IFPTI launches national search for new top executive

PORTAGE — The International Food Protection and Training Institute plans to launch a national search for a new top executive after Dr. Julia Bradsher stepped down as president and CEO of the organization this week.

IFPTI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides learning solutions for the food protection industry, named Gerald Wojtala as interim president and CEO during the search.

According to Nadina Williams-Barrett, communications lead for IFPTI, Bradsher accepted another position out of state.

“We will be looking for a successor who aligns with and exemplifies the organization’s values of collaboration, forward-thinking, transparency and a vision to shape IFPTI’s future,” Williams-Barrett wrote in an email to MiBiz.

Bradsher served as CEO and president since 2011, according to a statement.

Wojtala has served as executive director for IFPTI since its founding in 2009.

“There are many public and private stakeholders responsible for assuring the safety of our vast food supply chain,” Wojtala said in a statement. “IFPTI will continue to expand its global reach in helping these organizations build capacity to protect the health of consumers through the implementation of competency-based training systems.”