What We Do at ISU Dining

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance team helps to ensure that ISU Dining facilities meet the highest standards when it comes to serving the Iowa State community safe and healthy food. The department is designed to meet specific needs by giving each ISU Dining location the proper tools they need to fulfill food safety regulations and requirements. Assistance is also provided for any urgent food safety matters on campus.

Meet Our Team

Tori Tafoya, Quality Assurance Specialist II

Tori Tafoya standing in Seasons Marketplace

Tori brings over 20 years of expertise in retail and healthcare food service operations, holding certifications as a Dietary Manager and Food Protection Manager. Her career includes eight years of dedicated service with Iowa State University, where she has worked at Union Drive Marketplace and Friley Windows residential dining facilities. For the past four years, Tori has served as a Quality Assurance Specialist II at ISU Dining. In this role, she develops and oversees safety programs, conducts assessments, and provides training and support to ensure food and workplace safety, food quality, and regulatory compliance across dining operations. She also addresses safety concerns and leads incident investigations to maintain a secure and efficient environment.

Outside of work, Tori enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends. She is married and a proud mother of four.

 

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Alexias Townsend, Quality Assurance Specialist I

Alexias Townsend in Seasons Marketplace

Alexias graduated from ISU in May 2023 with a degree in Food Science and has certificates in HACCP, PCQI, and ServSafe Proctor/Instructor. She joined the ISU Dining team in a full-time capacity in June 2023 after working as a student employee for all 4 years of her ISU adventure. She supports ISU Dining staff by updating and administering the new employee onboarding program, creating online and in-person employee trainings, conducting internal audits of facilities, supporting workplace safety efforts through SDS audit and chemical inventory maintenance, and assisting with incident response.

Alexias enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and video games in her free time.