Ann Hollingsworth

The AMSA Signal Service Award was established in 1956 and is given to members in recognition of devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry and to the association. All Signal Service Award winners--current, past and future--are granted Fellow status in the American Meat Science Association.

The 2007 AMSA Signal Service Awards are sponsored by Keystone Foods, West Conshohocke, Pennsylvania; Johnsonville Sausage, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin; and Elanco Animal Health, Indianapolis, Indiana.

The American Meat Science Association recognizes Dr. Ann Hollingsworth as the recipient of the 2007 Signal Service Award.

The meat science community has long recognized Ann’s bold leadership and advocacy for the meat science discipline and the meat industry. Her devotion and service to the American Meat Science Association will have far reaching benefits for this and future generations of meat scientists.

Ann began her meat science studies at Auburn University where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She then headed to the University of Nebraska, where she completed her M.S. and her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Mandigo.

 

She then embarked on a career that has encompassed fresh and processed meat and poultry operations in research and development, food safety assurance and education. Dr. Hollingsworth began her career as a research scientist for Armour Food Company. During her time there, she was the technical leader for the early work in pre-packaged branded meats and the use of sodium lactate as an antimicrobial agent.

Ann moved to Bil Mar Foods in 1992. She led a team that developed the highly profitable Sara Lee Deli Meats lines. She also led a basic research team that developed methodology for carbon dioxide stunning of turkeys and a multidisciplinary team that studied the biochemical phenomena responsible for causing pale, soft, and exudative breast meat in turkeys.

Ann moved to Keystone Foods in 1995, where she served as Vice President for Food Safety. Dr. Hollingsworth provided leadership in the area of food safety and quality assurance, both within Keystone Foods and the McDonald’s system. She was responsible for all facets of food safety in the company’s sixteen plants and twenty-five distribution centers. She and her team developed and implemented a comprehensive food safety system for manufacturing, distribution, and food service operations at locations throughout the world. During this time, Ann was recognized for her leadership, vision and expertise by being chosen to serve as a member of the Executive Advisory Committee for Food Safety for the McDonald’s Corporation.

In 2001, Dr. Hollingsworth started her own consulting firm, Better Built Foods. She has developed numerous in-house educational courses to train existing employees in the areas of food safety, HACCP, and basic meat science. These courses have been designed for various audiences including senior executives, operations employees, and food safety and quality assurance employees.

Her leadership as an AMSA member has come at critical times in the association’s recent history. Ann served on the AMSA Board of Directors in the early nineties when the plans for AMSA’s transition to autonomy from the National Live Stock and Meat Board were being formed. She returned to board service from 1999 to 2002 as a member of the Executive Committee. During her tenure, the association moved its headquarters to its current location in Savoy, Illinois, where the association’s relationship with the Federation of Animal Science Societies was formed. In addition, the association increased its support and commitment to student leadership development through the establishment of the Student Board of Directors.

Immediately after her term as Past President, Dr. Hollingsworth was asked by the board to fill an unplanned vacancy in the office of Secretary-Treasurer. For the following four years, her expertise and guidance as the chief financial officer were largely responsible for returning AMSA to strong financial health.

Ann’s volunteer spirit has been shared with many other organizations. An active member of The Institute of Food Technologists, Ann has held many leadership positions, including serving as IFT’s sixty-fourth President. She has also led a number of committees in the American Meat Institute.

As an industry leader, she has frequently been chosen to testify on behalf of the meat industry at public meetings where regulatory and food safety issues are discussed. During her tenure as AMSA President, she was also a requested witness at a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee representing the meat industry.