Petfood Industry Announces Editor-in-chief Transition: Debbie Phillips-donaldson To Retire, Jackie Roembke Named Successor

(PRESS RELEASE) ROCKFORD, IL — Petfood Industry, a brand of WATT Global Media, announced that Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, longtime editor-in-chief, will retire on December 28, 2026, concluding a distinguished career spanning two decades with the company. Jackie Roembke has been named her successor as editor-in-chief, and the transition between the two is already underway to ensure continuity across Petfood Industry’s content, media, events and audience relationships.

Elise Schafer, the editor of WATT Global Media’s Feed & Grain brand, has now assumed responsibility for directing the content efforts of WATT’s Feed Strategy brand.

Phillips-Donaldson has directed all content for PetfoodIndustry.com, the brand’s e-newsletters, Petfood Forum conferences and related media, and Petfood Industry magazine since joining WATT Global Media in 2006.

“I am very grateful for my time at Petfood Industry and Petfood Forum and have relished all the experiences and wonderful people I’ve encountered,” said Phillips-Donaldson. “As the industry continues to evolve and grow, I have full confidence that Jackie and the rest of the team will continue to cover the industry with excellent, timely, objective content that provides pet food professionals with the enlightening information they need to do their jobs and grow their businesses.”

“We thank Debbie for her two decades of leadership and her vital role played in the growth of Petfood Forum and the Petfood Industry brand,” said Steve Akins, executive vice president, global petfood & events, WATT Global Media. “We look forward to the continued growth of our pet food manufacturing audience as Jackie leads our content team in the future.”

Roembke brings more than 16 years of animal nutrition and feed manufacturing journalism experience to the role, including tenure with WATT Global Media since 2013. She previously served as editor-in-chief of Feed Strategy and Feed & Grain, where her coverage spanned poultry and livestock nutrition, feed ingredients and additives, and feed manufacturing operations — expertise directly relevant to the ingredient sourcing, formulation and production challenges shared across the feed and pet food sectors.

Throughout her career, Roembke has built a track record of in-depth coverage of macro agri-food trends, global feed and ingredient markets, and emerging pet food-adjacent topics. She has also created, organized and produced international industry events addressing critical issues facing stakeholders across the ingredient supply chain, manufacturing technology and nutrition science.

“My background covering feed manufacturing and animal nutrition has given me a strong appreciation for the science, formulation, and regulatory considerations that shape the pet food industry,” Roembke said. “I look forward to applying that perspective to Petfood Forum and Petfood Industry, and to continuing the in-depth coverage of ingredients, manufacturing, and market trends this audience relies on.”

About Debbie Phillips-Donaldson
Debbie Phillips-Donaldson has been with WATT Global Media, parent company of Petfood Industry, since 2006. Previously, she worked for 13 years at pet publisher BowTie Inc. as editor of Cat Fancy magazine, new product manager and editorial vice president. She also served for five-and-a-half years as editor of Quality Progress magazine with the American Society for Quality. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

About Jackie Roembke
Jackie Roembke has served as the editor-in-chief of WATT Global Media’s feed brands Feed Strategy and Feed & Grain. With more than two decades in trade publishing, she has covered the global animal feed industry since 2009, delivering insights on feed manufacturing, animal nutrition, and agricultural technology to industry professionals worldwide. Beyond editorial leadership, Roembke has developed and produced many industry events since she joined WATT in 2013, including the Feed Mill of the Future Conference and the Feed Strategy Conference series, creating platforms for innovation and knowledge exchange in feed manufacturing.

About Elise Schafer
Elise Schafer has covered the North American commercial feed manufacturing and grain handling industries. She has served Feed & Grain since 2007 in a variety of roles, including editorial intern, associate editor, publisher and, most recently, editor. She will now lead the digital and print content development activities for WATT’s Feed & Grain and Feed Strategy brands and plays an integral role in producing events for WATT Feed Brands.

Schafer’s previous experience includes business operations and revenue development for the American Farm Bureau Federation, as well as coverage of the sanitation, facilities maintenance and snack and beverage industries for several B2B publications. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communication, with an emphasis in print journalism.

About WATT Global Media & Petfood Industry

WATT Global Media is a leading provider of business information, events and digital platforms for the global pet food and agriculture industries. As the organizer and operator of the Petfood Forum, the largest pet food manufacturing-focused conferences and exhibitions worldwide, Petfood Industry offers companies unique opportunities to network with decision-makers, innovators and experts from across the supply chain. With events such as Petfood Forum and Petfood Forum Europe, both WATT and Petfood Industry not only supports the industry in expanding business relationships, but also in the transfer of knowledge on current trends, technological developments and strategic topics. For over 100 years, the company has combined expertise with modern event management, promoting innovation and growth in its target markets.