathogens in marinated meat.

Kyla Kaplan counsels clients on regulatory and compliance matters in the various areas surrounding food, agriculture, and drug law. As an attorney, Kyla brings with her knowledge and awareness of innovative areas of FDA and USDA regulations. Her expertise allows her to provide a wide range of regulatory and legal services for the food and agriculture industry. Key areas include assisting clients with FDA and USDA compliance, handling product labeling and marketing, managing enforcement actions and recalls, trademark processes, and advising on various food safety regulations. Additionally, her expertise extends to emerging issues such as PFAS compliance, cannabis regulations, and representing clients in interactions with government agencies.

Sybil Hika serves as the Director of Marketing for Teys USA, where she leads the organization’s marketing strategy with a focus on driving brand growth and enhancing customer engagement. Since joining Teys USA in 2022 as Marketing Manager for value-added products, she has quickly risen to oversee all marketing efforts across the company. Her dynamic leadership and expertise in blending creativity with data-driven insights have elevated Teys’ visibility and market presence in the U.S. beef industry.

With over 25 years of marketing experience, including nearly 15 years in agriculture—spanning beef, dairy, ag equipment, and food service—Sybil brings extensive knowledge in multichannel campaign execution, brand management, and digital strategy development. Her ability to identify market trends and consumer behaviors has been instrumental in shaping Teys’ U.S. brand while supporting customer marketing initiatives.

Before joining Teys, Sybil honed her skills at National Beef, DeLaval, and Sandbox Marketing Agency, where she worked on campaigns for John Deere. Her passion for the agriculture industry and dedication to innovation have been hallmarks of her career.

Sybil is also commissioned artist, combining her creativity with her professional pursuits. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, attending the theatre, and spending time with her family. She resides in Kansas City, MO, with her husband Doug and their two dogs.