Her Story
About Tiffany
I started in this field at 18, going on 19, through a Technical Training Project program at Essex County College that was funded by pharmaceutical companies. Coming from the inner city, this gave me an opportunity to see the technical side of things that didn't have to be medical-based. I was very shy then, but this field made me step out of my shell - now I'm extremely talkative. I began as a lab technician doing bench chemistry, working with organic chemistry to review raw materials. Over 23 years, I've worked across pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, food, beverage, candy, and confections. I stayed open-minded to every opportunity, which allowed my career to grow with me. I've held positions at companies like NatureX working with natural herbal ingredients and extracts, and Strasburger Steaks where I learned about USDA inspection and SQF. At my last company, I spent four years going from Quality Manager to Director of Quality, working with macarons, dealing with allergen control, collaborating with marketing on packaging and color schemes, and navigating FDA changes. Now I'm at Schweide & Sons, a three-generation family meat company in Carlstadt, New Jersey, where I've been for almost 4 months. We manufacture different beef burger blends - Wagyu, chuck, brisket mixes, Australian beef, organic, halal, certified humane. I've learned that quality assurance is a vast field with so many applications, and the key to surviving in it is being a lifelong learner. What I love most now is building entire teams, changing cultures in a positive way, and seeing people grow. I see myself in young techs coming in, and I make sure they understand this is an entry-level position that opens doors to many opportunities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tiffany
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to staying open-minded throughout my career and being willing to take on different opportunities across nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, food, beverage, and confections. I've been a lifelong learner, constantly recertifying with every new change in SQF and PCQI, and I just finished my master's degree in educational design to better train my teams. But my biggest achievement is really about effective communication and transformative leadership. I focus on building trust within my teams and creating a culture where people feel comfortable and confident. When people feel that way, they want to perform well. I've learned that it's not about having all the answers - it's about being bold enough to ask questions, research, gather data, and analyze it. I make sure to change the culture wherever I am in a positive way so people feel comfortable talking to me and don't feel limited in their growth. My success comes from seeing the results of that approach - the improvement in product quality, better USDA reports, reduction of nonconformances, and watching team members grow and move into supervisor roles themselves.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I have ever received is that I should commit to being a life long learner to achieve success and pay it forward.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to be a lifelong learner, and to maintain your inner confidence by never fearing to ask a question or admit that you don't know something. I think that's heavy on us in the quality field, because we come in the door and people expect us to have all the answers. It's not that - it's that we're the ones that are bold enough to ask the questions and go seek the information when other people don't. We don't make assumptions, we research. We ask questions, we gather the data, we analyze it, and then we do something about it. That's the role we play. It's not that we have to show up and know it all and feel that heavy pressure on us, that we have to figure it all out and make sure that it works. Things work because we put the time into research and to communicate with people to make it work.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges and opportunities in my field right now is the recent updates to GFSI standards. Implementation of new and updated procedures takes a bit of patience and reassurance to get all team members onboard and confident in the new direction of the company and industry. It’s a great time to test the framework of the Quality foundation within the company.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and perseverance are important values to maintain in my personal and work life.
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