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November 6-8, 2007 | Exhibit Hall November 7 & 8 | The Venetian & The Sands Expo | Las Vegas, Nevada
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Speaker Biographies
 Steve Allen, vice president, new ventures, for Nestlé, has been in the food
industry for more than 20 years, where he has had functional responsibility for
marketing, sales and general management. Prior to moving to the United States,
Allen was head of the nutrition division of Nestlé in Canada. Current
responsibilities are with the venture capital activities of Nestlé and the
investments Nestlé has made in start-up companies in the United States and
Canada. Allen has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Leeds and a
master’s degree from the University of London. |
 Karen W. Andrews is the assistant coordinator for the Dietary Supplement
Ingredient Database (DSID) at the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL), Beltsville
Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). After receiving her bachelor’s of science in chemistry
from Penn State, Andrews worked as an analytical chemist for Texaco Inc. and
W.R. Grace & Co. Andrews then worked in carbohydrate methods development at
the Food Composition Laboratory, USDA, before joining NDL as a nutrient
specialist. At NDL, Andrews was actively involved in the development of the
National Nutrient Databank System, which releases Standard Reference, USDA’s authoritative
food composition database. Five years ago, Andrews initiated work on the DSID,
an analytically verified dietary supplement database. Andrews is a member of AOAC International, and is a voting member of the AOAC
Presidential Task Force on Dietary Supplements. |
 Scott Backman, market development manager, functional food and food
technology, Cognis Nutrition & Health, is a seasoned industry veteran with
20 years of experience selling and marketing specialty ingredients to major food
and beverage producers worldwide. Backman earned his bachelor’s of science degree in business from Central
Michigan University, and is a 2006 director of the Chicago Drug and Chemical
Association and a member of the Institute of Food Technologists. |
 Vladimir Badmaev, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, scientific and medical
affairs, Sabinsa Corp., trained in clinical and anatomical pathology at Kings
County Hospital and Downstate Medical Center, New York. Dr. Badmaev’s doctorate is in the field of immunopharmacology.
He published a book on Tibetan medicine, Healing Herbs, which
describes the efforts of five generations of physicians in his family to bring
Tibetan medicine and the derived pharmaceutical products to the West. Dr.
Badmaev’s goal is to establish Indo-Tibetan medicine as a permanent element
in Western health care education and the health care system. In 1984, Dr.
Badmaev established the Badmaev Natural Drugs Foundation to promote Indo-Tibetan
medicine in the West. In 1985, he founded and headed the Laboratory of Applied
Pharmacology at the New York State Institute for Basic Research to provide the
basic research techniques of Indo-Tibetan medicine. |
 Joseph M. Betz, Ph.D., became the director of the Dietary Supplements Methods
and Reference Materials Program at the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) in
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in December 2001. In this role, he
oversees efforts to enhance and stimulate research and training in fields
relevant to dietary supplements at NIH, and to promote development of validated
analytical methods and reference materials for use by industry, regulatory
agencies and clinical researchers. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Betz
spent 12 years as a research chemist in the Division of Natural Products at FDA’s
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. This was followed by two years as
vice president for scientific and technical affairs at the American Herbal
Products Association. In March of 2006, Dr. Betz received the Norman R. Farnsworth Botanical Research Award from the American Botanical Council. The
award honors the outstanding effort of an individual or research group that has
made a significant contribution to or advancement of knowledge of medicinal
plants or other natural products. |
 Mark Blumenthal is the founder and executive director of the American
Botanical Council (ABC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to
disseminating accurate, reliable, and responsible information on medicinal
plants. Blumenthal is the editor of HerbalGram, an international,
peer-reviewed quarterly journal, and HerbClip, ABC’s reviews of recent
scientific literature on herbs. He is the senior editor of three reference
books: The Complete German Commission E Monographs – Therapeutic
Guide to Herbal Medicines, Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs and
The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs, and co-author of Rational
Phytotherapy, 5th ed. |
 Paul
R. Bolar is vice president, regulatory affairs, for Pharmavite LLC.
Shortly after graduating from the University of California Los Angeles
(UCLA) with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Bolar joined
Pharmavite, where he has held various positions in quality control,
quality assurance, legal affairs and regulatory affairs. In his current
position, Bolar is responsible for assuring corporate compliance with all
food, drug and environmental laws, and oversees Pharmavite’s government
affairs, consumer affairs and professional education departments. He also
served as chairman of the Regulatory Affairs Committee for the Council for
Responsible Nutrition (CRN), participated on FDA’s Food Advisory
Committee on Dietary Supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Working Group, and was a member of the Expert Working Group on GMPs for
the Dietary Supplements Sector of the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue
(TABD). |
 George A. Burdock, Ph.D., president, Burdock Group, is an internationally
recognized authority on the safety of food ingredients, personal care products
and dietary supplements. He has over 40 publications in scientific journals and
has published three books, two editions of Fenaroli’s Handbook of Flavor
Ingredients, and the Encyclopedia of Food and Color Additives. Dr. Burdock is co-author of the chapter “Food Toxicology” in the current and
previous edition of Casarett and Doull’s textbook Toxicology, the
standard textbook and reference book in the field of toxicology. Dr. Burdock is a diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology, a fellow of
the American College of Nutrition, and a member of the American Chemical
Society, the Society for Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, the Society of
Toxicology, the American College of Toxicology and the Institute of Food
Technologists. |
 Linda
Chaé, president and chief formulator, Chaé Organics Inc., is an
author, cosmetic researcher, scientist, spokesperson, consumer advocate
and public educator. As a pioneer in “go natural” skin care for
consumers, Chaé’s life-work represents 35 years of research, dedication
and vision as one of the nation's most innovative skin care formulators.
She has dedicated her life to consumer information and the development of
safe, organic cosmeceutical and skin care products. Chaé’s commitment
to clean, safe toxic free products and her involvement as a consumer
advocate became personal when she became a cancer survivor. She founded
the ToxicFree® Foundation seven years ago to support education and “Right
to Know” legislation efforts, and is a well known leading authority on
the cosmetic industry and the use of synthetic and natural preservatives. |
 Christine Chufo has been a senior business analyst at SPINS for four years,
specializing in the data analysis and business planning needs of body care and
supplements manufacturers. As a retailer, Chufo led four Whole Foods Market
stores and purchased body care and supplements for Whole Foods and Elephant
Pharmacy. She offers a deep understanding of key industry trends and insight
into successful brand management in the natural segment. |
 Richard
L. Cleland is an assistant director with the division of advertising
practices in FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. His primary area of
expertise is the advertising and marketing of health-related products and
services. Cleland also supervises many of FTC’s health fraud and
weight-loss product and service law enforcement initiatives. He authored
the FTC staff report, “Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current
Trends,” and spearheaded the development of the FTC’s RED FLAG
weight-loss products initiative, which, through the encouragement of media
screening, seeks to reduce the number of false weight-loss ads that appear
in mainstream media. Prior to joining FTC, Cleland served as special
assistant attorney general and director of the division of consumer
protection in the Iowa attorney generals office. |
 Traci
Clemons, Ph.D., is senior statistician and project leader at The EMMES
Corp., and is currently the principal investigator of the Age Related Eye
Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), and the statistical analyst for the Collaborate
Italian-American Clinical Trial of Nutritional Supplements and Age-Related
Cataracts (CTNS), both sponsored by the National Eye Institute. Dr.
Clemons is a member of the Data Safety Monitoring Board for the Muscular
Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers (MDCRC), the Advisory Board for
Genomic and Proteomic Network for Premature Birth Research, and EMMES’
Institutional Review Board. She has served as the principal investigator
for an industry-sponsored Phase II study of bacterial conjunctivitis and
an industry-sponsored Phase II study of a brachytherapy system for the
treatment of AMD, as well as AREDS1. Prior to joining EMMES, Dr. Clemons
gained considerable experience in providing both data management and
statistical support while serving as a postgraduate fellow associated with
the AIDS Clinical Trial Group at the Harvard School of Public Health. |
 James R. Coughlin, Ph.D., is an independent consultant to food,
nutraceutical, chemical, mining and consumer products companies and their trade
associations, law firms and public relations firms. Dr. Coughlin received his
master of science in food science and technology, his doctorate in agricultural
and environmental chemistry and postdoctoral training in environmental
toxicology at the University of California Davis. He worked at Armour Foods,
General Foods and Kraft Foods managing toxicology and regulatory affairs. Dr.
Coughlin served as president of the Association for Science and Information on
Coffee and as vice president of the International Society for Trace Element
Research in Humans. He was elected three times as chair of IFT’s Toxicology
and Safety Evaluation Division, and now serves on the IFT/FDA Expert Panel on
Food Defense and as IFT’s Codex Subject Expert on Food Contaminants. |
 P.
K. Davé is chief executive officer (CEO) of Nature's Formulary, the
oldest Ayurvedic brand in the U.S. natural products industry. Davé is
dedicated to traditional Ayurveda and Ayurvedic herbs, and developed the
first Ayurvedic line designed specifically for the Western population in
1993. Nature's Formulary’s products are marketed in a channel that
routes from company to distributor to retail store to consumer. Davé's
professional affiliations include the Association of Ayurvedic Product
Suppliers, the American Herbal Products Association, the Natural Products
Association and IADSA. |
 David Djerassi is founder and president of New York City-based Intrachem
Technologies, a marketing and scientific consulting firm for the global
cosmetic, food and dietary supplement industries. His extensive business career
includes many years of cosmetic experience. Djerassi was vice president of the Specialty and Cosmetic Chemicals Group of
Roche Vitamins Inc., a division of the Hoffmann-La Roche (HL) Co., and a member
of the board of directors. Previously, Djerassi served as HL’s global director
of marketing/sales, new product development, technical support and public
relations for the group. Prior to HL, Djerassi was director of the Global Hair
Care R&D for Richardson Vicks Inc. (part of P&G Inc.), director of
R&D for the Pantene Co., Revlon and American Home Products. Djerassi holds a
bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry, a master of science in
pharmaceutical chemistry and a master’s of business administration in
marketing. He is active in the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the Cosmetic,
Toiletry and Fragrance Association. |
 Andy
Donner is director of Physic Ventures LP, an early-stage venture
capital fund focused on health, wellness and sustainable living
investments. Donner has 10 years of experience in the financial services,
health care and information technology industries. He has also served as a
senior associate with Great Spirit Ventures, an early-stage venture
capital fund focused on consumer health care investments, and as a member
of Wasserstein Perella’s Technology Mergers & Acquisitions Group,
where he provided transaction execution and advisory services to
enterprise software, hardware and Internet companies. Donner spent
six years founding, building, and managing rapid-growth companies in the
high-tech industry. He graduated cum laude from Duke University’s
pre-med program, and earned his master’s of business administration at
the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley,
where he was a Haas Merit Scholar. |
| Grant E. DuBois, Ph.D.,
director of The Sweetness Platform Group within the Corporate Innovation
Division of The Coca-Cola Co., has been with the company since 1992.
Earlier positions at the company included director of ingredient and
product sciences, and director of the analytical chemistry and ingredient
research group within corporate R&D. Dr. DuBois’ major scientific
interest is the chemical senses (i.e., olfaction, gustation and
chemesthesis) – specifically the discovery, development and
commercialization of novel ingredients (e.g., sweeteners, gustatory and
olfactory modulators, etc.) useful for the formulation of new or improved
food and beverage products. Prior to joining Coca‑Cola, Dr. DuBois
was director, chemical products discovery, at The NutraSweet Co., where he
was responsible for new ingredient research; project group leader for
development of fluorescent probes and fluorogenic substrates for use in
immunoassays for Syva Co.; and project group leader for new sweetener
research for Dynapol Co. Dr. DuBois received his undergraduate education
with a dual major in chemistry and mathematics at Capital University
(Columbus, Ohio). His doctorate training in organic chemistry was
completed in the laboratory of Peter T. Lansbury (SUNY/Buffalo) and,
subsequently, he did postdoctoral research for William S. Johnson
(Stanford University) on natural products synthesis. |
 Jørn Dyerberg, M.D., is one of the world’s leading authorities on the
health benefits of omega-3 fish oils, and is recognized internationally for his
expertise in omega-3 research. Dr. Dyerberg is a pioneer in the discovery of
omega-3 fatty acids in food, and the significance of their considerable health
benefits. He has completed five scientific expeditions to Northwest Greenland,
examining the association between fish oil intake and coronary heart diseases in
Eskimos. His findings came in the 1970s while studying the eating habits of
Greenland’s Inuit Eskimo population. Dr. Dyerberg hypothesized the rarity of coronary heart disease among the Inuit
could be due to the omega-3 fatty acids found in their staple diet of seal and
cold-water oily fish. Together with his fellow researchers, he went on to
demonstrate the unique physiological effects of these fatty acids. Dr. Dyerberg’s
work opened up a whole new field of research and, since then, thousands of
studies have been published and many are currently in progress. Dr. Dyerberg has
served as chief physician and head of the Aalborg hospital in Denmark, and has
been a professor in Copenhagen since 2001. |
 Maigread Eichten, chief executive officer (CEO) of The FRS Co., has extensive
beverage industry-related expertise. Over the course of 11 years, Eichten held
executive positions at the Pepsi-Cola Co., including vice president of sales
Pepsi East Division, vice president Pepsi New Business, and a variety of Pepsi
marketing assignments. Prior to joining FRS, Eichten served as the chief
marketing officer for the communication services division of VeriSign, and as
general manager of VeriSign’s global digital brand management business unit. |
 Cheryl Forberg, RD, is a professional chef and a registered dietitian. Chef
Forberg was a former research dietitian at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and has
held the coveted position of private chef for Lucasfilm Ltd. She is a James Beard award-winning recipe developer, and has trained with
some of the top chefs in France. Chef Forberg recently launched a healthy dining program called Napa Valley
Table™. She is currently the consulting dietitian to NBC’s “The Biggest
Loser” weight loss reality show, and is on the advisory board for Prevention
magazine. Chef Forberg has authored or contributed to nine books, including Stop
the Clock! Cooking: Defy Aging – Eat the Foods You Love; The Biggest
Loser: The Weight Loss Program to Transform Your Body, Health, and Life; and
The Biggest Loser Complete Calorie Counter. Her latest book, You Only
Younger, will be released this fall. |
 Vasilios H. Frankos, Ph.D., serves as the director, Division of Dietary
Supplement Programs (DDSP) for FDA. Dr. Frankos directs and coordinates policy,
budget, personnel and administrative activities within the division. He advises
on policy and management issues and decision, and provides expert advice and
assistance to the Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements
director, and other key FDA officials on dietary supplement programs, new
dietary ingredient safety assessments, good manufacturing practices, adverse
reaction monitoring and related activities pertaining to dietary supplements.
Dr. Frankos is responsible for the full implementation of DSHEA through the
interpretation and enforcement of dietary supplement requirements that ensure
the safety and truthful labeling of dietary supplements, and support legislative
compliance, enforcement and public affairs initiatives. Dr. Frankos received his
master’s of science degree in molecular biology from the University of
Maryland, and his doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from the University
of Maryland Pharmacy School. He has over 30 years of experience in the
toxicological and pharmacological evaluation of data used to assess the safety
of nutritional supplements, foods and food additives, drugs, medical devices,
cosmetics and environmental chemicals. |
 Steve French, managing partner at The Natural Marketing Institute, has more
than 25 years of strategic marketing, business development and management
experience. Complementing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marketing,
French has accumulated extensive insight and knowledge into health, wellness,
environmentalism, sustainability and social responsibility across a multitude of
products, services and industries. He has unparalleled experience across a wide
range of corporate business functions and has pioneered a range of consumer
research databases. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences,
a regular contributor to media sources, and the author of numerous published
articles and research reports. |
 Rebecca James Gadberry is the president and chairman of the board of YG
Laboratories, a manufacturer of professional performance private label skin
and body care. She has been an instructor of cosmetic sciences in the department
of math, sciences and social sciences at the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA) Extension in Los Angeles since 1986, and became one of the first
licensed estheticians in California in 1977. Gadberry is a 2006-2007 member of
the Skin Inc. magazine editorial advisory board. |
 Mindy S. Goldstein, Ph.D., received her bachelor’s of science degree with
honors in biochemistry, her master of science degree in pathology and her
doctorate in basic medical sciences from New York University, in the area of UV
and gamma radiation damage to DNA and DNA repair. Dr. Goldstein has been
credited with more than 11 publications in scientific journals and books, and
has been awarded patents in the area of encapsulation and controlled release.
She has been in the cosmetic industry since 1987, and is currently executive
director of Biological Research, Treatment Materials Development, for The Estée
Lauder Companies. |
 Peter
Haring, global program director, weight management, Unilever, has been
working for over 20 years in research and product development. Haring has
primarily worked in Europe as head of flavor application; head of
bio-organic chemistry; science area leader-taste and flavor; and business
development manager. With Unilever, Haring has been responsible for
setting up strategic collaborations with a limited number of flavor
suppliers and vitality ingredient suppliers. |
 Brian Herr,
executive director, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, is
responsible for developing programs and partnerships with the private sector
that contribute to improving the health and wellness of today’s youth by
increasing access to healthier foods, beverages and physical activity. Herr led
Alliance efforts for the agreements reached with food and beverage manufacturers
that set nutritional guidelines for competitive foods and beverages offered in
schools, and defined cooperative relationships with the nation’s leading food
and beverage companies to achieve adoption in schools. Herr joined the Alliance
after a career of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing leadership
positions for successful high tech companies such as MDL, Documentum, Ariba,
Savi, iManage and Certeon. Herr received a bachelor’s of science degree in
chemistry from Penn State University and a master’s degree in chemistry from
Northwestern University. |
| Joanne M. Holden,
research leader, Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL), USDA, received her master’s
of science in human nutrition from the University of Maryland. She joined
the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research
Service, USDA, as a support scientist in the Carbohydrate Metabolism
Laboratory, where she conducted research on the effects of carbohydrate
intake and metabolism. Holden then worked as a research nutritionist in
the Food Composition Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research
Center, for 20 years before joining NDL in 1995. As research leader of
NDL, Holden provides leadership in the acquisition, evaluation,
compilation and dissemination of food composition data and related
research efforts. She has served as co-director of the International
Postgraduate Course for the Production, Management and Use of Food
Composition Data since 1994. |
 Greg Horn,
executive director, technology and innovation, WILD Flavors Inc., has
been in the beverage industry for 20 years. For the past four years, Horn’s
primary roles have been to investigate the benefits, application and
commercialization of novel health ingredients. He was the director of beverage
technical services at WILD Flavors, specializing in developing and
commercializing innovative beverages for the consumer market. Prior to that,
Horn worked for Pepsi Cola, where he managed the development and national
rollout of several new initiatives. Horn is serving as the vice chairperson of
the Non-Traditional Beverage Committee in the International Society of Beverage
Technologists (ISBT). He received a bachelor’s of science in food science from
Rutgers University, a master’s degree in business from Polytechnic University,
and a master’s degree in food science from the University of California-Davis. |
 Nicki Jacobs is vice president of technical & regulatory affairs for
B&D Nutritional Ingredients, a company committed to ingredient integrity.
Jacobs began her career working with pharmaceutical excipients, and has since
spent more than 30 years working with various ingredients for foods,
pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. Through the years, Jacobs was a founding member and officer of the Pacific
Technology Exchange and has organized and led multi-day business and technology
sessions for DCAT Western Regional Meetings four times. She is currently active
on the CRN Regulatory Affairs Committee. Between formulation experiences,
involvement with tablet production and many years working in regulatory affairs,
Jacobs has a practical perspective on GMPs and the value of the SIDI™
protocol. |
 Ken Jones is the chief science officer (CSO) for Aloecorp, a multinational
company providing researchproven, bioactive Aloe vera ingredients to world
markets, where he oversees the quality assurance program, manufacturing process
development, validation, new product development, and technical support to
customers and sales and marketing for Aloecorp. Jones was a research scientist
at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver for 13 years
prior to joining Unigen Pharmaceuticals in 1997. Since then, Jones has played a pivotal role in process development and
research to identify and preserve the biological activities of aloe. He joined
Aloecorp in 2001 as a technical consultant, and has become a well-known author
and speaker on Aloe vera. |
 Joy
Joseph, president, Joys QM Systems, assists companies in the
implementation of the new dietary supplement GMPs (good manufacturing
practices) and in the development of science-based products. She is the
former vice president of quality, technical operations, scientific affairs
and R&D for Pharmavite LLC. Joseph has more than 40 years of
experience in quality control systems, regulatory affairs, product
development and scientific affairs, both in the pharmaceutical and dietary
supplement industries. She is the chairman of the USP Committee of
Revision for Nutritional Supplements Non-Botanicals, and is course
director for the Center for Professional Advancement, where she trains
industry professionals in dietary supplement GMPs. Joseph is also a member
of CRN’s regulatory affairs committee, and serves on the scientific
advisory board at the University of California’s School of Pharmacy. She
received a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from Xavier
University, and a master’s of business administration in technology
management from the University of Phoenix. |
 Timothy Kapsner received his bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry and
philosophy at the University of Minnesota in 1975, and spent two years in a
graduate program in philosophy. Kapsner worked at Minnetonka Inc. from 1978 to
1989, and joined Aveda Corp. in 1993. From 1998 to the present, Kapsner has
worked in the Botanical Research group, exploring new raw materials and
technologies for use in Aveda’s products. He helped found the committee that
is developing organic certification standards for the cosmetic industry and is
the author of seven patents and several cosmetic chemistry articles. |
 Mark A. LeDoux is founder, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of
Natural Alternatives International Inc., a firm engaged in the research, design
and development of nutritional supplement programs and products for large,
multinational clients. NAI currently produces products sold under major brand and corporate names in
the United States, Taiwan, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico,
South America, Europe and many countries in Africa and the Middle East. LeDoux is a member of the board of directors of the Council for Responsible
Nutrition (CRN), and chairs its International Trade and Market Development
Committee. He is also a recognized participant of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission. He is president of the Marie A. LeDoux Charitable Foundation, and a member of the Young Presidents
Organization and World Presidents Organization. A graduate of the Thomas
Jefferson School of Law, LeDoux received his bachelor’s degree from the
University of Oklahoma. LeDoux is also a graduate of Stanford University’s
Program for Small Business Executives. |
 Christine
Lee, Esq., is a staff attorney with the division of advertising
practices in FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Prior to joining FTC
in 2004, Lee worked as a white collar criminal prosecutor for the
Department of Justice Antitrust and Criminal Divisions. Lee received an
associate of business degree in history and a bachelor’s of science in
biology from Stanford University and her juris doctor from Harvard Law
School. |
 Barbara
Levine, RD, Ph.D. is associate clinical professor of nutrition in
medicine and the director of the Nutrition Information Center at Weill
Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Levine holds numerous
professional memberships and is actively involved with local and national
committees related to diet, nutrition and health issues. She is a
founding director of the Calcium Information Center at Weill Medical
College. |
 Garrett W. Lindemann, Ph.D., is the chief executive officer (CEO) and
co-founder of Gourmetceuticals, where he has led the company’s entrance into
the functional foods space. Prior to founding Gourmetceuticals, Dr. Lindemann
led Lindemann Research Consulting, which was recognized worldwide for its
business and product development and management services for both large and
small biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He holds a doctorate in
molecular genetics from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s of science
in biology from Saint John’s University. As a research scientist, Dr.
Lindemann has made contributions in the areas of gene isolation, gene
expression, cellular localization, image analysis and drug development. |
 Robert S. McCaleb is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
Center for Natural Sustainable Enterprise (CNSE), and founder and president of
the Herb Research Foundation. McCaleb has been assisting micro, small and
medium-scale enterprises in achieving success in the natural products sector for
over 25 years. McCaleb served as an advisor to the U.S. Congress, the Office of Technology
Assessment, the Office of Dietary Supplements, the Office of Alternative
Medicine, the Institute of Medicine and other federal and state agencies. He was
educated in cellular biology and botany at the University of Texas and
University of Colorado, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in ethnobotany at
Union Institute. |
 Michael McGuffin is president of the American Herbal Products Association
(AHPA). McGuffin has been active in the herbal industry since 1974, having owned
both retail and manufacturing businesses in this field. He is the managing editor of AHPA’s Botanical Safety Handbook (1997)
and of Herbs of Commerce, 2nd Edition (2000). McGuffin has represented
the herbal industry at state and federal hearings on regulatory issues and has
twice served on a working group and a subcommittee of FDA’s Food Advisory
Committee. He also serves on the boards of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia,
the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance and United Plant Savers, and as an
advisor for the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy’s
Regulatory Sciences Program. |
 Julia McNamara, vice president, Consumer Markets Consulting for Datamonitor,
is responsible for the sales and execution of custom projects, and received a
master of business administration in information management and international
marketing from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. McNamara has
more than 15 years of experience working on corporate and brand strategy for
consumer-facing markets. Prior to joining Datamonitor, McNamara was the head of
business and product development for NPD’s Personal Care Division. |
 Debra Miller, Ph.D.,
senior nutrition scientist, The Hershey Co., works closely with food scientists and
marketing professionals to develop health and wellness oriented products. Dr.
Miller also collaborates with university-based researchers to develop clinical
research protocols to provide the evidence base to support the health benefits
of such products. She also develops information and copy for Web site
communications on nutritional issues, and assists in the overall nutritional
communications plan for The Hershey Co. Dr. Miller completed a post-doctoral
fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where she focused on adult weight
management. Prior to joining The Hershey Co., Dr. Miller served as director of
nutrition communications for the Solae Co., and was an assistant professor at
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. |
 Steven M. Mister, Esq., is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Mister joined CRN from his position as
director of government affairs at the National Association of Professional
Employer Organizations. Prior to that, he worked for over a decade at the Consumer Healthcare
Products Association (CHPA), most recently as vice president and associate
general counsel. He also worked as an attorney in the Washington, D.C., area. |
 Sylvia Nefkens, Ph.D., is the product and marketing manager for Laboratoires
Serobiologiques. Dr. Nefkens earned her doctorate in chemistry, and has been
active in the cosmetic industry representing the Cognis Care Chemicals raw
materials since 1996. Currently, Dr. Nefkens is responsible for the range of active ingredients for skin and hair
care, and provides technical support for these products for the U.S. market. |
| Mark Newman, flavor chemist and independent consultant to the food industry,
specializes in flavor chemistry and product development in the organic and
natural food and beverage sectors. Newman has done extensive work in product
labeling and compliance. He earned his bachelor’s of science in chemistry from
the University of Minnesota, and went on to work for Dr. Gary Reineccius in
flavor research in the Food Science Department at the University of Minnesota
for five years. From 2002-2007, Newman formulated soybean- and rice-based
products at SunOpta. |
 Kate Peringer is marketing communications manager of The Hartman Group.
Peringer is responsible for marketing collateral, media placement and proactive
public relations strategies. She strives to bring understanding and awareness to
clients through public speaking engagements at trade shows and conferences.
Peringer’s previous marketing experience focused on the real estate industry,
in which she implemented and managed online and print media campaigns to promote
the company, agents and listings. |
 Deborah Pierce is vice president of research and technology for California
Tan Inc. She has been with the lotion maker for almost 20 years, and has the
distinction of being with California Tan since the company was founded in 1988
by the late Don Christal. After seven years as a contract employee, Pierce
joined California Tan full-time. Among her many responsibilities is bringing the
products designed by the California Tan marketing team to life. |
 George Pontiakos is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of BI
Nutraceuticals, where he oversees all aspects of North American operations.
Prior to BI Nutraceuticals, Pontiakos held senior leadership positions at
several leading consulting, medical services and technology companies, including
founding Monovasia and working at Oluma, Lucent, Agere, Ortel, NetVantage and
Timeplex. He has extensive experience across a range of geographically-diverse
companies, where he was successful in maximizing their ability to successfully
compete in the marketplace. Pontiakos holds a bachelor’s of science degree in
business management from Farleigh Dickinson University. |
 Ranjit
Anand Puranik is executive director and chief executive officer (CEO)
of Shree Dhootapapeshwar Ltd. – India, an enterprise that has over 135
years of experience in Ayurvedic health care. Puranik has served as
honorary general secretary in the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers
Association. He has also been a member of India’s National Medicinal
Plants Board; the steering committee for Ayurved, Siddha, Unani and
Homoeopathy set up by the government of India’s Planning Commission;
India’s Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee, Department of A.Y.U.S.H.,
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; and the Ayurvedic Siddha Unani
Drug Technical Advisory Board. Puranik has represented the Ayurvedic
industry in many forums on issues related to the environment, forest,
trade barriers and regulatory framework, and as chairman of the working
group for the committee established by the government of Maharashtra on
issues relating to A.Y.U.S.H. sector and forest and wildlife regulations. |
 Catherine A. Rimmer, Ph.D., received her doctorate in analytical chemistry
from Florida State University, and completed a National Research Council
postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST). While at NIST, Dr. Rimmer used her expertise in liquid phase separations
to expand dietary supplement measurement capabilities. This work contributed to
the certification of several dietary supplement Standard Reference Materials,
including Ginkgo biloba, carrot extract in oil, saw palmetto extract, and a
multivitamin/multi-element tablet. Dr. Rimmer recently gained responsibility
for a NIST dietary supplement laboratory proficiency testing pilot program. |
 Leila G. Saldanha, Ph.D., RD, is an executive-level scientific and technical
regulatory affairs professional with over 15 years of experience in the food and
dietary supplements industries, government and academia. Dr. Saldanha currently serves as a scientific consultant to the Office of Dietary
Supplements at the National Institutes of Health. Previously, Dr. Saldanha was
vice president, nutritional sciences, for the Consumer Healthcare Products
Association (CHPA), where she led, managed and implemented scientific and
technical regulatory programs that demonstrated the benefits, quality and safety
of dietary supplements. Dr. Saldanha has also held several managerial roles at
the Kellogg Co., including serving as director of nutrition and scientific
affairs for the AsiaPacific region in Sydney, Australia. |
 David B. Schmidt is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
International Food Information Council (IFIC) and CEO of the IFIC Foundation. Schmidt was previously executive vice president, responsible for IFIC’s
food safety, nutrition, media and international programs. During his 13 year
tenure at IFIC, Schmidt has also held the positions of executive vice president,
senior vice president, vice president and director. Prior to joining IFIC, Schmidt served as the first Bush Administration’s
director of external affairs for the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he addressed a number of controversial
food safety and nutrition issues, and managed the inspection agency’s media,
legislative and consumer education programs. He holds a bachelor’s of art degree in business administration from
Vanderbilt University, and has completed graduate business studies at the
University of New Orleans. |
 David Seckman is executive director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
Natural Products Association. Under his tenure, and in working with the association’s leadership, NPA has
reached its largest membership, created the Natural Products Foundation,
purchased a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., opened a branch office in
Beijing, China, and expanded membership services and benefits. Seckman has also
aggressively expanded the association’s advocacy activities. He has on
numerous occasions testified on behalf of the industry and association before
Congress, FDA and FTC. Seckman also serves as CEO of the Coalition to Preserve
DSHEA, as a founding and board member of the Dietary Supplement Education
Alliance, and as an executive committee member of the International Alliance of
Dietary Supplement Associations. |
 Navindra Seeram, Ph.D., is currently assistant director of the University of
California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Human Nutrition and an assistant
professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Seeram’s
research into the health benefits of foods and botanical supplements is widely
reported in peer-reviewed publications, books, book-chapters, trade magazines
and scientific presentations. His research interests in human clinical nutrition
encompass studies of exotic fruits including pomegranates and other new and
previously phytochemically uninvestigated fruits. |
 Andrew Shao, Ph.D., is vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, for
the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Dr. Shao has extensive training in
human nutrition science research and an in-depth knowledge of regulatory affairs
and product development. He has authored or co-authored many peerreviewed papers and abstracts that
have been published in scientific journals. He holds a doctorate in nutritional
biochemistry, a master’s of science in human nutrition science from Tufts
University and a bachelor’s in biology from Brandeis University. Dr. Shao is a
member of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, the National
Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Society for Nutrition. |
 Amanda Steele, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Dreamerz
Foods, has over 14 years of experience in food and beverage consumer products as
a brand marketer, innovator and package design leader. In over nine years at Nestlé USA, Steele developed and launched Nescafé
Frothé and Nescafé Ice Java under Nestlé’s largest worldwide strategic
brand. She began her career in package design at Kraft Foods and later at
Nestlé, where she led award-winning, category-busting structural innovations
like the Nesquik liquid milk and Coffee-mate liquid packages. Steele holds a
master of business administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. |
 Kurt Stiles is the owner and chief executive officer (CEO) of Intelligent
Ingredients, a functional food and beverage, product development and marketing
company. Chef Stiles has 28 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, and
has worked with dozens of small-to-medium volume food and beverage
manufacturers, in addition to major retail brands such as General Mills,
Kellogg, Sara Lee, Land O’Lakes, Jennie-O Turkey, Dole Fruits, Subway and
Caribou Coffee. He sits on the advisory board at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School
and Southwest Minnesota State University, is the key contact for the Research
Chef’s Association North Central region, and is a national member of the Institute of Food Technologists. Chef Stiles is
currently writing a healthy lifestyle cookbook entitled Cooking to Save Your
Life, and will be filming a made-for-TV cooking show entitled “Demo”,
which will teach consumers how to convert their lifestyles from unhealthy food
and beverages to using healthy, functional ingredients and food products for
specific benefits. |
 David Thibodeau is the managing director in Canaccord Adams Investment
Banking Group, and head of the firm’s Consumer Health, Wellness &
Lifestyle business, which specifically focuses on mergers and acquisitions as
well as public and private financings in North America and Europe. Thibodeau’s
operating experience and finance background offers clients a unique combination
of industry and corporate finance skills. Prior to joining Canaccord Adams,
Thibodeau worked for Wellfleet Capital Partners, providing companies with
mergers and acquisitions and private placement advisory services. Thibodeau has
more than 20 years of corporate development, finance and operating experience
with particular expertise in the food and beverage industry. |
 Alison Tirone has more than 12 years of retail and consumer packaged goods
(CPG) experience. She is currently the director of marketing for SPINS. In this
role, Tirone helps communicate key natural product industry information and
marketplace trends. In her former positions as a marketing analyst, media
producer and sales executive, she successfully launched and built brands across
various industries and retail channels. |
 James S. Tonkin, president, TonkinConsulting, is a private-sector brand
product and marketing development professional who builds and designs national
infrastructures for food and beverage industry clients. For more than 33 years,
Tonkin has created and implemented successful business and financial strategies
for domestic and international corporations, focusing on production, branding,
sales, marketing and distribution. He has promoted brand and marketing programs
for clients in the bottled water and functional food and beverage industries. |
 Jay Udani, M.D., C.P.I., is chief executive officer (CEO) and medical
director of Medicus Research, a clinical trial CRO serving the nutraceutical,
functional foods and pharmaceutical industries since 2001. Dr. Udani is also
medical director, Integrative Medicine Program, Northridge Hospital, and
assistant clinical professor, department of medicine, UCLA Geffen School of
Medicine. He is a board certified internist, and was the chief resident of internal
medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the first Fellow in Integrative
Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, and among the first physicians in the country to
become a Certified Physician Investigator (C.P.I.) for Clinical Trials through
the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians. He is the recipient of the
AMA National Achievement Award, the Harvard Medical School Pinkney Fellowship in
Orthopedic Research, and was voted Best Physician Specialist and Best Medical
Speaker in Los Angeles by the Daily News. |
 Felicia
Wyrick is principal, vice president and public relations director of
Adfinity Marketing Group, a full service, business-to-business advertising
agency that specializes in the food industry. With more than 10 years of
experience in business-to-business marketing experience, Wyrick manages
all aspects of her clients’ media relations activities. |
 Edward Wyszumiala is the manager of technical sales and business development
for NSF International’s dietary supplement and functional food certification
programs. As part of his duties, Wyszumiala heads NSF’s dietary supplements
strategic initiatives, including the development of NSF’s certification and
GMP programs and implementation of NSF’s integrated sales strategies. Prior to joining NSF International, Wyszumiala was the chief operating
officer for Graminex LLC, where he oversaw international business development
and operations. Prior to Graminex, Wyszumiala served the governor of Ohio as his
legislative liaison with the Office of Budget and Management. |
 Anthony L. Young, Esq., is a partner at Kleinfeld, Kaplan and Becker LLP.
He has counseled and represented domestic and foreign manufacturers with
respect to compliance and defense of matters under the statutes enforced by the
FDA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, FTC, DEA and EPA for over 30 years.
Young has a diversified litigation and legislative practice from a regulatory,
litigation and product liability perspective. Young has counseled companies with
respect to all forms of regulatory filings with the FDA, including GRAS
notifications, new dietary ingredient notifications, and 510(k) notifications
for medical devices. He serves as general counsel to the American Herbal
Products Association and the National Association of Free Clinics. Young
graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1973 and clerked on the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals. |
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