Our Junior Board of Directors
WISE started a junior board of directors in 2021 to further its mission of increased diversity and inclusion in store brands and to provide leadership opportunities to empower our partners and members. It was created to be a diverse representation of our industry in background, skill set, gender, and ethnicity with the focus on connecting to the next generation of the store brand industry.
Click on the headshots for more information on each of our board members.
Shanaz Ahmed
Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager Own Brand, Albertsons
Shanaz leads Albertson’s Own Brands Regulatory Affairs team and sets regulatory agenda responsible for ensuring faultless compliance of product labeling across all brands. She was the 2021 recipient of TWISB Functional Expertise - R&D / QA award. With over 15 years of industry experience in Regulatory, Nutrition & Product Development across several companies, Shanaz is a strong and passionate leader. She also played an instrumental role in spearheading Own Brands’ RA Strategic Initiatives agenda and paved way for consistency for In-Store product compliance. Shanaz holds a double Master of Science degrees in Food Science and in Nutrition & Dietetics, and a Biotechnology undergraduate degree.
Shanaz Ahmed
Albertsons
Communication & Social Media Committee
Angela Atamian
HR Manager
Angela joined John B. Sanfilippo & Son in January 2019 as the Office Manager and in 2022 changed careers within the organization to Human Resources. Prior to JBSS, Angela managed Food Manufacturing Operations within smaller privately held companies. She loves procedures and thrives on stepping into something new and applying structure. Angela is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a degree in Marketing. In her spare time, she enjoys family time the most with her husband and two kids. “I am excited to be continuing my membership on the WISE Jr. Board for another term. I look forward to new members, increased Jr Board involvement, and future personal growth opportunities within the organization."
Angela Atamian
John B. Sanfilippo & Son
Professional Development Committee
Mayra Buenrostro
Business Manager, Daymon
I’ve been with Daymon since 2015 starting off as customer service rep. Through vested interest in the products and categories, I worked my way into business and product management. I currently hold the position of Business Manager at Daymon where my key focus is collaborating with retailer customers and key supplier partners to manage and expand their private brand program. I thrive off building strong, lasting relationships to build and execute plans into tangible results.
I attended Southern Illinois University and obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Management.
I enjoy entertaining friends, planning events, travelling, and exploring all that there is in my hometown of Chicago.
Mayra Buenrostro
Daymon
Partner Liaison Committee
Keri Cardenas
Senior Sourcing Leader, Supplements
Keri Cardenas is the Senior Sourcing Leader of Supplements at Whole Foods Market for the Exclusive Brands team. In her current position, Keri is responsible for launching new products, managing costs, and resources across a vast supplier network. Aside from her role in sourcing, she also serves on the Inclusive Products Sub Committee, Whole Foods Market Culture Champions and is the Exclusive Brands Training Captain. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and considers herself a lifelong student with interests in intersectionality and women’s history. Her past times include turning her yard into a native plant and pollinator habitat, practicing the drums, and spending time with her family.
Keri Cardenas
Whole Foods Market
Special Projects
Bailey Furtado
Sr. Rotational Program Specialist - Sourcing, Topco Associates
Born and Raised in Central California with a strong agriculture background. Graduated from California State University, Fresno in 2021 with an Bachelors in Agriculture Business. Started with Topco in the summer of 2019 with my first Produce Procurement Internship, then continued to complete two more internships with Topco; another Produce Procurement Internship as well as a Category Management Internship. Upon graduating, moved to the Chicago area and joined the Rotational Program with Topco, which is a 2 year developmental program that gives an opportunity to work in a total of 6 departments. The departments in this program include; Member Services, Master Data, Demand Planning, Logistics, Sourcing and Category Insights. Having almost completed 5/6 rotations, I have been able to get diverse exposures and insights to the grocery industry which I hope to aid the WISE Junior Board.
Bailey Furtado
Topco Associates
Recruitment Committee
Elysia Handy
Customer Business Manager, Treehouse Foods
Elysia Handy is a Customer Business Manager at TreeHouse Foods, where she manages the entire THS private brands portfolio for Whole Foods and Winco. She was previous with branded companies like Newell Brands, Wholesome Sweeteners, and Dyno LLC (Singer). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. She currently lives in Austin, TX with her husband and three children. She enjoys traveling, listening to audible books, baking and watching her daughters play softball and soccer.
Elysia Handy
TreeHouse Foods
Communication & Social Media Committee
Alexis Herbert
Business Manager, Daymon
Alexis Herbert is a Business Manager at Daymon, supporting the Ahold Delhaize account for nearly 3 years. Alexis started with Daymon after graduating from Western Michigan University’s Food & Consumer Packed Goods Marketing program in 2019. In her role, her responsibilities include supporting suppliers and retailers in various ways such as developing new private brand programs, closing distribution voids, searching for innovation and white space opportunities and more. She has a passion for exploring new food and consumer trends. In her spare time, she loves travelling to new cities and countries, being active and playing sports, cooking, listening to True Crime podcasts and spending time with friends and family. She is very passionate about promoting diversity and she is truly honored to be a part of the WISE Junior Board.
Alexis Herbert
Daymon
Special Projects
Kirsten Taylor
Senior, Business Systems Analysis-Finance, Treehouse Foods
Kirsten Taylor is a Senior Business Systems Analyst at TreeHouse Foods. She got her Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy and her Master's Degree in Management Information Systems from Northern Illinois University. She started her career in Internal Audit at PwC then started with Internal Audit at TreeHouse Foods in 2019. She then moved over to the IT team at TreeHouse Foods in 2021 where she works closely with business partners in the finance team to make sure financial IT systems are running smoothly and also to help optimize financial systems. She joined WISE in March 2021 and is excited to be a part of the WISE Junior Board! At TreeHouse, Kirsten is also the Membership Committee Chair for the Woman's Employee Resource group and truly has a passion for DEI. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing in social sports leagues, and spending time with her husband and her fur babies (2 cats and 2 dogs).
Kirsten Taylor
TreeHouse Foods
Special Projects
Kyle Zofinski
Sourcing Analyst, Topco
I’m a Sourcing Analyst at Topco Associates managing a variety of general merchandise categories such as stationery, kitchen and cake decorating. In June 2022, I was the first graduate of Topco’s 2-year rotational program completing rotations throughout 6 different departments. Within this rotational program, I was able to learn the functional roles and processes as well as completing specialized projects in each department. I graduated from DePaul University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a concentration in Honors Integrated Marketing Education. Through the IME honors program, I got to work with brands such as Kellogg’s, Barilla Group, and Romance Kosugi in detailed consulting projects. In my free time, I love to travel and experience new cultures. I’m a huge foodie at heart and love to cook!
Kyle Zofinski
Topco Associates
Junior Board Member