Dr. David M. Theno is Sr. Vice President, Quality and Logistics at Jack in the Box Inc. In his position, he is responsible for the company's product safety and regulatory compliance, as well as Purchasing, Distribution, Energy, Guest Service Systems and Guest Relations for all the restaurants.

Prior to joining Jack in the Box in 1993, he was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Theno & Associates, Inc., an agribusiness-consulting firm located in Modesto, California. He has also directed food safety, quality and technical operations for Armour Food Company, Kellogg's, Inc. and Foster Farms.

Dr. Theno is currently a member of the U.S.D.A. National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and a Board member of the International Stockmen's Educational Foundation. In addition, he is a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Beef Industry Food-Safety Council and serves on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for "Solving the E.coli O157:H7 Problem," sponsored by the National Livestock & Meat Board. Dr. Theno has served as a peer reviewer for the U.S.D.A. Food-Safety Inspection Service's HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) study and was on the National Advisory Committee on Meat & Poultry Inspection in 1998. He is also the author of numerous scientific and trade publications on food safety and HACCP applications.

For his work in food safety, Dr. Theno has received numerous awards and accolades, including Food Safety Magazine's Distinguished Service Award in 2007; Nation's Restaurant News' 2000 Innovator of the Year; and NRN's Top 50 Players for 1997, for which he was chosen for his leadership role in defining the new standard for food-service safety procedures. He was also the 1997 recipient of the California Environmental Health Association's Mark Nottingham Award.

He received his bachelor's degree in zoology and science journalism from Iowa State University. He earned both his master's degree and his doctorate in food science and animal science from the University of Illinois.