Hannah Klemmer was born and raised in Cary, North Carolina and attended North Carolina State University to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science. During her time at NC State, she was very involved with the College of Ag and Life Sciences (CALS) community. She served multiple leadership roles in the Food Science Club, served as a CALS Career Ambassador where she met with students weekly to help them with resumes and interview preparation, and worked as dining ambassador in conjunction with the nutrition department to promote wellness and healthy eating on campus. During her college years, Hannah was also involved with AFA and attended numerous AFA Food Institutes and Leaders Conferences.

Hannah currently works at Alamance Foods, where she holds the title of Director of R&D and Commercialization. In her role, she leads innovation in the aerosol whipped topping and shelf-stable beverage categories and manages product development from benchtop prototype to manufacturing line scale-up. During her time at Alamance Foods, Hannah, in partnership with the Alamance Foods leadership team, has facilitated partnerships with NC State through joining the Food Science, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Industry Partners Advisory Council, conducting joint research initiatives in food sustainability, and joining the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center research group. Independently of Alamance Foods, Hannah sits on the NC State CALS Alumni and Friends board and serves as a CALS Career Mentor for students currently in college. Hannah was also recently chosen as the 2026 CALS Outstanding Young Alumnus for her impact at NC State and within the ag and life sciences industry.

How did your AFA Student experience influence your career journey?

Attending the AFA Food Institute gave me a look into the food industry inner workings prior to graduation through touring large food companies. These tours included manufacturing floor walks, new innovation product cuttings, and research & development lab demonstrations. These food industry tours were influential in giving me an understanding of the day-to-day workings in the food industry. The AFA conferences also gave me experience with dressing business casual, carrying myself in a professional manner, and traveling for a professional purpose. These experiences helped me to understand that I wanted to carry this professionalism into my career and equipped me with the tools to do so.

What is one AFA memory, moment or conversation that has stayed with you?

During one of the leaders' conferences, there was a networking session where we were taken to a room full of industry professionals and told to network. I remember how nervous I was at that moment, and felt like I could barely make it through the first conversation. After a few conversations, that feeling started to fade and before I knew it the session was over and I had talked with multiple people! This memory has stuck with me and I credit that experience to showing me that networking does not have to be daunting and instead can be enjoyable and a very valuable skill.

What skill, mindset or lesson from AFA has been most useful in your professional life?

AFA taught me how to network and the value of it as a skill. This has been invaluable for me in my professional life. There are numerous peers and industry professionals that I met during an AFA Conferences and have stayed in touch with. AFA introduced me to peers within NC State that I hadn’t met prior to the conferences and facilitated connection with peers from other schools that I would have otherwise never met. I also formed connections with industry professionals that I stayed in touch with and later talked with for information interviews and advice as I was graduating and starting my career.