STEVEN MANDERNACH

Board Member

Executive Director at Association of Food and Drug Officials

Steven Mandernach (MAWN-dur-knock) is the executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). Prior to becoming executive director in 2018, Mandernach was the bureau chief for Food and Consumer Safety at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, where he was responsible for the regulation of Iowa’s 24,000 food manufacturers, retail food operations, and lodging establishments. Mandernach spent over 15 years in state government, including managing Iowa’s $35 million implementation of the Help America Vote Act. He also served as acting associate general counsel for the Governor of Iowa. 

Mandernach is a past-president of AFDO and current co-chair of the Association’s Laws and Regulations committee and Administration Committee. He also served as the chair and co-chair for the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Alliance and is a past president of the Mid-Continental Association of Food and Drug Officials. Mandernach serves on the advisory board for George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Regulatory Affairs Program. He was appointed 2017-18 Ambassador to Public Health for the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa.

Mandernach co-authored the articles “Reporting of Foodborne Illness by U.S. Consumers and Healthcare Professionals,” which appeared in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and “Regional investigation of a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to imported romaine lettuce – Nebraska and Iowa, June–August 2013,” which appeared in the journal Epidemiology and Infection. He also co-authored “Listeria monocytogenes occurrence and Adherence to Recommendations: Small and Large Retail Delicatessens in Iowa” for Food Protection Trends and “Public Health Response to Multistate Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Associated With Prepackaged Chicken Salad, United States, 2018,” which appeared in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

He also co-authored the chapter on “Prevailing Statutes, Regulations, and Ordinances” for the International Food Protection Institute’s textbook for food protection professionals.  Mandernach frequently contributes to many food trade publications such as Food Safety Magazine, New Food Magazine, and Quality Assurance and Food Safety Magazine.

Mandernach graduated with a J.D. from Drake University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista University. He has completed graduate work in Food Safety at Michigan State University. Mandernach was an adjunct instructor of business law and political science for 10 years at Des Moines Area Community College.