Mr. Joseph Reardon joined North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to serve as the Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Protection. In this role, he will oversee the divisions responsible for food safety, agricultural emergency response, animal health and regulation of the structural pest control industry, pesticide use and various weighing and measuring devices. Mr. Reardon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in food and feed safety and defense at both the State and federal level. He served as Senior Advisor for Federal-State Relations and Director for the Division of Federal-State Relations in the Office of Regulatory Affairs of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2009 through 2012. In these roles, he worked collaboratively with Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial partners to enhance the public health infrastructure and served as the point of contact for State programs on matters dealing with food and feed safety and defense. As the Senior Advisor, he provided the leadership, vision and strategic direction to increase collaboration and communication with Federal, State and local partners to achieve a national integrated food safety system. He co-chaired the Integration Task Force and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Federal-State Integration Team in addition to working closely with the Partnership for Food Protection Executive and Coordinating Committees. He served as the FDA representative for several national public health and regulatory professional associations and was the primary contact for State and local regulatory agencies on issues related to Federal-State integration.Prior to joining the FDA, Mr. Reardon served the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services for more than 28 years in various regulatory positions, including as the Director of the Department’s Food and Drug Protection Division and Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Agriculture for Food and Agriculture Projects. He received the Department’s coveted Cornerstone Award in 2002-2003 in recognition for his outstanding leadership and commitment in the integral role as coordinator of special agricultural projects. He has provided testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment for the State of the Nation report on food defense, animal disease, and potential economic impact of bioterrorism. In addition, he is the co-author of several national articles including Histamine Poisoning in Tuna Burgers and Outbreak of Listeriosis among Mexican Immigrants as a result of Consumption of Illicitly Produced Mexican-Style Cheese. Mr. Reardon holds a degree in Food Science from North Carolina State University and is currently completing an interdisciplinary program for a Bachelors of Science degree in Emergency Preparedness and Response with the Emergency and Disaster Management Program at Western Carolina University.