Betsy Booren, P.h.D., former vice president of scientific affairs for NAMI

WASHINGTON – The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) announced that Betsy Booren, Ph.D., vice president of scientific affairs for NAMI, has left her post at NAMI, as well as her position as president of the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, to become a senior policy advisor at Olsson Frank and Weeda, a Washington-based law firm. Booren had worked at NAMI for seven years. Her last day was Aug. 15.

As vice president of scientific affairs for NAMI, a role she held since January 2014, she represented NAMI and provided scientific analysis to the meat and poultry industry on a number of issues including food safety, food defense, nutrition, animal health, food processing and research priorities. She also served as a scientific liaison between NAMI and various other trade organizations and government agencies.

In her role as president of the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, to which she was named in January 2015, she assisted with the management of the NAMI Foundation Research Advisory Committee and provided feedback to various governmental agencies on proposed policies and regulations that impacted the meat and poultry industry.

"Dr. Booren was a valuable member of the Meat Institute team and her expertise on a variety of issues will be missed," said Barry Carpenter, president and CEO of NAMI. "We wish her the best on her new opportunity." 

Booren received her bachelor’s degree in food science from Michigan State Univ., her master’s in animal science from the Univ. of Nebraska and her Ph.D. in food science and technology from Texas A&M Univ.