Beth is a partner in the firm’s Payments practice and Retail Banking practice in the Americas. She specializes in payment products, with an emphasis on payment networks and solutions (including general purpose, cobrand, and private label debit, credit, and prepaid), online banking, e-commerce, mobile payments, loyalty and rewards, ACH, and EBPP. Beth has provided results-oriented advice as well as execution and implementation assistance to merchants, banks, networks, and technology companies on issues of strategy, product development, business entry/exit, consumer preferences, merchant perspectives, and benchmarking.

Beth brings a unique blend of experiences and perspectives to her clients, having worked both in industry and also as a consultant. Her industry experience includes leadership roles at banks and payment processors, as well as C-level responsibilities with Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). Her diverse background ensures that she provides a 360 degree view of payments from consumer, merchant, network/processor, bank (and MNO) perspectives – across any form of payment or channel.

Bobby is a Partner in the Retail & Consumer Goods practice at Oliver Wyman. His project work centers on helping retailers and product manufacturers make sustainable improves in their capabilities through strategic advisory and advanced analytics in decision making. Bobby is a contributing author to Retail Revolution, Oliver Wyman’s study on major trends in the industry and has been featured in Harvard Business Review and APM Marketplace. Bobby has presented to leading national trade associations in the retail sector on changing patterns of consumption and is regularly featured in major news outlets (print, radio and television)

Bobby recently served as the interim Vice President for Promotional Optimization at a $5B specialty retailer overseeing decision making and execution for Shelf Pricing, Coupons, Price Promotions, Loyalty Offers and Markdown. In his operating role, he supported the launch of a digital B2B operating unit and planning for a consumer marketplace

Krystal Register, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND is the Vice President of Health and Well-being at FMI - The Food Industry Association. She is responsible for overall leadership, strategic planning and execution of nutrition, health and well-being activities and initiatives at FMI. She serves as the lead coordinator and subject matter expert for nutrition policy, programs, operations, and communication issues across the food industry for FMI members, industry partners and community collaborators. Krystal is committed to connecting the science of food and nutrition to improved public health. She is a champion for registered dietitians in the food industry and engages in advocacy to lift up >span class="EOP SCXW36780201 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> 

Prior to joining FMI, Krystal was a food retail dietitian with Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. for twelve years and made significant contributions to company-wide wellness programs, consumer health messaging, employee wellness, community events, and media response. Krystal’s background includes environmental and nutrition science studies with degrees from the College of William and Mary and James Madison University, with both clinical nutrition and personal coaching professional experience. 

Krystal currently serves as Chair of the Food & Culinary Professionals (FCP) Dietetic Practice Group with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is an Academy Fellow.  She has served for many years with FCP as Supermarket/Retail Subgroup Chair, Treasurer, and Membership Chair. She also served as mentor to the Academy Foundation Nutrition in Food Retail Program Development Fellow, and contributes to many advisory committees, including the Portion Balance Coalition, USDA’s MyPlate National Strategic Partnership, and the National Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Coalition.  

Stephen A. Leach joined the Representation, Inclusion Strategies and Engagement (RISE) Team at The Walt Disney Studios in September 2020. The Walt Disney Studio creates, distributes, and markets some of the most iconic and memorable films and franchises in movie history. The RISE Team helps cultivate creative talent, supports diverse storytelling, conducts outreach and market research, and creates strategies that drive D&I, multicultural consumer acquisition and engagement for The Walt Disney Studios’ businesses.  

Before joining Disney, Stephen’s held a variety of roles, including:  

• Member of Marriott’s Workforce Engagement and Global Diversity and Inclusion team;  
• Senior Director, Diversity + Inclusion Strategies at Marriott International, ranked #1 for diversity by DiversityInc., a leading diversity and inclusion publication; 
• Manager for Community Relations; and Manager for Workforce Diversity and Inclusion at Nestle USA; and 
• Government Affairs and Community Outreach positions for other national organizations.  

Stephen brings a unique and seasoned perspective to corporate D+I efforts, especially in the areas of the developing and implementing cultural competence trainings; relationship, strategic alliance, and partner building; D+I data analysis and reporting; managing D+I programs; and community relations. Stephen and his wife Danielle live in Northern Virginia with their son Steph and twin boys, Jackson and Carter. 

Ricky Volpe received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Davis in 2010. He then spent four years working as an economist at the USDA Economic Research Service in Washington DC. There he researched a variety of topics, including food price formation, competitiveness in the food industry, and the healthiness of grocery purchases in the U.S. Ricky was also responsible for forecasting retail food price inflation at the national level.

Now at Cal Poly, Ricky teaches courses on food retail and supply chain management, transportation and logistics, and data analysis. He also maintains an active research agenda using a variety of large data sets to study issues related to market structure, firm performance, food prices, consumers’ food choices, and health outcomes. He also works closely with industry leaders in food retailing, wholesaling, and distribution to facilitate collaboration on public-private partnerships, student internships, and scholarships.

Andrew S. Harig currently serves as Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development.  In this position, he is responsible for lobbying Congress and the Administration on behalf of FMI’s members, with a primary focus on sustainability, agriculture, taxes, trade and pensions.

Prior to joining FMI, Harig was an associate trade advisor and speechwriter for the Senate Finance Committee under its Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT).  From 1999-2001, he was the senior research associate for the Global Economic Policy Project at the New America Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

Harig holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

Leo Feler is the Chief Economist at Numerator and a Senior Economist and Professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. At Numerator, Dr. Feler is responsible for thought leadership on economics and consumer behavior and publishes monthly reports on consumer price inflation, retail sales, consumer sentiment, and the labor market. At UCLA, Dr. Feler teaches courses on business forecasting and entry into emerging markets and prepares quarterly US economic forecasts. Previously, Dr. Feler advised the US government and private sector companies on mergers and antitrust litigation. Dr. Feler has also taught at Johns Hopkins University and worked as a consultant with Boston Consulting Group and the World Bank. Dr. Feler holds a PhD in economics from Brown University and degrees in economics and international policy from Stanford University.

Andrew S. Harig currently serves as Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development at FMI-The Food Industry Association. In this position, he is responsible for lobbying Congress and the Administration on behalf of FMI members, with a primary focus on agriculture, taxes, trade, sustainability, food waste, and pensions. Prior to joining FMI, Andy was an associate trade advisor and speechwriter for the Senate Finance Committee under its Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT).  From 1999-2001, he was the senior research associate for the Global Economic Policy Project at the New America Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank. Andy holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

Steve Markenson leads FMI’s research & insights practice. Markenson is a market research executive with 30 years of progressive experience in his field – from research assistant to president of a full-service national market research firm – and his diverse experience includes research design, information/data collection and analysis and strategic planning.

In his role at FMI, Markenson oversees the research & insights practice at FMI, specifically the study design, survey fielding and efforts with outside knowledge partners and FMI subject matter experts. He leads the discovery process on the latest industry trends and operational insights that champion FMI as a credible voice of the food retail industry. 

Sherry Frey brings more than two decades of industry experience to her role as Vice President, Total Wellness at NielsenIQ.  

With a background in market research, innovation and consulting, she has elevated clients across the fresh, CPG and wellness industries, providing forward-thinking insights, combined with practical strategies.  

In addition to leading NielsenIQ’s Total Wellness team and industry engagement, Sherry has been a featured speaker at many national and international industry events and is often sought as a media and analyst resource on topics related to consumer health, wellness and environmental issues.  

Sherry’s view of health and wellness spans beyond personal health and wellness, encompassing how we collectively think about the health of the planet.  

Krystal Register, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND is the Vice President of Health and Well-being at FMI - The Food Industry Association. She is responsible for overall leadership, strategic planning and execution of nutrition, health and well-being activities and initiatives at FMI. She serves as the lead coordinator and subject matter expert for nutrition policy, programs, operations, and communication issues across the food industry for FMI members, industry partners and community collaborators. Krystal is committed to connecting the science of food and nutrition to improved public health. She is a champion for registered dietitians in the food industry and engages in advocacy to lift up >span class="EOP SCXW36780201 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> 

Prior to joining FMI, Krystal was a food retail dietitian with Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. for twelve years and made significant contributions to company-wide wellness programs, consumer health messaging, employee wellness, community events, and media response. Krystal’s background includes environmental and nutrition science studies with degrees from the College of William and Mary and James Madison University, with both clinical nutrition and personal coaching professional experience. 

Krystal currently serves as Chair of the Food & Culinary Professionals (FCP) Dietetic Practice Group with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is an Academy Fellow.  She has served for many years with FCP as Supermarket/Retail Subgroup Chair, Treasurer, and Membership Chair. She also served as mentor to the Academy Foundation Nutrition in Food Retail Program Development Fellow, and contributes to many advisory committees, including the Portion Balance Coalition, USDA’s MyPlate National Strategic Partnership, and the National Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Coalition.  

Steve Markenson leads FMI’s research & insights practice. Markenson is a market research executive with 30 years of progressive experience in his field – from research assistant to president of a full-service national market research firm – and his diverse experience includes research design, information/data collection and analysis and strategic planning.

In his role at FMI, Markenson oversees the research & insights practice at FMI, specifically the study design, survey fielding and efforts with outside knowledge partners and FMI subject matter experts. He leads the discovery process on the latest industry trends and operational insights that champion FMI as a credible voice of the food retail industry. 

Jonna has been an innovator in the fresh foods space for nearly two decades driving the evolution of consumer-centric decision making and big data analytics throughout the perimeter. She has worked extensively in each perimeter department: Meat, Bakery, Deli, Produce, Seafood, Dairy and Floral with both suppliers and retailers. Jonna joined IRI in 2016 and leads IRI’s Fresh COE focusing on solution enhancement, thought leadership and client consultation across both suppliers and retailers. Jonna graduated with highest honors from Bradley University with a degree in public relations and marketing and lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rick Stein joined FMI in 2014, and is responsible for developing a portfolio of services and activities to assist members in formulating and executing their fresh food strategies.  These categories include everything from  – dairy, frozen, meat, poultry, seafood, and produce to service departments – deli, bakery and fresh prepared meals and related solutions for take-out or in-store dining.

Prior to joining FMI, Rick spent 35 + years in a wide range of retail grocery merchandising and marketing responsibilities.  Most recently Stein was the Vice President of retail marketing & merchandising execution for Safeway Stores, Inc.  Previously he held both divisional and corporate responsibilities in his tenure at Safeway in retail/store operations, category management, sales, marketing/merchandising, and strategy development. He has experience in virtually every facet of the retail food business and helped lead Safeway to achieve operational excellence and increased market share and revenues.Stein graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor of Arts in Behavioral and Social Sciences.  He has earned continuing educations credits in marketing, merchandising and management, most recently with the Disney Institute. Rick serves on numerous nonprofit boards such as the MDA, Children’s Cancer Foundation and Easter Seals of DC/VA/MD.