Russel Braga is an American of Yucatec Maya descent who lives by The Way of Love, employing his God–given talents to serve others for the honor and glory of God alone. Currently serving as a Senior Manufacturing Operations Leader for a global corporation dedicated to sustaining and advancing life on Earth, Braga oversees plant operations and production performance for the manufacturing of connectivity products within the telecommunications infrastructure industry.
In his previous manufacturing leadership role at one of America’s leading manufacturers of premium foods, Russel Braga led Food Safety and Quality Assurance for a USDA–inspected Texas facility producing refrigerated and frozen ready–to–eat (RTE) products containing beef, poultry, and seafood. Serving as the plant’s USDA regulatory point of contact during live operations under Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) hours, he verified plantwide CCPs across the full process flow including lethality and cooling processes and directed risk analysis and product dispositions when HACCP deviations occurred. Braga carried direct responsibilities for the systems, production processes, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement of the Texas facility's FSQA program.
His passion for Lean Manufacturing began in 2017 when he founded Allmigo® Allergy Friendly Foods, LLC. As Founder and Principal serving as Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations, Quality and R&D, he applied organizational excellence and operational discipline to produce safe, allergen-free foods at scale, conducting research and development to assist individuals with life-threatening food allergies.
Braga's technical expertise spans Lean Manufacturing, Operations Management, Continuous Process Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Quality Management, and Organizational Excellence. He possesses deep knowledge of plastics Extrusion Technology, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Advanced Food Manufacturing, Culinary Research and Development, Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs). His credentials include a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification for Human Food, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Certification, and Auditor certifications for TL 9000 Quality Management System for the worldwide Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry (based on ISO 9001 for global Quality Management Systems), and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management Systems.
Earlier, Braga earned and held the Certified Food Protection Manager credential from the American National Standards Institute, and subsequently held the Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) credential from the American Society for Quality, demonstrating since early in his career a strong commitment to quality management principles and organizational excellence. By integrating technical production knowledge with rigorous quality and environmental compliance frameworks, Russel Braga bridges manufacturing excellence with food safety and quality management. His unique profile is distinguished by combining hands-on technical knowledge with systems-level quality frameworks, a rare hybrid that enables him to connect shop floor operations with compliance and regulatory requirements.
Most recently, Russel Braga earned a Safety AI Essentials Practitioner Certificate (ISO 45001 & OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs compliant) for operations leaders and EHS managers who actually run a Safety Artificial Intelligence platform deployment during live operations (not just describe one), and with demonstrated practical command of flow configuration, action workflows, navigating Agents and Skills catalogues, memory configuration for contextual answers and setting up tasks, Single Sign On (SSO) & Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), camera setup, simulation mode, heatmap reading, KPI triage, potential Serious Injuries and Fatalities (pSIF) analysis, ergonomics risk, and auditing reporting skills.
Earlier in his professional experience, Braga performed roles as a proven Higher Education Leader focused on increasing revenue and enhancing student success through lean methodologies. He has implemented strategies to boost enrollment and degree completion via fast-track academic roadmaps, workforce-to-academic pathways, and embedded industry certification programs. By applying data analytics, strategic information systems, and Labor Market Intelligence, he solves complex problems to foster economic mobility for his constituents. His approach emphasizes reducing defects and optimizing quality within educational institutions to improve student satisfaction and administrative efficiency. Prior to his manufacturing leadership roles, he served as Program Director for the College of Health Science at a Texas public university, overseeing academic quality, strategic growth, and faculty excellence for Ph.D., Master’s, and Bachelor’s programs in Health Studies and Health Promotion. He also held leadership roles as Program Manager at two major Community College Districts in Texas.
Braga is also a distinguished composer and member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). A guitarist with formal training in classical performance, composition, and orchestration, his works have premiered at Doctoral Recitals at the University of North Texas, student recitals at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, and the Fine Arts concert series at St. Monica Catholic Church. Additionally, he holds formal studies in Peninsular Spanish literature and Latin American poetry. He also completed undergraduate coursework in Economics and Finance.
Braga holds three certifications from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI): Rescue Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, and Open Water Diver. He previously held the PADI Pros Open Water Scuba Instructor and Dive Master certifications. Academically, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University, where he studied in honor of his mother, wife, and three daughters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Music and Spanish from the SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. Additionally, he possesses a Culinary Arts Certificate from Collin College and an Associate in Arts degree in music from Dallas College.
Soli Deo Gloria, RB