Robert S. Adler has served as a Commissioner at the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since August 18, 2009. He was renominated by President Obama on May 14, 2014 and confirmed by the Senate on December 2, 2014. His term runs through October 2021. He was named Acting Chairman of the agency on October 1, 2019.

Prior to his appointment, he served on the Obama Transition Team and co-authored a report on the CPSC for the Obama administration.

Prior to assuming office, Adler served as a professor of Legal Studies at the University of North Carolina as the Luther Hodges Jr., Scholar in Ethics and Law at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. At the University of North Carolina, he served as the Associate Dean of the MBA Program and as Associate Dean for the School’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Program. As a professor, he taught courses in business law, business ethics, business-government relations and negotiation. Bob won a university-wide teaching award, the Tanner Award, in 1996 and the undergraduate program's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1990. In 2004, he received the Gerald Barrett Faculty Award for outstanding teaching and service to the MBA Program.

Bob's academic research interests included product safety, product liability, regulation, commercial law, medical malpractice, and negotiation. His article, When David Meets Goliath: Dealing With Power Differentials in Negotiation, in the Spring 2000 issue of the Harvard Negotiation Law Review (co-authored with Elliot Silverstein) received the annual best article award by the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Prior to his service at UNC, he spent nine years as an attorney-advisor to two commissioners at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C. Subsequently, he served as counsel to the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives. While on the subcommittee, he worked on legislation relating to product liability, childhood vaccines, the Food and Drug Administration, medical malpractice, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Before his service at the CPSC, Bob served as a deputy attorney general for the Pennsylvania Justice Department, where he headed the southwest regional office of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Bob has been involved in numerous consumer protection and education activities for many years. He was elected six times to the board of directors of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.

Bob graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 with a major in political science. He received a JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 1969.

Jorge Aguilar is the director of trade compliance and logistics at Hit Promotional Products. He is the lead consultant for supply chain management, trade compliance and logistics specializing in cost reduction and process improvements. His areas of expertise include international trade compliance, customs broker and PGA management for ITAR and EAR related products, logistics and transportation, negotiations, operations management, project management, budget planning, best practices, industry benchmarking, inventory control and purchasing. Jorge has assisted many companies in realizing substantial savings and supply chain optimization over his 20+ year career. He has worked for various fortune 500 companies within different industries including automotive, distribution, contract manufacturing, aviation and logistics.

Tabatha Bauer is the senior director of compliance and global logistics for Backyard Discovery, a leading patio and children’s play set manufacturer. Prior to that, she was in the promotional products industry working on both distributor and supplier side for over 20 years.

Andy Blahnik is the quality and compliance manager at Gemline, a premier supplier in the promotional products industry. In his role he is responsible for ensure the quality and compliance of products and ensuring the factories used meet local and international standards. Andy travels to overseas factories frequently to review processes and products and also work closely with local teams.

Prior to his role at Gemline, Andy was stationed in China working for a provider of inspection, audits and testing and before that for a company providing sourcing solutions. Andy has experience on the ground working with factories both on the quality of the product and compliance of their facilities.

Dr. Anne Bonhoff is a recognized expert on restricted substances, toxicology, environmental issues, ecological trends and legislation. She designs and develops tailor-made chemical management and sustainability solutions across the entire supply chain including detox and zero discharge.

Anne collaborated on a read-across based quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) tool that can predict the toxicity of substances in consumer products and will provide accurate data on potential health effects of chemicals, helping companies meet REACH compliance deadlines, reducing the need for animal testing, and could help identifying safer alternatives to develop greener chemicals. She is a member of Swiss, European and International Standardization committees as well as technical advisory committees for American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) and serves as an advisory board member of the European branch of Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT-Europe). Anne holds a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany. Anne is a Corporate Fellow of UL’s William Henry Merrill Society.

Rick Brenner, MAS+, is president/CEO of Logical Advisors which provides advisory services to leading industry distributors and suppliers. This year marks the twelfth year Rick has co-chaired PPAI’s Product Responsibility Summit. A 19-year veteran of the promotional products industry, 12 as president and CEO of industry supplier Prime Resources, he has long history of industry leadership as well as advocacy for product safety and responsible sourcing. He is a former chairman of PPAI. He was a founder of the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), a member of QCA’s governance committee and served for seven years as chair of QCA’s compliance committee. Rick has also served as president of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization, the preeminent global product safety organization.

Brian Campbell is the director of supply chain compliance at 4imprint and is responsible for product safety, regulatory compliance and social accountability for 4imprint’s supply chain.  He leads the compliance team which verifies 4imprint expectations to supplier partners are met, collaborates with suppliers to meet evolving requirements and initiatives for the business, and the team communicates with customers regarding compliance-related inquiries.  His professional experience includes co-managing an importing company that sold private-label baby products in the retail and was an operations manager for a distributor in the CNC machine tool industry.  Brian is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and is the chair of the PPAI Product Responsibility Action Group, and is a member of ICPHSO and the Society of Product Safety Professionals. 

Neal Cohen, an experienced and well-respected product safety attorney and consultant, advises consumer product manufacturers, brands, importers, and retailers around the globe in bringing new, innovative consumer products to market.  A former attorney and senior official at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Neal provides strategic insight, counsel and guidance to his clients whose brands may be at risk when managing sensitive, high-stakes investigations and recalls. 

While at CPSC, Neal eventually led the CPSC’s largest investigation in its history, ultimately testifying on behalf of the CPSC before a U.S. Senate Committee overseeing the investigation. Neal also served as the senior legal advisor in CPSC’s Office of Compliance.

Appointed to be the CPSC’s Small Business Ombudsman, Neal is the lead author and designer of CPSC’s Regulatory Robot. The innovative Robot, which catalogs and guides businesses through every regulation that the CPSC enforces, is recognized as one of Neal’s key accomplishments and has served to assist thousands of businesses worldwide.     

A recipient of the CPSC’s prestigious Chairman’s Award, Neal is also widely known for his public speaking and leadership as a member of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO). A native of South Florida, Neal earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Swarthmore College and obtained his law degree from the Emory University School of Law.  He is a member of the bar in New York and resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and three children.  Neal tweets product safety related news and insights @NealCohenLaw on Twitter and on www.NealCohenLaw.com

Nathan Cotter is the vice president of compliance at Hit Promotional Products, Inc., ranked among the top 5 promotional product suppliers in the nation.  The compliance team at Hit is comprised of 5 full-time members responsible for product safety, regulatory compliance, and social responsibility throughout a diverse supply chain.  Nathan holds a BA from Monmouth College, is a member of PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group and also serves on the QCA Compliance Committee. 

Susan DeRagon is Senior Technical Consultant at QIMA.  With over 30 years of experience, she is a leading quality and safety expert on various consumer products including children’s products, apparel, food contact items and the unique challenges of promotional and licensed goods.  Susan has conducted numerous technical seminars and webinars globally and works closely with companies to provide the highest level of quality service in the areas of regulatory compliance, product testing, safety assessments, production quality control and assurance, and product inspections.

Ms. DeRagon is an active member of The Toy Association and ASTM International, participating on several consumer product standards committees.  She is also a member of PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group (PRAG) and a previous member of the Board of Directors for ICPHSO, the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization.

Ms. DeRagon received a B.S degree in business administration from Bay Path College, Magna Cum Laude.

Mary Dobsch is currently the owner/president of The Chest, Inc. The Chest is a promotional products industry manufacturer and fulfillment house of custom printed packaging, puzzles and computer calendars for unique and high impact promotions, all made in United States, more specifically in Washington, MO. Their goal is to help distributors provide their client with a measurable return on their investment by providing the product and tools to do so.

Mary has previously served on the PPAI Board from 2008-2012. She has served on several PPAI Committees and is currently serving on PPAI Awards Committee

Mary has worked as sales coordinator for Magnet, Inc. and prior to that customer service at Hazel, Inc. Her career took her to The Chest as the vice president of sales and marketing. In 2005, Mary purchased the company. In 2012 the Woodco line was acquired and added to the product offering. Mary has been working with distributors on promotional projects for 40 years.

In addition, Mary is active in her community in Washington, MO. She is a past president of the Washington Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Rotary Club. She has served on committees with the Washington United Way, the Washington Area YMCA and the Emmaus Homes. She is also a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

Hilde Gunn Vestad is a Norwegian national with a Bachelor’s in Social Anthropology from Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She has lived and traveled around in Asia Pacific for more than two decades, working for Hennes & Mauritz, the adidas Group, Lidl Hong Kong and ELEVATE Limited.

Hilde is one of the original founders of the H&M compliance program and started intensive supply chain mapping already in 1998. And in a period of 4 years, she created the foundation of a program that made H&M the Global leader in Sustainability we know today.

In 2003, she was headhunted into the adidas Groups, Social & Environmental Affairs Department where she joined a team of 65 people based around the world becoming one of the key architects of their program.

At adidas Hilde contributed to the CSR Reports, ran supply chain mapping projects, capacity building and training programs related to worker rights, health and safety and the protection of the environment. Notably, she spearheaded a pioneering work on prevention of Modern-Day Slavery in the adidas supply chain mobilizing the sporting good and fast fashion industry to collaborate together with grass roots organization, NGOs, and Governments to develop policies and work on prevention.

Hilde was headhunted into Lidl Hong Kong in 2015 as Director for Compliance and Sustainability where she was placed with the Execute Leadership Team, reporting to the CEO, building up a team of 43 CSR professionals around Asia Pacific and a group wide CSR strategy.

Due to downsizing of the Lidl office in Hong Kong, Hilde joined ELEVATE in November 2020 as their Vice President, Programs, where she managed the outsourced Responsible Sourcing portfolio (Programs) for strategic customers and led the Worker Engagement Team, consisting of three teams focusing on eLearning, Worker Engagement and Factory services.

In the spring of 2021 Hilde got headhunted to become Head of Sustainability for the Diary Farm Group, one of Asia’s largest retailer, that includes supermarkets, chemist, beauty, restaurants (including Starbucks), and furniture stores (IKEA). She will start 2^nd August 2021.

Hilde’s Board member experience includes:

Board of Director for the Mekong Club, an association fighting Modern Day Slavery, September 2016 -September 2018.

Board of Director of Amfori (BSCI), June 2018 - September 2020. Amfori is a leading global business association, with 2200 members that promotes open and sustainable trade.

In addition to her love of running and hiking she have also authored two novels based on her work experience and is currently looking for a publisher.

Relevant links:

https://www.amfori.org/amfori-board-directors

https://themekongclub.org/people/hilde-gunn-vestad/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilde-gunn-vestad-1b82bb14/?originalSubdomain=hk

Dr. Noel Hacegaba is responsible for managing the day-to-day administration and operations of the Port of Long Beach.  Previously, he served as the Port’s Chief Commercial Officer and successfully managed the Port’s commercial operations during a period of significant industry realignment.  He led the recovery of its largest terminal following the biggest bankruptcy in shipping line industry history, setting the path for record cargo volumes in 2017 and 2018.

Dr. Hacegaba has more than 24 years of public and private sector experience spanning a variety of industries. Prior to joining the Port, he managed $200 million in contracts for a Fortune 500 company.  Dr. Hacegaba is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned degrees in economics (BA and MA), business administration (BS) and planning (MPL). He also earned his doctorate degree in public administration from the University of La Verne. 

He currently serves on the Boards of various industry and non-profit organizations, including the Marine Exchange of Southern California and the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), where he serves as Chairman of the Board.

Cory Halliburton is an attorney with the law firm of Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber. He has served as General Counsel for PPAI since May 2014 and since that time he has participated in just about every PPAI Board meeting and strategic planning session and has reviewed hundreds of contracts for PPAI. He also supports in-house counsel of publicly traded companies and executives in the tax-exempt organizations space in their drafting and negotiation of substantial vendor agreements. 

Cory Halliburton graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2003 and, among other accolades, was the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association.

Karolyn Helda is the managing director of QIMA’s Laboratory in Buffalo, New York. She has  worked in the consumer products safety, compliance and quality assurance industry for over 30 years. Her knowledge and direct experience span the categories of promotional products, toys and children’s products, softlines, general merchandise as well as consumable consumer goods such as food, over‐the‐counter drugs, health and beauty care items. Prior to assuming responsibility for the QIMA Buffalo lab operations, Karolyn held various roles at independent consumer products testing laboratories including laboratory and client services management, business development, global compliance program development and management, as well as technical consulting, training and protocol development.

Dan’s practice is focused on product liability issues relating to consumer products. 

Specific to consumer class action lawsuits, Dan has successfully defended clients in class actions alleging false or misleading labeling or advertising of foods, cosmetics, hand-tools, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, and homeopathic products. These claims have involved probiotics, “natural” ingredients, “clinically-proven” results, lack of efficacy, lack of substantiation, and failure to disclose. Representative statutes addressed include:

• California’s Unfair Competition Law (Business & Professions Code § 17200) and similar unfair competition statutes in every state and the District of Columbia based on allegations of unfair competition or false advertising actions.
• California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65)
• Deceptive, False, and Misleading Advertising laws, such as California’s Business & Professions Code § 17500, and similar statutes proscribing advertising that contains false, deceptive, or misleading statements related to the sale of goods.
• Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), California Civil Code § 1750, which establishes a remedy for unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts in the sale of goods to a consumer. CLRA violations commonly alleged against food and drug companies include “representing goods that have characteristics, ingredients, benefits or qualities that they do not have,” and “representing that goods are of a particular standard, quality, or grade.”
• Breach of Express and Implied Warranties under state and federal laws, including the Magnuson-Moss Act.

His trial work also encompasses defense of pharmaceuticals & medical devices, commercial litigation and privacy and data security. Dan advises international companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, food, over-the-counter drugs, homeopathic remedies, and dietary supplement industries. He has served as defense counsel in over 3,000 product liability cases and represented companies in both state and federal courts in California and the US. Dan routinely advises clients on regulatory matters as well as the selection of local counsel and lead trial attorneys. His commercial litigation practice has covered a wide spectrum of issues and included representation of several international companies based in Italy, Mexico, India, United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland.

Representative Matters

• Successfully resolved California Unfair Competition claims (17200) against manufacturers of dietary supplements, foods, cosmetics, and homeopathic medicine products.
• Successfully represented a semiconductor equipment supplier against allegations of breach of contract, lack of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, and unfair competition. The plaintiff had sought approximately $200 million in damages. The defense verdict was selected as one of the Top Defense Verdicts of 2010 by the San Francisco Daily Journal and was upheld on Appeal.
• Obtained complete dismissal of product liability, RICO action relating to medical devices through a motion to dismiss in the Southern District of Ohio.
• Successfully defended a California grocery retailer in a state court lawsuit and on appeal. The lawsuit was filed by three Union for Food and Commercial Worker-employed plaintiffs alleging that the retailer violated the Rosenthal Roberti Item Pricing Act.
• Obtained a summary judgment in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in a medical device action.
• Successfully represented in Arbitration a supplier of component parts for a consumer product in breach of contract and breach of warranty claims arising from a nationwide CPSC recall.
• Successfully obtained a pre-judgment attachment in the amount of $45 million in breach of contract action in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of a non-US based technology company.
• Successfully obtained summary judgment in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in a business defamation claim that led to new management obtaining control of a non-US based software company.
• Favorably settled action in the US District Court for the Northern District of California alleging breach of earnout provision of stock purchase agreement after preliminary injunction hearing.
• Favorably settled purported three state class actions alleging product liability and contract claims in state court.
• Obtained defense verdict in a state superior court action alleging product liability and breach of contract claims.

Recognitions & Awards

• Best Lawyers in America: 2021 "Lawyer of the Year" Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants in San Francisco.

• Expert Guides: Product Liability Litigation (2014-present)
• Northern California Super Lawyers: Business Litigation/Class Action Defense (2004 – present)
• Best Lawyers in America: Product Liability Litigation (2012 –present)
• Lead trial counsel in breach of contract/indemnity action case selected as a “Top 10 Defense Verdict” by The Daily Journal (2010)
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent

Professional & Community Involvement

• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Member, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
• Member, Drug and Medical Device Committee of the Defense Research Institute
• Board of Editors, Law Journal Newsletter, Products Liability Law and Strategy
• Chair, International Committee, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
• Arbitrator, San Francisco Municipal and Superior Courts
• Member, University of Dayton School of Law Advisory Counsel
• Delegate, Northern California KOTRA APEC Investment Mart in Seoul, Korea
• Delegate, San Francisco Mayor’s Trade Commission to Mexico
• Board Member, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
• Member, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program Alumni Council
• Past Board Member, San Francisco School Volunteers

Anouschka Jansen is the director of sustainability solutions at QIMA, a leading provider of supply chain compliance solutions, that partners with brands, retailers and importers to secure, manage and optimize their global supply network. In this role she supports the company in delivering sustainability solutions for QIMA’s clients and their supply chains.

Anouschka brings 20+ years of experience in supply chain sustainability, with a particular focus on the textile industry. Prior to joining QIMA, Anouschka worked at amfori, a business-driven membership organization. At amfori she worked with her team in delivering innovation through new sustainability products, tools and services to the organization and its member companies, including the amfori BEPI initiative and topics such as access to remedy, impact assessment, responsible purchasing practices and the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Before amfori, Anouschka was a global sustainability manager at Levi Strauss & Co., dealing with social and environmental sustainability.

Donn Lemm is the chief commercial officer for IMC Companies. Donna responsible for national account sales and management as well as government and industry affairs. A force of positive change in the industry, Donna works diligently with government entities to move the intermodal logistics industry to greater heights for all participants. She is an active voice and champion for U.S. agriculture and forest product exports on a national scale. She serves as an advisory board member with the Agriculture Transportation Coalition and has also represented the Agriculture Transportation Coalition before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce.

Amanda Levitt is a senior associate with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, resident in the New York office. Her practice is focused on international trade and customs law, particularly relating to classification and marking / country of origin issues. She has advised clients on a broad range of matters including customs audits, penalties, first sale valuation, and product eligibility under trade preference programs including the Israel Free Trade Agreement and the Qualified Industrial Zone program. 

Prior to joining ST&R, Ms. Levitt served as an associate with an international trade law firm and dealt with issues such as trademark enforcement, antidumping duties, and regulatory matters involving the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.   

Ms. Levitt is a member of the bar in the state of New York. She holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University.

John McLaurin is President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).  With offices in Oakland, Long Beach and Seattle, PMSA is a west coast maritime trade association representing ocean carriers and marine terminal operators on a variety of local, state and federal issues.  John has been with PMSA in his current role since 1995. 

John has a bachelors degree in political science public service from the University of California at Davis and a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law. He has previously served on the Board of Regents of St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA; the California Oil Spill Technical Advisory Committee; Board of Directors of the San Francisco Marine Exchange; Seamen’s Church Institute Development Committee; and San Ramon Valley Unified School District Special Education Task Force.  In 2013 he received the Connie Award by the Container & Intermodal Institute. 

John is a frequent contributor to trade publications and, on a personal side, is active in programs for children and adults with autism.

Robert (Bob) McLean, CPA, is PPAI's executive vice president. He was hired in June 2008 as chief financial officer and is responsible for finance and administration, information technology and the Promotional Products Education Foundation. In October 2011, Bob was promoted to EVP.

Bob has an MBA in finance from the University of Miami in Florida and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Drexel University in Philadelphia. He is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events and serves on its budget and finance committee. He is also a member of the American and Florida Institutes of Certified Public Accountants.

Don Moffett has built his 20+ year career around leading domestic and international product quality, product safety / integrity and social compliance auditing teams, providing services and products to Fortune 500 and other consumer product firms on behalf of testing laboratories and product development companies.

After obtaining his bachelor and master of science degrees in general engineering from the University of Illinois, Don launched the start of his journey to become one of the leading product safety and risk assessment experts in the consumer product industry, while also building an extensive skillset in developing and implementing business processes using risk based methodologies and Six Sigma principles.

Don is currently working for Carhartt, Inc., the premium outdoor workwear company, as their director of social compliance. In this role he has been responsible for building a new vision for Carhartt’s social compliance program, as well as monitoring the performance of over 400 factories to Carhartt’s code of conduct. In addition, he has taken on a larger role to revolutionize their product compliance program by building risk based process around the design, development and testing of their entire product line, to include their internal manufacturing, third party manufacturing as well as their licensing programs.

Pierre Montaubin, vice president product management and sourcing with The Koozie Group, is an 11-year veteran of the promotional products industry. In his current position, Pierre oversees a team focused on high-impact strategic innovations, quality and vendor partnerships. He is also responsible for continuous improvement efforts in-line with The Koozy Group’s commitment to superior compliance, safety and responsible sourcing.

Pierre earned his B.A. in math and physics and a masters in management from the Business School of Reims, France. He started his career with roles in sales, finance and project management with Champagne Pommery, Unilog and Neuf Telecom before joining BIC in 2004 in France. In 2009, Pierre relocated to Hong Kong to take the position of sourcing director for BIC Graphic Asia. After acting as the general manager for BIC Graphic Asia-Pacific from 2014 to 2017, he moved to the U.S. to lead global support services before taking on his current role. In his spare time Pierre likes to discover different parts of the US with his family now that they live in Florida. He is also an avid wine and food aficionado always ready to discover new eating venues or wines from around the world.

Katie Motta works with companies to leverage the business benefits of sustainability. She founded Shift Circular to accelerate and advise businesses to develop circular and inclusive solutions. Katie has spent half her career in environmental consulting, spanning metal recovery from waste and climate advisory to sustainability reporting. She has also led a non-profit developing inclusive procurement partnerships and programs to enhance innovation and economic empowerment. Katie holds a graduate diploma in social innovation from the University of Waterloo and a bachelors degree in chemical engineering from Queen’s University.

Nicole Muñoz currently oversees the Environmental Certification Division at SCS. The division focuses on environmental and sustainability performance spanning a broad range of industries, from green building, apparel, mining, jewelry and biofuels.

Before joining the company, Nicole conducted environmental testing as an analytical chemist, and served as an environmental health specialist at the county level in California. During her tenure at SCS, Nicole conducts audits, works on both standard and program development, trains auditors and strategically partners with global resources to expand the current suite of services. She has extensive international and domestic auditing experience, and has been instrumental in developing sustainability metrics for material use, energy and atmosphere impacts, human and ecosystem health, and corporate social responsibility.
Nicole has participated in technical working groups for the maintenance and development of product sustainability standards and indoor air quality standards, such as Sustainable Apparel Coalition Higg Index, Textile Exchange Global Recycle Standard, ANSI/BIFMA e.3 Furniture Sustainability Standard, NSF/ULe 440 Health Based Indoor Air Quality Standard and ANSI/BIFMA M7.1/X7.1-2011 Furniture Emissions Standard and Health Product Declaration Open Standard.

She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences, Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside.

Jared Nelson serves as senior vice president and the head of the central region of Edelman's Crisis & Risk Management practice. Jared's oversees the growth of Edelman's crisis practice and practitioners located in Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Jared provides counsel to a variety of clients in the technology, education, sports, retail, consumer products, food, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. His recent client work has involved crisis preparedness and rapid response counsel for Fortune 500 companies in various industries, higher education institutions and non-profit organizations. He also helps lead Edelman’s Crisis Simulation offering, having developed and facilitated simulation exercises for more than 100 clients.

Working for a number of Edelman’s largest clients, Jared has helped guide the response to data breaches, product recalls, workplace violence, executive transitions, federal lawsuits and investigations, supply chain issues, employee/executive misconduct and other high-impact, reputation-threatening events.

As a leading member of the data security and privacy group, Jared has helped a number of clients, including large companies in the retail, technology and financial industries respond to data breaches and other information security incidents. He has also led data security preparedness initiatives for clients in various industries, driving the production of breach-focused scenario plans, crisis simulations and risk audits.

Jared also co-leads Edelman’s Product Safety and Quality Assurance Practice, having helped dozens of clients, including large multi-national companies and small regional manufacturers manage product recalls, withdrawals and other safety/quality issues.

Jared graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a dual degree in journalism and political science.

Maurice Norris is the public affairs manager for Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). Currently, Maurice manages the government relations and product responsibility programs at PPAI. In these roles, he monitors legislative and regulatory developments affecting the promotional products industry. Maurice also assists members with compliance challenges facing their businesses and helps them advocate for their companies with various aspects and levels of government. Maurice also serves on the board of the Graphic Communications Workforce Coalition.

Chris Pearson is the director of compliance for Spector & Co. Chris joined Spector 2017 after a long career in the highly regulated juvenile products industry. 

Throughout his 20-year career within the Juvenile products industry, Chris specialized in infant safety and security, and in the development and certification of infant restraints. He worked closely with regulatory bodies, manufacturers,  sales and marketing teams, as well as directly with clients—giving him exposure and an in-depth understanding of many facets of the business.  

In August 2018, Spector appointed Chris as director of compliance and overseas operations—adding oversight of the company’s China operations to his portfolio. Chris travels abroad several times a year to personally review procedures with manufacture owners, local government and the Spector team to ensure that compliance standards are met and maintained.

Shamini Peter serves as Halo COO and Head of Compliance and has worked with Halo for 14 years. She oversees the vetting of suppliers, product safety and the logistics of our company’s custom and import orders.  Shamini interfaces directly with clients as needed, throughout the production cycle, including pre and post-delivery. 

She attended The University of Western Australia where she graduated with a bachelor of commerce in accounting and finance and a minor in law.  After graduation she returned to Malaysia where she worked for a large Australian manufacturer and then joined the family’s freight forwarding business in New York gaining her first hands-on experience in international commerce and logistics.  She currently is a member of PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group (PRAG)

Lenny Polakoff is the executive vice president and a partner at Zagwear, a global merchandise and custom premium agency with offices across the United States, Europe and Hong Kong. Zagwear services multinational clients in more than 40 countries world-wide. Over the past 20 years, Lenny has developed and implemented Zagwear’s internal product safety and factory compliance standards, as well as ensuring Zagwear’s adherence to all client specific mandates. Lenny has also played an integral role in the procedural development of several Fortune 500 premium compliance programs. Lenny holds a BA in Psychology from Quinnipiac University and is a member of PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group.

Matt Schrap is the CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association. The purpose of the Harbor Trucking Association is to advocate, educate and promote strategies with other goods movement stakeholders and policy makers that will sustain emission reductions, provide a dialog for intermodal truck efficiency, and to return cargo and jobs to America’s west coast ports.

Barbara Schweidenback is a technical support specialist for North America and has worked in the Household, Health, Beauty, and Food (HBHF) group of Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Services for over 10 years. Specializing in cosmetics, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, food, medical devices, and household cleaning products, she is responsible for reviewing, implementing, and providing technical interpretations on US and Canadian regulations.

Anne Stone, CAE, is the director of advocacy, member engagement and education for Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). In this role, she is responsible for guiding PPAI’s legislative and government relations efforts—including taking a contingent of PPAI members to Washington, D.C. to advocate directly to U.S. lawmakers on issues important to the promotional products industry. Anne also oversees the Association’s product responsibility programs including the development of industry best practices and the PPAI Product Safety Summit—a two-day education event focused specifically on product responsibility issues. Anne oversees PPAI’s volunteer engagement efforts as well as the Associations awards program. Additionally, Anne manages the professional development efforts for the Association. A frequent speaker on the topics of product responsibility and legislative advocacy, Anne also serves on the board of directors for the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO).

David Tai is the founder and CEO of TQAChecked. He serves the promotional industry with wireless and semiconductor expertise that is built upon years of design and product management experience. This experience spans across companies such as IBM, Motorola, Intel, Samsung, and Conexant (formerly Rockwell Semiconductors). David holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois and MS in electrical engineering from M.I.T.

TQAChecked specializes in high power products that serve the mobile ecosystem, with a focus on the Asia supply chain. Through its network of engineering and supply chain practitioners, TQAChecked serves the promotional industry in product design validation, factory in-line test system and data management, product sourcing, field crisis management, and compliance certification.

Laura serves as the director for the Recycled Material Standard (RMS) a new certification program being launched by GreenBlue – the parent organization of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and How2Recycle.   Laura spent the bulk of her career in the pulp and paper industry in various roles including R&D, product development and over 10 years as director of sustainability for a global paper company.  Laura also operates an independent sustainability consultancy, 4Minutes LLC, and has worked for other non-profits including The Recycling Partnership, The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Sustainable Biomass Program. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Ratio Institute.  When not at work, Laura might be spotted on a pickleball court or paddling a kayak.

Joseph Williams is the senior compliance officer with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. He has over 12 years of experience investigating product safety problems, making hazard determinations, and negotiating corrective action plans within the Office of Compliance and Field Operations.  He’s also led a variety of other projects including CPSC’s work on recall effectiveness.