Meet the Nutraceuticals World Team

Tom Branna is VP/Editorial Director for Rodman Publishing. He has been with Rodman for more than 20 years, serving in a variety of capacities including editor of Happi. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State University.

Rebecca Wright is the editor of Nutraceuticals World magazine, which is a trade publication serving the dietary supplement, functional food and nutritional beverage industries. She has been with the magazine since 1999, taking over as editor in 2002. Prior to her position at Nutraceuticals World, she was an associate editor at a consumer publication in an unrelated field. Rebecca has a B.A. in English and a minor in journalism from Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Phone: 201-880-2249
Email:

Since joining Nutraceuticals World in February of 2008, Sean Moloughney has written about the latest market trends in the dietary supplement, functional food and nutritional beverage industries. Alongside U.S. and international regulatory matters, he covers major developments related to nutraceutical ingredients, with a particular emphasis on clinical evaluation and technological innovation. Prior to joining Nutraceuticals World, he served as a reporter and managing editor with two newspapers. He received a B.A. in English: Communication from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2005.

Phone: 201-880-2270
Email:

As Nutraceuticals World's online editor, Joanna Cosgrove has been writing Online Exclusive articles about breaking dietary supplement industry news since 2005. Before joining Nutraceuticals World, she wrote for a variety of industry trade publications spanning pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, CPG formulations, and packaging machinery and technology. She has been writing about the dietary supplement industry since 1998, having previously served as managing editor of Nutritional Outlook magazine. Joanna earned her B.A. in English from Widener University in Chester, PA, in 1996.

Phone: 610-892-0387
Email:

Steve Lipscomb joined Rodman Publishing in the fall of 1998 as an Advertising Representative to work on the launch of Nutraceuticals World. In November 2002 he was promoted to Advertising Manager and then Associate Publisher in January 2006. He has been involved in launching several other Rodman titles. Prior to joining Rodman, Steve held positions in Sales and Marketing with several manufacturers and advertising sales positions with Phoenix Media/Communications in Boston and McGraw-Hill in San Francisco. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Phone: 201-880-2231
Email:

Dayle Verrengia joined Rodman Publishing in September 2007 as part of the Nutraceuticals World sales team. Prior to joining Rodman, Dayle spent 10 years as an Account Executive for the largest distributor of magazines, Curtis Circulation. She holds a BBS in International Business from Iona College, New Rochelle, NY.

Phone: 201-880-2253
Email:

Anthony L. Almada, B.Sc., M.Sc., is the founder and chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition and MetaResponse Sciences, two elite nutritional technology companies. He excels in potentiating intellectual property, product development, scientific validation and creating powerful data-driven demand campaigns. In strong pursuit of the truth, Mr. Almada bases his column on various issues facing the supplement and functional food market and seeks to uncover potential solutions. Mr. Almada can be reached at 19 Stoney Pointe, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677; 949-363-5858; Fax: 949-363-1758; E-mail: .

Paul Altaffer is on the product and business development team at RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, NY, a manufacturer of innovative natural ingredients and custom formulations for the functional food and dietary supplement industries. He was the founder and president of Nat-Trop, an ingredients company now operated by RFI that developed and traded primarily in South American products. Every other issue, Mr. Altaffer writes a column on the product development and marketing opportunities that exist from and in the South American region. He can be reached at 510-337-0300; E-mail:

Sheldon Baker is principal and senior partner with Baker Dillon Group (www.bakerdillon.com), a leading nutraceutical industry brand marketing firm. With more than 30 years of marketing experience, he has created brand development and marketing campaigns that have brought measurable results for clients and generated millions of dollars in revenues. He has developed and managed a wide range of successful corporate brand marketing programs and was the first to successfully introduce celebrity brand endorsement in the natural products industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Columbia College in Chicago, the premier marketing and arts educational institution in the United States and is currently director and past president of the Consultants Association (CANI-consultants.org ). Sheldon can be contacted at sbaker@bakerdillon.com.Website: www.bakerdillon.com.

Paula Brown has supported the natural health and food industry for more than a decade by conducting applied research on product quality, safety and efficacy. Ms. Brown was appointed Fellow of the AOAC in 2009 after serving five years as General Referee, six years on the Dietary Supplement Task Force, participating on seven Expert Review Panels, and directing three collaborative studies. She sits on the American Botanical Council Advisory Committee, the Natural Health Products Program Advisory Committee for Health Canada, grant review committees for NCCAM, and Chairs NSF’s Joint Committee for Dietary Supplements. She is the director, Integrative Bioscience Research Cluster, at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She can be reached at Email: ; Website: www.bcit.ca/appliedresearch/ibrc/.

Jeff Crowther is a consultant based in Beijing, who has more than 17 years of experience in the natural products industry, having worked in retail sales and management, international business development and regulatory advocacy. He formerly served as the director of the Natural Products Association’s China office. In this capacity, he was responsible for working on industry matters affecting U.S.-based companies, as well as acting as a liaison for both American and Chinese companies. He can be reached at .

Erik Goldman is the co-founder and editor of Holistic Primary Care-News for Health & Healing, a quarterly medical news publication reaching 80,000 primary care MDs, NDs and DOs , and covering the wide spectrum of natural healthcare. Before launching Holistic Primary Care in October 2000, he was the New York Bureau Chief for International Medical News Group, a well-established medical publishing company that produces clinical news publications for various medical specialties. He has been writing for medical audiences about clinical practice and socioeconomic trends in medicine for 20 years. He can be reached at 212-406-8957; Fax: 212-406-8959; E-mail: ; Website: www.holisticprimarycare.net.

Joerg Gruenwald, PhD, is president of Phytopharm Consulting, a unit of analyze & realize ag, a consulting company for herbal medicines, dietary supplements, functional food, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Phytopharm specializes in international alliances, product and partner findings for new product development and regulatory guidance worldwide. Dr. Gruenwald is also the author of the PDR for Herbal Medicines. His “Eurotrends” column focuses on the most recent developments specific to the European market. He can be reached at Waldseeweg 6, D-13467 Berlin, Germany; 49-30-4000-8100; Fax: 49-30-4000-8400; E-mail: ; Website: www.analyze-realize.com.

Todd Harrison is partner with Venable, which is located in Washington, D.C. He advises food and drug companies on a variety of FDA and FTC matters, with an emphasis on dietary supplement, functional food, biotech, legislative, adulteration, labeling and advertising issues. He provides the most up-to-date information with regard to regulations affecting the supplement and food market. He can be reached at 575 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004; 202-344-4724; E-mail: .

Adam Ismail is the Executive Director of the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), Salt Lake City, Utah. He previously worked in business development, mergers and acquisitions, and business strategy at Cargill Health & Food Technologies, Health Strategy Consulting and Health Business Partners.

Douglas Kalman, MS, RD, FACN, is director of clinical nutrition at Miami Research Associates (MRA), Miami, FL, in the Nutrition and Endocrinology Division. MRA is a clinical service organization involved for over 10 years in phase II through post market trials for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Mr. Kalman is also an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine, American College of Nutrition, the American Dietetic Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. He is also the executive vice president and treasurer of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). He can be reached at 305-666-2368; Fax: 305-669-8966; Website: www.miamiresearch.com.

Greg Stephens is president of Windrose Partners, a company serving clients in the the dietary supplement, functional food and natural product industries. Formerly vice president of strategic consulting with The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nurture, Inc (OatVantage), he has 25 years of specialized expertise in the nutritional and pharmaceutical industries. His prior experience includes a progressive series of senior management positions with Abbott Nutrition (Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories), including development of global nutrition strategies for disease-specific growth platforms and business development for Abbott's medical foods portfolio. He can be reached at 215-860-5186 or E-mail: gregstephens@windrosepartners.com

Grant Washington-Smith has over 17 years of experience across a variety of businesses in the natural products industry. He previously worked in business development and brand management for Alticor Inc. Prior to arriving in the U.S., Grant was involved in marketing and business development throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Asia/Pacific region. His focus has been on the commercial development of the novel and the innovative. He can be reached at email:

Steve Allen is retired from Nestlé where he spent 30 years in various countries and positions in sales, marketing and general management. For the last six years he worked in Mergers & Acquisitions focusing on corporate venture investing. Nestlé has over $1 billion of committed capital in various funds and direct investments. Mr. Allen is now a member of the Advisory Board of Vitamin Angels a non-profit working to eliminate vitamin A deficiency in children and pregnant women. He’s a member of the Board of the US Foundation for the University of Leeds, where he obtained an undergraduate degree and is Chairman of the Screening Committee of Nutrition Capital Network.

Nancy Childs, PhD, joined the Department of Food Marketing at St. Joseph’s University in 1991. Prior to her academic appointment she spent 15 years in the food industry in positions with companies such as General Mills, Quaker Oats and Campbell Soup Company. Dr. Childs is also Founding Director of the Nutraceutical Institute partnership between St. Joseph’s University’s Center for Food Marketing and Rutgers University.

Steven Dentali, PhD, is the Chief Science Officer of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Silver Spring, MD. Dr. Dentali earned his doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Natural Products Chemistry from the University of Arizona, Tucson. An American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Fellow, he has written about popular herb use and published safety reviews of kava and ephedra. Recognized as a foremost expert in the natural products industry and a frequent lecturer, Dr. Dentali has been appointed as a member of the United States Pharmacopeia 2005 Convention and, among other organizations, serves as a reviewer for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH.

Loren Israelsen, a dietary supplement industry veteran of 25 years, began his natural products life as general counsel of Nature’s Way Products, later serving as its president. He founded the Utah Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) in 1991 to focus the efforts of the Utah dietary supplement industry on FDA’s regulation of supplements. Amazingly, this led to passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994. Today, as President of LDI Group, Inc., he advises companies on all aspects of the dietary supplement, nutraceuticals and functional food regulatory and commercial world. He writes and lectures a lot. Occasionally people listen to him. In his spare time, he wishes he had more spare time.

Alex Merolli, MBA, has 35 years of experience in the food and industrial biotechnology industries, with a career focus on research, business development and marketing of foods and functional/nutritional food ingredients. Mr. Merolli is an independent consultant specializing in strategic market assessments of emerging technologies with concentration in the dietary supplement and functional food categories. He is a founding member of Nutri+Food Business Consulting, a consortium of consultants, working at the interface of science and business. He is also a member of Consultants Association for the Natural Products Industry (CANI), another consulting network with diverse experience and skills in the food and nutrition industries. As a former member of the advisory board with Burrill & Company’s Nutraceuticals Capital Fund, he helped to incubate a start up, Efficas, Inc., a nutraceutical discovery, development and marketing company. While acting Director of Business Development, he was involved with negotiating numerous deals at all levels of the nutrition value chain and fundraising with venture capital companies. Currently, Mr. Merolli is an advisory board member for LSP Bioventures, a recently formed fund focusing primarily on early and mid-stage investments in the agricultural sector, but also in opportunities in new growth areas such as bio fuels, nutrition and health and wellness.

Paul Paslaski is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for BioVittoria USA. He is a sales & marketing professional with over 25 years experience in developing and implementing consumer-focused business plans. Paul is responsible for managing and implementing strategic sales & brand marketing programs for BioVittoria's Fruit-Sweetness brand of natural calorie-free fruit sweetness. Paul joined BioVittoria after working as Market Development Director for Cargill Health & Nutrition. Paul's expertise is building value propositions for branded ingredients such as Truvia natural sweetener and CoroWise Naturally Sourced Cholesterol Reducer. Prior to that, Paul was the Director of Corporate New Business Development for Tetra Pak Inc. Prior to that he was Senior Marketing Manager for the North American Food Business Unit of Roche Vitamins, Inc.

Ellen Schutt, president of Schutt Solutions, is the former editor of Nutraceuticals World, which she ran from its inception in 1998 through 2002. Ms. Schutt also has experience in the raw materials sector as VP-marketing and brand strategy at RFI Ingredients, a manufacturer of natural, certified organic ingredients. Since 2006, Ms. Schutt has been running Schutt Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in business development, strategic marketing, competitive research and analysis and new product and market development. She is also a partner in LaunchNatural, which focuses on launching high growth natural product companies into the U.S. natural retail market. As part of her LaunchNatural involvement, Ms. Schutt is chief mom officer for Xigo Health, an exciting new supplement company with a focus on moms. For Xigo, she writes blogs, coordinates a variety of social media initiatives to interact with moms and provide tips on keeping families healthy.

Scott Steinford is co-founder and president of ZMC-USA based in The Woodlands, Texas. He has a combined 17 years of pharmaceutical industry experience with 10 years of nutritional industry experience to develop a broad focus of the healthcare arena. In the pharmaceutical industry, Scott worked for companies such as Adams Laboratories, Novartis, Eisai and Daiichi. In the nutritional industry has held executive positions with Eisai, Kaneka and Embria. Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Arlington and a Master’s of Science in law from Champlain College. He is a strong supporter of trade organization activities serving the nutritional industry as well as proudly serving on various editorial and executive advisory boards both inside and outside the nutraceutical arena.

Greg Stephens is president of Windrose Partners, a company serving clients in the the dietary supplement, functional food and natural product industries. Formerly vice president of strategic consulting with The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nurture, Inc (OatVantage), he has 25 years of specialized expertise in the nutritional and pharmaceutical industries. His prior experience includes a progressive series of senior management positions with Abbott Nutrition (Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories), including development of global nutrition strategies for disease-specific growth platforms and business development for Abbott's medical foods portfolio. He can be reached at 215-860-5186 or E-mail: gregstephens@windrosepartners.com

Rhonda S. Witwer is Business Development Manager of Nutrition for National Starch Food Innovation in Bridgewater, NJ. She develops business opportunities, creates marketing messages, communicates health information and coordinates regulatory issues for Hi-maize and NOVELOSE resistant starches, health-promoting carbohydrates that are supported by more than 120 published studies. Ms. Witwer has more than a decade of experience in marketing bioactive ingredients and has written numerous articles and expert market reports on market opportunities for bioactive ingredients. A graduate of Butler University with a BS in Chemistry, she received her MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.