Alumni Spotlight 
Name: Kathryn Deschenes
Current Title: Director of Regulatory Affairs
Organization: Danone North America
Majors: B.S. Food Science and Industry (2011), M.S. Food Science and Industry (2012)
K-State College of Ag is proud to recognize alumni from all departments who continue to pursue their passion in their respective fields. It is through experience that we continue to grow as individuals and stewards of the industry. Through those experiences, we hope to be a continued resource for the next generation of K-State students to lean on for advice and continue to build our network!
Where did your career path lead you after K-State?
After graduating from Kansas State University, I moved to Boise, Idaho, and started working for Danone and I continue to be with the company.
My work with Danone North America started with their baby food acquisition, Happy Baby. I worked for Happy Baby for four years in Boise before transferring to the Colorado office, one of the company's headquarters. My role included overseeing organic compliance and other regulatory work such as labeling and validating claims amongst other things while working closely with the product development teams, marketing and legal teams. Eventually, I moved on to other brands within Danone while continuing to focus on the regulatory sector.
In my current role, I continue core regulatory work with the addition of nutrition and organic policy. When the FDA or other entities propose new regulations, my team carefully considers how it could affect our products. This involves participation in public comments opportunities, work with trade associations and engaging with relevant members of government. I find this work rewarding. While my path is a less common career path for food scientists, education in food science made me well-positioned to become a regulatory professional.
What advice can you give students going into the same field?
One of the best opportunities for students is to pursue internships so you can collect a variety of experiences. This helps in your journey to really dive into what you want to do professionally. I completed a seven month internship at Kellogg's while attending K-State, and it was a rich and rewarding experience that allowed me to further hone where I wanted to take my career. To stay on track for graduation, I took online classes which allowed me to continue my education while gaining valuable work experience.
What is the relationship between faculty and students at K-State?
There are high-quality professors at K-State participating in interesting research. When I was a student, the food science department was a lot like a family. When you walked into the food science office, staff and faculty knew who you were, and you were greeted by name. Professors and faculty alike were interested in your success, and helped present opportunities that helped further your career. Being on a first name basis provided an experience that was unique.
How did working on campus impact you?
As a K-State student I worked in the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab helping small food companies with food safety, regulatory and product development work. This exposed me to the regulatory work --such as creating nutrition facts panels and ingredient declarations, evaluation of inputs for allowance--which has elements of what I am still doing today. It was a real-life experience and company owners, startup entrepreneurs and other people would come by the office to meet. With the exposure to business people, I met very hardworking and creative people trying to make a business for themselves. Having the opportunity to watch and experience people in the complex and high-stakes food world gave me a front-row seat to this dynamic industry. This experience showed me the hard work and dedication required to launch new brands and food companies.