Staff Bios

Steven M. Mister, Esq.
 President & CEO
Mr. Mister has been President and CEO of CRN since 2005.  Under his leadership, CRN has experienced a refined strategic focus, increased membership, and launched new initiatives to enhance consumer confidence in the supplement industry.  Immediately 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.   Mr. Mister holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary, an MA in Political Communication from the University of Maryland, and a BS from Towson University. .

Annette Dickinson, Ph.D.
 Consultant and Past President
Dr. Dickinson has been associated with CRN since its inception in 1973. In March 2003, she was named CRN's President and served in this role until April of 2005. A recognized nutrition expert and author, Dr. Dickinson was named in 2002 to serve a 3-year term on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Advisory Committee. She was appointed by President Clinton to the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels and is a frequent witness before the U.S. Congress and at other public forums. Her scientific background includes an expertise in vitamins and minerals, and her regulatory expertise covers the legal and technical aspects of marketing dietary supplements, including provisions relating to labeling, advertising and good manufacturing practices. She is the author of two highly regarded industry reference books, The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, a comprehensive compilation of information about the health benefits of vitamins and minerals, and Before and After DSHEA, a guide to the Food and Drug Administration's regulation of the dietary supplement industry.

Judy Blatman
Senior Vice President, Communications
Ms. Blatman has over 20 years experience in the communications field, including expertise in issues management, lifestyle consumer marketing, crisis communications and development and execution of results-oriented publicity campaigns. She has worked in the consumer/health group of a large international public relations agency, led public relations efforts for a luxury resort company, and managed communications efforts for an alcohol industry trade association. At CRN, she is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of the association’s overall strategic communications efforts.

John Hathcock, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Scientific & International Affairs
Dr. Hathcock is Vice President, Scientific and International Affairs, for CRN. Dr. Hathcock is responsible for scientific review and regulatory interpretation, specializing in safety and international issues. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field, having served as a professor at Iowa State University and a senior scientist at the Food and Drug Administration before joining CRN in 1995. An expert on the safety evaluation of nutrients and other dietary ingredients, he has made numerous presentations on the safety of vitamins and minerals and other dietary ingredients to the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board and is the author of CRN's Vitamin and Mineral Safety (1997 and 2004). In addition to publishing numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, he regularly presents at major national and international conferences on food safety and regulatory issues, analyzes and develops CRN policy positions, and speaks on international regulations and issues, including those pertaining to the Codex Alimentarius and the European Commission. He has been appointed by the government of Singapore to membership in an external advisory committee on supplements. Dr. Hathcock holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in Nutrition from Cornell University and is an elected member of professional societies in nutrition, toxicology, food science, and cancer research.

Douglas MacKay , N.D.
Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs

Douglas “Duffy” MacKay, N.D., is Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for CRN. Dr. MacKay is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and was a co-owner and practitioner in a family-owned New Hampshire complementary and alternative medicine private practice for seven years. In addition to his hands-on experience as a practitioner in the field of integrative medicine, he spent eight years working as a medical consultant for two companies in the dietary supplement industry, including four years with Nordic Naturals, where he served as Vice President, Clinical Research. He previously served as Senior Technical Advisor for Thorne Research. Dr. MacKay has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, and previously served as a Senior Editor of the peer-reviewed clinical journal Alternative Medicine Review. Dr. MacKay earned his B.S. in Marine Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz and his N.D. from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. MacKay is licensed in the state of New Hampshire.

Andrew Shao, Ph.D.
Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Shao is Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Dr. Shao has an extensive background in human nutrition research and an in-depth knowledge of nutrition policy, dietary supplement regulatory affairs and product development. Prior to joining CRN Dr. Shao worked in Scientific Affairs for General Nutrition Corp. (GNC), Pittsburgh, Penn., and prior to that in Research and Development for Kemin Health (formerly Kemin Foods), Des Moines, Iowa.   He has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed papers, abstracts, trade journal articles and industry position papers.   He holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry and a M.S. in Human Nutrition Science from Tufts University, and B.A. in Biology from Brandeis University.   Dr. Shao is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the American College of Nutrition, American Society of Pharmacognosy and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Mike Greene
Senior Director, Government Relations
Mr. Greene has 15 years of experience working in government affairs, political campaigns and communications. He began his career at the ABC-TV affiliate in Miami. From there, he moved to Capitol Hill, first in the office of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, and then advancing to key communications positions for U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson from Texas and U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan. In his position at CRN, Mr. Greene manages the association’s lobbying and legislative activities.

 

Michael Ahearn
 Director, Finance & Administration
Mr. Ahearn has a strong background in finance and administration, with more than 20 years experience in the field. He comes to CRN from an international nonprofit organization, and in the past has held positions at Mutual of New York and Merrill Lynch. In his position at CRN, Mr. Ahearn is responsible for overseeing the functional areas of finance, administration, and human resources. He holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Manhattan College.

Erin Hlasney
Director, Media Relations
Ms. Hlasney is the newest addition to CRN's communications department. She comes to the association with four years of public relations experience, having worked in the consumer departments of two large public relations agencies, Manning, Selvage & Lee in New York City and Tierney Communications in Philadelphia. At CRN, among other responsibilities, Ms. Hlasney works with journalists on stories involving the dietary supplement industry. She received her B.S. in Communications from Monmouth University of Long Branch, New Jersey.

Season Solorio
Director, Public Relations
Ms. Solorio joins CRN’s communications department with four years of public relations experience in the Food/Nutrition Washington, D.C. practice group at Porter Novelli, an international public relations agency. At CRN, she works with the media and is also involved in outreach to healthcare professionals. Ms. Solorio holds a B.S. in Mass Communications from Miami University in Ohio.

Ingrid Lebert
Science, Regulatory and Goverment Affairs Manager
Ms. Lebert supports both the science and government relations departments. She joins CRN with a background in legal affairs, having worked as a paralegal at the law firm of McKenna, Long & Aldridge in Washington, DC and as a legislative assistant at Klein & Saks in Washington, D.C. She graduated in 2000 from South Dakota State University with a B.S. in psychology.

Kate Murphy
Communications Coordinator
Ms. Murphy works in the communications department and assists with the execution of the association's overall communications efforts. Prior to joining CRN, she held an internship at TV station WSLS of Roanoke, Va., and was an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Ms. Murphy graduated from Virginia Tech where she received her B.A. in Communications.

Haiuyen Nguyen
Research and Administrative Assistant
Ms. Nguyen provides research assistance and administrative support to the scientists at CRN. She is involved in department projects including updating CRN's Research Watch service for association members and serves as a main contact and resource for CRN Regulatory Affairs Committee and Senior Scientific Advisory Council members.   She served as a research intern at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) prior to joining CRN. Ms. Nguyen received her B.S. in Cell, Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

Joyce Nyero
Member Services Coordinator
Ms. Nyero is responsible for coordinating member recruitment and retention in addition to maintaining the association’s database and assisting in various activities related to the annual conference. She has over 15 years of administrative experience having worked at a university, for an association and in the hospitality industry.

 

Gerry Satterfield
Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
Ms. Satterfield is the executive assistant to Steve Mister. She is responsible for keeping official corporate records, coordinating communication between the president and member companies, and performing administrative functions. She has over twenty years of experience ranging from research and writing to executive assistant positions for multiple companies including Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. in Beltsville, Md. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.

Darryl Vann
Manager, Accounting & Finance
Mr. Vann has nearly 15 years of experience in accounting and finance. He comes to CRN from Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. where he was the manager of support services. Prior to his work there, he served as a staff and senior accountant at several companies and established his own account services firm in 1996, which he still operates part-time. He received his B.S. in accounting from Alabama State University.