37th Annual Conference of
The Southern Sectionof AOAC International“The Scientific Association Dedicated to Analytical Excellence”

Atlanta, Georgia
April 2-3, 2024

Helping to Bring the Latest Breakthroughs
to the Scientific Community

SUMMARY OF EVENTS
Monday, April 1
5:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Ravinia Boardroom

6:00 PM

Exhibit & Poster Setup

Salon C & D

Tuesday, April 2
Exhibits & Posters 9:00AM - 5:00 PM

Salon C & D

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Registration

Front of Salon A & B

8:30 AM – 11:45 AM

General Session

Salon A & B

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Luncheon Workshop Salon A & B

1:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Workshops

Salon A & B

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

Poster Session

Salon C & D

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Evening Reception

Concourse Pavilion

Wednesday, April 3
Exhibits & Posters 9:00 AM - 3:05 PM

Salon C & D

Front of Salon A & B

7:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Registration

8:30 AM – 12:25 PM

Microbiology Session Salon A
Chemistry Session
Salon B

12:25 PM – 1:25 PM

Luncheon Workshops Salon A & B

1:25 PM – 3:30 PM

Microbiology Session Salon A
Chemistry Session
Salon B

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 2 of 23

Larry Lagman
1947-2023
Larry was a loyal volunteer and dedicated member of the SSAOAC
Board of Directors for 32 years. He was President in 1996 andtaught and/or made many presentations, such as professional
development seminars or technical submissions, at the annual
conference. Larry was also Chair of the Professional Development
Committee for AOAC International. He worked at USDA, FDA, did
contract work at Perry Johnson Accreditation Labs and he worked
as a consultant through his business “Kwality Management”. Larry
was not only a colleague to many but a wonderful friend and will
be missed. The 2024 SSAOAC Conference is dedicated to Larry’s
memory.

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 3 of 23

2024 VENDORS
Exhibit Area is open Tuesday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
and Wednesday 9:00 AM to 3:05 PM (Salon C & D)

ADVION INTERCHEM
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIESANTON-PAAR
AUTOSCRIBE INFOMATICS
BIOMERIEUXBRUKERCAMAG
CLINISYSITSP SOLUTIONSLECOMARKES INTERNATIONALMASSTECHMILLIPORE SIGMA
MOBILLION SYSTEMSPDQ SCIENTIFICPROVIDION US
PERKIN ELMERPERRY JOHNSON LABORATORY ACCREDIATATION, INC.
PEAK SCIENTIFICRESTCHRESTEK
SARTORIUS
SHIMADZU SCIENTIFICTECANTHERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC
UCT, INC
WATERS CORPORATIONWORKSHOPS

Thermo Fisher Scientific
WatersShimadzu ScientificSouthern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 4 of 23

LUNCHEON WORKSHOPSNAME BADGE LANYARDSATTENDEE BAGSSouthern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 5 of 23

Tuesday, April 2
General Session
Morning Session— Salon A & B
8:30-8:35

Welcome—President
Ynes Ortega, University Georgia

8:35-8:40

Call to Order—President-Elect
Ron Johnson, Johnson Consulting

8:40-9:00

AOAC International Update
Katerina (Kate) Mastovska, Deputy Executive Director &Chief Science Officer, AOAC INTERNATIONAL

9:00-10:10

Keynote Presentation
Recyclability and Recycled Content: Take a Glance of
the Ouroboros of Plastic Packaging
Wei Zang, PhD. Sr. Manager, Material Characterization
Scientist, The Coca-Cola Company

10:15-11:00

Break
Door Prizes (Salon C & D)
VISIT EXHIBITORS AND POSTERS

Technical Training Workshops
11:00-11:45

There is More to Solid-Phase Extraction than C18 andSilicaDon Shelly, UCTSouthern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 6 of 23

Tuesday, April 2
Luncheon Session
Technical Training Workshop
Salon A & B

Limited to the first 75 attendees who sign up at theRegistration desk, Tuesday morning. Lunch is provided.

12:00-1:00

Non-Targeted Approach for Authentication of Spices
and Herbs using GC-Orbitrap MS technology
Ed George, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Tuesday, April 2
Technical Training Workshops
Salon A & B

1:15-2:00

Advances in Food PFAS Analysis
Stephan Baumann: Technical Marketing Manager, Global
Applied Markets, Agilent

2:00-2:45

Using Innovative High Resolution Ion Mobility to
Improve Traditional Separations and Analysis
Thomas Lubinsky, Applications Scientist, MOBILion Systems

2:45-3:30

Break— Door Prizes (Salon C & D)
VIST EXHIBITORS AND POSTERS (Authors Present)

3:30-4:15

Augmented Diagnostics: Data to Tools
John Mills, BioMerieux

4:15-5:00

Risk Based Thinking in a Microbiological Lab Setting
Matt Sica, Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation

5:00-8:00

Southern Section Reception
Concourse Pavilion

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 7 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Microbiology Presentations
Morning Session—Salon A
Breaks and Exhibits in Salon C & D
Moderator: Irshad Sulaiman
8:30-8:55

Microbial Interaction with Emerging Pollutants and its
Impact on Food Safety
Pratik Banerjee, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

8:55-9:20

Foodborne Enteric Viruses
Jacquelina Williams-Woods, PhD
Research Microbiologist, Gulf Coast Seafood Lab, CFSAN, FDA

9:20-9:45

Development and Evaluation of a Partition-based Digital
PCR Assay for the Estimation of Salmonella Load from
Poultry Rinse Samples
Prashant Singh, PhD
Associate Professor, Florida State University

9:45-10:45

Break—(Salon C & D)
Door Prizes VISIT EXHIBITORS AND POSTERS

10:45-11:10

Potential Use of Antimicrobial Blue Light to Control
Foodborne Pathogens
Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, PhD
Professor and Director, Center for Food Safety, University ofGeorgiaSouthern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 8 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Microbiology Presentations
Morning Session—Salon A
Breaks and Exhibits in Salon C & D
Moderator: Irshad Sulaiman
11:10-11:35

Use of AI in Building Sampling Models
Kevin Karem, PhD, Lab Director,
Atlanta Human and Animal Food Laboratory, FDA

11:35-12:00

Molecular Investigation of Foodborne HAV Outbreaks,
Describing Application of NGS to These Investigations
Yury Khudyakov, PhD
Lead Research Microbiologist, Division of Viral Hepatitis, CDC

12:00-12:25

Regulatory Frameworks and Future Testing Strategies for
Cannabis-Infused Edibles
Anthony Repay, MS
Laboratory Director, Method Testing Labs

Luncheon Session
Technical Training Workshop
Salon A

Limited to the first 35 attendees who sign up at theRegistration desk, Tuesday morning. Lunch is provided.

12:25-1:25

Contaminant Testing in Foods – Addressing Today’s
Needs and Tomorrow’s Emerging Concerns
Naren Meruva, Director of Food & Environmental
Markets, Waters Corp
Joel Keelor, Senior Mass Spectrometry Specialist, Waters
Corp, Waters Corp

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 9 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Microbiology Presentations
Afternoon Session— Salon A
Breaks and Exhibits in the Salon C & D
Moderator: Ynes Ortega
1:25 -1:50

Using Bile as a Biomarker for Foodborne Pathogen
Presence in Agricultural Matrices
Govindaraj Dev Kumar, PhD
Assistant Professor, Center for Food Safety,
University of Georgia

1:50-2:15

Implementation of WGS in the Investigation of
Foodborne Outbreaks, and Food Regulatory
Activities for Food Safety and Security
Irshad M Sulaiman, PhD, Research Microbiologist,
Atlanta Human and Animal Food Laboratory, FDA

2:15-2:40

Use of Machine Learning Approaches in Food Safety of
Pastured Poultry Farms
Abhinav Mishra, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science andTechnology, University of Georgia

2:40-3:05

Break—Door Prize Drawing in Foyer
VISIT EXHIBITORS AND POSTERS

3:05-3:30

Dangerous Liaisons: Food as a Potential Route forthe Dissemination of the Mobile Colistin Resistance
Genes in the USA
Issmat Kassem, PhD,Assistant Professor, Center for
Food Safety, University of Georgia

3:30-3:50

Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on theDevelopment of Intestinal T Cells Over Generations
Luisa Cervantes Barragan, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, Emory University

3:50-4:10

Southern Section of AOAC Annual Conference Concludes“Exciting Door Prizes” and the“Grand Prize Drawing” in Salon C & D

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 10 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Chemistry Presentations
Morning Session— Salon B
Breaks and Exhibits in Salon C & D
Moderator: Valerie Champ - Detekt
8:30-8:55

Updates and Expansion of FDA’s Analytical Method
for PFAS Detection in Food and Feed
Wendy Young, PhD, USFDA, College Park, MD, USA

8:55-9:20

Economic Adulteration of Saffron
Bhakti Petigara Harp, PhD, Research Chemist
USFDA, College Park, MD, USA

9:20-9:45

Integrated Mycotoxin Management Programs for
Pet Food
Jason Vickers, Senior Director Regulatory and Nutrition
Compliance, Mars Pet Nutrition North America

9:45-10:45

Break— (Salon C& D) VISIT EXHIBITORS AND POSTERS

10:45-11:10

Comparison of ELISA vs. HPLC-MS/MS Methods for
the Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Animal Feeds
Erika Womack, PhD, State Chemist & Magan Green,
Laboratory Manager,
Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory

11:10-11:35

Nano-BioElectrochemical for Food Pathogen
Detection Applications
Baviththira Suganthan, Research Scientist
Electrochemistry Research Lab
University of Georgia

11:35-12:00

The Next Generation of Terpene and Residual
Solvent Analysis in Cannabis Products
Roy Sorensen, MSc. Senior Laboratory Director MLT Method Testing Labs, Brandon, Florida

12:00-12:25

Prevalence of PFAS in Recreational Fisheries from
Coastal Biscayne Bay: Bioaccumulation and Health
Risk Implications
Natalia Soares Quinete, Assistant Prof., Chemistry
Department and Institute of Environment, Florida
International University, North Miami, FL

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 11 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Chemistry Presentations
Afternoon Session— Salon B
Breaks and Exhibits in the Salon C & D
Moderator: Valerie Champ – Detekt
12:25-1:25

Luncheon Session
Luncheon Workshop includes lunch for 35 of attendees.
Sign up at the registration desk, Wednesday morning.

Expanding the Power of Your Impurity and Heavy
Metal Analyses & MALDI-Based Mass Spectrometry
Solutions for Foood Quality Control
Nivesh Mittl & Mohamed Boutaghou, Shimadzu
Scientific
Moderator: Volha Yakimavets - Emory
1:25-1:50

Post pH-driven Approach for Encapsulating
Polyphenols in Plant –Based Foods
Hualu Zhou, PhD, Department of Food Science andTechnology, University of Georgia

1:50-2:15

Removal of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) inwater using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP)and Identification of Oxidation Products using
FluoroMatch non-targeted PFAS workflow with thenext generation quadrupole time-of-flight
instrument, the Agilent Revident LC/Q-TOF
William Holmes, Elizabeth Boyd, Katherine Ashurst,
Mark Zappi, University of Louisiana, Energy Institute,
Department of Chemical Engineering, Lafayette, LA

2:15-2:40

Validation Study for the Novel Detection of Seven
Avermectin Compounds
Bruno Giri, Chemist, USDA/FSIS/Eastern
Laboratory/Chemistry Section, Athens, GA

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 12 of 23

Wednesday, April 3
Chemistry Presentations
Afternoon Session— Salon B
Breaks and Exhibits in the Salon C & D
Moderator: Volha Yakimavets - Emory
2:40-3:05

Break—Door Prize Drawing in Foyer VISIT EXHIBITORSAND POSTERS

3:05-3:30

Transforming Yeast into Facultative
Photoheterotrophs via Expression of Microbial
Rhodopsins
Anthony Burnetti, Bioscience, Georgia Tech

3:30-3:50

Methods for Screening Adulterants in Dietary
Supplements
Grace Bandong, Director of Contaminates, andInorganics, Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing, Madison,WI

3:50-4:10

Southern Section of AOAC Annual Conference Concludes“Exciting Door Prizes” and the“Grand Prize Drawing” in Salon C & D

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 13 of 23

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 2-3
Poster Presentations
Poster Area is open Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:05 PM (Salon C & D)
Total Organic Carbon Determination: Comparing Two Different
Approaches to Acid Treatment in Preparation for Combustion Analysis
Lloyd Allen, Jeffery Gast, Kristi Folden -LECO
Correlating the Carbonyl Index to Contact Angle of Weathered Plastics
Dhimani Still and Marina Koether, Kennesaw State University
Evaluating the Effects of Storage and Packaging on the Volatile
Composition of Soft Drinks
Kenneth Hellstern, Field Sales Manager Southeast - Americas - Markes
International, Inc
Novel Triple Quad Approaches for Robust and Reliable Pesticide
Analysis with Ultimate Sensitivity
Frank Kero, Ph.Dm Bruker
Proposed Design for a Contained Burn Chamber (CBC) for Destruction of
Ammunitions and Explosives Combined with on-line GC/MS for Analysisof Off-gas By-products
Cade Hontiveros1,2, Samuel Scelfo1,2, Rafael Hernandez1,2,
William Holmes1,2
University of Louisiana, Energy Institute1, Department of Chemical
Engineering, Lafayette, LA
Analytical Determination for Hydrogen Peroxide with HPLC/UVSamuel Scelfo1,2, Cade Hontiveros1,2, William Holmes1,2
University of Louisiana, Energy Institute1, Department of Chemical
Engineering, Lafayette, LA
The Influence of Prematurity on Pharmacokinetics of Indomethacin andFurosemide Using Preterm Pigs as a Model for Preterm Infants
Ava Welch1,3, Randal Buddington4, William Holmes1,2
Energy Institute1 Department of Chemical Engineering2 Department of
Biology3 University of Louisiana, Lafayette and LSU Medical Center4
Shreveport, LA

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 14 of 23

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 2-3
Poster Presentations (continued)
Poster Area is open Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:05 PM (Salon C & D)
A Techno-economic Analysis of an Integrated Biorefinery Process within
Wastewater Treatment Plants to Valorize Biosolids as Sustainable, Wood
Adhesives
Blake Foret 1,2, Chelsea Trahan1,2, William Holmes1,2 William Chirdon1,2, Mark
Zappi1,2
University of Louisiana, Energy Institute1, Department of Chemical
Engineering2, Lafayette, LA
Improved Characterization of PFAS with SLIM-Based High-Resolution Ion
Mobility
Thomas Lubinsky, Applications Scientist, MOBILion Systems
Metabolomics Provides Insight into the Molecular Mechanisms andDynamics Underlying Eimeria Infection in Laying Hens
Namhee Lee1, Elizabeth Delane Ward1, Milan Kumar Sharma2, Woo kyun
Kim2,Joon Hyuk Suh1
1Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Georgia, Athens,GA,
2Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Innovations in Quantitative Lateral Flow Reader with Cloud Connectivity
for Food Safety Applications
Valerie Champ, PhD, Product Manager, & Anna Alsup, Operations Manager,
Detekt Design Group, Austin, Texas
Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Pico de Gallo and Lemon-Parsley
Vinaigrette.
Ynes Rosa Ortega and Phanindra Gude*
Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Fluoresce Under Duress: Assessing Plasmid pGFPuv Stability inSalmonella Newport Isolates
Govindaraj Dev Kumar1, Abhinav Mishra2 and Indu Aashritha Idumalla1,*
1Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
2Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Optimizing Polyethylene Glycol-based Virus Concentration for Detection of a
Human Norovirus Surrogate on Strawberries
Akhila Pati * and Malak A. Esseili
Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 15 of 23

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 2-3
Poster Presentations (continued)
Poster Area is open Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:05 PM (Salon C & D)
In-depth assessment of Campylobacter spp. in retail chicken meat inGeorgia, USA
Nivin Nasser*, Miranda Barr and Issmat I. Kassem
Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Sciences and Technology,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
The Emergence of the Mobile Colistin Resistance Genes (mcr) in
Environmental and Surface Water Samples in Georgia, USA
Jouman Hassan*, Tongzhou Xu, David Mann, Malak A. Esseili, Xiangyu Dengand Issmat I. Kassem
Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Sciences and Technology,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Serratia and Enterobacter
spp. Isolated from Imported Fresh Produce in Georgia, USA
Issmat I. Kassem, Jiayue Wang, Jouman Hassan* and Malak A. Esseili
Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Sciences and Technology,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Survival of L. monocytogenes on Waxed Peaches
Govindaraj Dev Kumar and Johana Lilian John MuthiahCenter for Food Safety, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes and P. aeruginosa as mono andbinary cultures at two different temperatures
Govindaraj Dev Kumar and Johana Lilian John MuthiahCenter for Food Safety, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Inhibition of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strain MD47 byPseudomonas fluorescens strain A506 on romaine lettuce
Tongzhou Xu*1, Maria Brandl2 and Xiangyu Deng1
1University of Georgia, Center for Food Safety, Griffin, Georgia
2USDA Agricultural Research Service, Albany, California

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 16 of 23

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 2-3
Poster Presentations (continued)
Poster Area is open Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:05 PM (Salon C & D)
Virus Elution Buffer is Critical for Maximizing the Recovery of Foodborne
Viruses from Strawberries
Riya Hooda* and Malak A. Esseili
Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Effect of The Extended Opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in 2019 on
POPs and Mercury Levels in Tissues of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus)
Julie Toler 4, Nelmarie Landrau-Giovannetti1, Jordan Rogers2, Stephen
Reichley1, Debra Moore1,3, Theresa Madrigal3, Ashli Brown4, Ashley Meredith4,
Christina Childers4, Darrell Sparks4, Mark Lawrence1, Barbara L. F. Kaplan2*
1Mississippi State University Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food
Medicine, Mississippi State University,
Security, College of Veterinary
Mississippi State, MS, USA; 2Center for Environmental Health Sciences,
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary
Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA; 3Institute forMarine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, MS, USA; 4Mississippi State Chemical
Laboratory, Mississippi State, MS, USA
Optimizing Corrective Action Strategies in an ISO/IEC 17025:2017
Accredited Laboratory
Monica Haque, Dongping Jiang, Erika Womack
Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory
Optimization of Paraquat Extraction for LC/MS-MS Analysis of Vegetation
Veronica Wigginton1, Magan Green1, Julie Toler1, and Erika Womack1,2
1 Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory
2 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant
Pathology
Mississippi State University
Systematic Comparison of Susceptibility of Seven Bacteria Genera to Blue
Light Treatment
Minji Hur* and Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Center for Food Safety,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 17 of 23

Anant Jain Founder’s Award
The Anant Jain Founder’s Award was established in 1999 to honor a distinguishedmember of the Southern (formerly Southeast) Section of the AOAC International who
continues to make contributions to our Section through their leadership. The recipient
must have held a leadership role as a Section officer and had an active role in the
Section.

Past recipients:
1999 Anant Jain
2000 Wick Johnson
2001 Sher Ali
2002 Virlyn Burse
2003 Doug Hite
2004 Jim Scott2005 Larry Lagman
2006 Mike Farrow2007 Lurlene Dixon
2008 Jim McGuire

2009 Sherry Garris
2010 Reuben Beverly
2011 Anne Reid
2012 Dana Barr2013 Joe Rainey
2014 Jay Hardee2015 Amy Brown
2016 Bill Holmes
2018 Val Suktankar
2022 Joe Basile

Doug Hite Honorarium
The Doug Hite Honorarium was established in 2006 by Co-Presidents Sherry
Garris and Jim McGuire to recognize the dedication and leadership that Doug
has demonstrated to the Southern Section and AOAC International.
The recipient will be determined by the Section Awards Committee and musthave held a leadership role in the Section, had an active role in the Section for aminimum of 10 years, and be a member of the AOAC International Board of
Directors, Official Methods Board, or active in Association work.
Past recipients:

2006 Doug Hite
2007 Anant Jain
2008 Jo Marie Cook2009 Gayle Lancette2010 Wayne Ziemer
2011 Doug Hite
2012 JoMarie Cook2013 Doug Hite
2015 Doug Hite
2016 Amy Brown
Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 18 of 23

Fellows of AOAC INTERNATIONAL
from the Southern Section
The Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL Award recognizes the dedication and commitment of
those volunteers who serve the Association. Fellows are chosen from those members who havegiven 10 years of meritorious service to AOAC.

1990 Ken Boyer
1992 Gayle Lancette1997 George Latimer
1997 Anant Jain
2000 Argentina Vindiola2001 Doug Hite
2004 Mark Mozola
2006 Wayne Ziemer
2011 Jo Marie Cook
2020 Ron Johnson

AOAC Southern Section
Officers 2023-2024
President
Ynes Ortega
Assoc. Professor of Microbiology
University of Georgia
1109 Experiment St. Griffin, GA
Phone: (770) 233-5587
ortega@uga.edu

Treasurer
Doug Hite
President ICD Associates LLC
Franklin, TN
Phone: (615) 491-8600
dhite420@comcast.net

President-Elect
Ron Johnson
President
Johnson Consulting
ron.john@charter.net

Secretary
Erin J. Wenke
Senior Account Manger
bioMerieux
595 Anglum Rd. Hazelwood, Mo
Phone: (770)-715-3722
erin.wenke@biomerieux.com

Immediate Past President
Kenneth Powell(Retired) Quality System
Manger NOAA National Marine
Fisheries 11658 Holly Bluff
CircleBiloxi, MS 39532
Phone: (228) 861-8021

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 19 of 23

Section Past Presidents
2005 Wayne Ziemer
2006 J.McGuire & S.Garris
2007 Reuben Beverly
2008 Anne Reid
2009 Dana Barr2010 Joe Rainey
2011 Jay Hardee2012 Amy Brown
2013 Bill Holmes
2014 Tim Beasley2015 Val Suktankar
2016 Mark Crosswhite2017 Denise Mitchell2018 Joe Basile
2019 Oliver Ou
2020 No conference
2021 Dana Shell
2022 Kenneth Powell2023 Ynes Ortega

1986 Anant Jain
1987 Frank Allen
1988 Martha Hudak-Roos
1989 Sher Ali
1990 Gail Parker
1991 Jim Hess
1992 Virlyn Burse
1993 Doug Hite
1994 Bill Brooks
1995 Jim Scott
1996 Larry Lagman
1997 Bert Lynn
1998 Mike Farrow
1999 Pat Beckett
2000 Reba Ingram
2001 Lurlene Dixon
2002 Michael Curry
2003 Jo Marie Cook
2004 Evelyn Bonnin

AOAC Southern Section
Executive Board Members 2023-2024
MEMBERS AT LARGE

Dana B. Barr

Beth Hardin

Stephen BellResearch Professor, Department ofLaboratory Director

Quality Systems Manger

Environmental and Occupational Health

SC Dept of Pesticide Regulation

NOAA National Marine Fisheries

Rollins School of Public Health of Emory

Clemson University

3209 Frederic Pascagoula, MS 39567

1518 Clifton Rd, NE, Room 272

511 Westinghouse Road

Phone: (228) 549-1720

Atlanta, GA 30322

Pendleton, SC 29621

Stephen.bell@noaa.gov

Phone: (404) 727-9605

864-646-2171

dbbarr@emory.edu

bhardin@clemson.edu

Denise Mitchell

Val Suktankar

Sherry Garris

Global Ingredient Safety Scientist

Supervisory Microbiologist

Retired Sup Chem Residue Lab

Mars Incorporated

FDA Southeast Food & Feed Lab

SC Department of Agricultureth

315 Cool Springs Boulevard

60 8 Street, NE

7330 Panola Rd

Franklin, TN 37067

Atlanta, GA 30309

Pinewood, SC 29125

Phone: (615) 628-5428

Phone: (404) 253-2270

Phone: (803) 491-7481

denise.mitchell@effem.com

vilasini.suktankar@fda.hhs.gov

sherrytgarris@gmail.com

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 20 of 23

AOAC Southern Section
Executive Board Members 2023-2024
MEMBERS AT LARGE (continued)
Valerie Champ

Eric Clevenger

Jay Hardee

Product Manager

ChemistGenesis Analytics

Detekt Design GroupFDA SE Food & Feed Lab

Atlanta, GA

2101 East Saint Elmo Road

Atlanta, GA

Phone: (770) 761-7791

Austin, TX 78744

Phone:404-253-2354

jay.hardee@mail.com

Phone: 512-912-0887 ext 5#

eric.clevenger@fda.hhs.gov

valerie@idetekt.com

D. Kirk Holladay

Bill Holmes

Sookwang Lee

Atomic Spectroscopy Account Manager

Dir. Analytics & Process Chemistry

ChemistAgilent Technologies

The University of Louisiana

FDA SE Food & Feed Lab

Phone: 407-489-2156

Energy InstituteAtlanta, GA

E-mail: kirk.holladay@agilent.com

P.O. Box 42251

Phone:404-253-2250

131 Rex Street, Madison Hall 224

sookwang.lee@fda.hhs.gov

Lafayette, LA 70504
Phone: 337-326-6861
wxh9221@louisiana.edu

J. Dana Shell

Anthony Repay

Grants Manager

Laboratory Director

Georgia Dept. of Ag
19 MLK Jr. Dr.

Method Testing Laboratories
2720 Broadway Center Blvd.

Atlanta, Ga. 30334

Brandon, FL 33510

Phone: (404) 686-1113

Phone: (219) 902-9100
arepay@methodtestinglabs.com

Zachary Sealy
ChemistAl Dept. Of Agriculture
1445 Federal Drive
Montgomery, AL 36107
Phone: (334) 240-7157
zachary.sealy@agi.alabama.gov

Anthony Repay

Raymond Allum

Jim McGuire

Joe Basile

Environmental Manager

TN Department of Agriculture

Director, Food & Drug Lab

Division of Food Safety

415 Carriage House Lane.

AL Dept. of Agriculture & Ind.

FL Dept of AG

Hendersonville, TN 37204

1445 Federal Drive

3125 Conner Blvd, Lab 3 Tallahassee,jamesgail415@att.net

Montgomery, AL 36107

FL 32399

Phone: (334) 240-7305

Phone: (850) 617-7509

joseph.basile@agi.alabama.gov

raymond.allum@freshfromflorida.com

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 21 of 23

AOAC Southern
SectionExecutive Board
MEMBERS AT LARGE(continued)

Matthew Sica
Technical Program Manager
Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation
755 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 1325
Troy, MI 48084
Phone: (248) 519-2603

Irshad M. Sulaiman

Oscar Cabrices

Research Microbiologist

CEO

FDA Southeast Food and Feed Lab

G-Flo Scientific LLC

60, Eight Street NE, GA

Miramar, Florida 33025

Phone: 404-575-1523

Phone:( 786) 282-5397

irshad.sulaiman@fda.hhs.gov

oscar@gfloscientific.com

msica@pjlabs.com
Matthew Sica

Volha Yakimavets

Erika D. Womack

Lead Research Specialist

State Chemist - Director of MSCL

Laboratory of Exposure Assessment &Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory
310 Presidents's Cr

Development of Enviro. ResearchMississippi State, MS 39762-5622

Rollins School of Public HealthPhone: (622) 325-7806

Emory University, Atlanta, GA

ewomack@mscl.msstate.edu

Phone: (404) 567-3737
volha.yakimavets@emory.edu

Southern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 22 of 23

Please Note: for 2025
The 38th Annual Conference of the Southern Section
AOAC International
will be held in
Atlanta, GA
April 1-3, 2025
Proposed 2025 Conference Topics:
General:Nanotechnology
Virtual Reality and Laboratory Training
Merging of Artificial Intelligence and the Analytical Sciences

Chemistry:
Biotechnology, Energy Innovations and Nutraceuticals
New Technologies & Methodology
Cannabis, Toxins, Food, Environmental Contaminants, Heavy Metals
LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS

Microbiology:
Biotechnology and Nutraceuticals
Emerging Technologies and the Analysis of Food Borne Pathogens
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
PCR, Mass Spectrometry, Rapid testingSouthern Section AOAC INTERNATIONAL April 2-3, 2024

Page 23 of 23

NotesNotes