Ivette Bassa

Ivette A. Bassa '86 MS is retired from her food industry career in Research, Development and Quality, where she spent 32+ years of leading and influencing product innovation, packaging development, quality policies, commercialization activities, and building organizational capabilities.

She started her career as Associate Food Scientist at the General Foods Corporation and worked in the Desserts and Beverages Divisions as well as the Central Research Function reaching the level of Associate Director RD&Q. As the corporation evolved to Kraft foods, Inc, she progressed through multiple levels of leadership including Director of RD&Q Strategy for Kraft Foods North America based in Chicago, Director of RD&Q Kraft Foods Canada, based in Toronto, and Vice-President of RD&Q Latin America based in Coral Gables, Florida, where she built organizational capabilities including technology centers in Brazil and in Mexico. When Kraft Foods Inc split, she joined Mondelez International as Vice President RD&Q North America, where she built the organization and consolidated technology centers while leading the team to deliver significant innovation, margin and quality programs.

Her last role, prior to retirement, was Vice-President RD&Q Global Packaging, where she led the global team to deliver sustainable innovations as well as developed capabilities to deliver more effectively and efficiently the business objectives.

In addition to the Dean’s Advisory Board at CNS, UMASS Amherst, she is actively engaged in the Food Science Advisory Board at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at UMASS, Amherst and at the Institute of Food Technology, where she has chaired the Employment Committee, the Food Science Certification Committee, and has been a member of multiple Award Selection Committees.

She has been recognized by the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference with a Professional Achievement Award and The 50 Women who Make a Difference by Hispanic Engineering and Information Technology Magazine. Ivette received her Licentiate degree in Industrial Chemistry at UNPHU in her native Dominican Republic and her MS in Food Science at UMass Amherst. She is also a Certified Food Scientist, holds one patent, and has two publications.