T. Marzetti Company Names Judith Mondello Chief Research, Development and Quality Officer
T. Marzetti Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Judith Mondello as Chief Research, Development and Quality Officer, effective today. In this role, Ms. Mondello will lead research and development, product innovation, quality assurance and regulatory compliance across the organization.
Ms. Mondello has more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President of R&D for the Meals and Beverage Division at Campbell Soup Company, where she was responsible for leading the R&D team that supports the soup, broth, sauce, pasta, frozen meals and beverage business unit. Prior to that, she spent 16 years at J.M. Smucker Company in R&D leadership roles across the company’s Consumer Foods, Away from Home, Strategic Innovation, and Baking segments. Earlier in her career, she held roles with Sara Lee, McKee Foods, and Continental Baking Company. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Southeast Missouri State University and an MBA from Walsh University.
“Judi brings a wealth of technical knowledge and deep experience leading R&D, quality and regulatory teams,” said Dave Ciesinski, President and CEO of Lancaster Colony. “She shares our company’s commitment to quality and innovation, and we are thrilled to have a leader of her caliber leading our best-in-class culinary and product development team.”
Dr. Steve Hill, who has led the Research, Development and Quality organization at T. Marzetti since 2017, will retire from the company later this year. He will work closely with Ms. Mondello over the coming months as he transitions into an advisory role.
“I want to acknowledge Steve’s incredible leadership and contributions to T. Marzetti over the last eight years,” said Mr. Ciesinski. “Steve built our RDQ team into the award-winning organization it is today and raised the bar for the way we approach product innovation, flavor delivery, food safety and quality standards. We wish him all the best in his next chapter.”