SPEAKERS
JENN GOFF
Chief Commercial Officer, Packaging Compliance Labs  
Jenn holds a packaging degree from Michigan State University and has spent over 20 years advancing patient safety through healthcare innovation. She began her career at Edwards Lifesciences and later held leadership roles at Stryker and Oliver Healthcare Packaging, where she drove global product strategy. Jenn is also a founding member of thePACKout and a recipient of the 2022 MSU Packaging Alumni Association Paul Schmidt Service Award. As Chief Commercial Officer at Packaging Compliance Labs (PCL), Jenn leads the company's sales, marketing, and innovation strategy. Her technical expertise and strategic leadership are key to expanding PCL’s impact in the healthcare market, continuing her commitment to advancing patient safety and delivering innovative solutions.
Solving the Packaging Puzzle: Design, Development, and Usability in Practice
Medical device packaging is a puzzle with many interlocking pieces. This session uses a real-world case study to explore how design and development decisions, especially around usability, bring together materials, processes, testing, and risk to create compliant, intuitive and safe packaging solutions.
ANDY HEITSCH
Senior Scientist, Dow
Andy Heitsch is a Senior Scientist in the Packaging and Specialty Plastics business at Dow. His current role is an R&D Application Technology Leader for North America’s Industrial & Consumer Packaging segment.  In this role he works closely with his team, the customers, the commercial organization, and internal and external R&D groups to develop and launch new technologies and products.  In his 15 years at Dow, he has been responsible for commercializing over 15 products/technologies across the packaging, electronic materials, and basic chemical businesses resulting in the generation of over $450 MM in revenue.   He has a passion for mentoring, working with teams, and strategizing where technology and innovation intersect with business to achieve commercial successes. Andy received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Florida and The University of Texas at Austin, respectively, and joined Dow in 2010. He has authored more than 80 internal reports, has 30+ patents/applications, and 20+ external publications.  He is an active member of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) and has served as an industrial mentor to students at UT-Austin through the NSF-MRSEC program for last 7 years.  Andy has been a recipient of an Edison award, R&D 100 finalist, and three internal Technology Center awards. 
Finding The Elusive Piece:  Sustainable Plastic Solutions for Industrial Packaging
This talk dives into how the industry can uncover and scale the “elusive piece” of sustainable plastic packaging by collaborating across the value chain. The session will highlight viable pathways, including downgauging films, designing packaging for reuse, and incorporating post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene into applications such as polymailers, collation shrink, and stretch wrap films. Real world examples will be presented to demonstrate how these strategies can deliver performance while advancing sustainability goals, helping the industry solve some of its complex packaging challenges.
ALYSSA HEZMALHALCH
Regional Manager, Oliver
Alyssa Hezmalhalch is a proud Cal Poly alumna with an MS in Industrial Studies and a Packaging Minor. With nearly 15 years of experience, Alyssa serves as Regional Manager at Oliver Healthcare Packaging, helping medical device, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic teams bring safe, high-performing products to market.
Alyssa spends her days collaborating with engineers and innovators to solve real-world packaging challenges—from choosing the right materials to designing sterile barriers and preparing products for validation and testing. She’s known for her hands-on approach, creative problem-solving, and talent for turning complex technical needs into clear, practical solutions.
Passionate about patient safety, innovation, and sustainability, Alyssa loves helping teams think differently about packaging and its impact. As a former Mustang herself, she’s especially excited to connect with students and share what a dynamic, meaningful career in packaging can look like.
Putting the Pieces Together: A Hands-On Look at Medical Packaging Design
Medical packaging is like a puzzle—every piece matters. In this interactive session, you’ll step into the role of a packaging designer, assembling a complete medical packaging system from a real-world scenario. Explore how materials, labeling, usability, and regulations all fit together, and see firsthand how each piece impacts the whole. Come ready to build, learn, and connect the pieces of the packaging puzzle!
ONDREA KASSARJIAN
Sr. Manager, Enterprise Quality Packaging Engineering
McKesson
Ondrea is dedicated to transforming work systems and increasing value through effective packaging solutions. Her approach focuses on improving processes, fostering efficiency, and ensuring that packaging contributes positively to overall organizational performance. In her current role, she advises on key requirements and best practices for packaging quality and product protection.
Ondrea’s experience encompasses a range of packaging roles, including global team leadership, product development, production, business optimization, quality assurance, testing, and education. Ondrea holds a PhD and MS in Packaging and a BS in Horticulture, all from Michigan State University. She actively serves on industry committees such as ASTM, AAMI, IoPP, ISTA, and RPA, reflecting her commitment to advancing standards and practices across the healthcare and packaging sectors.
Discussion Panel- Connecting the Pieces: ​
Cross-Industry Collaboration
TIM LAMIE
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Area Technical Manager, HB Fuller
With more than 30 years of experience in the corrugated and folding-carton industries, Tim Lamie has dedicated his career to helping packaging manufacturers increase sales, improve production efficiency, and enhance packaging performance. His extensive background spans packaging design, operations, and plant management, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the entire packaging process. In his current role as Area Technical Manager, Tim partners closely with customers to optimize production and packaging design through the application of H.B. Fuller technologies, driving both performance improvement and cost efficiency.
Packaging Power: Turning Boxes into Brand Builders
Discover how packaging moves beyond protection to become a brand powerhouse. See how functional features turn ordinary boxes into sustainable, cost-efficient solutions that deliver memorable experiences, build loyalty, and transform every package into a strategic advantage.
DAMON LUCENTA
Sr. Manager of Packaging Services, Pregis 
Damon Lucenta is Senior Manager of Packaging Services at Pregis, leading the company’s innovation headquarters, Pregis IQ. With nearly 20 years in protective packaging engineering, Damon drives solutions for complex distribution challenges. He sits on ISTA’s Global Board of Directors as Chair of the Standards Council and serves on Cal Poly’s Packaging Advisory Board. He has been recognized as an American Change Maker by the American Chemistry Council and is an IoPP AmeriStar Award winner for packaging design.  Damon blends technical expertise with business strategy, holding a Packaging degree from Michigan State and an MBA from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Insights from Thousands of Packaging Design Projects: Understanding the True Origins of Product Damage
What if you could see the biggest packaging pain points across multiple industries, before they hit your bottom line?  This session distills insights from 1000s of packaging projects to uncover where damage truly originates and which interventions deliver the fastest ROI.
Through trend data showing the top packaging challenges, we’ll illustrate how rootcause analysis, design optimization, and validation testing reduced damage rates and total landed cost.
DANIEL MAGNIN
Head of Packaging, Nestlé Health Science
Daniel Magnin is a Mechanical Engineer from EPFL, Switzerland, with over 34 years of experience in the food industry, including 30 years with Nestlé. Throughout his career, Daniel has specialized in packaging across multiple dimensions—materials, design, equipment, standards, safety, and sustainability. His roles have spanned continuous improvement, investment projects, production, operations, innovation, and strategic leadership. Having lived and worked in Switzerland, the Philippines, Germany, the UK, and the United States, Daniel brings a global perspective to packaging solutions. He currently serves as Head of Packaging for Nestlé Health Science, based in New Jersey, where he drives innovation and sustainability initiatives to meet evolving consumer and regulatory demands.
The New Equation of Packaging Design
How do we balance desirability, sustainability, circularity, cost, manufacturability, and compliance? This talk decodes a practical design equation that aligns consumer appeal with customer needs, meets emerging recycling laws, minimizes EPR fees, and delivers scalable solutions—with low capital intensity—so good ideas become commercial reality.
EMILY PRESCOTT
Sr. Manager of Packaging Development,
Niagara Bottling
Emily is a Cal Poly SLO alumni who has spent over 10 years at Niagara Bottling, a leading beverage manufacturer in the US. She is now the Senior Manager of Packaging Development, where her team is responsible for the development, qualification, and manufacturing support for all raw materials such as resin, labels, boxes, and pallets.
Emily has experience in various packaging responsibilities such as manufacturing line validations, lab prototyping, and quality assurance, but her true passions lie in problem solving and troubleshooting. As Niagara continues to install the fastest bottling lines in the world, Emily and her team play a pivotal role in identifying competitive and sustainable raw material solutions that run effectively at these high speeds to maintain high quality, low cost, and exceptional service for the customer.
Discussion Panel- Connecting the Pieces: ​
Cross-Industry Collaboration
ANNA RICHARDS
Sr Sales Engineer, Packaging Compliance Labs    
Anna is a Senior Sales Engineer at Packaging Compliance Labs. She is a Michigan State Packaging Engineer with over 8 years of experience in the medical device industry. She began her career at NuVasive and SeaSpine, where she led packaging design and testing, cleaning and sterilization process development, manufacturing transfers for spinal implant systems, and was an Ameristar Award recipient as well. Now at PCL, she manages medical device and healthcare accounts, leading projects in sterile packaging engineering, testing, and contract packaging services.
Solving the Packaging Puzzle: Design, Development, and Usability in Practice
Medical device packaging is a puzzle with many interlocking pieces. This session uses a real-world case study to explore how design and development decisions, especially around usability, bring together materials, processes, testing, and risk to create compliant, intuitive and safe packaging solutions.
MIKE RUTKOWSKE
Associate TS&D Scientist, The Dow Chemical Company
Mike Rutkowske is an associate TS&D scientist with 20 years of experience in polymer research and technical development at The Dow Chemical Company. The primary focus of his career has been centered around improvements in operational discipline and fundamental process analyzation for both small- and large-scale packaging/extrusion equipment. His practical application expertise includes blown film, twin-screw extrusion, extrusion coating/lamination, and various types of packaging conversion machinery. As a coordinator for the Pack Studios campus in Freeport, Texas, Mike was responsible for training new employees, method development, improving workflow, machine safety, and mechanical troubleshooting/design. In his current role, Mike is the North American application development lead for machine direction oriented (MDO) films and supports efforts to implement targeted machinability requirements for future sustainable packaging designs.
Mike is an author of one patent and has extensive experience with optimizing polymer fabrication processes and equipment for efficiency, reliability, and quality. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from The University of Houston.
Presentation
TBD
STEPHEN RYAN
General Manager, Smurfit Westrock, Salinas, CA
Stephen Ryan, 43 years old, Irish native & 18 years in the packaging world with Smurfit Westrock. Stephen has worked in Ireland, across multiple countries in Europe, LATAM/ Mexico in Commercial, Technical & Operations roles & is now living in the Monterey Peninsula, supporting the local Smurfit Westrock Plant in Salinas, CA. His education background is from Dublin City University, where he completed his MBS, and has also continued his education in the US at the Northwestern Kellogg, "The Customer-Focused Organization". he is the proud husband of his wife Kelli & his one year old daughter Elliott.
The Elephant & the Hippo, understanding manufacturers needs better to develop a sustainable & consumer focused packaging future
Taking the metaphor of the Elephant & the Hippo listening skills, we will present & share to the students a story of how you can build your technical knowledge of the total packaging world, to position yourself to bring some of the largest companies in the world on a journey towards consumer & sustainability focused solutions for the future.
ALEJANDRO J. SANTAMARIA
Senior Director of Global Packaging Engineering & Conversion, The Coca-Cola Company,
Alejandro J. Santamaria is a visionary leader in global packaging innovation with over three decades of experience driving technology commercialization and supply chain optimization in the consumer packaged goods industry. Currently serving as Senior Director of Global Packaging Engineering & Conversion at The Coca-Cola Company, Alejandro leads the organization’s process technology strategy, shaping the roadmap for emerging packaging innovations and influencing global investment decisions. His work focuses on advancing sustainable materials, optimizing conversion processes, and delivering breakthrough packaging solutions that meet evolving market and brand needs.
Prior to his current role, Alejandro directed packaging development and innovation for Coca-Cola North America, where he spearheaded sustainability initiatives aligned with the company’s “World Without Waste” goals and generated over $200 million in cost avoidance through productivity and business continuity programs. His career spans leadership roles in technical services, product development, and commercialization, including building global R&D organizations and managing large-scale technology rollouts. Alejandro holds multiple professional certifications, a Mechanical Engineering degree, and is credited with more than 16 patents in packaging technology. He is an active member of the Institute of Packaging Professionals and the International Society of Beverage Technologists, reflecting his commitment to advancing the packaging industry worldwide.
Discussion Panel- Connecting the Pieces:
Cross-Industry Collaboration
SARAH SPERLING
R&D Senior Packaging Scientist,
The Clorox Company
Sarah is a Senior Packaging Scientist at The Clorox Company, where she leads the development of innovative packaging solutions that elevate manufacturability, strengthen supply chain performance, and create memorable consumer experiences. She partners closely with cross‑functional teams, suppliers, and plenty of Hidden Valley Ranch enthusiasts to design and validate packaging that delivers both business value and genuine consumer delight.
Before stepping into her current role, Sarah drove packaging improvements and sustainability initiatives across Clorox’s healthcare and industrial cleaning portfolios. Her career spans a diverse set of industries including electronics, paper consumer goods, and biomedical products giving her a uniquely adaptable and deeply technical perspective on packaging challenges and opportunities.
Sarah has multiple packaging design patents pending, including molded bottle and closure technologies. She is a proud graduate of University of Wisconsin-Stout and is thrilled to join the Cal Poly Packaging Club Symposium panel to talk all things packaging.
Discussion Panel- Connecting the Pieces: ​
Cross-Industry Collaboration
CHRIS TINDILLIER
Senior Manager, Global Packaging Engineering,
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Chris leads the Packaging Engineering team, which is responsible for the design, testing, and release of product packaging of Cisco’s broad product portfolio.  The Packaging Engineering team engages closely with the product development teams to bring innovative and high-performing package designs to Cisco’s products.  One of the key pillars developed over the past 6 years has been the Circular Design Principles we’ve implemented for all product and packaging designs.  This strategy was recently recognized with Reuters Global Sustainability Award for Circularity.
Discussion Panel- Connecting the Pieces: ​
Cross-Industry Collaboration