CAMP FOSTER – The Army and Air Force Exchange Service’s Pacific Region Headquarters is welcoming Chief Warrant Officer 3 Leanna Lester as its first ever food safety officer.
In this position, Lester’s primary roles and responsibilities will be to ensure food safety for restaurants, Patriot Express airline and the School Meal Program are held to the highest standard.
“I would like to bridge the gap between Exchange facilities and their associating health inspectors,” Lester said. “I would also like to provide guidance to our personnel for any food safety or quality issues.”
Lester joined the Army in 1998 as a Veterinary Food Inspection Specialist and took advantage of all the continued education that the Army offered as she earned both her Bachelors and Master’s degree in Food Science. She also attended several training courses from the Food and Drug Administration.
“The Army has provided me with so many great opportunities for advancement through education,” Lester said.
Her most recent assignment was at Fort Knox, Kentucky with the Public Health Activity as the Command Food Safety Officer where she oversaw the food safety and defense programs within her area of responsibility, which included seven states.
“The various subtasks within my program included commercial sanitation audits, food safety and quality inspection programs of installation facility and restaurants,” Lester said. “I also helped Preventive Medicine with food outbreak investigations.”
This is Lester’s first time being stationed on Okinawa but she has fond memories of her vacation here when she and her family were stationed at Camp Zama, Japan and looks forward to exploring her new home.
“On my off-time, my family and I are looking forward to exploring the rich history of this island,” Lester said. “I also want to snorkel, recertify my scuba-diving license and, of course, try out all the new tastes that Okinawa has to offer.”
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