ELANA BERUSCH
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, LILY’S TOASTER GRILLS
Berusch has been with Lily’s since the beginning “when all we had was a prototype and a dream.” Under her leadership, the concept was developed into a patent-pending line of frozen toastable grilled cheese sandwiches. “Seeing them in grocery stores all over America fills me with an enormous amount of pride,” says the food scientist, who also heads up Lily’s food safety and quality assurance team. In fact, the company scored a 99.6% on its most recent third-party food safety audit, and CEO Rob Hearne gives much of the credit to Berusch.
Beyond food safety, she’s passionate about alleviating hunger. In college, Berusch led a volunteer organization that packed and distributed meals to people experiencing homelessness, but she wanted to continue that effort in her professional life. “Today, I lead Lily’s Toaster Grills’ Spread Goodness campaign, which donates a portion of our sandwich production to children and families experiencing hunger,” she reports. “To date, we’ve donated over 100,000 sandwiches!”
Her advice to women: “Share your thoughts loudly and often. And if your voice isn’t being heard, bring data to back up your points.”
