Dr. Todd R. Callaway received his B.S. Agriculture degree in Animal Health and Animal and Dairy Sciences, as well as his M.S. in Animal and Dairy Sciences from the University of Georgia.  He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University, with minors in Biochemistry and Animal Science.  Dr. Callaway is a Research Microbiologist for the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and has served as a Science Fellow for the Foreign Agriculture Service and the U.S. State Department.  He has adjunct faculty appointments in the Department of Agriculture at Angelo State University, the Animal and Dairy Sciences Department at Mississippi State University, and the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University. Dr. Callaway has a research program focused on manipulating the microbial ecology of the animal gastrointestinal tract to reduce populations of foodborne pathogenic bacteria in food animals before they enter the food chain.

Dr. Steven C. Ricke received his B.S. degree in Animal Science and M.S. degree in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin with a co-major in Animal Science and Bacteriology. He is currently holder of the Donald “Buddy” Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety and Director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas.  He is also a faculty member of the Department of Food Science, the Department of Poultry Science and the Cellular and Molecular Graduate program. Dr. Ricke’s research program is primarily focused on virulence and pathogenic characteristics of foodborne salmonellae.