Sidney Herr, MBA, serves as the Research and Innovations Manager at Midwest Dairy, focusing on innovative dairy applications in new products. Her work aligns with the dairy check-off program's goals to enhance industry competitiveness and consumer demand. Prior to this role, she was a Sales Support Coordinator at Corteva Agriscience and holds an MBA from Northwest Missouri State University.

Beth Bruck-Upton, MA, RDN, serves as the Vice President of Research and Innovation at Midwest Dairy. She has worked for dairy farm families for sixteen years in roles such as health and wellness, schools, nutrition affairs, and business operations. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Beth values the long-standing foundation of science and research that the dairy community has invested in, which continues to reinforce the significant role that dairy foods and ingredients play in health and food security across all life stages.

Kat Zheleznyak, MBA is the Senior Manager of Innovation & Partnerships at VentureFuel, and the project lead for the Midwest Dairy Accelerator Program. She has experience in strategy, research, and venture building across consumer products, healthcare, sustainability, and climate-tech. Kat has worked across the innovation lifecycle through her time at venture studio West, early-stage beverage startup Recess, the NYC Media Lab incubator, and corporate expert network Guidepoint. She has a particular focus on leveraging her founder-first principles in supporting growth-stage companies scale their impact.