Comprised of a diverse group of leaders from scientific, financial, marketing, and business backgrounds, the Innovation Center's leadership team is characterized by its strength and depth in experience. Driven by a strong commitment to America’s dairy farmers, these leaders continue to make the strategic decisions that ultimately protect dairy and increase sales.
Michelle Kozloski
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
As a Human Resources professional with over 22 years of experience, Michelle brings strategic thinking and leadership to DMI’s human resources. Michelle has significant expertise in organization strategy, business leader partnerships, executive coaching, and performance management. Her effectiveness in partnering with business leaders results in organizations operating at their highest potential. Michelle worked for Kraft Foods for more than 18 years, with the majority of her experience in the business units, specifically Cheese & Dairy. Michelle’s work as a human resources consultant after she left Kraft Foods included profit and non-profit sector experience, on assignments that included leadership coaching, organization strategy, organization assessment, and performance management.
Gregory D. Miller
Executive Vice President, Research Regulatory and Scientific Affairs; President, Dairy Research Institute
Greg Miller is a primary architect of the checkoff’s leading nutrition research program, and oversees all nutrition, product and sustainability research. His 24 years of experience as a scientist and manager allow him to build and manage a complex program of research on behalf of dairy farmers that provides value to the industry. His strategic planning and leadership skills make him a credible representative of the dairy industry to scientists, health professionals, government agencies and others, working toward the goal of increased sales of U.S. dairy.
Barbara O’Brien
President, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Barbara O’Brien has a deep and thorough understanding of the checkoff business plan priorities, built on the past 10 years working in management on behalf of dairy producers. As a direct report to Tom Gallagher, Barbara serves as a change agent within DMI—driving an aggressive sales mentality, and creating updated programs and operating structures to best meet the needs of the business in areas including Issues and Crisis Management, School Marketing, Strategic Planning and Insights, Business Development and Relationship Management. As part of the business plan evolution, she helped translate producer priorities into industry-wide category strategies for growth, and developed the strategic underpinnings and structure for the Innovation Center. Barbara directed Burson Marsteller’s, a
Chicago-based healthcare practice group providing executive-level counsel for Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical clients including Procter and Gamble, Dow Corning, Quaker Oats, and Abbott Labs, establishing new business strategies for growing clients’ market share. She went on to co-found a healthcare consultancy that served the business and marketing planning needs of Chicago-area hospitals and health systems, and companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical, food and nutrition segments. Her skills are instrumental in engaging the industry on behalf of U.S. dairy farmers, to a common end: to increase demand and sales for dairy.
Kevin Ponticelli
Executive Vice President, Innovation Center; Chair, Dairy Research Institute
Kevin Ponticelli has a deep knowledge of dairy, processor insights and industry relationships, which he combines with his long experience in leading consumer goods businesses, building brands and developing new innovations. In addition to a long career at Kraft Foods, he served as a DMI/UDIA Board member, President of the National Cheese Institute and an officer of the International Dairy Foods Association. His role at the helm of Dairy Research Institute and as a leader in the checkoff’s portfolio of businesses builds on his 28 years of experience (8 as GM/President/CEO), unique qualifications and depth of knowledge, and allows him to help increase demand for U.S. dairy.
Jean Ragalie, R.D.
President, National Dairy Council; Executive Vice President Dairy Health and Wellness, DMI
Jean Ragalie was one of the first Registered Dietitians to break into the field of public relations and communications, bringing this combined expertise to the strategic direction and development of health and wellness initiatives for National Dairy Council, on behalf of America’s dairy farmers. Jean drives DMI’s nutrition strategy, including partnerships with nationally recognized health professional and government organizations. She has been a principal leader of many of the checkoff’s flagship initiatives, including DMI’s Issues and Crisis Management System, Nutrition Affairs, Action for Healthy Kids, Gen YOUth Foundation and the successful Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which is now in over 72,000 schools nationwide. She also provides nutrition guidance on product innovation with dairy industry organizations through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and represents dairy nutrition interests at key government, policy, health and nutrition meetings and events. With 25+ years of experience, Jean is a leader in her profession, serving as national spokesperson for National Dairy Council and the dairy industry. She is also a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Illinois Dietetic Association and the Society for Nutrition Education.
Alan Reed
Executive Vice President, Insights and Planning
Alan Reed is an expert at working with technical topics and complex information and, by focusing on what matters, making complicated things comparatively simple. At DMI, this expertise allows him to analyze data and deliver strategic insights to move the company and the industry forward. As head of Strategy, Insights & Planning, Alan leverages his 20+ years of experience and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management to apply proven, effective business principles on dairy farmers’ behalf, to increase demand and grow sales of U.S. dairy.
Thomas M. Suber
President, U.S. Dairy Export Council; Executive Vice President, Global Marketing
Tom Suber’s more than 30 years of experience in international sales and marketing have honed his broad, multi-disciplinary skills in the various areas needed for the dairy industry to increase its global presence. His 10 years in machinery, three in agri-business and twenty years in dairy have contributed to a deep knowledge of programs suitable for profitable growth and advancement, as well as insight into dairy’s global competitive environment. Tom led the transformation of National Dairy Board’s export program into U.S. Dairy Export Council’s member-driven policy, regulatory and promotion programs around the world, and today applies his expertise at the helm of that program as well as leading the staff support for the Globalization efforts of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
Nadine Sudnick
Executive Vice President, Strategic Communications
As head of communications for the Innovation Center and Dairy Research Institute, Nadine draws on a diverse background and deep communication expertise that allows her to effectively develop strategies and integration opportunities to reach a wide variety of audiences. During her 20 years+ in the communications field, she has led a successful consulting practice where she developed award-winning communication strategies for Fortune 500 companies including Abbott Laboratories, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, International Engine & Truck, Fertility Centers of Illinois, Family Office Exchange (FOX), Follett, GE Capital, McDonald's, Motorola, Pliant Corporation, ServiceMaster TRW and Underwriter Laboratories. Nadine spent most of her career managing external and internal communications for GE Capital and Motorola where she initiated new programs that ultimately became best practices for the communications function.
Nadine is an Accredited Business Communicator through the International Association of Business Communicators, holds a Masters of Marketing Communications, and has taught graduate level communication at Northwestern University and University of Chicago.