Doug Baker is the vice president of industry relations at FMI, The Food Industry Association, a leading trade group for the grocery sector. He assists FMI's member communities in growing and thriving in various domains, such as private brands, technology, supply chain, and asset protection. He leads the Asset Protection Council, which strives to reduce merchandise loss and establish safe and healthy stores and workplaces, as well as the Technology Leadership Council, Supply Chain Council, Private Brands Council, and cross-industry efforts focused on transparency and data accuracy. Doug has more than 35 years of experience in food retail, working with Fry's Food Stores, Kraft/Nabisco, and Federated Foods in roles related to retail operations, consumer packaged goods, and private brand creation and marketing.

Damon Cavasin is an Asset Protection Consultant. Most recently, he served as the Director of Asset Protection at SpartanNash, a food solutions company with over 17,000 associates, 144 corporately owned supermarkets and 19 distribution facilities that service over 2,100 independent grocers and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges.  Damon is responsible for all aspects of asset protection including corporate security, supply chain security and retail loss prevention.  Damon has over 25yrs of experience in the asset protection field and was previously with Target Corp. where he held a variety of field and corporate leadership positions.  Damon has his master’s degree in criminal justice with a specialization in Security Administration from Michigan State University and is an active member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP).  When he isn’t busy leading an amazing teams of asset protection professionals, he enjoys collecting fine and rare whiskeys, tending to his Big Green Egg smoker/grill and spending time with his family at their cottage in northern Michigan. He also currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Asset Protection Executive Committee for FMI.

Tom Cosgrove is the Director of Industry Relations at FMI – The Food Industry Association, where he facilitates professional, non-competitive collaboration among member communities across the topic areas of asset protection, technology, risk & safety, private brands, and supply chain.

Prior to joining the Industry Relations department, Tom worked for the FMI Foundation and FMI’s Health and Well-being department.  Before joining FMI, Tom spent 7 years at Gonzaga College High School in varying roles including Director of Annual Giving and served as a rowing coach, which he continues to do today.

Edward Gonzalez is the Senior Asset Protection Manager for Northgate Markets, a family-owned company established in 1980. In this role he oversees the field operations team responsible for conducting investigations, as well as the in-house monitoring center, which provides security oversight for 43 store locations throughout Southern California.

With seventeen years of experience in Asset Protection, Edward has held multiple leadership roles where he played a key role in developing and implementing loss prevention strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and will complete his MBA this summer, further strengthening his expertise in security operations, risk management, and business leadership.

Cynthia Hetherington is a strategic business leader and cybersecurity expert with over 25 years of experience advising Fortune 500 executives and boards on corporate intelligence, risk management, and data privacy. Her entrepreneurial career spans founding and scaling multiple successful organizations while maintaining consistent growth and profitability through rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscapes and regulatory environments.

As CEO and Founder of Hetherington Group since 1999, Cynthia has built a market-leading investigative intelligence firm from inception to over $5M in annual revenue with 30+ employees, maintaining 20% year-over-year growth. She develops comprehensive risk management frameworks for Fortune 500 clients, helping C-suite executives and boards identify and mitigate global threats across cybersecurity, employment, data compliance, reputational damage, corporate security, and intellectual property. Cynthia pioneered innovative investigative due diligence methodologies that combine traditional corporate intelligence with advanced cyber intelligence, enabling clients to make critical decisions in high-stakes mergers, acquisitions, and investment opportunities. Integral to all her work, Cynthia builds and maintains key relationships across government agencies, law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and corporate security departments.

Cynthia received a Master of Science Management with a focus on Management of Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, a Master of Library Science from Rutgers University, a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy from Montclair State University, and an Associate of Arts from Bergen Community College. 

Dr. Cory Lowe is a research scientist at the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC). He received his PhD in criminology from the University of Florida and began conducting loss prevention research at the LPRC in 2020. His background is in crime, delinquency, and substance use prevention, and has published research in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, and in the popular press. At the LPRC, Dr. Lowe conducts research on organized retail crime, product protection, and innovative approaches for securing vulnerable people and places.

In his role at FMI, Markenson oversees the research & insights practice. He leads the discovery process on the latest industry trends and operational insights that champion FMI as a credible voice of the food retail industry. Markenson is a market research executive with 30 years of progressive experience in his field. His diverse experience includes research design, information/data collection and analysis and strategic planning. Markenson was formerly the president of WBA Research, a national market research firm founded in 1987, where he oversaw more than 30 full-time professionals, along with a part-time staff of more than 100 telephone interviewers, field interviewers and support staff. Earlier in his career, Markenson worked at Snyder Communications, where he directed all aspects of more than 90 annual market research studies and presented results to brand management, market research departments, advertising and promotion agencies.

Rocky is the Founder and CEO of the NoW of Work, a business transformation firm dedicated to building naturally innovative and agile teams that can thrive in exponential times. He combines more than a decade of senior leadership experience in large organizations with ten years in startup technology, shaping what he believes is the essential cultural and operational DNA required for modern companies to remain relevant and competitive.

In recent years, Rocky and his team have delivered AI strategy, training, and coaching to hundreds of AI Champions and organizations across every sector in North America. Prior to founding the NoW of Work, he served as Vice President and Head of Corporate Innovation at the BC Tech Association. Rocky is also a three-time tech startup founder, with one successful exit.

Tina is Manager of Education at FMI – The Food Industry Association. Her experience spans numerous industries, where she has supported cross-functional teams in building training, conference, and development programs grounded in practical application and outcomes. She champions a learner-support approach, translating goals into sustainable progress through collaborative leadership.

Prior to FMI, she served the special education and adult education communities as an ADHD coach and teacher, helping individuals develop practical strategies for focus, organization, and self-advocacy. She enjoys hiking and is an avid volunteer, supporting community causes related to literacy, lifelong learning, and empowerment.

Christine Pollack serves as Vice President of Government Relations for FMI - The Food Industry Association and oversees the association's advocacy and policy efforts on workforce, supply chain, payments, and privacy/data security. Christine has nearly three decades of federal policy, advocacy, and communications experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining FMI, Christine served on the staff of, and consulted for, the Retail Industry Leaders Association where she oversaw health, tax, and sustainability issues and political activities, and consulted on the wide breadth of retail industry policy priorities. She also has extensive experience managing stakeholder coalitions and developing and executing issue advocacy campaigns. Earlier in her career, Christine worked for the American Medical Association, two senior Members of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax, trade, health care, and Social Security policy, and at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware and originally hails from Wilmington, Delaware.

Tony Sheppard is VP or Retail Risk Solutions for ThinkLP.  He has spent the last 30 years working in the retail loss prevention industry.  Starting his career as a store detective with Montgomery Ward and moving on to various LP roles at CVS Health, Ulta Beauty, Bloomingdales, Family Dollar, Pep Boys, and the Paradies Shops.  Tony spent 14 years focused on Organized Retail Crime.  He has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences across the country and conducts guest lectures at Texas A&M.  He is certified as an expert witness on Organized Retail Crime and product diversion and has testified on several state and federal cases.  Tony has also helped draft multiple state ORC bills that have become law.  He has a master’s degree in Security Management, bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and an associate degree in Business Management.  He is a Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) and is Loss Prevention Certified (LPC). He is also an executive board member for the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR) and on the board of advisors for the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC).  Tony is also a combat veteran who served in the US Army’s 82^nd Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm.

As Vice President and Enterprise Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Schnuck Markets, Inc., Joey Smith (CISSP) has been a pivotal leader in the company's technological evolution. Since becoming Schnucks first named CISO in January 2014, Joey has been responsible for transforming and continuously enhancing the organization's Information Security security program. He developed and executed a comprehensive, risk-based security strategy, bringing in essential people, processes, and technologies to ensure a robust and mature security posture. His exceptional leadership and strategic vision have led to expanded responsibilities, now encompassing Cloud Strategy, Network Engineering, IT Infrastructure, Disaster Recovery, Telephony, IT Help Desk, and PC Support teams. In 2025, his responsibilities further broadened to lead the creation and oversight of the Schnucks Enterprise Information Security Office, which supports all of Schnucks' extensive business holdings.

Justin J. Smith was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. He received a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Justin’s dissertation, “Innovation Resistance ? Understanding Officer Attitudes Toward Police Innovation ,” reported the key findings of a mixed-method study he devised that involved primary data collection. He surveyed and interviewed police officers regarding their opinions toward innovations such as community-oriented policing and crime analysis. Prior to receiving his doctorate, Justin received Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in criminal justice, both from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He is also a graduate of Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts where he majored in theater. Justin has authored several peer-reviewed publications. He has presented at national conferences, such as the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and regional conferences such as the Southern Criminal Justice Association. e has taught undergraduate courses such as Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Famous Crimes and Trials. His primary research interests include police innovation and culture, environmental criminology, and situational crime prevention. In his off hours, Justin enjoys exercising, watching classic films, and spending time with his family.