AVENA WEBINARS

Jennifer Evancio is the Director of Sales and Business Development with Avena Foods Limited, based in Vancouver, Canada. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that she is at Avena Foods, given that sustainable, plant-based food ingredients are part of her DNA. Jennifer grew up in Saskatchewan, the Canadian heartland of pulse and oat production. Her family homesteaded here before Saskatchewan was officially declared a province in 1905.

After 16 years at Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership, mainly as Director of the Agri-Value international trade development team, Jennifer joined Best Cooking Pulses as Director of Sales & Marketing. Jennifer has been in her current role since Avena Foods and Best Cooking Pulses merged in 2018, sharing her passion for, and knowledge of, pulse and oat ingredients with innovative food, petfood & nutraceutical companies in North America and Europe.

Dr. Shannon Hood-Niefer has worked in the food industry for over 20 years gaining experience in developing new food products, assisting entrepreneurs start food companies, and implementing innovative solutions in food companies. As the Vice President of Innovation and Technology, her primary role is to strategize technologies to be adopted and to help food companies work with non-traditional ingredients and innovative solutions. She is passionate about agriculture and the role food plays in health, community, family, and entertainment. Outside of her profession, family and sport plays an integral part of her life. Shannon loves to be outside, whether it be cycling, running, hiking, skiing or backpacking.

Linda is a food industry consultant working in research and development for Avena Foods Ltd. She has 20 years of diverse industry experience and 30 plus years of research and development expertise. She has authored/co-authored 8 white papers, 10 book chapters, and over 60 peer reviewed research papers. Prior to joining Avena Foods, Linda was the Director of Special Crops, Oilseeds and Pulses at the Canadian International Grains Institute and was a Professor in the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. She received her Ph.D. in Food and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba.

Linda is a member of the Cereal & Grains Association serving on the Pulse Technical Committee and the recently formed Pulse Division. From 2016-2018, Linda also served as a guest editor for the association’s publication, Cereal Foods World.