The American Frozen Food Institute welcomed a record-setting crowd of more than 1,600 attendees at AFFI-CON 2025, the bustling annual business meeting of leading frozen food industry executives in the United States. Professionals including frozen ingredients suppliers, processors, retailers and service providers attended this year’s event, which took place in Dallas, Texas from February 22-25.
“As the premier frozen ingredients show, AFFI-CON brings together the global frozen food supply chain and offers unparalleled value. We are excited to set new record attendance in 2025 and host B2B meetings that drive a stronger and more resilient industry,” said Alison Bodor, president and chief executive officer of the Arlington, Virginia-headquartered trade association.
The gathering included AFFI’s Annual Meeting, where members voted on the 2025-2028 slate of nominees for the board of directors.
The 2025-2026 Board officers are:
• Chair: Suvan Sharma, CEO, Jain Farm Fresh Foods
• Vice-Chair: Debbie Radie, Chief Quality Stewardship Officer, Boardman Foods
• Immediate Past Chair: John Tentomas, Founder and CEO, Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods
Board members elected to serve on the executive committee for 2025-2026, alongside the officers, are as follows:
• Tracey Beck, Vice President, Chief Counsel-Marketing & Government Affairs, Conagra Brands
• Jeff Preston, Managing Director of North America, Ardo VLM
• Rebecca Scheidler, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Consumer Foods at The JM Smucker Company
• Tony Shurman, CEO, Jasper Wyman & Son
Persons elected to the Board of Directors for 2025-2028 include:
• Tracey Beck, Conagra Brands
• Michelle Damon, J.R. Simplot Co.
• Dale Goyer, Twin City Foods
• Debbie Radie, Boardman Foods
• Rebecca Scheidler, The J.M. Smucker Company
• Tony Shurman, Jasper Wyman & Son
• Ricky Silver, Daily Harvest
• Kristen Thompson, B&G Foods
• Keith Tiegs, Oregon Potato Company
• Joe Yanda, Lakeside Foods
Woman of the Year Award Goes to Dianne Noriega
AFFI-CON also included the presentation of the 2024 Woman of the Year Award, held in partnership with Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer, which recognizes an outstanding woman in the frozen food industry. This year’s award was presented to Dianne Noriega with Expor San Antonio, who is retiring soon after more than 40 years in the frozen food industry.
“In addition to AFFI-CON’s unique focus on business development, this year’s event provided educational sessions that foster continuous improvement in food safety and insightful looks into the customer marketplace,” said Bodor. “Whether it’s understanding consumer consumption trends and the future of the energy marketplace, or assessing Listeria management and frozen berry supply chain safety, attendees gained new learnings to help their businesses grow and succeed.”
In recognition of the importance of reducing food waste, AFFI worked in coordination with its host hotel, Hyatt Regency Dallas, to ensure uneaten food was diverted to local shelters and composting.
Looking ahead, AFFI-CON 2026 is scheduled to take place February 21-24, 2026, in San Diego. For more information about the event, visit www.affi.org/affi-con
