Champaign, IL (May 28, 2025) - The American Dairy Science Association® (ADSA), a leading international scientific organization and community platform for dairy professionals, is pleased to announce its newly elected board members for the organization’s 2025–2026 term.
These accomplished individuals, selected by ADSA members, bring significant expertise in dairy science education, research, and industry. Their leadership will be vital in advancing ADSA’s commitment to the dairy sector through education, scientific discovery, and public engagement. The newly elected members are:
- Jim Drackley, professor emeritus of animal sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was elected to the office of vice president for a one-year term.
- Trevor DeVries, professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Guelph, was elected Production Division director for a three-year term.
- Hadi Eshpari, research and development manager at Tillamook County Creamery Association, was elected Dairy Foods Division director for a three-year term.
ADSA congratulates all three new leaders and looks forward to their official welcome into their new positions during the 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting held in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 22–25. Staff and leadership at ADSA extend a warm thank you to the diverse and qualified group of candidates who came forward to serve the association, as well as to the members who cast their votes.
Learn more about ADSA’s new leaders below, and see ADSA’s full Board of Directors.
James (Jim) K. Drackley, ADSA Vice President
Jim Drackley is professor emeritus of animal sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois. Drackley joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1989 after receiving his PhD in nutritional physiology from Iowa State University (Ames, IA) and rose through the ranks to professor. He retired from the university in 2024.
Drackley was raised on a small registered Guernsey dairy farm in southwestern Minnesota. He obtained his BS in dairy production in 1981 from South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD) and his MS in dairy science in 1985 from the same institution. Drackley’s research program at the University of Illinois centered on (1) nutrition, metabolism, and management of dairy cows during the dry period and transition to lactation, (2) metabolism in the liver and other tissues of ruminant animals, (3) dairy calf nutrition and management, and (4) lipid utilization and metabolism in ruminants. Drackley has edited two books and authored or coauthored one book, 14 book chapters, 236 articles in refereed journals, and more than 450 abstracts, technical reports, articles in conference proceedings, and popular press articles.
During his career, he trained 45 graduate students and was frequently voted onto the “List of Excellent Teachers” by the students at the University of Illinois. Drackley has taught courses in ruminant nutrition, energy and protein nutrition, and lactation biology, among others, to both undergraduate and graduate students. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the Paul A. Funk Recognition Award from the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois in 2008, the Spitze Land Grant Professorial Career Excellence Award from the college in 2022, the 2002 American Feed Industry Award for Excellence in Dairy Cattle Nutrition Research, the 2007 Nutrition Professionals Inc. Applied Dairy Nutrition Award, and the 2024 Zinpro Award for Excellence in Dairy Science from ADSA. He was also named a fellow of ADSA in 2015 and received the FASS-AFIA New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award in 2024.
Drackley has worked extensively with dairy and feed industry groups around the world and has given more than 500 invited talks at scientific conferences, industry conferences, and industry functions. He was a member of the National Research Council committee to produce the eighth edition of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine publication Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle.
Drackley has been an active member of ADSA for over 43 years, serving as director from 2005 to 2008, chair of the Production Division from 2003 to 2004, president of the Midwest Branch from 1997 to 1998, and chair of the Journal Management Committee from 1998 to 2000, as well as on numerous award and program committees. Drackley has three sons and lives in Urbana, Illinois, with his wife Tonya.
Trevor DeVries, ADSA Director—Dairy Production Division
Trevor DeVries is a professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph (Guelph, ON, Canada). DeVries received his BSc in agriculture in 2001 and his PhD in 2006 from The University of British Columbia. Following that, he spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. In 2007, he was appointed faculty at the University of Guelph.
DeVries maintains a very strong, productive research program focused on understanding the links between dairy cow behavior, nutrition, and management. His work has led to fundamental discoveries and practical solutions that have collectively contributed to improvements in dairy cattle performance, health, welfare, and efficiency. Over his career, he has authored or coauthored more than 225 peer-reviewed papers. He joined the JDS Club 100 in 2019 with over 100 papers published in the Journal of Dairy Science (JDS). His accomplishments in research over the years have been recognized in his reception of several awards from ADSA and other professional organizations. DeVries is committed to extending his research work to the field, as evidenced by over 375 invited research presentations to audiences worldwide.
DeVries’ teaching at the University of Guelph has spanned diploma, degree, and graduate students, including instructing applied diploma and undergraduate courses in dairy production, dairy cattle nutrition, and dairy herd management. He is also the coach of the University of Guelph Dairy Challenge team.
DeVries works diligently in public service, serving on several university committees as well as various local, national, and international professional committees. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. For ADSA, he has served as the Production Division Council chair, the Overall Program Committee chair for the 2022 ADSA Annual Meeting, and a member of several section committees.
DeVries has served as an editorial board member for JDS and JDS Communications for several years and has recently joined JDS Communications as a section editor. He was also an invited section editor and chapter author for Large Dairy Herd Management, a book published by ADSA.
Hadi Eshpari, ADSA Director—Dairy Foods Division
Hadi Eshpari is a research and development manager at Tillamook County Creamery Association (Portland, OR). He holds a doctorate in food science from the University of Guelph (Guelph, ON, Canada). He obtained his master’s degree in dairy product technology from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, CA). Prior to moving to the United States, Eshpari earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Karaj University (Karaj, Iran).
Eshpari’s areas of expertise include dairy chemistry and processing, casein micelle functionality in different dairy systems, and cheese technology and aging. Eshpari has several years of experience in the industry leading projects through the full lifecycle from ideation to commercialization. In his current role at Tillamook, he leads new product development in multiple product categories in addition to managing Tillamook’s long-term external research collaborations with the national dairy research centers and other academic and industry partners. Prior to joining Tillamook, Eshpari worked at Kraft Foods as a research and product development scientist, where he worked on brands such as Philadelphia and Velveeta.
Eshpari has been the primary author and coauthor of several publications in the areas of milk protein processing and functionality. He currently serves on the industry advisory board of Oregon Dairy Industries (Gresham, OR) and several dairy research centers across the United States, including BUILD Dairy, the Center for Dairy Research (Madison, WI), and the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center (Raleigh, NC). Since 2019, he has also served as an adjunct industry partner to the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), where he leads research collaborations with the faculty and graduate students.
Eshpari has been involved with the Dairy Foods Division of ADSA since he was a graduate student and has continued his support of ADSA as an industry professional over the years. He has served on different technical committees as a member and been the chair of the Milk Proteins and Enzymes Committee since 2020.
About the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA®)
ADSA is an international organization of educators, scientists, and industry representatives who are committed to advancing the dairy industry and keenly aware of the vital role the dairy sciences play in fulfilling the economic, nutritive, and health requirements of the world's population. It provides leadership in scientific and technical support to sustain and grow the global dairy industry through generation, dissemination, and exchange of information and services. Together, ADSA members have discovered new methods and technologies that have revolutionized the dairy industry. www.adsa.org