Chair: Cynthia Angelo, Givaudan Flavors; President: Shawn Houser-Fedor, The Hershey Company; Vice President: Judy Cooley, retired, Global Confection Connections, LLC; Treasurer: Ed Minson, retired, Tate & Lyle.
Michael Gordon, Arway/Long Grove Confections, Elizabeth Macks, Palsgaard and Lynn Wieland, Spangler Candy Company.
(PMCA — July 2026) — During PMCA’s Annual Meeting of Members, held Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at the 79th Annual Production Conference in Lancaster, PA members ratified the slate of officers and directors for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026.
Judy Cooley, retired, Global Confection Connections, LLC was elected vice president. Cynthia Angelo, Givaudan Flavors transitioned to chair of the board and Shawn Houser-Fedor, The Hershey Company transitioned to president. Ed Minson, retired, Tate & Lyle remains as treasurer.
Incoming Vice President Judy Cooley has more than 45 years of expertise in R&D, growth and product implementation. She is the recipient of multiple confectionery industry awards and has mentored many young professionals with an understanding and love of many cultures. Judy has always been an advocate of education, research and cooperation within the confectionery industry. Judy retired from The Hershey Company in 2015 and started her consulting company Global Confection Connections, LLC shortly thereafter, from which she is now retired.
For 29 years, Judy worked as a principal scientist for The Hershey Company where she was responsible for development of sweets, refreshment and international R&D and product implementation in multiple countries. From 2013-2015, she was involved in the development and implementation of ViVi, a highly fortified peanut snack that Hershey donates to school children in Ghana. Fifty thousand children were fed daily in 2015 alone.
In 2014, Judy had the privilege to help with design and implementation of Project Peanut Butter’s Ghana factory for production of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
Prior to her time at The Hershey Company, Judy was a director of confectionery R&D with Leaf, Inc., where she was responsible for such brands as Jolly Rancher, Switzer Licorice, Good & Plenty, Chuckles and other confectionery products. She has also worked as a senior food technologist for Brady Enterprises, quality assurance manager for Schrafft Candies, QA and R&D supervisor for School House Candies, product development intern for A.E. Staley Company and QA and R&D technician for the Paul F. Beich Company.
Judy has a passion for our sweet industry and has been volunteering her time with these associations for many years including multiple roles within PMCA, NCA and AACT. She has also mentored young confectioners in the US, China and Mexico.
Judy was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2012, received AACT’s Stroud Jordan Award and was nominated for Candy Industry’s Kettle Award in both 2007 and 2011. She hold two patents.
Judy holds an MBA with high honors from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, a BS in foods and nutrition with a minor in chemistry from Illinois State University and a certificate in international management from Georgetown University.
Michael Gordon, Arway/Long Grove Confections, Elizabeth Macks, Palsgaard and Lynn Wieland, Spangler Candy Company were ratified as new members of the PMCA Board of Directors. Their first terms began July 1, 2026 at the start of the PMCA fiscal year 2026/2027.
Mike Gordon started his career in the confectionery industry at age five as a taste tester when his mom started a small candy company in the basement of their family home. Growing up surrounded by chocolate, he learned the artisanal aspects of confectionery manufacturing making fresh cream chocolate truffles and toffee, servicing pastry chefs in luxury hotels across the country.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in marketing at Northern Illinois University with a minor in manufacturing engineering technology, Mike joined the family business full-time and was active in all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, product development and production management.
In 2006, he joined Georgia Nut Company as their product development manager, developing roasted nuts, snack mixes and confections in the areas of chocolate enrobing, vacuum-expanded sugar confections, chocolate panning, hard panning and hot panning.
In 2012 Mike joined Capol LLC, eventually leading US operations, sales and a team of confectionery professionals dedicated to assisting confectioners across North America with their confectionery manufacturing and finishing needs.
Within the industry, Mike has been active with AACT since 2011 and served as president form 2019-2020, has taught at the PMCA panning course on multiple occasions as a hard panning instructor and teaches at the UW Madison resident candy course as the instructor for polishing panned confections.
Today as the head of R&D for Arway/Long Grove Confections, he is part of the company’s leadership team working to take the company onto its next stage of growth.
Elizabeth Macks has more than 10 years within the confectionery and snack industry as a senior food scientist and regulatory expert specializing in global food law, product innovation and technical sales. With experience spanning R&D, regulatory compliance and commercial strategy, she brings a unique cross-functional perspective to product development and market growth.
Elizabeth currently manages $5M+ in annual accounts, driving strategic expansion through consultative selling and tailored ingredient solutions that enhance product performance, shelf life and regulatory compliance. She has extensive experience leading innovation pipelines, managing certifications (GFSO, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Kosher) and overseeing R&D and plant trials across national brands.
Prior to her commercial role, Elizabeth held technical and regulatory leadership positions, including roles supporting product development, cost-savings initiatives exceeding $5 million annually, supplier qualification and commercialization of new products.
She holds a Master of Jurisprudence in global food law from Michigan State University and has published research on sugar crystallization in confectionery products. Elizabeth is actively involved in industry organizations including IFT as the local Keystone Section President as well as PMCA on various committees, most recently stepping into the role of Production Conference Program Committee Chair.
Lynn Wieland is a lifelong resident of Bryan, OH and attended The Ohio State University. He has been employed with Spangler Candy Company for more than 30 years and is currently vice president of operations.
Lynn serves as the secretary for the AACT National Council, instructs at the UW-Madison Candy School and is a member of the PMCA Production Conference Program Committee. He was the 2023 Stroud Jordan Award recipient and was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2025.
Lynn previously served on Bryan City Council and as Bryan City Council president. He’s served as a past board member of the United Way of Williams County and currently serves as a member of the Bryan City Schools Board of Education.
Lynn is married to his wife Theresa, and they have two sons, Andrew and Austin and five grandchildren. Lynn and his family attend St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Bryan.
Sarah Houle, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company began her second term as board director.
After several years of dedicated service to PMCA as an officer, Steve Genzoli, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company completed his tenure in this capacity. He will remain a voting member of the board for six years, after which time he will become a lifetime honorary board member.
About PMCA
PMCA is an international organization that enhances the companies and careers of confectionery and snack professionals through inspired learning and the building of long-term personal connections, which empowers our members to create products that bring people joy.