Eric D. Bastian, originally from central Utah, was raised on a dairy farm and earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Dairy Science and Nutrition from Utah State University. Following a research fellowship in Denmark, he began his academic career at the University of Minnesota in 1992, where he led research on milk protein chemistry and cheese functionality. In 1998, after earning tenure as an Associate Professor, he transitioned into the dairy industry as Director of R&D at Avonmore West (now Glanbia), relocating to Idaho.

At Glanbia, Eric advanced to Senior Vice President of Innovation, where he built and led a research team that grew from 5 to 80 members. In 2016, he joined Dairy West as Vice President of Innovation Partnerships. Eric became the Director of the Western Dairy Center in 2019 and served in that role until 2024. He has been instrumental in creating the BUILD Dairy Program, which supports research and workforce development to benefit the dairy industry. Eric continues to champion innovation and collaboration in dairy science, contributing to the growth and modernization of the industry through strategic partnerships and talent development.

As Vice President of Stakeholder Development at Dairy West, Eric provides strategic leadership in research, innovation, and workforce advancement across the Western dairy industry. He oversees stakeholder programming and partner relations, drives the growth of the BUILD Dairy program through external funding and student engagement, and leads efforts to strengthen industry-university collaboration. In this role, he works closely with the Western Dairy Center to position it as a progressive leader in dairy research and technology. Eric also delivers training to processing partners, cultivates relationships across sectors, and plays a key role in aligning regional and national strategies to advance the dairy industry.