Name: Miquela Hanselman
Title: Manager, Regulatory Affairs
What is your background and how did you become interested in the dairy/food industry?
I grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York. This upbringing instilled in me a love for the dairy industry and an appreciation of where food comes from. I have always enjoyed being around animals and helping my family with chores, but I never felt like my calling was to return home to the farm. During college, I learned how my skills and interests could be best suited to serve the industry, and ultimately, to give back to my favorite people.
What was your Cornell experience like? (i.e. coursework, dairy related activities, internships, jobs, etc.)
I received both a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science and a Master of Public Health from Cornell and I feel so incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities I had during that time. During my undergraduate career, I had many opportunities to travel and see the dairy industry in different parts of the world. These included participating in the Dairy Science club and going on the study trips to Italy, China and California and spending a summer learning the tradition of making Alp cheese on an Alp outside of Grindelwald, Switzerland. I also minored in global health which provided me with the opportunity to spend a summer in Zambia, working for CARE International, researching food insecurity and malnutrition.
I was also in Dairy Fellows and worked in the Food Safety and Milk Quality Improvement Lab throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers. Working in the lab gave me a new appreciation for the processing of dairy products, and the steps that must be taken to keep those products safe for consumption. I didn’t even know food safety was a field before joining that lab (don’t tell Martin) and ended up receiving an Honors in Research in Food Safety my senior year. It truly gave me a new perspective on what goes on with milk, and other products beyond the farm gate, and expanded my understanding of the food system.
After undergrad, I stayed at Cornell for two more years and completed my Master of Public Health with a concentration in Food Systems. During this time, I interned with the product research team at Dairy Management Inc. learning about the dairy checkoff program, the work that goes in to creating new dairy products, the dairy research centers, and how to communicate dairy’s story to general consumers. I also spent a semester in Washington, D.C. through the Cornell in Washington program and interned with my now employer, the National Milk Producers Federation on the trade team.
This is a very long list which can be summed up in to a few words- Cornell is so full of opportunities, and it will always continue to push you to be better, think harder, and expand what you already know.
What is your current role in the food industry, and how does it impact the dairy industry?
I currently am the Manager of Regulatory Affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation. The National Milk Producers Federation represents dairy cooperatives, and their dairy farmer members on policy and regulatory issues at the Federal level. Being on the regulatory team, I work mostly with the executive branch agencies (USDA, FDA, and EPA) on proposed rules and policy changes that may impact a dairy farmer. This ranges from something like the working on the Dietary Guidelines to ensure that dairy’s health benefits are acknowledged and consumption recommended, on Bovine tuberculosis to develop policy priorities for its eradication, to providing input on the new Waters of the United States rule. I like to think that we work on a lot of topics that if we do our job right, dairy farmers won’t have to worry about, and if they do, will only make the industry stronger.
How did your Cornell training impact your career in the dairy/food industry?
When I first went to Cornell, I wanted to go in to the medical field but the opportunities and experiences while there, changed my whole path. I learned that I didn’t have to be a dairy farmer to still be in the dairy industry, and that I was very interested in the policies and regulations which did affect the dairy farmer. Cornell taught me that food safety is very important, about animal science, global and pulic health, and how everything from the environment to humans to animals all have an impact on each other. Moreover, particularly my experiences working in the MQIP lab, helped me gain both an industry and research perspective to bring with me to my now job and as I said above, rounded out my knowledge of the food system. My experiences and opportunities at Cornell truly brought me to where I am today.
