GMA Leadership
Pamela G. Bailey
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pamela G. Bailey is president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the association for the world's leading food, beverage and consumer products companies.
Prior to joining GMA, Bailey worked in the White House for three U.S. presidents and was an assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services under President Reagan. She has served as president and CEO of several health care and consumer product organizations, including: the Personal Care Products Council (formerly the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association); the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed); the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), an organization of more than 50 healthcare industry chief executives; and the National Committee for Quality Health Care (NCQHC). Bailey also served as director of government relations for the American Hospital Supply Corporation.
Bailey is currently a director of Greatbatch Technologies, Inc., MedCath Corporation and the Congressional Hunger Center. President Obama appointed Bailey to his Advisory Committee for Trade and Policy Negotiations (ACTPN) in September 2010. The ACTPN is comprised of 45 members representing key sectors of the economy to advise the president on trade and related issues. She also serves on the board of GS1 US – a leading company in solving supply chain issues – and is vice chair of the Partnership for Food Safety Education. She is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, a network of leading association executives. From 1997 to 2006, Bailey served as director of the American Stores Company and Albertsons, Inc.
Bailey is Trustee Emeritus of the Holton-Arms School.
Born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, she is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (A.B., 1970). She is married and has five children.
Dennis (Denny) J. Belcastro
Executive Vice President, Industry Affairs and Membership Services
Denny Belcastro is the executive vice president of industry affairs and membership services at the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), where he is responsible for the alignment of GMA’s industry affairs and membership platforms to best serve members, maximize revenue for the association, and grow the size and impact of GMA.
Belcastro leads GMA’s efforts to facilitate collaboration between retailers and manufacturers with the goal of streamlining the value chain and maximizing cost efficiencies so they can deliver maximum value to their shared consumer.
Prior to joining GMA, Belcastro was vice president of customer development and industry affairs for Kraft Foods North America where he was responsible for Kraft’s “First to the Table” integrated focus on customer collaboration and overall business relationships within the industry. In addition, Denny led Kraft’s food industry association initiatives and served as the executive director and tournament chairman of Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour and one of golf’s crown jewels.
Belcastro began his career in the food industry in 1972 when he joined Standard Brands in Pittsburgh, PA as a field sales representative. During the past three decades, Denny has held several national field sales and customer organizational leadership positions with Nabisco and Kraft.
A native of Aliquippa, PA, Belcastro holds a business communication degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and earned his executive masters degree in business and organizational communication at Northwestern University.
Currently a board member of the National Grocers Association, Belcastro has also served on several industry committees for GMA as well as for the Food Marketing Institute, National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the LPGA Advisory Council.
Louis Finkel
Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Louis Finkel is the Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), where he directs the association’s federal, state, and local government relations activity. He has 19 years of experience on Capitol Hill, working inside and outside of government, and specializes in food, hunger, agriculture, energy, technology, environmental, trade and tax policy issues.
Prior to joining GMA in 2012, Finkel served as vice president, federal public affairs group, at McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC, where he represented corporate, trade association and not-for-profit clients before Congress and executive branch agencies.
Finkel was chief of staff for the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, which was chaired by Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN). Louis also served in the government relations office of Exxon Mobil, where he represented the company before Congress and conducted policy analysis and strategic planning on matters of policy andpolitics.Additionally, Louis worked in the firm Lent, Scrivner & Roth, LLC, as legislative director to Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), and as legislative assistant and staff assistant to Representative Peter Deutsch (D-FL).
Dr. Leon Bruner, DVM, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Science Officer
Dr. Leon Bruner serves as senior vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs and chief science officer for GMA. He is responsible for overseeing GMA’s team of scientists who conduct research on nutrition and safety. GMA’s scientific research informs its members on nutrition and safety issues, and provides empirical evidence for the Association’s key policy positions.
During his professional career, Dr. Bruner has developed a strong reputation as an innovator who is able to apply strategic vision, critical thinking and first-class execution in pursuit of business goals. He is an internationally recognized expert in the development and application of non-animal toxicity product testing methods, and is also an expert in product safety and regulatory compliance. He has written numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters on those subjects.
Dr. Bruner has contributed to the consumer products industry for more than two decades. He has served in a variety of positions at The Procter & Gamble Company and The Gillette Company. Most recently, he served as director, environment, health and safety within Procter & Gamble’s Gillette organization. He previously served as vice president, environment, health and safety for Gillette from 2000 to 2007.
Dr. Bruner holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a Ph.D. in pharmacology, both earned at Michigan State University. He also received his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State.
Sean Darragh
Executive Vice President, Global Strategies
Sean Darragh is executive vice president for global strategies for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and is responsible for expanding GMA’s international program by defining and effectively executing a global policy and advocacy strategy that is fully integrated into the GMA strategic plan. He also leads GMA’s efforts to further develop and use international public policy and advocacy tools to advance the global commerce interests of the CPG industry.
Prior to joining GMA, Sean served consecutively in two senior positions at BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization), first as Executive Vice President for Food and Agriculture, and then as Executive Vice President for International Affairs. Before BIO, Sean served as Deputy Vice President for International Affairs at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association.
Sean served as an officer in the United States Army from 1983-1990. During his military service, he commanded two artillery batteries. He is a graduate of U.S. Army Ranger School, U.S. Army Airborne School, and U.S. Army Air Assault School.
Sean is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Sean McBride
Vice President, Communications
Sean McBride serves as vice president of communications for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, where he directs the association’s external affairs efforts, including brand marketing, media relations and policy communications activity.
McBride has twenty years of experience in public relations, crisis communications and political campaign management. For the past decade, he has developed and implemented strategic communications programs for a wide variety of private and not-for-profit organizations, including the American Beverage Association (ABA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Porter Novelli Public Affairs and The Coca-Cola Company.
Steve McCroddan, CPA
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer
As senior vice president and CFO, Steve McCroddan leads the finance and accounting, information technologies and facilities departments at the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
He has been working for more than 10 years in the accounting and finance department for GMA and the former Food Products Association (which merged with GMA in 2007).
Prior to joining GMA, McCroddan worked for KPMG, Peat Marwick as a senior manager in the audit group for 13 years.
Carla Mitchell, SPHR
Vice President, Human Resources
As vice president for human resources, Carla Mitchell is responsible for the Grocery Manufacturers Association's strategic human resources initiatives and employee programs, including recruitment and retention, benefits and compensation, training and development, performance management systems, employee relations and organizational development.
Mitchell obtained her Master's degree in Human Resources Management from Marymount University, with additional graduate level education in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio. She received her Senior Professional in HR certification from the Society of Human Resource Management.
Scott Riehl
Vice President, State Government Affairs and Associate Counsel
Scott Riehl brings twenty years of direct lobbying, legal and legislative staff experience to his role as the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s vice president of state government affairs and associate counsel. Riehl’s team of three regional directors and one senior representative works in all fifty states on consumer packaged goods, business, environmental and health legislative issues.
Prior to joining GMA, Riehl headed the government affairs division for the Food Products Association, directing the federal and state divisions. Riehl previously served as vice president of Stateside Associates. In the legal arena, he practiced in the Washington office of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson, where he specialized in the firm's government contracts practice.
James Skiles
Vice President and General Counsel
Jim Skiles serves as vice president and general counsel for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, where he is responsible for all legal and regulatory issues.
Before joining GMA in 1995, Skiles served as the associate general counsel of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (now known as the Personal Care Products Council). He has held a variety of senior positions in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, where he was primarily involved in law enforcement initiatives relating to advertising of food, over-the-counter drugs and cigarettes. Additionally, Skiles worked for the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under Law in Washington, where he litigated cases involving the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and housing discrimination.
Skiles received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Mary Sophos
Executive Vice President for Policy and Strategic Planning
Mary Sophos serves as executive vice president for policy and strategic planning for GMA. She assumed this position in January 2010 after serving as GMA’s senior vice president and chief government affairs officer since 1993. In her current role, Sophos coordinates strategic planning and policy development across the organization. She also maintains responsibility for GMA’s International Division.
Before joining GMA, Sophos served as assistant secretary of legislative affairs and deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs for the U.S. Treasury. Sophos also was assistant minority counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee, budget associate staff, and legislative director to Rep. Tom Loeffler, and legislative assistant to the director of the Office of Management and Budget.