The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a vibrant community that has been shaping the discourse on food science and technology for more than 70 years. Individuals who are active in any aspect of the food profession and are interested in supporting IFT’s objectives are invited to join our organization.
Membership in IFT is handled by the National IFT office. Realizing that one size does not fit all, IFT has designed membership options to provide you with the resources, programs, services, and networking opportunities you need at different phases of your career. To explore even more about the value of membership and the various membership options, please click here.
Our Northern California section (NCIFT) has additional section dues that are added to price of membership during registration. These dues help our section put on local networking events, fund student scholarships, and help advance the science of food in Northern California. All members of NCIFT also receive copies of our quarterly Hornblower magazine.
Your IFT Membership dues are a solid investment in your career, both now and in the future. No other organization has IFT’s ability to advance the science of food or to advance the careers of professionals like you.
If you have additional questions about membership, please contact the NCIFT Membership Secretary directly.
Congratulations to Nikoo on her selection as NCIFT Member of the Year for 2020!
It is hard to find a more professional, hard-working and dedicated person than Nikoo. She strongly stands for integrity and professionalism while she is always available to assist those moving up and forward. She is also a wonderfully enlightened and pleasant colleague with stick-to-it ethical standards that are above reproach. Combine that with her amazing interpersonal skills, genuine warmth, and broad professional network, and you have a reliable resource for any organizational goal you may want to achieve.
Nikoo is a food scientist by education with a great passion for the science of food. Having one foot in pharmaceutical quality, and the other in the food industry, she put her efforts into transferring her knowledge of advanced pharmaceutical quality systems to the food industry, especially after the FSMA mandate.
Despite her demanding positions in Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries, Nikoo maintained her connection to the food industry and IFT. She started serving at IFT as a graduate student representative at the IFT chapter in Vancouver, British Columbia, during her PhD program. She joined NCIFT after moving to the Bay Area. Within the last six years, she has been a member of NCIFT board of directors, serving as Director at Large, President Elect, President and Past President. She put her heart into promoting NCIFT in the Northern California food community and enhancing NCIFT’s outreach.
Nikoo is a true believer in the power of inclusion and collaboration in running a successful organization, such as NCIFT. Examples are her leadership in collaborative efforts to create impactful events from the annual symposium and suppliers’ night to the professional event and student activities. She believes fun community events are good vehicles for effective technical education while building bridges and professional networks.
Click here to see past NCIFT Past Chairs of the Section.
PRESIDENT
Dr. Parastoo Yaghmaee
Ziel
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Ms. Ellice Ogle
Tandem Foods
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Mr. Jaspreet Walia
Certified Laboratories of Northern California
SECRETARY
Dr. Gabriella John Swammy
SJSU
TREASURER
Ms. Terri Amerio-Bell, EA, CFP
Emeritus
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Ms. Erin Evers
SPI Group
DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE
Mr. Matthew Poon
Dr. Xi (Alex) Feng
Dept. of Nutrition, Food Science and Packaging
San Jose State University
Mr. Jeff Sheasley
Elite Spice
Mr. Christopher Ham
Mr. John Frelka
Ms. WanChin Lim
Dr. Victor Hong
NOMINATING & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Mr. John Frelka
FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Ms. Terri Amerio-Bell, EA, CFP
Emeritus
SUPPLIERS’ NIGHT EXPO CHAIR
Mr. Bruce Ferree
Insight Food Safety Consulting
GRANTS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Charlwit Kulchaiyawat
Foster Farms
NEW PROFESSIONALS GROUP CHAIR
Ms. Erin Evers
SPI Group
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE CHAIR
Ms. Reshmi Raman
Brioche PASQUIER
SCIENCE FAIR AWARDS CHAIR
Ms. Rachael Hung
SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR
Dr. Apurva Bhave
EDUCATIONAL CHAIR
Dr. Ashwini Wagh
Clorox
GOLF CLASSIC & AWARDS DINNER
CO-CHAIRS & TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS:
Mr. Martin Potnick
Nevada Industry Excellence
Mr. Dave Sholty
Emeritus
Mr. Craig Rothe
Elite Spice
Mr. Jaspreet Walia (Jas)
Certified Laboratories of Northern California
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
UC Davis:
Ms. Angela Weber
Undergrad Student
Ms. Katherine Rose Uhl
Graduate Student
Ms. Stephanie Myers
Campus Contact
CSU San Jose:
Dr. Xi (Alex) Feng
Campus Contact
CSU Chico:
Ms. Maria Giovanni
Campus Contact
OTHER IMPORTANT CONTACTS
INCOMING HORNBLOWER EDITOR
Ms. Jaime Lawrence
JOB LISTINGS:
Ms. Imelda Vasquez
NCIFT Office at Marketing Designs
SUPPLIERS’ NIGHT EXPO COORDINATOR & MEMBERSHIP RECORDS
Ms. Imelda Vasquez
NCIFT Office at Marketing Designs