Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America (CLA), announced that Dr. Brenda Stahl has recently joined CLA as the director of human health policy. As director, Stahl is responsible for the development, implementation and management of effective science and regulatory policy strategies on human health issues in support of CLA’s objectives. She works closely with member leaders to manage CLA’s human health and policy groups and committees.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Stahl join our science and regulatory affairs team at CLA,” Vroom stated. “Her broad experience in the food and raw material manufacturing industries, as well as in government affairs and policy, will enhance the work of our committees. Dr. Stahl’s knowledge of pesticide technology and the U.S. regulatory framework will be key to helping us advocate for the vital and necessary products that our members invent.”
Stahl comes to CLA from the Office of Food Safety within the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In her role at FDA, she was a consumer safety officer within the Department of Plant Products and Beverages. Stahl served as the department subject matter expert on hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), industrial microbiology and Good Manufacturing Practices. She has authored several Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Guidance documents, assisted in rule writing and education, and worked with FDA’s Pesticide Management Program in collaboration with the the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.
At CLA, Stahl reports to Dr. Janet E. Collins, executive vice president of science and regulatory affairs. Collins stated, “Dr. Stahl’s significant background and expertise in regulatory policy, risk assessment and food safety regulations will provide great strength to our work on residues in crops for risk assessment, maximum residue levels, and import tolerance considerations for our Residue Experts Working Group, Registration Committee, and the CLA Food and Beverage Committee.”
Dr. Stahl received a bachelor of science degree in animal sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PhD in food science from Iowa State University. She began her career working for large consultative entities such as AIB International and the National Science Foundation, supporting the food, beverage, pet food and cosmetic industries with research and development, regulatory compliance, certification compliance, industrial microbiology and food safety program design, HACCP and food safety education.