Barry McCleary has been selected as president-elect of the St. Paul, Minn.-based AACC International, which elected its new board at its recent annual meeting in Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Khalil Khan began his term as president of AACC International at the conclusion of the annual meeting. Kahn is a professor in the Department of Cereal and Food Sciences at North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., where he is involved in teaching and research on wheat proteins in relation to structure-function relationships in bread and pasta-making.

McCleary is founder, owner and CEO of Megazyme International Ireland Ltd. He also is an adjunct professor of agriculture, food and natural resources at the University of Sydney. His research has focused on the use of enzymes to modify, characterize and measure carbohydrate polymers, and the development of improved methods for measurement of enzyme activity and various components of cereals, fruits and foods that dictate quality. Many of the methods he developed are now AACC International and AOAC International recommended or official procedures.

Rodney Booth, who was named a director of AACC International, is the managing director of Newport Scientific Pty Ltd, a scientific instrument developer and manufacturer located in Sydney, Australia. Booth established Newport Scientific in 1985 to commercialize the RVA. Booth and Newport Scientific (now a part of Perten Instruments, Sweden) continue to develop new instruments and applications in the field of cereal chemistry.

Lydia Tooker Midness, another elected director of the association, is vice president of research and development, and nutrition and regulatory for Cereal Partners Worldwide -- a joint venture between Nestlé S.A. and General Mills Inc., headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. Tooker Midness is a registered dietitian and has held previous positions in nutritional patient care and food service. She also is active in a number of professional and community-based organizations and is currently vice president of the European Breakfast Cereal Association.

Other members of the 2009-2010 board include: Mary Ellen Camire, chair of the board; Laura Hansen, treasurer; Gerard Downey, director, Craig Morris, director; Maureen Olewnik, director; and Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar, director.

AACC International is an organization of professionals who contribute to the research, development and processing of grains and grain-based products.