2026 FAI Host
Maureen Ballatori
Agency 29
CEO & Founder
2026 FAI Speakers
Opening Keynote
Chris Abbott
Pivot Bio
CEO
Doug Baker
E2SG Partners
Retired Chairman & CEO Ecolab
Lauren Pradhan
Tesser Advisory
CEO & Founder
Moderater
Panel 1: Eating Reimagined
Jen Wagner Lahr
AURI
Senior Director of Business Development & Commercialization
Moderater
Tom Hockenberry
General Mills
Vice President - Nutrition and Technology Solutions
Leena Hilakivi-Clarke
University of Minnesota, The Hormel Institute
Professor
Johnny Tran
Vora
Cofounder
Chris Costagli
NiQ
Vice President, F&B Thought Leadership
Panel 2: Food as Health
Diane Tran
Fairview
Executive Director
Moderater
Carolyn Gahn
Applegate
Senior Director, Mission & Advocacy
Jamie Goehner
Bay State Milling
Senior Vice President & General Manager
Mara Mendell
Optum Financial
Vice President - Value Added Services and Brand Partnerships
Panel 3: Protein Future
Shannon Schlecht
AURI
Executive Director
Moderater
JoAnne Berkenkamp
MBOLD
Consultant
Pam Ismail
University of Minnesota Plant Protein Innovation Center
Professor
Heidi Teoh
Vice President - R&D
SunOpta
Jayendra Amamcharla
University of Minnesota Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center
Professor
Panel 4: Resilience & Volatility
Darin Broton
Minnesota Agrigrowth
Executive Director
Moderater
Blois Olson
Fluence Media
CEO & Founder
Mike Rohlfsen
Agris Academy
Co-Founder
Jennifer Schmitt
Institute on the Environment - UMN
Research Professor in Sustainable Food Systems
Panel 5: Local & Regional
Food System
Emily Paul
Food Works Group
Partner
Moderater
Theresa Schneider
The Good Acre
CEO
Corinne Shindelar
All Natural Strategies
Owner
Erik Brust
Jonny Pops
CEO
Alessandra Cancalosi
Red Tomato
Food Distribution Manager
Closing Keynote
Maureen Ballatori
Agency 29
CEO & Founder
David Fiocco
McKinsley & Company
Senior Partner
Steve Grove
The Minnesota Star Tribune
CEO & Publisher
2026 State Fair Session
Mary Chung
Minnesota State Fair
Foundation Executive
Jill Nathe
Minnesota State Fair
Deputy General Manager
Chuck Tryon
Tryon Advisory
Founder & Principal