As NFPA's executive vice president, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs and chief science officer, Ferenc will be responsible for the overall direction of the association's three laboratory centers and NFPA-Asia, the organization's regional office in Bangkok, Thailand. She will oversee NFPA's technical, regulatory and research functions, as well as NFPA's training courses and seminars, and will be the association's chief scientific spokesperson on a range of issues related to food science, food safety, food security and nutrition.

Ferenc currently serves as principal and senior consultant for SAF* RISK, LC, where she coordinates and conducts risk-assessment and economic and issues analyses for the public and private sector. Previously, Ferenc served as vice president of Scientific and Regulatory Policy at the Grocery Manufacturers of America, where she coordinated the nutrition and international regulatory policy programs for the organization. She has held senior positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis, overseeing development of environmental, food safety, and animal health risk assessments. She also has managed the design phase of an industry-led Center for Agriculture and Food Bio-Security, analyzing the costs and benefits of various changes to production methods and food safety issues.

Additionally, Ferenc has served as a senior scientist for the International Life Sciences Institute's Risk Science Institute, where she coordinated ILSI's food safety risk assessment activities. While there, she served as a special advisor to FAO and WHO on matters of microbiological and food safety risk assessment. Ferenc also possesses recognized experience as an international food safety speaker and has led numerous food workshops and training courses.

Ferenc received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University, and her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida. She currently serves as a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine with the National Academies.

"Dr. Ferenc's business background and her broad food science experience, as well as her international reputation as a scientific leader, will have an extremely positive impact on NFPA's scientific, technical, and regulatory affairs functions, as well as our educational programs," Cady noted. "Dr. Ferenc's decision to join NFPA's staff ensures that the association continues to be well-positioned to meet the needs of its members and the food industry."