Five state and local health and state agricultural department officials were recipients of the 2012 IAFP Travel Awards. The awards, funded by the national food safety law firm of Marler Clark, helped five meritorious officials participate in the International Association for Food Protection’s annual meeting held during the past week in Providence, RI. The awards honor state and local health or agriculture department employee working in the U.S. and are intended to off-set cuts in state and local government travel budgets that can prevent officials from attending one of the most important educational conferences in food safety. Travel awards went to: – Jeanne C. Garbarino, Vineland, NJ.   Ms. Garbarino is a Principal Registered Environmental Health Specialist for the City of Vineland, NJ’s Department of Health. She earned her B.S. in Public Health, Environmental Tract, from Stockton State College in New Jersey with distinguished honors.  Her passion is retail food safety. – Timothy J. Jenkins, Minneapolis, MN.  Mr. Jenkens works for Minnesota’s Department of Regulatory Services Department as the Environmental Health District Supervisor for the City of Minneapolis.   He holds a Masters in Public Health in Community Health Education.   He wants to work internationally in the future. – Chris W. Malota, Austin, TX.  Mr. Malota is the Senior Microbiologist for the Consumer Microbiology Lab of the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin.  He is a graduate of Texas State University with a B.S. in Microbiology. He has been active in several major outbreak investigations. – Amie J. Minor, Charleston, WV.   Mrs. Minor is an Infectious Research Scientist for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture in Charleston.  She earned her B.S. in Biology from West Virginia State in Institute.   She is a strong advocate for food bioterrorism response. – Brian Sauders, Albany, NY.   Dr. Sauders is the Senior Bacteriologist with the New State Department of Agriculture and Markets in Albany.  Working in the Food Laboratory Microbiology Section, he is responsible for New York’s participation in PulseNet.    He obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY with expertise in Listeria monocytogenes. IAFP President Isabel Walls presented the travel awards during the opening session of 2012 annual meeting in Providence. “We are honored to be able to help IAFP with its mission of advancing food safety worldwide,” said Bill Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark and publisher of Food Safety News.