The Georgia Association for Food Protection (GAFP), an affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection, is a non-profit organization comprised of over 400 food safety professionals spanning Industry, Government, and Academia throughout the state of Georgia. It is the organization's mission to provide food safety professionals with a forum to exchange information on protecting the food supply.
Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership Team
We are honored to introduce you to our current GAFP Leadership Team.
GAFP is actively seeking members to become involved with our Committees: Membership & Public Relations, Program, and Nominations & Awards. If interested, please contact the GAFP secretary (gafp.secretary@gmail.com) or click this link to state your interest or get more information.
Anna (Townsend) Burner, President
Anna Townsend (Del Monte Fresh Produce Company) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s President.
Aaron Huckabee, President Elect
Aaron Huckabee (Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protections Vice President. Aaron currently assists the President and other officer’s with their responsibilities.
Faith Critzer
Vice President
Aaron Huckabee (University of Georgia - Department of Food Science & Technology) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protections Vice President. Faith currently chairs the Program Committee and is responsible for planning the biannual educational meetings.
Sofia Feng, Secretary
Sofia Feng (Briess Ingredients) is currently the GAFP Secretary, following her election in 2022.
Contact: gafp.secretary@gmail.com
Steven Fuller, Treasurer
Steven Fuller (Mars-Wrigley) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s Treasurer.
Wendy White, IAFP Delegate
Wendy White (Georgia Tech) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s IAFP Delegate.
Rawane Raad, Student Liaison
Rawane Raad (University of Georgia) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s Student Liaison. She has been serving in this role since 2023 and manages GAFP’s social media accounts and outreach to all interested college students in Georgia.
CAPT Charles S. Otto, III, REHS, USPHS (ret.), Past President
CAPT Charles S. Otto, III (OTTO III REHS / Reliable Environmental Health Services) is currently the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s Past President. He heads the GAFP Membership and Public Relations Committee and served as President, 2023-2024.
GAFP is grateful for the service of our past presidents
Jessica Chen, Past-President
Jessica Chen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), is the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s Past President. She served as the President during the 2022-2023 term.
Katie Murchison, Past-President
Katie Murchison (The Coca-Cola Company) is a recent Georgia Association for Food Protection Past-President. She served as President during the 2021-2022 term.
Cheryl Brown, Past-President
Cheryl Brown (Starbucks), is a recent Georgia Association for Food Protection Past-President. She served as President during the 2019-2021 term.
Jairo de Jesus, Past-President
Jairo de Jesus (Millennium Mat Company), is a recent Georgia Association for Food Protection Past-President. He served as President during the 2018-2019 term.
Krissa Jones, Past-President
Krissa Jones (Georgia Department of Agriculture) is a recent Georgia Association for Food Protection Past-President. She served as President during the 2017-2018 term
Chef John Szymanski, Past-President
John Szymanski (Kroger) is a recent Past-President of the Georgia Association for Food Protection’s. John served as President during the 2016-2017 term.