Gerald Wojtala is Executive Director at the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI). Previously, he was Deputy Director of the Food & Dairy Division with the Michigan Department of Agriculture where he managed the food protection programs in the state of Michigan (107 division employees and oversight and accreditation of 45 local public health programs). In addition to program oversight, Mr. Wojtala was responsible for liaison on legislative issues with lawmakers and completed the legislative effort in 2007 to amend the State’s Food Law.
Mr. Wojtala is the Past-President of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). AFDO is the premier professional organization for regulatory food, drug and medical device officials from local, state and federal agencies. Prior to government service, he worked as a microbiologist in Detroit. He is a long standing member of the Institute of Food Technologists and is also a current lead instructor with the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education at Louisiana State University.
Mr. Wojtala received the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation for his role in investigating an outbreak of Hepatitis A among school children from the consumption of strawberries and also for managing the response to the Power Blackout of 2003 that occurred in the N.E. United States. He has worked with Michigan’s apple industry in efforts to implement safe cider production practices and with the Michigan food processing industry on process water discharge issues. Mr. Wojtala recently coordinated a multi-agency, four-state effort to assess food safety transportation practices and response. Mr. Wojtala holds a degree in microbiology from Eastern Michigan University and graduate work in food science at Wayne State University.
