Mary Kay O’Connor has been involved in association management for over 38 years. She’s worked primarily in the food industry and recently celebrated her 30th anniversary with the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA). As their VP Education, she manages a team of five education professionals who develop IDDBA’s research, in-store retail associate and management training, scholarships, association industry relations, public relations, and the Show & Sell Center at IDDBA’s show. Many of these educational programs are free to the industry. She’s particularly proud of her role as Managing Editor of one of the industry’s premiere research reports, What’s in Store. New roles include leading a food safety team initiative called Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens and a “pay-it-forward” scholarship program — the IDDBA Mentor Grant. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and resides in the Madison, Wisconsin area with her husband. She has two children.