Doug Baker is the vice president of industry relations at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), a leading trade group for the grocery sector. He assists FMI's member communities in growing and thriving in various domains, such as private brands, technology, supply chain, and asset protection. He leads the Asset Protection Council, which strives to reduce merchandise loss and establish safe and healthy stores and workplaces, as well as the Technology Leadership Council, Supply Chain Council, Private Brands Council, and cross-industry efforts focused on transparency and data accuracy. Doug has more than 35 years of experience in food retail, working with Fry's Food Stores, Kraft/Nabisco, and Federated Foods in roles related to retail operations, consumer packaged goods, and private brand creation and marketing.

Dale Buckner is the CEO and President of Global Guardian, LLC, leading the company since its founding in March 2012. A decorated combat commander, he completed multiple combat tours and classified operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Haiti, and Cuba, with deployments to Russia, El Salvador, Honduras, Chile, Panama, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Dale served 24 years in the U.S. Army, including nine years in Infantry, two in Military Intelligence, and 13 in Special Forces Green Berets, commanding five organizations, including a Special Forces Counter-Terrorism Task Force.

He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Business, Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Business Administration, and a Strategic Leadership Certificate from Cornell. A recipient of 27 awards, including the Bronze Star and Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Dale is a recognized industry thought leader, featured in CNN, Politico, NPR, Bloomberg, Forbes, and The Hill.

Michelle Fisher has over 30 years of experience in Retail, including 20 years specializing in Asset Protection.  She is the Profit Protection Assistant Director at Festival Foods, a family- and employee- owned company founded in 1946.  In her role, Michelle leads a team responsible for managing point-of-sale loss, direct store delivery processes, and shrink control.  Previously, Michelle held leadership positions at Walmart, where she traveled nationally to conduct high-shrink audits, gaining valuable insights into operational loss.  Her extensive background equips her with a deep understanding of data analytics and loss trends, enabling her to develop targeted strategies that protect company assets and reduce loss.  Michelle is an empowering leader who is passionate about leveraging data to drive profitability and operational excellence.   

Chris Girone serves as the National Manager of Fraud & Loss at Aldi US, a leading grocery retailer that opened its first store in 1976. Aldi US now operates over 2,450 locations and 26 warehouses across 38 states. In his current role, Chris oversees Investigations, eCommerce fraud, and loss prevention analytics.

With an MBA from Judson University, Chris is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), Loss Prevention Certified (LPC), and holds a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). Chris is also on the board for the Midwest Chapter of the International Association of Interviewers (IAI). He brings over 25 years of experience in loss prevention, beginning his career as a single store LP manager at JCPenney. Chris has held positions such as Regional Investigator at TJX, District Loss Prevention Manager at Dick's Sporting Goods, and most recently, Senior Manager of Loss Prevention Operations at Office Depot, where he served for 16 years before joining Aldi in 2022.

In his role at FMI, Markenson oversees the research & insights practice. He leads the discovery process on the latest industry trends and operational insights that champion FMI as a credible voice of the food retail industry. Markenson is a market research executive with 30 years of progressive experience in his field. His diverse experience includes research design, information/data collection and analysis and strategic planning.

Markenson was formerly the president of WBA Research, a national market research firm founded in 1987, where he oversaw more than 30 full-time professionals, along with a part-time staff of more than 100 telephone interviewers, field interviewers and support staff. Earlier in his career, Markenson worked at Snyder Communications, where he directed all aspects of more than 90 annual market research studies and presented results to brand management, market research departments, advertising and promotion agencies.

Alex is a driving force behind growth at Everseen, ensuring customer success across the entire customer journey while fostering marketplace and ecosystem collaborations that create new opportunities for retailers.