Ms. Buck became involved in foodborne illness prevention in 2001 following the death of her 2 1/2 year old grandson, Kevin Kowalcyk, from complications due to an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Ms. Buck has volunteered extensively as a consumer advocate for food safety and co-founded the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention in 2006. Ms. Buck is a certified PA teacher, with a M.A. in English and a M.S. in Education. She retired from teaching after the death of her grandson and currently serves on USDA's National Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). From 2007-2010, Ms. Buck served as a Board Director for the Partnership for Food Safety Education, and currently is engaged with several upcoming national initiatives to promote food safety education. As an educator, Ms. Buck believes that communicating food safety information to all food stakeholders, including consumers, needs to be improved if we hope to meet the food challenges of the 21st century. Ms. Buck resides in Grove City, PA with her husband. They have five grown children and ten grandchildren.