The American Bakers Association’s Executive Leadership Development Committee (ELDC) announced that it is changing its name to NextGenBaker to reflect a broader and redoubled effort to engage and energize the next generation of baking and allied industry leaders.

The announcement was made in March during the 2015 ABA Convention in Orlando, FL, at the All Membership Meeting during the session “Engaging the Next Generation of Baking Leaders,” moderated by ABA Human Resources Committee chair Laurie Graves, The Bama Companies. The panel featured NextGenBaker co-chairs Jesse Amoroso, vice president for Amoroso’s Baking Co., and Morgan Murphy, sales–Southwest Division for Mother Murphy’s Flavors. Drawing on their experiences, the panel participants discussed what the next generation is seeking from a company in regard to professional development and what a company and the industry can do to attract these leaders.

“NextGenBaker was the clear choice to take leadership development efforts of the baking and allied industries to a new level,” says Amoroso. “With a new name, a fresh and modern look for the committee branding, along with exciting and content-rich programming planned for the Public Policy Forum to be held Oct. 20-22 in Washington, I’m confident that NextGenBaker will be a valuable resource for the ABA membership.”