Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                About FDA

About FDA

                        


                        FDA Organization
          Transparency
          Visitor Information
          About This Website
          Contact FDA
          Doing Business With FDA
          FDA Acronyms & Abbreviations
          FDA Commissioner
          FDA en español
          FDA History
          Jobs and Training at FDA
          Partnerships: Enhancing Science Through Collaborations With FDA
          Plain Writing: It's the Law!
          Reports, Manuals, & Forms
          What We Do Home
          About FDA
          Glenda R. Lewis, M.S.P.H., Supervisory Consumer Safety Officer Director, Retail Food Protection StaffAbout FDA Glenda R. Lewis, M.S.P.H., Supervisory Consumer Safety Officer Director, Retail Food Protection Staff
  
  	
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    Print*“Recognize that various paths are available to gain experience and employment with FDA such as student internships; student, post-doctoral, and professional fellowship opportunities”***- Glenda R. Lewis, M.S.P.H., Supervisory Consumer Safety Officer, Director, Retail Food Protection Staff**

Glenda R. Lewis, M.S.P.H.

**How did your career begin at FDA?**
I started Christmas week in December 1996 with many of my new co-workers on use or lose leave.  Those in the office were very welcoming and my new Team members left me welcome notes and tips for settling in that first week.  Prior, I was a local health inspector in Florida and applied after seeing a job announcement in the Journal of Environmental Health.  The Agency was interested in someone with experience in state and local food regulatory programs and inspections, especially in the inspection of institutional food service operations.  A fit for my experience! I received a call for an interview and followed up.  The rest is history and I have been at FDA for 24 years as of last December, working in the Retail Food Program focused on national retail food policy, its interpretation, science-basis, and implementation.

**What do you value most about working at FDA?**
I work with staff in both CFSAN and in ORA.  The passion, commitment, and professionalism of my co-workers; moving with them towards a common goal for reducing foodborne illness at the retail level even when there is a diversity of thought on paths forward, we come together to achieve the goal.

**What are you most proud of in terms of your work at FDA?**
I am proud to be a part of the Agency’s role in protecting consumers from foodborne illness at the retail level.  In my work I have been involved in development and maintenance of the Retail program’s foundational documents such as the FDA Food Code and its accompanying online database of Food Code interpretations, the Food Code Reference System, the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, the Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook, the Retail HACCP Manuals – one for Regulators and the other, for Operators, and most recently, setting a vision and guiding the CFSAN Retail Food Policy Team in creating a framework for national retail food policy development that includes risk-focused tools for ensuring the Code remains risk- and science-based.  I think this work with my FDA Retail colleagues has helped position the model FDA Food Code, now in its current format for 28 years, as a strong science-based, authoritative source of model food safety regulation available for adoption by State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial governmental bodies.

**What advice would you give to an FDA job seeker?**
Never give up.  Recognize that various paths are available to gain experience and employment with FDA such as student internships; student, post-doctoral, and professional fellowship opportunities; Keep routinely/actively applying for open vacancies if the first time does not end up in a job.  Seek out and learn about FDA and the many opportunities it offers in a variety of subject areas; explore how your experience and degree can be applied to the many opportunities provided. Be willing to come into the Agency in a role that fits your experience and be willing to work your way up.  Once in FDA, work hard, do your best, learn, grow and excel.  The opportunities will come for progression as you grow. The main thing is to remember to be kind to others and do what is right.  Respect others and embrace what can be learned from others.

**When you're not at work, what is your favorite way to unwind?**
I am a movie buff and also like watching HGTV for shows on interior design and home renovation and house hunters.  I love mysteries, Superman, and working with my 1st – 2nd grade students teaching in Sunday School at my church.  Reading a favorite book, getting in a long walk, and time at the pool or on the beach are other favorites.  The beach is my happy place?!

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      04/22/2021About FDA

          
                        


                        FDA Organization
          Transparency
          Visitor Information
          About This Website
          Contact FDA
          Doing Business With FDA
          FDA Acronyms & Abbreviations
          FDA Commissioner
          FDA en español
          FDA History
          Jobs and Training at FDA
          Partnerships: Enhancing Science Through Collaborations With FDA
          Plain Writing: It's the Law!
          Reports, Manuals, & Forms
          What We Do
 
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop