About the Academy of Food Marketing
About Us
The Academy of Food Marketing is the only wholly industry-supported program of its kind in the U.S. It was established in 1962 to raise awareness for the wealth of career possibilities in the food industry and to support the food marketing program within the Department of Food, Pharma and Healthcare. This includes the undergraduate food marketing program at Saint Joseph's, which is one of the largest majors at the University, as well as the dedicated Food Marketing M.S. and MBA programs. The Saint Joseph's University Food Marketing Program is recognized around the world for the quality and caliber of its graduates.
Through a rigorous curriculum and exposure to industry events and experiential learning opportunities, our students are prepared for a broad range of exciting careers in the food and allied industries. In addition, scholarships are available specifically for food marketing majors thanks to the generous support of our alumni and the food industry.
Please contact our staff for more information.
Staff Members
Operational Analyst, Office of Academy of Food Marketing
Board Members
Our Board of Governors is made up of nearly forty senior industry executives from various national food and consumer packaged goods-related companies. They provide direction, counsel, planning and financial support to the Academy.
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CHAIR
GEORGE KNOBLOCH
Chief Operating Officer
Key Food Stores Co-OperativeOFFICER
ANTONY J. FEROLIE
Chief Executive Officer
CA FerolieOFFICER
MARIA MACHITA
Vice President, Consumer Sales & Marketing
Domino Foods, Inc.TREASURER
KURT SCHERTLE
SECRETARY
JOSEPH J. BIVONA
Executive Director, Academy of Food Marketing (ex officio)
Saint Joseph’s UniversityBRUCE ALLEN
VP, Sales – Convenience & Foodservice
General Mills, Inc.STAN BARRASSO
Executive Vice President East
Acosta Sales & MarketingAMY BOSEK
Area Vice President
The Kraft Heinz CompanyBUTCH CASSIDY
SVP, Corporate Distribution
AcxionRICK CICERO
Vice President, Center Store Merchandising
C&S Wholesale GrocersBRENT COTTEN
VP, Customer & Industry Affairs
The Hershey CompanyDAN CROCE
SVP, East Division
Sprouts Farmers MarketCHRIS CULVER
VP Hospitality Enablement
Aramark CorporationBILL DERBYSHIRE
VP, Sales & Marketing
Liberty Coca-ColaRICH DI GREGORIO, JR.
Senior Director, Customer Strategy
KenvueDR. JOSEPH DIANGELO
Dean, Haub School of Business (ex officio)
Saint Joseph’s UniversityLOUIS J. ENI, JR.
President & CEO
Dietz & Watson, Inc.DAGMAR T. FARR
Senior Advisor
Food Marketing InstituteGARY FECHTER
Senior Vice President - Pennsylvania Division
Wegmans Food MarketsJESSICA GASSER
Chief HR Officer
WakefernMARY BETH GOODMAN
Director of Regional Accounts
Bayer Consumer HealthROBERT HILL
President, Global Retail
CircanaERICA L. KAHR
Director of Sales
Nestle Purina PetCareJACK KELLY
President
KG AssociatesMICHAEL KELLY
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (retired)EDWARD KUEHNLE
Catalina Marketing Corporation (retired)BJOERN LEYSER
SVP Sales ‑ Retail, Foodservice, Bakery
J&J Snack FoodsJOHN MACHUZICK
General Mills, Inc. (retired)WILLIAM J. MAYO
Chief Development Officer
Save-A-Lot Food Stores, LtdCHERYL A. MCCONNELL, PH.D.
President (ex officio)
Saint Joseph’s UniversityJOE MUELLER
Vice President, Purposeful Engagement
KellanovaMIKE PIERSON
Chief Customer Officer, Snack Division
Campbell Soup CompanyJOHN POPLAWSKI
Vice President, Chief Real Estate Officer
Wawa Inc.MIKE POTTHOFF
Vice President U.S. Sales – Large Format Channels
Anheuser-BuschPETER POUTRE
Chief Buying Officer
Lidl US, LLCJ.M. PROCACCI
CEO
Procacci Brothers Sales Corp.RICK SAKER
SVP, Operations
Saker ShopRites, Inc.TIM SANTORO
Chief Financial Officer
The Giant CompanyBILL SIMON
Vice President, Sales USCPD
McCormick & Company, Inc.BRAD SPOONER
Senior Vice President, Operations
Albertsons Companies Mid-Atlantic DivisionLAURIE STUCCHI
VP, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Dry Grocery
BJ’s Wholesale ClubDOUG YOST
Zone Vice President
Dollar Tree Stores, Inc.
Food Marketing Association
The Food Marketing Association is a student-run organization with a mission to provide both food marketing majors and non-food marketing majors at Saint Joseph's University the opportunity to connect with real-world executives and gain insight into potential careers. Their goal is to make students more aware of the countless job avenues they can pursue and teach them how to approach interviews with confidence. This organization hosts events featuring speakers from major companies for students to learn from and network with. Visit the Food Marketing Association's Instagram to learn more.
Food Marketing Educational Foundation
The Academy of Food Marketing and The Food Marketing Educational Foundation are fully supported by the food and allied industries. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that was incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania in 1993. It is registered in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland and Virginia. Contributions to The Food Marketing Educational Foundation are tax exempt.
By supporting both the graduate and undergraduate Food Marketing programs at Saint Joseph’s University, the Foundation contributes to the success of one of the largest majors at the University.
Peck Fellowship
In 1986, the National-American Wholesale Grocers’ Association (NAWGA) established an endowment in recognition of the achievements of retiring NAWGA President Gerald Peck to support teaching and research in food wholesale management. The Peck Fellowship has evolved into a series of three-year appointments of food marketing professors from Saint Joseph’s University to contribute to the understanding of distribution as it relates to food retailing and food service. The Peck Fellowship represents a collaborative three-year academic research opportunity between a chosen faculty researcher and an industry organization.
The current Peck Fellow is George Latella, MBA, assistant professor of practice in Food Marketing. His research appointment is with International Foodservice Distributors Association for a two-year period concluding May 2025. George will work to publish research that can be helpful to the IFDA and the Food Marketing community.
Previous Peck Fellows include Ernest Baskin, Ph.D., Richard Kochersperger, Patrick Kirschling, Ph.D., John Stanton, Ph.D., Richard J. George, Ph.D., Nancy Childs, Ph.D., and Dr. Emily Moscato. Please contact us if you would like to learn more about their research and publications.
Contact Us
Location and Mailing Address:
Academy of Food Marketing
Saint Joseph's University
5600 City Avenue
387 Mandeville Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19131
E-mail:
tgaymon@sju.edu (for general inquiries)
Office Phone:
610-660-1600
Office Hours:
Mondays through Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays Closed
Please note that hours are subject to change during the summer months and fall/spring breaks.