New leaders elected at Grain Foods Foundation

WASHINGTON — Penny Patterson-Smith of Flowers Foods, Inc. and Bruce King of Grain Craft have been elected co-chairs of the Grain Foods Foundation. The two were elected Feb. 4 by the GFF board of trustees.

Newly elected to the GFF board of trustees was Aunt Millie’s, Fort Wayne, Ind., represented by J. Bohn Popp, vice president of marketing. Reelected to three-year terms to the GFF board were Grain Craft, represented by King; Richardson International (Jim Meyer, managing director of Italgrani USA, vice president of Richardson, US office lead); and Sosland Publishing (G. Michael Gude, group publisher). The trustees were elected Jan. 28 at the GFF all-investor meeting.

Patterson-Smith, who has been with Flowers since 2020 and currently is senior vice president and chief innovation officer, will serve as the baking co-chair of the GFF. Her career includes several years at The Hershey Co., where she was director of global chocolate innovation. King, who will serve as milling co-chair and is vice president of sales at Grain Craft, has been in the milling industry since 1990.

Presenters at the all-investor meeting included outgoing co-chairs Angie Goldberg of Ardent Mills and Lorraine Hale of Bimbo Bakeries USA, as well as Rick Oleshak of AB Mauri and Meyer.

In her executive director’s report, Erin Ball announced the launch of the Grain Foods Research Institute as a GFF affiliate and discussed the engagement in May 2024 of Wild Hive, the GFF’s new agency of record to support the group’s integrated marketing efforts. She said she will have the opportunity to connect with GFF investors in coming months at events to be held by the American Society of Baking, the North American Millers’ Association and the American Bakers Association.

Also elected at the Feb. 4 board of trustees meeting was Angie Quinn as treasurer. Quinn is chief executive officer of Momentum Group, Arlington, Va.