Peter Genovese, '14

Speakers across the retail food and service sectors will share their insights on being agile and adaptable at the 2024 Niagara University Food Industry Center of Excellence Summit, Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo, 2 Fountain Plaza, Buffalo, N.Y. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with lunch at noon and a cocktail reception at 4 p.m.

Speakers include alumnus Peter Genovese, go to market program manager at Gemini Experiences, Google; Amanda Lai, director of food industry practice at McMillanDoolittle; Chelsea Schroder, director of foodservice at Circana; and Mercedes E. Wilson, CEO and owner of Sadie’s Foods.

In addition, Dr. Mark Frascatore, dean of Niagara’s Holzschuh College of Business Administration, will lead a discussion on the status and development of food industry programs in the college with Dr. Bridget Niland, dean of the College of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management, and Dr. Petter Lovaas, associate professor of cybersecurity and operations.

Genovese has held numerous positions in Silicon Valley corporations. He spent more than seven years at Yahoo! as a technical program manager in divisions across the company before joining Google, where, as a member of the organization’s Google Gemini team, he is leading the efforts to launch Gemini, Google’s newest AI model. He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Niagara University in 2014.

Lai leads McMillanDoolittle’s food industry practice and is a regular guest analyst on the TD Ameritrade Network, a keynote speaker at industry conferences, and a subject matter expert quoted in publications including The Chicago Tribune, Progressive Grocer, and Winsight Grocery Business.

Schroder has spent the past five years at Circana, leading with data driven insights and industry expertise to help her manufacturer clients navigate the ever-changing market by understanding the state of foodservice consumption, unlocking opportunities for growth, and helping clients to fine tune their go to market strategies.

Wilson is a three-time author, award-winning talk show host, breast cancer survivor, foodpreneur, philanthropist, and mother. She is the host of the digital first platform “7Life” that airs on Channel 7ABC, and the founder of  “Sadie’s Relish,” which is sold in over 157 grocery stores in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

This annual summit is presented by the Holzschuh College of Business Administration. For more information and to register, visit https://www.niagara.edu/food-industry-center-of-excellence-summit/