CIFT appoints president, CEO

The governing board of the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), the northwest Ohio affiliate of the Ohio Manufacturing Partnership, appointed Rebecca A. Singer as president and CEO effective Jan. 1.

After more than eight years at the helm, current CIFT president and CEO Dave Beck announced his retirement in August. Beck has been with the organization since its inception in 1995.

Prior to joining CIFT in 2001, she worked with the Ohio Department of Agriculture as the OHIO PROUD coordinator and direct marketing specialist. A graduate of the Ohio Leadership Education and Development program, Singer participated in tours of various statewide and international businesses.

In 2006, she traveled to Israel at the invitation of the Negev Foundation, touring various agricultural and food technology facilities. She was a recipient of the 2007 Young Professional Achievement Award given by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Alumni Society. She earned her bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and applied economics at The Ohio State University.

Singer joined the organization in 2001, and becomes the third president and CEO in the history of CIFT.