Dr. Roberts holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Washington in Seattle, and spent 30 years at the USDA’s Economic Research Service before retiring as a senior economist in 2008. Her research has focused on estimating the societal costs of foodborne illness, evaluating the impact of food safety regulations (especially through risk assessment) and studying the critical role of food safety information in public and private decision-making. Roberts’ other research areas include economic incentives for improving industrial food safety and promoting more accurate and rapid pathogen testing. She has numerous publications, and edited “Food Safety Economics: Incentives for a Safer Food Supply” in 2018, which is part of the International Association of Food Protection’s Food Microbiology and Food Safety series. Roberts has been a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association, the American Society of Microbiologists, and the International Association of Food Protection. She has organized sessions for these associations as well as other food safety conferences and meetings. Roberts served as Chair of CFI’s Board of Directors from 2009 to 2019, and lives in Vashon, WA.