2026-2027 Committee
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
Product Development Competition Committee
The Product Development Competition Committee plans, organizes, and oversees the product development competition, which features students from across the country, and ends in the finals at BakingTECH. The committee decides on the annual theme related to trends and innovation in the baking industry, manages the application and selection of finalists, and promotes the competition in the run-up to BakingTECH.
Sarah Corwin | Chair
Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition | Itasca, IL
Elizabeth Bitar Nalbandian | Vice Chair
Washington State University | WA
Eddie Childers
Bake Fresh Company LLC | Chesapeake, VA
Sherrill Cropper
Lesaffre | Milwaukee, WI
Supun Fernando
JM Smucker Co. | Orrville, OH
Lalit Ganwani
First Blends Ltd. | Lagos, Nigeria
Ramakanth (Rama) Jonnala
Glanbia | Naperville, IL
Christie McElya
Lone Star Foods | China Grove, TX
Devanshu Mehta
Impossible Foods | Redwood City, CA
Amrita Ray
Northern Crops Institute | Fargo, ND
Katelyn Rickmon
Purefield Ingredients, Inc. | Lenexa, KS
Oluwatoyin Sangokunle
Florida A and M University | Tallahassee, FL
Cyprian Syeunda
Mennel Milling Company | Findlay, OH
Responsibilities
Product Development Competition
Competition Theme
The committee selects a theme for the competition each year, referencing past themes and providing insight into trends and interests within the industry.
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Product Development Competition
Finalist Selection
The committee reviews and scores preliminary proposals on areas such as product description, process description, and technical problem solving, coming to a consensus on the three finalist teams.
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