Joseph Corby, Executive Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)
Joseph Corby is the Executive Director, Association of Food & Drug Officials following a 37-1/2 year career with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Division of Food Safety and Inspection. After receiving his Environmental Health degree in 1970, Mr. Corby became a Food Inspector with the Department in the Syracuse, NY area. Following promotions to Senior Food Inspector in Buffalo, NY in 1975, Supervising Inspector in Albany, NY in 1984, Director of Field Operations in 1989, and Assistant Director in 1994, he was appointed Director of the Division of Food Safety & Inspection in 1999 until he retired in May of 2008. His service with the Department included the development of numerous food safety training programs for regulators and industry, the design of the Division’s risk based inspection system, and authoring the state's smoked fish regulations. He was nominated four consecutive years for the Governor’s Productivity Award.
Mr. Corby was an FDA Commissioned Officer and a Cornell University Certified Instructor for Human Resources Development. He also served as Faculty Advisor for Food Processing Technology at SUNY Morrisville and was a member of Cornell University's Institute of Food Science Advisory Council. He was a frequent lecturer for the Food and Drug Administration’s State Training Branch where he spoke on Seafood Safety, Vacuum Packaging, Meat and Poultry Processing, and Retail Food Protection issues.
Mr. Corby has been a member of the Central Atlantic States Association of Food and Drug Officials (CASA) since 1975 and has served as the Niagara Frontier Conference President, North East New York Conference Executive Board Representative, and CASA President. He was awarded the coveted CASA Award in 1991, CASA Service Recognition Award in 1992, and CASA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. The New York State Association of Food Protection awarded him the prestigious William V. Hickey Award in 1995 for outstanding service in the field of food sanitation and the Emmitt Gauhn Award which is the association’s highest award.
With the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) since 1985, Mr. Corby was the Chairperson for the Food Committee, where he spearheaded the development of several model codes, food processing guidelines for industry and government regulators, training programs, AFDO’s Food Code Pocket Guide, and official AFDO comments to national food safety issues. In addition to the Food Committee, he continues to serve on AFDO’s Seafood Committee, International and Government Relations Committee, Meat and Poultry Committee, and FoodSHIELD Steering Committee. He was awarded AFDO’s Distinguished Service Award in 1995 and 2000 and became President of AFDO in June of 1998. He has also received the prestigious Harvey W. Wiley Award on June 19, 2001 and AFDO’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 16, 2008.
Mr. Corby currently serves as the Executive Director for the Association of Food & Drug Officials and continues to work on a part time basis for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s State Training Branch. He is also a member of the University of Florida Food Science & Human Nutrition Advisory Council.