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Dairy Foods Association Names Kristin Pearson Wilcox Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs

Posted on: Monday, 8 May 2006, 15:04 CDT

WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is pleased to announce the promotion of Kristin Pearson Wilcox to vice president of legislative and political affairs. In this position, Wilcox will take a lead role in the development and implementation of IDFA's legislative and political strategy, which includes responsibility for federal government relations, grassroots activity, election outreach, and the Ice Cream, Milk and Cheese Political Action Committee.

"Kristin played a major role in the passage of legislation benefiting our members, including a Child Nutrition Act that enhanced milk's role in schools and, most recently, the Milk Regulatory Equity Act," said Chip Kunde, IDFA senior vice president. "These efforts showcase her talents as a legislative strategist and an unwavering advocate for our members.

"The next couple of years will be critical for the future of dairy policy, and I'm confident that Kristin will tackle these challenges and continue her record of delivering meaningful accomplishments to our members," Kunde added.

The granddaughter of a dairy farmer, Wilcox hails from California, the leading state in dairy foods production, and is very familiar with the challenges facing the U.S. dairy and agriculture industry. She joined IDFA in 2003 as senior director of legislative affairs.

Before that, Wilcox was principal of Pearson Consulting where she successfully managed high-profile legislative and regulatory efforts regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration food and trade policy. At the Food Products Association, formally NFPA, she managed the efforts on food provisions included in the bioterrorism bill, helped lead the industry coalition on the food allergens labeling bill, and orchestrated efforts to defeat country-of-origin and nutrition-labeling provisions in the 2002 Farm Bill.

With an extensive background in food and agriculture advocacy and policy development, Wilcox currently serves as IDFA' s primary legislative analyst responsible for legislation that affects the dairy processing industry, federal milk pricing policies, nutrition, labeling, biotechnology, food security, pesticides, international trade, allergens, food safety, regulatory reform and agency funding.

Wilcox earned a law degree, with a focus on food and drug law, from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in American politics and history from the University of San Francisco, Calif. She and her husband, Ken, reside on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

IDFA is the Washington, DC-based organization representing the nation's dairy processing and manufacturing industries and their suppliers. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), National Cheese Institute (NCI) and International Ice Cream Association (IICA). Its 500-plus members range from large multinational corporations to single-plant operations, and represent more than 85% of the total volume of milk, cultured products, cheese, and ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States -- an estimated $90-billion-a-year industry. IDFA can be found online at http://www.idfa.org/.

International Dairy Foods Association

CONTACT: Marti Pupillo of International Dairy Foods Association,+1-202-220-3535

Web site: http://www.idfa.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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