Sharon Birkett is Vice President of Quality and Food Safety for OSI Group, LLC., a global organization leading in supplying value-added protein items and other food products to leading foodservice and retail brands. Sharon is a leader in the food industry with more than 25 years’ experience and expertise in food safety, quality assurance and operations. She leads a team in raising the awareness and expectations of food safety through participating on the Food Safety Culture technical group with Global Food Safety Initiative, and best practices in listeria control. Sharon is a member of professional organizations including the International Association of Food Protection, American Society for Quality, and North American Meat Institute. Birkett graduated from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry. She also received an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.