Connie Barry
President and Chief Executive Officer, Pharmavite, LLC

Connie Barry has been with Pharmavite for almost three decades, building a passion for the people and brands of Pharmavite while working in an industry that she loves. Ms. Barry started in Human Resources when the original founders of Pharmavite were at the helm.  After Pharmavite was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, she held various positions of increasing responsibility across the business as it grew, eventually being named chief operating officer in 2005 and president/CEO in 2006. She also serves as one of five members of Pharmavite’s Board of Executive Managers. She is a results-driven leader that believes in Pharmavite’s mission to create new products for better health worldwide.

A 17-year veteran in the HCP nutritional supplement business, Kyle Bliffert is currently chief executive officer of Pure Encapsulations. Mr. Bliffert’s involvement in the HCP industry has included roles as director of sales, managing general partner and co-owner of Metabolic Maintenance from 1993–2003, and director of sales, Professional Markets with Nordic Naturals from 2004–2008.

In March 2008, Mr. Bliffert joined Atrium Innovations and Pure Encapsulations and served as vice president, Business Development with Atrium Innovations, and executive vice president, Sales and Marketing with Pure Encapsulations.  In addition to Pure Encapsulations, under Mr. Bliffert’s leadership, Atrium Innovations powers leading brands such as Douglas Laboratories, Wobenzym USA, Nutri-Health, Sedona Labs, MCO Health, Mucos Pharma and most recently, Garden of Life.

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 herbs and medicinal plants. He is the editor/publisher of HerbalGram, an international, peer-reviewed quarterly journal, the contents of which reflect the educational goals of ABC.

Mr. Blumenthal has over 35 years experience with herbs, medicinal plants and natural products. He has appeared on over 500 radio or television shows, including written over 600 articles for such publications as Whole Foods, Health Food Business, Let’s Live, Vegetarian Times, and Natural Health (formerly East West Journal). He has written chapters for natural alternative medicine encyclopedias, and was an advisor for the World Health Organization (WHO) in its adaptation of the “Guidelines for the Assessment of Herbal Medicines.”  Mr. Blumenthal is the senior editor of the English translation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs-Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, a rational system for evaluating the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines, and is the senior editor of The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs, a new reference work and continuing education module. He was also a founding board member of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). Recently, his name appeared with some of the most prestigious names in the natural health movement when he was awarded Natural Health Magazine’s Hall of Fame Award for “…opening America’s eyes to the healing powers of herbs.” In October of 2007, Mr. Blumenthal was selected as a recipient of the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s annual Apple award, recognizing his service and commitment to the supplement industry.

Brady Davis, EMBA
Chief Executive Officer
Elements Health Plans

Brady Davis is co-founder and chief executive officer of Elements Health Plans, Inc., a progressive health insurance brokerage and health management consulting firm providing clients throughout the country innovative and proven services and technologies to finally get control of rising health care costs.  Elements works with insurance carriers to design customized wellness-focused insurance products for both group and individual clients. Mr. Davis manages the strategic direction while creating new business and partnership opportunities. He has over fifteen years of experience in sales, business development and management in the healthcare marketplace. Mr. Davis has successfully developed and managed sales and marketing teams for several companies including Siemens Medical Systems and Hewlett Packard. He was the founding director and executive vice president of international sales and marketing at TeleMedic Systems Inc., until it was sold in 2002 to a private equity firm in the United Kingdom. He is a member of the board of directors for the Institute of Natural Medicine.

Brian Ellis
Executive Vice President, CRT/tanaka

Brian Ellis is a 20-year veteran of CRT/tanaka and one of the founding partners in the agency. He serves as the strategic leader of CRT/tanaka’s whatcanbe laboratory, where he is charged with helping existing clients and new prospects explore the possibilities of whatcanbe through the agency’s unique creative intelligence planning and programming model.

Mr. Ellis has worked across all of the agency’s practice areas, beginning his public relations career in the consumer sector with the launch of the NFL’s first licensed food product, expanding into corporate sponsorship and event marketing where he has worked with numerous well-known brands. Among Mr. Ellis’ major sponsorship initiatives are Advil’s sponsorship of the Senior PGA Championship, Wyeth’s cause-marketing campaign with the Children’s Miracle Network and Ford’s sponsorship of Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration. He has helped multiple Fortune 500 clients in these areas, including Capital One, Albemarle Corporation, Ethyl Corporation, Pfizer and Dominion Resources.

Prior to joining CRT/tanaka, Brian worked for ten years as an Emmy Award-winning television news reporter, anchor and producer. In addition to assignments in Augusta, Ga., Richmond, Va. and Tampa, Fla. for local network affiliates, he also contributed to national networks like CNN, CBS and ABC. 

Daniel Gross
Newsweek Business Columnist and Economics Editor

Daniel Gross is a best-selling author and one of the most widely-read economic/financial writers working today. He writes the “Money Culture” column for Newseek, where he is the business columnist and economics editor. Mr. Gross, who also writes the “Moneybox” column for Slate, appears regularly in media outlets such as CNBC, CNN, MSNBC and National Public Radio. Specialties include: the economic impact of globalization, the links between business and politics, and business history.

In the past year, he has reported from Vietnam, Switzerland and Iceland, and has written Newsweek cover stories on former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, the global market meltdown and the crisis of confidence on Wall Street. Before joining Newsweek in the spring of 2007, Gross was a columnist for The New York Times, and a contributing writer to magazines such as New York, Wired, and Fortune.

In addition to his latest book, Dumb Money, released in Spring of 2009 by Simon & Schuster, Mr. Gross is the author of several books, including: Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy; Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time, a New York Times and Business Week best-seller; Bull Run: Wall Street, the Democrats and the New Politics of Personal Finance; and Generations of Corning: 150 Years in the Life of a Global Corporation.

Jay Hawkins
Partner, The Alpine Group

Jay Hawkins brings over 20 years of Capitol Hill and Government Affairs experience to the Alpine Group.  As co-head of the firm’s healthcare policy practice, Mr. Hawkins focuses primarily on the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotech industries.  He has been recognized by The Hill, a D.C.-based political newspaper, as one of the top biotech and medical device lobbyists.

Mr. Hawkins’ most recent tenure on Capitol Hill was as Health Policy Advisor to then-Chairman James Jeffords of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP).  While on the HELP Committee staff, Mr. Hawkins worked extensively on the creation, debate and passage of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997. 

Prior to serving the Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, Mr. Hawkins worked for several Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee specializing in healthcare, trade and environmental issues.  He also spent three years in the private sector working in the medical communications field in Los Angeles where he assisted health technology companies with marketing, product launches and public relations.  During this period, he also provided lobbying services for health technology companies.  In 1993, Mr. Hawkins returned to Washington to continue his government affairs career.

Gary Heil
Founder, Center for Innovative Leadership and Author

Gary Heil is a sought-after business advisor and thought leader who has written extensively in the areas of leadership and loyalty. He has been a lifelong student of the human side of organizations and a pioneer in the study of employee and customer engagement. He has given hundreds of presentations to thousands of executives and continues to be a passionate advocate for finding more effective ways to lead inspired teams.

In 1992, Mr. Heil co-founded The Center for Innovative Leadership, an organization dedicated to helping leaders find more effective ways to organize their collective efforts.  As part of that effort, he has conducted hundreds of organizational assessments in a wide range of industries and recently completed a study of more than 500 leaders attempting to create substantial changes in their organizations. He has co-authored numerous books, including Leadership and the Customer Revolution, One Size Fits One, Maslow on Management, Douglas McGregor Revisited: Managing the Human Side of Enterprise and The Leader’s New Clothes.

In addition, together with some of baseball’s greats, Mr. Heil served as the founder and CEO of the National Pitching Association (NPA), an organization dedicated to the education of baseball pitchers and their parents and coaches so that the pitchers can pitch more effectively, stay healthier, and develop a positive mental attitude and a greater love for the game.

Ric Hobby
Vice President, Government & Industry Affairs
Herbalife Europe Limited

Ric Hobby is a senior corporate executive with extensive international expertise in business development, general management and government affairs. He works in the London European divisional headquarters of Herbalife International.  In addition to his legal responsibilities, he currently serves as vice president, Government & Industry Affairs, directing and assisting the company in Europe and its 70 international markets. With full corporate support, he works to build industry alliances in nutrition and other business sectors. He focuses on policy development and in creating and modifying global, regional and national legislation to reduce regulatory barriers to trade, harmonize regulatory practices and enable markets to flourish. In the nutrition sector, Mr. Hobby is chairman of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, United Kingdom (CRN, UK), a board member and vice president of the European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers (EHPM) and chairman of the global Company Council of the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA).  He is also a non-executive board member of several companies and a visiting university lecturer.

James Hyde
Chief Executive Officer, Albion Laboratories

James Hyde is chief executive officer of Albion, the world-wide leader in chelated mineral nutrition located in Clearfield, Utah. Under Mr. Hyde's leadership, Albion has become the standard-bearer for quality and honesty in the ingredient/supplier supplement industry by expecting that manufacturers prove their claims of composition and efficacy. As a practicing attorney and an expert in the field of international patent prosecution and regulatory compliance, Jim has directed Albion’s focus on exposing manufacturers that taint the supplement industry. Mr. Hyde's expertise, coupled with his knowledge of finance and economics as former vice president and general counsel for US Bank Utah, has uniquely positioned him to steer Albion through the current economic climate.

Patricia Knight
Founder, Knight Capitol Consultants, LLC
Former Chief of Staff, Senator Orrin Hatch

Patricia Knight left three decades of government service in 2007 to found a small consulting business providing strategic advice on a range of health-care issues, primarily those that are FDA-related.  Ms. Knight has had a long association with health care policy and legislation. She served as health policy director and later chief of staff to Senator Orrin G. Hatch (the “Hatch” in “Hatch-Waxman”) for 15 years. In that position, she was responsible for directing all aspects of the Senator’s office, including policy, legislative development, staffing and administration. She has also served as deputy assistant secretary for legislation (Health) twice in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations, and chief legislative assistant to Rep. James T. Broyhill, former Ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Ms. Knight has been involved in formulating legislation on a range of health-related issues, including health care reform, regulation of foods, drugs and medical devices, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She was one of the lead staffers in developing the major dietary supplement laws enacted in the past two decades—the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-417) and the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 109-462). 

Mark Le Doux
President & CEO, Natural Alternatives International, CRN Board Chair

Mark A. LeDoux, J.D., is founder/chief executive officer/chairman of Natural Alternatives International, Inc., (NAI) an organization with facilities in the U.S., Switzerland and Japan engaged in the research, design and manufacture of nutritional supplement programs and products for multinational clients. 

Mr. LeDoux is considered a leader and spokesperson for the nutritional supplements industry. He assumed chairmanship of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) in December 2008, serving until 2010, and is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of CRN.  He is a recognized participant of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United Nations’ food and dietary supplement standard-setting body under joint supervision of its Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization.

Mr. LeDoux is president of the Marie A. LeDoux Charitable Foundation and a member of the Young Presidents Organization Graduates.

Douglas Lioon
Executive Chairman, Douglas Laboratories

Douglas Lioon is executive chairman of Douglas Laboratories,  a family company he built with his father offering science-based, direct-to-doctor natural health supplements. Mr. Lioon teamed up with his dad in 1979 after graduating from Villanova University with a BSBA degree. Surrounded by a world-class team of experts, he grew the company into one of the leaders in the industry, with facilities in the U.S., The Netherlands, and Spain.

Mr. Lioon is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and is on the Board of Directors of the Cancer Caring Center in Pittsburgh along with the Advisory Board of Villanova Business School’s Center for Marketing and Public Policy, and the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s Board of Directors. 

Steve Mister
President & CEO, Council for Responsible Nutrition

Mr. Mister is the president and chief executive officer of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Under his leadership, CRN has experienced a refined strategic focus, increased membership, and launched new initiatives to enhance consumer confidence in the supplement industry. Prior to joining CRN, he was director of Government Affairs at the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) where he developed and implemented a state government relations program tracking and responding to legislation in all 50 states. Before that, Mr. Mister served in several legal and legislative roles 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. law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding in general litigation, government ethics, and federal election law practice groups, and had a stint on Capitol Hill as a media relations assistant for former U.S. Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.

Randi Neiner, Ph. D.
Director, Market Research, Shaklee Corporation

Randi Neiner, Ph.D. is director of Market Research at Shaklee Corporation.  With more than 30 years of experience in the nutritional products industry, her expertise lies in strategic planning, product marketing, marketing research and industry analysis.  Ms. Neiner also holds an MBA and has extensive experience in management consulting within the nutritional, financial, bottled water, and natural products industries.  She serves on the CRN Media Relations, DSEF Task Force and DSA Industry Research Committees and was honored as recipient of the 2007 CRN Apple Award for dedicated service to the nutritional industry.

Patrick Rea
Publisher & Editorial Director, Nutrition Business Journal

Patrick Rea is publisher and editorial director of Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) a market research, publishing and consulting firm serving the nutrition, natural products and alternative health care industries. Mr. Rea is also co-chair of The NBJ Summit, an exclusive retreat for CEO-level executives in the nutrition industry. 
Mr. Rea joined Nutrition Business Journal in 1999 as research director, where he led NBJ’s research and consulting activities.  In 2005, he became director of eMedia for New Hope Natural Media, and in May 2007 was named publisher and editorial director of Nutrition Business Journal.  Prior to joining NBJ, Patrick was a financial analyst with Health Business Partners, a financial advisory firm focused exclusively on mergers & acquisitions, consulting and venture capital investments in the nutrition industry. 

Peter Reinecke is principal of Reinecke Strategic Solutions, Inc., providing strategic advice and designing and implementing creative policy solutions for a wide array of paid and pro bono clients.  For 25 years, Mr. Reinecke has been a leader in health and nutrition policy having spent over 20 years working for the U.S. Congress.  As staff to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and as legislative director and chief of staff to Senator Tom Harkin, he helped write many key pieces of health legislation, including the establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).   Mr. Reinecke’s Capitol Hill tenure also included work on a range of other legislation including health care reform, child nutrition, FDA regulation of tobacco products, age discrimination, women’s health proposals to reorient the health care system towards prevention and wellness. He has also served on the staff of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences and as a visiting lecturer at Duke University.  

Jason Reiser has almost 25 years experience in Retail Pharmacy Operations and Merchandising.  A Registered Pharmacist by trade, he currently serves as the senior category team leader responsible for Over-the-Counter (OTC)/Wellness items corporately for Walmart's Health & Wellness Division.  Categories he oversees include Weight Control, Active Nutrition, and Vitamins and Supplements.  Prior to this position, Mr Reiser worked as the senior buyer for all OTC items for Sam's Club Warehouses. While at Sam's Club, he was responsible for all OTC item decisions for approximately 600 Warehouses. Previously, he served as Walmart's director of Government Relations and Professional Services responsible for all state lobbying as well as Board of Pharmacy relations and compliance. 

David John Schleich, Ph.D.
President
National College of Natural Medicine

David Schleich, Ph.D., has been the president of the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, Ore., since 2007. NCNM is America’s oldest accredited college of natural medicine.  From 1996 to 2003 Dr. Schleich was president of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto.  He is the founding president of Truestar Health, Canada, and has held faculty and administrative posts across thirty years at the University of Alberta, Swinburne University in Australia, St. Lawrence College, Ontario, and Niagara College, Ontario.  He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.  His ongoing research projects focus on professional formation and medical history.

Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D.
Principal Deputy Commissioner, Food and Drugs
FDA

Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D., was appointed by President Obama to be the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) principal deputy commissioner, Food and Drugs, in March 2009. From December 2005 through March 2009, Dr. Sharfstein was the commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore, Maryland. In this position, he led efforts to expand literacy efforts in pediatric primary care, facilitate the transition to Medicare Part D for disabled adults, engage college students in public health activities, increase influenza vaccination of healthcare workers, and expand access to effective treatment for opioid addiction. Under his leadership, the Baltimore Health Department and its affiliated agencies have won multiple national awards for innovative programs, and in 2008, Dr. Sharfstein was named Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine.

From July 2001 to December 2005, Dr. Sharfstein served as minority professional staff of the Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Henry A. Waxman.  Dr. Sharfstein is a 1991 graduate of Harvard College, a 1996 graduate of Harvard Medical School, a 1999 graduate of the combined residency program in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center, and a 2001 graduate of the fellowship in general pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Bill Van Dyke
President, B&D Nutritional Ingredients, Inc., CRN Annual Conference Chair

Bill Van Dyke is the chairman and CEO of B&D Nutritional Ingredients and is the 2009 chairman of The Conference.  As founder of B&D Nutritional Ingredients, he has been the pivotal force behind the company’s development into a full-service, North American sales and marketing company.  With more than 20 years of experience in the dietary supplement industry,  Mr. Van Dyke is a longtime member and supporter ofCouncil for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), with over 15 years of service on CRN’s Board of Directors, including his position as chairman from 2000-2002.  He has also served in other industry organizations to help further the dietary supplement industry’s reputation and growth.

Ali Velshi
CNN Senior Business Correspondent

Ali Velshi is CNN’s senior business correspondent and host of Your $$$$$, CNN’s weekend business roundtable program, as well as a regular contributor and anchor for Issue #1, the network’s in-depth coverage initiative on the single issue that matters most to CNN’s audience. Online users can also listen to Velshi’s podcast, The Ali V Podcast, available at www.CNN.com/podcasting and on iTunes.

Based in New York, Mr. Velshi has covered the U.S. government’s bailout plan; the financial collapses of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG and Lehman Brothers; and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, reporting on the impact of the storms on oil refineries. He covered the Enron story at every step since it hit the national spotlight in 2001, including the guilty verdicts of Enron Corp.’s founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on conspiracy and fraud charges. He reported live from Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., as the company announced the layoff of 30,000 workers. He was reporting live from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico amid evacuation calls for Hurricane Katrina.

A veteran of financial news, Mr. Velshi recently hosted The Turnaround, CNN’s small business improvement show. The Turnaround traveled across America, introducing troubled small business owners to high-profile mentors and then helped them develop a plan for success. Before The Turnaround, Velshi was an anchor with CNNfn, where he hosted various interactive shows, including Your Money, Business Unusual, Insights, Street Sweep and The Money Gang.

David C. Vladeck
Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC

David C. Vladeck is the director of the Federal Trade Commission’s(FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection. The Bureau works to protect consumers against unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices. The Bureau conducts investigations, sues companies and people who violate the law, develops rules to protect consumers, and educates consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities. The Bureau also collects complaints about consumer fraud and identity theft and makes them available to law enforcement agencies across the country.

While at the FTC, Mr. Vladeck is on leave from Georgetown University Law Center, where he is a professor of Law. He has taught courses in federal courts, government processes, civil procedure, first amendment litigation, and co-directed the Institute for Public Representation, a clinical law program at the Law Center where he handled a broad array of civil rights, first amendment, and regulatory litigation. Prior to joining the Georgetown faculty in 2002, Mr. Vladeck spent nearly 30 years with Public Citizen Litigation Group, serving as its director from1992 to 2002. He has handled a wide range of complex litigation, primary in federal courts, including first amendment, health and safety, civil rights, class actions, preemption and open government cases. He has argued a number of First Amendment and civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and more than 60 cases before the federal courts of appeal and state courts of last resort. Vladeck has testified frequently before Congress, advised Members of Congress on legal matters, and written on administrative law, preemption, first amendment, legal ethics, and access to justice issues. Mr. Vladeck received his undergraduate degree from New York University, his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, and an LL.M. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. In May 2008, Legal Times of Washington recognized him as one of 30 “champions of justice,” and one of the 90 greatest lawyers in Washington, D.C., over the past 30 years.