About Kellen
Senior Executives
RICHARD E. CRISTOL
President
Richard E. Cristol has served as Executive Vice President of The Kellen Company, a member of its Board of Directors and Managing Director of the company's Washington, D.C. office. He has more than 27 years of association management experience with particular emphasis on governance, strategic planning, government affairs, public relations, and international and domestic marketing.
Rick is engaged in a variety of activities on behalf of client associations, including legislative and regulatory representation, management of industry research and promotion programs, and international liaison, such as frequent participation on U.S. government delegations to the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission and its committees. He also participates in a number of food industry coalitions addressing such key issues as health claims, nutrition labeling, biotechnology, food safety and food security.
He has traveled extensively at the international level and has experience on international trade issues. He also has considerable expertise in strategic planning and frequently conducts strategic planning sessions for various associations The Kellen Company manages.
Prior to joining The Kellen Company in 1977, Rick held marketing management positions with Libby, a division of Nestlé, and with an international unit of the Bendix Corporation. While at Bendix, he served as corporate representative to various trade associations. He holds a BBA in marketing from Georgia State University and an MBA from the University of Georgia.
Rick is the author of journal articles and has been a speaker at a variety of industry meetings and seminars, including the Food and Drug Law Institute, American Spice Trade Association, and the Northwest Food Processors Association. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, and the Institute of Food Technologists.
He serves as President of the Association for Dressings, the Juice Products Association and the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers, as Senior Staff Officer of the Messenger Courier Association of the Americas, and as Executive Director of the National Institute of Oilseed Products, the National Pasta Association and the Food Update Foundation. In addition he has general management responsibility for The Kellen Company’s Washington D.C. office.