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FPSA Names New President & CEO, Shifts Seckman to Grow FIT Program

April 3, 2024

Matthew Ott will take the reins of the association while David Seckman will focus his efforts to grow the technician training program to meet increased demand.

Andy Hanacek

The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) has appointed Matthew R. Ott to be its new president and CEO, as David Seckman moves into a full-time role leading the association’s Food Industry Technician (FIT) program, which has grown significantly over the last several years.

Ott was introduced via video during the FPSA’s Executive Exchange & Conference in Indian Wells, Calif., last week. FPSA also announced a name change during the event that it believes better reflects the future of the association.

Ott has previous leadership experience with organizations similar to FPSA, have held posts at the Global Cold Chain Alliance, the National Grocers Assn. and other organizations in the past. Meanwhile, Seckman, who was president and CEO of FPSA for nearly 15 years, will transition to executive director of the FIT program, where he will focus strictly on boosting the growth of the program to better satisfy the demand for qualified service technicians from both food processors and equipment suppliers.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.