Tim F. Hamilton
Executive Director
Thamilton@foodexport.org

Tim Hamilton is Executive Director of the Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export-Midwest) and Food Export USA-Northeast (Food Export-Northeast). Together these associations offer international trade development services to U.S. exporters in over 40 countries around the world. Tim works directly with the U.S. food industry, government officials, importers and distributors throughout the world to design and implement export development and promotion activities for U.S. food and agricultural products. Tim also leads programs that provide financial support to U.S. exporters of food and agricultural products through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program.

In addition, Tim currently serves as Chairman of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council. He has also been appointed to the U.S. Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Processed Foods by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and the Association Forum of Chicago.

Tim has experience in both food manufacturing and international agriculture. Prior to joining Food Export-Midwest in 1991 and Food Export-Northeast in 2000, Tim was the general manager of a Chicago-based natural food producer. Prior to that he was a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps in Ghana, West Africa. As an agricultural extension agent, he focused on increasing food production by working directly with farmers and ranchers in a remote region of the country. A Wisconsin native, Tim holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of International Business from DePaul University in Chicago.

Joy F. Canono
Generic Program Manager
jcanono@foodexport.org

Joy F. Canono brings to Food Export USA years of international food and agricultural trade experiences both in the public and private sectors. She was a Marketing Specialist for over 15 years at the Foreign Agricultural Service Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Manila, Philippines. She also worked for a U.S. export management company before joining Food Export USA. Over the years, she has enjoyed and continues to value her efforts at export market development and promotion for U.S. food products, conducting market research, federal budget and funds administration, as well as events and projects management.

Joy comes from the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 2001. She has a degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce and was a licensed CPA before realizing food marketing is more fun! She loves to travel and be able to enjoy the sights and multicultural experiences.

Antoniya Gospodinova
Branded Program Manager
agospodinova@foodexport.org

Antoniya is originally from Bulgaria. She moved to Philadelphia in 2005 and joined Food Export-Northeast in April 2007 as the Branded Program Coordinator. In July 2008 she was promoted to Branded Program Manager. Antoniya facilitates companies participation in the Branded program and ensures the program regulations are followed. She also helps companies in the reimbursement process and in understanding the programs aim and purpose.

Antoniya graduated from University of Sofia with Bachelors Degree in Social Education. Prior to joining Food Export-Northeast, she worked at a company providing educational consulting services. She also spent more then a year in banking in the state of New Jersey. Antoniya enjoys traveling and meeting people.

Michael Armento
Business Manager
marmento@foodexport.org

Michael has been with Food Export-Northeast since 2006.  He oversees the daily fiscal operations of the organization.  Before joining Food Export-Northeast, Michael was the Controller at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, an urban college prep school located in Philadelphia.

Michael is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in Economics. He is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and the American Society of Association Executives.

Laura Coury
Communications Manager
lcoury@foodexport.org

Laura joined Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast in 2006.  In her position as Communications Manager, Laura leads the organizations’ marketing efforts.

Laura has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and food industries.  During her career, she’s managed global businesses and directed marketing programs.

Laura holds a Bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she is a Registered Dietitian. Laura is pursuing an MBA with a specialization in international business from Loyola University Chicago.

Jasmine D. Scott
Communications Coordinator
jscott@foodexport.org

Jasmine joined Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast in the summer of 2007 after working as an Assignment Editor in television broadcasting. As the Communications Coordinator, she works to publicize the organizations programs through the creation of marketing and promotional materials.

Jasmine received a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Communications and Education and a Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is from the northern suburb of Waukegan and enjoys spending time with her sisters and friends, playing tennis and learning to play golf in her spare time.

Rosa Granda
Bookkeeper/Data Entry Assistant
rgranda@foodexport.org

Rosa joined Food Export USA Northeast in February 2007.  She has gained bookkeeping and secretarial experience from working with a union and several law firms.  She also graduated from LaSalle University in September 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts.

As the Bookkeeper/Data Entry Assistant, she will be assisting the Business Manager in various accounting and database entry duties. She will also provide any assistance when needed for the Branded and Generic Programs.

Rosa loves spending time with her husband and daughter.  A few of the favorite things she likes to do with her family is story time with her daughter and going to the movies with her husband. She has visited Rome, Sicily, Mexico and would like to visit Brazil one day.

Lauren Lockie
Program Coordinator - Generic
llockie@foodexport.org

Lauren joined Food Export-Northeast in the summer of 2007.  Prior to taking the position, Lauren finished her Masters of Business Administration in International Business from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. While completing her undergraduate degree, Lauren had the opportunity to work at Pfizer, Inc. in NY and perform various networking and marketing events for St. Joe’s Graduate Business Office.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys traveling to different places all over the world and spending as much time with her family and friends as she can. She also is a member of a local soccer organization in the Philadelphia area and enjoys sports.

Amanda Hoyt
Program Assistant - Generic
ahoyt@foodexport.org

Amanda joined Food Export USA – Northeast in April 2008 as the Generic Program Assistant. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Sales/Marketing from DeVry University located in Fort Washington, PA.

Before working at Food Export USA – Northeast Amanda was a Caribbean Consultant for a travel agency. She’s worked with many diverse customers and employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and the Caribbean in her previous positions.

Amanda has over 11 years of customer service and sales experience. She enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures.

Wahkeena Mason
Administrative Assistant
wmason@foodexport.org

Wahkeena worked for Food Export USA-Northeast as a temp since August of 2002. She later became a full-time employee in August 2003. As the administrative assistant, she provides administrative support to the Deputy Director, Branded and Generic Program staff. She uses her charm and good humor to collect evaluations from Food Export-Northeast program participants.

Prior to joining Food Export-Northeast, she provided customer service to small companies in the Food Distribution Center that corresponded with the seafood industry. Wahkeena is also pursuing a BA degree in Accounting and Finance. She enjoys shopping, singing, writing poetry and spending time with her family.

Jake Moy
IT Administrator
jmoy@foodexport.org

Jake brings more than 10 years of experience to Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast.  In his role, Jake leads the organizations’ IT functions.  Jake has a strong background in customer support, server administration, and storage area networking.

Jake received an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications from DePaul University with a specialization in Network Technologies.  Jake enjoys spending time with family and friends, and wants to travel the world.

Brandy Erwin
Business Development Assistant
berwin@foodexport.org

Brandy started at Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast in February 2008.  Prior to that, she worked with Food Export as a post-graduate intern at the Ohio Department of Agriculture. 
 
Brandy earned her B.S. in Agribusiness and Applied Economics from The Ohio State University, with a minor in International Studies.  She gained significant international experiences as an undergraduate, having studied abroad in Australia, Uganda, the Czech Republic, and the Dominican Republic.
 
She enjoys the fall and college football; is an avid Ohio State Buckeye fan and loves to travel.

Vanessa Simsick
Program Coordinator - Communications
vsimsick@foodexport.org
 
Vanessa joined Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast as a temp in the summer of 2007 and became a full time employee in February of 2008. She grew up in Denver, Colorado and lived in Switzerland for 7 years      where she worked in international sport management for professional Beach Volleyball. Vanessa has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and French, with a minor in Business Administration and plans on pursuing a Masters Degree in International Business.
 
Vanessa is fluent in French and has traveled extensively worldwide. She enjoys living in Chicago and enjoys the baseball season just as much.