February 11, 2016
Tyson Foods appoints vice president of Laboratory Services
Tyson Foods, Inc. has appointed Dan Zelenka as vice president of laboratory services for the corporation.
Zelenka replaces Neal Apple who retired in mid-December.
He began his career with Tyson in 1986 as a geneticist, making significant contributions to the company's use of statistical process control in operations, food safety and quality management programmes.
In his new role, Zelenka will continue to lead the statistics and experimental design team, in addition to his new laboratory services responsibilities.
Laboratory Services is a network of 18 laboratories, providing Tyson Foods and its customers with research, analytical, chemistry, microbiology and serology services. The group performs more than 280,000 tests per month and ensures that from farm to table, food safety and quality are top priorities.
"Dan's extensive knowledge of our plants, people and processes make him the right person to manage the dynamic team involved in our world-class laboratories," said Rick Roop, Tyson's senior vice president for food safety and quality assurance.
Zelenka earned a bachelor's in agriculture at the University of Illinois, as well as a master's in poultry science and a doctorate in genetics from Virginia Tech, US.