Catching Up with Laura Wildey

Laura Wildey was a member of Cohort VIII. At that time, Laura was the Program Manager of the Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Services Division at the District of Columbia Department of Health. Mid-way through the Fellowship, Laura began work with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) as the Senior Program Analyst in Food Safety.

Since completing the Fellowship, Laura has settled into her new role with NEHA and has taken on a plethora of food safety projects. She currently works on projects that involve the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS), EpiReady Training, the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), and the Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative.

Laura also serves as a Co-Chair for the Association of Food and Drug Official’s Cannabis Committee and leads NEHA’s Food Safety Program Committee. She also works to promote food safety throughout the year during events like World Food Safety Day and National Food Safety Education Month. Laura is working on her Master’s in Food Safety at Michigan State University and is focusing on creating a cannabis edibles training course for regulators for her Applied Project. She anticipates she will graduate in the Summer of 2022.  

“My participation in the Fellowship opened innumerable doors to new and exciting professional opportunities. I use what I learned during the fellowship daily as I work with my team to tackle large and small food safety issues. I also gained life-long friends and colleagues with a vested interest in protecting our food supply”