Steven Mandernach, currently chief of the Food and Consumer Safety Bureau with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, has been hired as executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, effective Oct. 8. He succeeds Joe Corby, who held the position for the past eight years. Established in 1896, AFDO’s mission is to foster uniformity in the adoption and enforcement of science-based food, drug, medical devices, cosmetics and product safety laws regulations. “It’s a very great opportunity to bring together partners at the state and local level with our federal partners to discuss, implement and deploy food and medical products policy while being able to answer the needs for new areas and technologies that will impact what our regulators do on a daily basis,” Mandernach said in a statement. Mandernach has led the food and consumer safety bureau, which is responsible for regulation of Iowa’s 24,000 food manufacturers, retail food operations and lodging establishments, since March 2010.