- Looking at the importance of establishing a culture of food safety and how it impacts consumer perspective
- Collaborating and integrating across departments to ensure consistent emphasis on safety and quality
- Discussing common problems that may arise when implementing this change and how to navigate that
- What are some key areas to focus on?
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Sr. Director, Supplier Quality and Safety
Chick-fil-A
Sarah Blackmon serves as Senior Director of Supplier Quality and Safety (SQS) at Chick-fil-A. In this role, Sarah leads the team responsible for ensuring that all products delivered to Chick-fil-A Restaurants are safe and meet brand specifications. Under Sarah’s leadership, the SQS team has initiated a transformation journey to become a best-in-class function designed to protect Customers by combining data and technology with policies and processes. SQS focuses on 5 key areas: Risk Mitigation, Performance Management, Process and Production control, Issue response and Solutions and Innovation.
Since joining Chick-fil-A in 2013, Sarah has had the opportunity to hold a variety of roles across the business. Her most recent role was Manager of the Supply Chain Launch Team, where she led supply chain execution of all menu tests and rollouts. Prior to her Launch Team experience, Sarah served as Manager of Enterprise Social Responsibility, where she helped develop a holistic strategy for the brand’s environmental and social issues. Finally, Sarah began her time at Chick-fil-A in Sourcing, leading the procurement of all non-food items for the business.
Before joining Chick-fil-A, Sarah spent 12 years with Printpack, a large packaging converter, in various roles including Product Development, Sales and Marketing.
Sarah holds a Packaging Science degree from Clemson University. She and her husband, Matt, live near Atlanta, Georgia with their two daughters.
Director of Restaurant Food Safety
Chick-fil-A
David has been with Chick-fil-A, Inc. for 12 years and currently serves as the Director of Restaurant Food Safety. In this role, he has the responsibility of Food Safety Risk Assessment and Mitigation, Regulatory Compliance, and Team Member Health and Wellness. Prior to coming to Chick-fil-A, David spent 16 years in the food packaging industry where he worked for Sealed Air/Cryovac and Printpack. He worked in R&D developing functional packaging for food products, Marketing, and Supply Chain.
David received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Food Science/Microbiology from the University of Georgia. He currently lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with his wife and three children.
