Announcing the 2022 President's Award Recipient - Mike Getter
Mike is a Practice Lead at Actalent Scientific supporting talent resourcing for the Food and Beverage and Consumer Products industries in Minnesota. In this role he has been able to support Food Safety, Regulatory, and R&D professionals to build their teams and progress their careers in these skill sets.
Mike has been a long-standing member of MNIFT sitting on the New Professionals Committee, Employment Committee, Golf Committee, and now serving as the Chair of the Expo Committee since 2019.
As the Chair of the Expo Committee, Mike was integral in leading the MN Section through the challenges of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. As it became apparent that we would not likely have an in-person Supplier’s Expo in 2020, he researched options, pulled in experts, and ultimately found a solution that enabled the section to have an online Expo in partnership with the Chicago Section of IFT. Though the 2020 Expo was smaller than typical, it allowed the MN Section to receive some income, contribute to student scholarships, and maintain connection and relevancy with our membership and local industry.
Fast forward to 2021, and though some are still hesitant to attend large in-person events, the 2021 MN IFT Supplier’s Expo was a success. Under Mike’s leadership, the event came close to pre-pandemic numbers and served as a pivotal moment for the MN Section to re-introduce in-person events to engage with members and industry partners.
On a personal note, Mike is from St. Paul and now lives in White Bear Lake with his wife (Jen), and three children (Teddy – 7, Poppy – 6, and Landry – 3). He attended St. Olaf College and has a BA in Economics and Finance.
History of the President’s Award
The President’s Award was established by the Minnesota Section of the Institute of Food Technologists in 1987. In the words of the Bylaw adopted to formally establish the Award, its purpose is “to recognize a member in the section who has served the Section and the profession in an outstanding manner”.
The Award consists of an engraved plaque with the citation and an honorarium. The presentation is featured at the first dinner meeting of the year for the Minnesota IFT Section.
All members of the Minnesota Section are eligible for this award. The selection of the award is made by a committee of the Section, which is comprised of current and former Presidents of the Minnesota Section.
Nomination for the award may be made by the any member of the Minnesota Section. The Award recognizes the dedication that many IFT members have for their professional scientific society and says “thank you” to all who have given their time to improve the future of the food sector.
Prior Award Recipients
1987 - Emily Anderson
1988 - Elwood Caldwell
1989 - John Ringstrom
1990 - Karen Dragon
1991 - Rusty Nelson
1992 - William Davidson
1993 - Lorraine Smith
1994 - Edmund Zottola
1995 - Gary Richter, John Hall, Alden Drew
1996 - Elizabeth Knight
1997 - Katherine Swanson
1998 - Larry Pearson
1999 - Purnendu Vasavada
2000 - Gary Geist
2001 - Anand Rao
2002 - Frank Busta
2003 - Joseph Warthesen
2004 - Robert Freemore
2005 - Michael Mensing
2006 - Daniel Kennedy
2007 - Cheryl Dienken
2008 - Award Not Given
2009 - Award Not Given
2010 - Award Not Given
2011 - Award Not Given
2012 - Award Not Given
2013 - Award Not Given
2014 - Cheryl Dienken
2015 - Tina Hacker
2016 - Brenda Knapp-Polzin
2017 - Lisa Pannell
2018 - Sharon Herzog
2019 - Dana Dronen
2020 - Mary K. Schmidl
2021 - Award Not Given
2022 - Mike Getter