Karl brings more than 40 years of microbiology and food safety experience to the TriVista team. Karl Joined TriVista from Abbott Nutrition where he was the Global Head of Microbiology – overseeing microbiological aspects of food safety, environmental monitoring programs, cleaning and sanitation programs, manufacturing processes and manufacturing equipment worldwide. Karl was also a principal team member helping to develop and implement the overall microbiological integrity program for Abbott Nutrition production facilities.

During his extensive career, Karl held numerous food safety and microbiology roles at some of the world’s largest consumables companies. Prior to Abbott, Karl was the Principal Scientist and Corporate Microbiologist at the DIAL Corporation, the Principal Food Scientist at Dole Food Company and the Director of Central Quality Assurance Laboratory at McCormick and Gilroy Foods, Inc.

Key Accomplishments at Abbott Nutrition include:

• Leading the implementation effort for state-of-the-art rapid detection technology for food-borne microbial pathogens,
• Developing and implementing food safety programs at production facilities leading to no microbiologically-related recalls in eight years,
• Received Abbott Nutrition President’s Award recipient for successfully interacting with foreign government regulators to reduce microbial testing and hold times,
• Initiated and led effort to achieve ISO registration at Abbott Nutrition microbiology laboratories,
• Acted as primary scientific representative with federal agencies with regard to bioterrorism and biodefense.

In addition to his extensive corporate experience, Karl was also a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy. Karl received his bachelor’s degree in bacteriology, his master’s degree in microbiology and his doctorate in microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Texas.