Educational Sessions sponsored by:

Jon Benninger is director of business development for Virgo Publishing's Health & Nutrition Division, which produces INSIDER and HSR: Health Supplement Retailer magazines. Virgo Publishing also produces the SupplySide trade shows. Benninger entered the natural products industry in 1990 and has held positions in sales, marketing, public relations, purchasing and management. He is an active member of many associations, including the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). He also serves on the board of directors for Citizens For Health and Medcorps International Foundation, and is the vice president of the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA). He graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

E. James Bradford, Ph.D., is the executive director of AOAC International. Before joining AOAC, he was the director of science, mathematics and technology education for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (including serving in an interagency personnel assignment in the Office of the Director at the National Science Foundation). Previously, he was a senior executive with the American Chemical Society and was the principal investigator on several federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education (MSIP) and on numerous private foundation grants.

Joe Bresse is the vice president of product development and industry relations of General Nutrition Centers. He is a 32-year veteran of the dietary supplement industry. The array of departments that he has worked in has given him a strong understanding of the industry.

Paul M. Coates, Ph.D., became director of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1999. He oversees efforts to enhance and stimulate research and training in fields relevant to dietary supplements. ODS activities currently include dietary supplement research centers, research projects and conferences sponsored in conjunction with NIH and other federal agencies, databases devoted to current literature and federally funded research in dietary supplements, evidence-based program of efficacy and safety, analytical methods and reference materials, surveys of use and fact sheets for consumers. He served in a number of roles at the NIH before joining ODS, primarily related to diabetes and nutrition. Coates was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine from 1976 to1996, where he was research professor in the pediatrics and biochemistry/biophysics departments.

David Elder was recently appointed director of the Office of Enforcement, Office of Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Office of Enforcement's responsibilities include: case development, support and review; compliance policy development; oversight of recalls, health fraud activities and information disclosure; and coordination of the good laboratory practice program, the quality management system and the government-wide quality assurance program. Previously, Elder worked as an investigator, compliance officer and director of compliance for FDA's New England District Office. He is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. He earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University.

Lesley Fair is a senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Division of Advertising Practices, where she has represented the FTC in numerous investigations of deceptive advertising. She specializes in the marketing of food, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, dietary supplements and other health-related products both in traditional media and online. A recipient of the Paul Rand Dixon Award for Law Enforcement and the FTC's Award for Outstanding Scholarship, she is a vice-chair of the Consumer Protection Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Antitrust Law. She has appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States and is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the District of Columbia Bar. On the adjunct faculty of the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America since 1984, Fair holds the title of Distinguished Lecturer. Fair graduated with high honors from the University of Notre Dame and received a juris doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.

Michael Fumento is an author, journalist and attorney specializing in science and health issues. He is a science columnist for Scripps-Howard and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. In 1985, he graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law. He has been a legal writer for the Washington Times, editorial writer for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and was the first "National Issues" reporter for Investor's Business Daily. Fumento was nominated for the National Magazine Award. His articles have appeared in Readers' Digest, Forbes, The New Republic, USA Weekend, The Washington Monthly, Reason, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Policy Review and The American Spectator. He is published in such newspapers as Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Investor's Business Daily, Washington Times and the Chicago Tribune. He has authored five books including The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS, Science Under Siege, Polluted Science, The Fat of the Land and BioEvolution: How Biotechnology Is Changing Our World.

Gary M. Hume is the executive vice president of Nutraceutical International Corp., one of the nation's largest manufacturers and marketers of quality branded nutritional supplements sold to health and natural food stores. Prior to joining Nutraceutical, he was president and chief executive officer of Nature's Way. He has also served as president of natural foods distributor Tree of Life Southwest and its predecessor's companies, a position he held for more than 24 years. Hume currently is serving on the board of directors for the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) and is chairman of both the Supply and Comply Committees.

Byron J. Johnson is the Nutrition Industry Relations Director, Technical Regulatory Affairs Department, in Access Business Group/Nutrilite, a subsidiary of Alticor Inc. He is responsible for regulatory issues and corporate compliance; industry relationships; and trade association participation pertaining to food and dietary supplement policy matters. Previously, he was a private practice attorney. Most recently, Johnson was vice president and general counsel of the Nutrilite Division, manufacturer of Nutrilite brand dietary supplements.

Gail Montgomery is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nutrition 21. Experienced in turnarounds, new business development, management and product innovation, she has held senior executive positions in the health and nutrition products industries for more than 20 years. She served as president and CEO of Diet Workshop, one of the country's first diet franchise networks, and as president of Fresh n' Fit, a health food company, providing gourmet nutritionally balanced meals targeted to weight management. She was founder and president of Health Advantage Consulting, a business-consulting firm serving the physician and diet franchise markets, and owner operator of Personal Profiles, a fitness training facility. Montgomery has a bachelor's degree in English and communications from Rutgers University.

Elizabeth Sloan, Ph.D., is the president of Sloan Trends Solutions Inc., a consulting firm offering trend-tracking and predictions, strategic counsel and new product and business-building ideas. She also is the consumer and product trends editor for Food Technology magazine and the North American columnist for Functional Foods magazine. As former editor-in-chief of McCall's magazine, Sloan was responsible for the planning, direction and production of the editorial pages. She also served as the senior vice president and international director of food and nutrition for Hill and Knowlton Inc. Sloan earned her doctorate in food and science nutrition with a minor in mass communications from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in food technology from Rutgers University.

Roger Wyse, Ph.D., managing director at Burrill Co., has more than 27 years of experience as an internationally recognized plant scientist and business consultant. Prior to joining Burrill Co. in 1998, he served deanships at Rutgers University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he was Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Wyse holds a doctorate in plant physiology from Michigan State University and is a fellow of several professional societies. He served as co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Third Wave AgBio; was founding president and CEO of Pyxis Genomics, a fully integrated animal genomics company; and is the board chairman for Chromatin, CreAgri, Efficas and the Alliance for Animal Genome Research; he is also a member of the boards of directors of Cibus Genetics, E-Markets, Emerald BioAgriculture, Pyxis Genomics, the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a board of directors observer of AgraQuest and CropDesign.

For information, contact Amy Sharman at
480-990-1101, ext. 1543