Kelly Van Haren
Group Sensory Scientist
Procter & Gamble
View Statement for SSP
SSP’s mission statement goes beyond the scientific boundaries and uniquely emphasizes professional development & mentorship. This area is truly the strength of SSP and I hope that in serving on Exec that there is a new forum to generate ideas for bringing our community even closer together, particularly as digital innovation, hybrid working/schooling, and the competitive environment has evolved in our careers. My goal would be to continue giving Sensory practitioners and businesses tools to succeed in their careers and have SSP be the go-to resource for them, particularly since so many practitioners are often a small and specialized group within their respective companies. Facilitating connections on a personal and professional level is a passion and something SSP is positioned to take on. Additionally, if serving as treasurer, the need to generate revenue for SSP is not overlooked—finding creative ways to go “from surviving to thriving” could make SSP even a better value for its members.
Biographical Statement
Kelly Van Haren has spent her whole career as a Sensory Scientist after graduating from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) with a BS in Chemical Engineering and a MS in Food Science. Since then, she has been active in both internal and external Sensory activities looking to broaden the impact of Sensory Science. Internally, she serves on P&G’s Sensory Strategy team, looking to maximize satisfaction in careers in the Sensory discipline, and co-chair of the internal Sensometrics special interest group. Within SSP, she has previously served as chair of the Non-Food/Beyond Food team, which launched activities to drive awareness of careers in Sensory outside of the food & beverage industry. She also served on SSP exec as a member-at-large in the 2018-2020 Session. Currently she serves as the Connectors Chair where she has expanded the impact of the Connectors program beyond the SSP conference by introducing the well-received Regional Connectors program.
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