Emily (Jackson) Lochner grew up on a dairy and beef cattle operation in central Texas. She attended Butler Community College and Texas Tech University to compete on their livestock judging teams and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in animal science. While there, she was named to the 2011 Junior College All-American Academic Team and the 2013 Senior College All-American Livestock Judging Team.

Jon Ashton began his culinary career in several notable English restaurants, including The Derby Lodge and The Kirkfield in Newton-le-Willows. After moving to the United States to follow his childhood dream, Jon launched into the business with a passion for sharing his craft and making good food accessible.

Manuel Villacorta is a nationally recognized, award-winning dietitian, spokesperson and best-selling author of “Whole Body Reboot: The Peruvian Superfoods Diet to Detoxify, Energize, and Supercharge Fat Loss.” He is also the author of several other books and the founder of Whole Body Reboot, an international weight management and wellness program. 

Sonja Stetzler is the founder of Effective Connecting, a business that develops clients’ communication skills to ensure their success in the workplace. A former health care provider, she also has several decades’ experience in management, sales and coaching, and she’s worked for the past two decades as a communications consultant for organizations including Microsoft, Duke Energy, Carolinas HealthCare System and Bank of America.

Molly comes from a long history in the fitness and food industry starting as a division I collegiate athlete followed by multiple degrees and certifications in the food and fitness industry.  She has worked as a food scientist for Frito Lay, Cargill and Clorox.  She holds Bachelor’s in Biochemistry, a Masters in Food Science and Nutrition, as well as the esteemed title of Certified Culinary Scientist through the Research Chef Association.

MaryAnne Drake is a professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences in the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center at North Carolina State University, where she conducts research on the flavor and flavor chemistry of dairy products and other foods. She focuses on understanding how different steps in food processing influence flavor and consumer perception of foods.

At National Dairy Council, Chris Cifelli is responsible for planning and managing dairy-centric research on chronic disease risk, childhood nutrition, NHANES-related research, and nutrition and sustainability. Similarly, at the Dairy Research Institute, Chris is involved in developing and managing research projects on the health benefits associated with adequate dairy consumption, including studies examining the effects of vitamins and minerals found in dairy on bone density, weight maintenance and metabolic health.

Blake Romney was looking for the opportunity to promote a message he was passionate about, so he joined Dairy MAX in 2020 – finding the proud, Americana story of dairy farmers and sustainability to be well worth telling. He brings more than 10 years of experience in digital strategy and production, including five years in the food and beverage industry, with companies such as Whataburger and American Airlines. Blake holds a double major in broadcast journalism and Spanish from Brigham Young University.