IFT Names Robert A. Vitas as Foundation Vice President

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) announced Robert A. Vitas, Ph.D., CFRE, has been named vice president of the IFT Foundation. Vitas will play a leading role in the foundation’s goal to connect people, resources and information to raise the standard of food science and technology in the world.
 
A certified fund raising executive, Vitas has worked in nonprofits and foundations for most of his professional life, including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Great Books Foundation. He was also regional training and development manager for Eastman Kodak’s photofinishing subsidiary, with responsibility for technical, production and management training in the Northern United States and Canada.
 
Vitas was co-chair of the Association Forum of Chicagoland’s Foundation and Development Shared Interest Group, a member of the Editorial Content Working Group, and currently serves on its professional practices committee.
 
Vitas earned his Ph.D. in political science at Loyola University of Chicago and is a visiting scholar at Northwestern University. He has published four books and more than two dozen articles, chapters and reviews in his field. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve.

Established in 1985, the IFT Foundation seeks to advance the quality of food science and technology worldwide. The Foundation’s efforts include supporting scholarships and fellowships, continuing education, career guidance, science-based communication, and achievement awards. To date, the foundation has disbursed more than $10 million to programs that attract new generations to food science.