Jean Spence is Executive Vice President of Research, Development & Quality for Kraft Foods. She is responsible for all product and packaging development, research, nutrition, quality, food safety and scientific affairs worldwide.
Jean joined Kraft in 1981 as a Research Engineer for Maxwell House coffee and holds three U.S. and worldwide patents for her development work. She held a variety of management positions in Research and Development and Quality before being named Quality Assurance Director in 1993. A year later in 1994, Jean was named Research Director, Beverages, then became Group Director for Beverages and Desserts in 1995. She became Vice President of Technology in 1996 and Vice President, Worldwide Quality and Scientific Relations in 1999.
In November 2001, Jean was appointed Senior Vice President of Worldwide Quality, Scientific Affairs and Compliance for Kraft Foods North America and was responsible for quality on a worldwide basis, coordinating global compliance programs, scientific relations, regulatory issues, microbiology and auditing. In August of 2003 she was named Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Kraft Foods North America. In that role, she oversaw basic research, nutrition and product, product, package and process development.
Prior to joining Kraft, Spence worked in manufacturing as a Process Supervisor for Procter and Gamble in Staten Island, New York.
She serves on the Department of Homeland Security Private Sector Advisory Council. In addition, she serves on the boards of Junior Achievement, Girl Scouts Illinois Crossroads Council, a Clarkson University trustee, an International Life Sciences Institute trustee, and is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists.
Spence received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University and a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College. |