Welcome to the Florida Association for Food Protection (FAFP)!
I wanted to extend a warm welcome to everyone as we begin our 80th year as an organization. As your newly elected president, I am honored to lead this organization and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in 2025.
As we enter 2025, we have set goals to continue enhancement of FAFP opportunities for all members. Our organization’s focus remains on providing continuing education, fostering networking opportunities, and supporting the food safety community across Florida. With your continued support—through memberships, sponsorships, and participation in our events—I am confident we will achieve these objectives and make 2025 a year of growth and success for FAFP.
The Annual Educational Conference (AEC) continues to be a cornerstone of our organization where we foster networking opportunities and professional development through a two-day event. This year, the AEC will take place in Downtown Tampa from May 20-22. We look forward to your participation as attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, or presenters; you make the AEC a success every year.
In addition to the AEC, we understand the importance of fostering meaningful connections and knowledge-sharing throughout the year. To that end, we are excited to host educational luncheons across the state, providing valuable opportunities for engagement and learning. You can find specific dates and details on the Registrations page of our website.
We also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge our corporate sponsors. Their generous support enables us to provide student scholarships, support awards at the State Science and Engineering Fair, present FAFP professional awards, and maintain affordable event costs for our members.
Thank you for your dedication to building a strong and vibrant food safety community across Florida. Your continued involvement and support are vital to our shared success in 2025.
Sincerely,
Taylor O’Bannon
FAFP 2025 President
Taylor O’Bannon
Jamie Irwin, Whole Foods
Dayane Gossner, Publix Super Markets
Kelly Smekens
TBD
Rachel McEgan
Rachel McEgan
Naim Montazeri, University of Florida
Vijay Chhetri, Florida A&M University
Ivy Dala, SGS
Craig Overlock, Came Sweeney LLC
Jason Scheffler, University of Florida
Boce Zhang, University of Florida
Kelly Smekens, PepsiCo
Roy Briggs, Food Manager Testing, LLC
Stephanie Brown, University of Florida
Clara Diekman, University of Florida
Morgan Madison, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association
Michelle Danyluk, University of Florida
Jason Scheffler, University of Florida
Lori Duckworth
Steve King, Chemstar Group
Taylor O'Bannon, University of Florida
Adeel Manzoor, University of Florida
LaTaunya Tillman, University of Florida