MEGHAN KEELEY
Director Of Food Safety And Quality
Portland,OR
Summary
Strategic, results-focused Food Safety professional with 12 years of experience achieving organizational excellence in the food industry. Skilled in overseeing quality and brand management integrity throughout the value chain from supplier development efforts, ensuring compliance with raw material specifications, manufacturing inspection and quality systems improvements and meeting customer requirements. Proactive leader with strengths in working effectively with all levels of management in a cross-multifunction team environment.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Certifications
Work History
Director of Food Safety and Quality
Bob's Red Mill
Milwaukie, OR
01.2018 - Current
- Oversee Quality Assurance team covering cross-functional areas of operations and corporate development including, quality control, food safety, sanitation, regulatory compliance and sustainability
- Direct team objectives with quality, profitability, integrity and continuous improvement as key principles
- Developed and fostered a food safety culture that was adopted throughout the organization
- Work directly with procurement and raw material vendors to navigate supply chain concerns due to quality, operational or supply/demand constraints
- Function as a subject mater expert and advisor to the Executive Leadership Team on risk management and brand management related to food safety and sustainability
- Responsible for department budget and ensuring it is in line with company objective
- Developed sustainability project goals, objectives and program framework with the sustainability team
- Develop strategic plans to improve productivity, quality, and efficiency of operations
Quality Assurance Manager
Bob's Red Mill
Milwaukie, OR
02.2015 - 01.2018
- Developed and supervised companywide food safety programs with emphasis on training, food handling and maintenance of sanitary conditions in food manufacturing, distribution and storage locations
- Established, executed and managed the companies SQF System under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standard which resulted in an inaugural SQF audit score of 95% and continued audit scores of >95%
- Conducted facility audits of raw material suppliers and managed supplier approval program including co-manufacturing and co-packing partners
- Perform and report on process and formulation tests for R&D and processing improvements to Executive leadership team and other stakeholders
- Worked collaboratively with engineering and production to verify adherence to quality standards and identify opportunities for continuous improvement
Quality Assurance Manager
RainSweet, Inc
Salem, OR
06.2013 - 02.2015
- Responsible for overseeing and continuously improving quality/food safety programs including HACCP, pre-requisite programs and Food Defense
- SQF Practitioner, responsible for creating and managing company Food Safety programs to meet SQF level 2 regulatory requirements
- Main contact for quality and food safety audits, organic audits, regulatory audits including FDA and ODA, and customer audits
- Oversaw and manages raw and finished product grading based on customer specifications and USDA standards for frozen fruit and vegetable commodities
- Direct sampling of finished products and environmental monitoring; coordinate lab analysis programs, identifying, troubleshooting, and resolving sources of micro issues
- Active member of the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA) Operations and Technical Affairs committee and Sustainability committee
Quality Assurance Manager
Amy's Kitchen Inc.
Santa Rosa, CA
01.2012 - 06.2013
- Managed all quality inspections, testing, approval and hold processes
- Reported quality issues and finished good hold dispositions on a monthly basis to Corporate QA Manager and EVP of Manufacturing
- Responsible for FDA regulatory compliance including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) related to manufacturing, storage and distribution
- Trained in Lean manufacturing principles and active contributor on continuous improvement team
Microbiologist
Amy's Kitchen Inc.
04.2010 - 01.2012
- Worked with the Food Safety and HACCP teams to develop microbiological requirements for ingredients, WIPs and finished products that assured the food safety of Amy’s Kitchen products
- Worked with Quality Assurance department to implement programs for raw material, WIP and finished product sampling
- Interpreted micro results for raw materials, WIPs and finished goods, authorized micro clearances, initiated and oversaw investigations as appropriate
- Developed and managed Amy’s internal program to obtain, review, approve and respond to microbiological results on raw material COAs
Microbiology Laboratory Supervisor
University Of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
02.2009 - 04.2010
- Responsible for the development, preparation and oversight of laboratory exercises in medical Microbiology for medical (140-150), dental hygiene (90-100) and pharmacy (115-125) students
- Evaluated effectiveness of teaching exercises, foresaw potential problems, modified clinical laboratory procedures for student use based on time constraints and limited technical abilities of lab
- Developed and maintained course material through online learning portal CLE; included all logistical information, lecture notes, study guides, case studies, image library and laboratory instructions
Microbiologist
Martinelli Winery
Windsor, CA
09.2005 - 02.2007
- Functioned as key liaison between cellar employees and laboratory staff
- Managed execution of daily cellar work orders assigned to staff for malolactic culture buildups
- Identified and documented microbial specimens in wine making process through daily laboratory analyses
- Spent 40-60 hours per week in laboratory running tests for pH, Brix, malolactic acid digestion, volatile acid digestion, glucose/fructose, free sulfur and alcohol content
Education
Bachelor of Science - Microbiology, Biotechnology
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA 09.2001 - 06.2005
Skills
Quality Management Systems
Risk management
Key Performance Indicator development
Operational budget forecasting
Strategic planning
Certification
PCQI certified
Timeline
Director of Food Safety and Quality
Bob's Red Mill
01.2018 - Current
Quality Assurance Manager
Bob's Red Mill
02.2015 - 01.2018
Quality Assurance Manager
RainSweet, Inc
06.2013 - 02.2015
Quality Assurance Manager
Amy's Kitchen Inc.
01.2012 - 06.2013
Microbiologist
Amy's Kitchen Inc.
04.2010 - 01.2012
Microbiology Laboratory Supervisor
University Of California, San Francisco
02.2009 - 04.2010
Microbiologist
Martinelli Winery
09.2005 - 02.2007
Bachelor of Science - Microbiology, Biotechnology
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
09.2001 - 06.2005