2015 Outstanding Recent Alumna

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has named Beth Panko Briczinski, of Annandale, Virginia, a 2015 Outstanding Recent Alumna. The award recognizes alumni who have graduated in the past 10 years and provides opportunities for recipients to interact with the college's faculty, students and other alumni.

Briczinski earned bachelor's (1998), master's (2001) and doctoral (2007) degrees in food science from Penn State. She currently is vice president of dairy foods and nutrition at the National Milk Producers Federation in Arlington, Virginia, a trade association that develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own.

Since joining the federation in 2010, Briczinski has earned a reputation as a strong leader and advocate for the dairy industry whose work has had a direct, positive impact on dairy producers. She works with state and federal agencies primarily on regulatory issues in the areas of food safety and nutrition. Her contributions to the overall collaboration and coordination of the dairy industry assure consumer confidence in the safety of the U.S. milk supply and maintain dairy's strong position within federal nutrition and feeding programs.

She is a member of and has held leadership positions in the American Dairy Science Association, the International Association of Food Protection, and the Institute of Food Technologists. She also serves on the executive board and technical committees of the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments.

Briczinski's passion for dairy foods began as a graduate student at Penn State, where she was a guest speaker in numerous workshops and short courses, instructing more than 1,500 students from various backgrounds within the food industry. Since graduating, she has also has guest-lectured in Penn State's dairy food science undergraduate course.