Frozen Food Hall of Fame Welcomes Julia Wells

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) announced that the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats has selected Julia Wells of The Pictsweet Company as the 2014 Frozen Food Hall of Fame inductee. Wells will be honored at a dinner on February 22, 2014, during the AFFI Frozen Food Convention in San Diego, Calif., at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Wells is the vice president of marketing services for The Pictsweet Company, and has spent her entire career dedicated to building the Pictsweet brand.  She was the first female elected to The Food Institute’s Board of Directors in that organization’s more than 100-year history and has deep connections with AFFI, having served as Chairman of the Nutrition Data Base, Convention and Category Promotion Committees.  In 2007, she served as Chairman of the AFFI Board of Directors and currently chairs the AFFI Legislative Affairs Committee and serves on the Frozen Food Foundation Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Wells has been active in many local civic activities including as a Girl Scouts leader and board member, an American Red Cross recruiter and a Relay for Life volunteer. Wells presently serves as Chairman of the Tennessee Girls State Program, a nationwide youth citizenship training program that she has been actively involved with for 35 years. She has been the director of the Tennessee Program for the past 15 years and has been a staff member of the Girls Nation program for 15 years. Wells is an active member of Christ Community Church in Bells, Tenn.  She was married for more than 50 years to Jerry Wells and lives in Jackson, Tenn., where she enjoys spending time with her four children, four granddaughters and two grandsons. “AFFI is proud to honor Julia Wells for her distinguished career promoting frozen foods.  Julia has been instrumental in helping The Pictsweet Company grow and has been a true pioneer in championing frozen foods in our nation’s capital and to the American consumer,” said AFFI President and CEO Kraig R. Naasz.  “Thanks to Julia’s tireless efforts, Americans have a deeper appreciation for the key role frozen foods play in our daily lives.” “NFRA is pleased to recognize the achievements of Julia Wells and her induction into the Frozen Food Hall of Fame,” said NFRA President and CEO Skip Shaw. “It’s the dedication of individuals like her who make the growth and continued success of the frozen food industry possible. And I believe it’s quite fitting that Julia will be joining her father James O. Tankersley who was inducted into the Frozen Food Hall of Fame in 2005.” The Distinguished Order of Zerocrats is an organization of industry members whose mission is to maintain the tradition of promoting the image and advancement of the frozen food industry. The Zerocrats established the Frozen Food Hall of Fame in 1990 to honor individuals who have helped shape the industry with their hard work and dedication.  Members of the Zerocrats nominate and vote on the newest inductees, and a special industry-wide ceremony honors the imagination and innovation that have contributed to the continued success of the frozen food industry.