Garret Ashabranner, Ph.D., is the program manager for the Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS). In this role he leads the scientific review process for animal food ingredient definition submissions. 

Ashabranner serves as the primary liaison between K-State Olathe and AAFCO, manages a collective of subject matter experts and facilitates the effective conduct of scientific evaluations of newly submitted ingredients used for pet food and livestock feed. Learn more about Garret

Sandra Bachamp has 20 years of experience in engineering and project management for Pharmaceutical and Biotech facility design for human and animal health. Her projects have ranged from cleanrooms and labs to support spaces such as offices, warehousing, cold rooms, vaults and utility plants.

She now uses her experience with all aspects of manufacturing facilities to develop master plans and conceptual designs. Sandra is passionate about bringing lifesaving products to market. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University.

John Bare, D.V.M., is a veterinary biologics epidemiologist in the pharmacovigilance section at the USDA's Center for Veterinary Biologics.

Bare was raised on a livestock and grain farm in Northeast Iowa. He received a B.A. in Biology from Wartburg College and D.V.M. from Iowa State University. Post-graduation he worked at private practice in Dubuque, Iowa. Learn more

Stephanie Batliner has 26 years of animal health pharmaceutical experience with companies including Bimeda Inc., Bayer HealthCare Animal Health Division, Teva Animal Health and Phoenix Scientific Inc.

Experienced with all aspects of FDA/CVM regulatory affairs and with a focus on chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) and generic animal drugs, she has a deep knowledge of nearly every dosage form and aseptic processing considerations, including Type V Veterinary Master Files.

Stephanie has held leadership positions in R&D technical development — including analytical methods development, formulation development and technical transfer — quality assurance, quality control, pre-market regulatory affairs and post-market life cycle maintenance regulatory affairs.

Stephanie has served as chairperson of Generic Animal Drug Alliance and is currently serving as a working subgroup chair. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Animal Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Jim Bishop is a former corporate exec turned executive coach, speaker and leadership strategist. He helps high achievers rewrite their inner stories to lead with more clarity, courage and joy.  

After 20 years in the corporate trenches, Bishop now works at the intersection of ambition, burnout and purpose where he guides leaders to build lives and legacies that truly fit. He partners with leadership teams to shape thriving, human-centered cultures. Known for simplifying the complex, Jim explains how belief and biology intertwine. His disarming, direct style invites leaders to trade performance addiction for personal alignment and shift from merely surviving to meaningfully thriving. 

He received his B.S. in Animal Production Science and M.S. in Physiology and Behavior from Purdue University. 

Bill Bookout is president, board chair and a founding member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), the world’s leading trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of health and nutritional supplements for dogs, cats, and horses.

For over 20 years, the NASC’s successful leadership and advocacy actions have helped to shape and secure the future of the industry and ensure quality supplement products remain available to all stakeholders. Bill has been an advocate for the animal supplement industry for over two decades and is recognized as a leading expert on regulatory issues surrounding these types of products. He joined APPA in 2023 as Pet Food Consultant, serves on several AAFCO committees, has testified on behalf of the industry at FDA public meetings, served on the Health Canada Expert Advisory Committee for Veterinary Natural Health Products, was named to the Pet Age magazine 2021 and 2022 Power 50 list of pet industry leaders, and has participated in countless educational programs, legal forums, regulatory trainings, and professional meetings. Bill is deeply committed to philanthropy, both personally and professionally, and each year, the NASC selects an organization to support through fundraising efforts at the NASC Annual Conference. Past organizations have included Hunkapi Programs, Heroes and Horses, Vested Interest in K9s, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program, and the Warrior Dog Foundation. Bill earned his BSc in physical sciences from the University of Wyoming and his MBA from the Pepperdine University Presidents and Key Executives program. He and his wife, Mary, divide their time between Arizona and Alaska, where they live with their two rescue cats, Marmalade and Yanaha.

Read John's Bio

Norm Brown has 35 years of veterinary vaccine regulatory and quality experience with companies including Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health, Merck Animal Health, Diamond Animal Health and Mallinckrodt Veterinary.

Brown is an experienced leader with a diverse background and a customer-oriented approach. His background specifically includes regulatory and compliance resolution, new product registration, product complaint resolution, international registration, system critique and continuous improvement implementation.

Brown graduated from University of Nebraska with an B.S. in Microbiology and an M.S. in Veterinary Services.

Maria Dashek is a veterinary scientist with a background in immunotherapeutic research and poultry medicine. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a doctorate in comparative biomedical sciences. 

She currently serves as the market development manager for animal health at Promega, where she focuses on supporting veterinary diagnostics, RNA vaccine development and manufacturing and biologics quality control, including potency and mechanism-of-action assessments. 

Before joining Promega, she served as an assistant clinical professor at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. In her current role, Dashek operates at the intersection of research, regulation and industry to identify and apply technologies that support the development and quality assessment of veterinary immunotherapeutics and emerging vaccine platforms, including RNA-based technologies. 

Sandy Dixon is the director of healthcare sales at Plastikon Healthcare. She is a recognized leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing, regulatory compliance and validation strategy and has 30 years of experience driving operational and quality excellence across the healthcare and bioscience sectors. 

Her career spans leadership roles in quality assurance, regulatory affairs, site operations and new product introduction, with deep validation expertise across sterile manufacturing, tech transfers and FDA remediation. Dixon has served as a primary representative in FDA and ISO audits. 

She received her bachelor’s in Microbiology from the University of Kansas and is an active member of ISPE and PDA, in addition to serving in community leadership roles. 

Carol is a molecular biologist with a strong background in veterinary and human vaccine development and manufacturing, including extensive research, industry, and regulatory experience. Learn more

Carlos González, Ph.D., is vice president of global regulatory affairs at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. In this role, he supports the launch of groundbreaking innovative products. 

He is recognized as a leader in agribusiness, serving as an advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative in the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Processed Products since 2017. He is also active in a variety of trade associations, having served as chair of the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Board of Directors, President of the Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA), chair of the Regulatory Affairs Committee and Government Relations Committee of the Pet Food Institute (PFI), and as a member of the board of the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC).  

In recognition of his leadership at Hill’s and in the pet food industry, González was selected to Diversity MBA’s Top 100 under 50 Executive Leaders for 2022. González received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Yale University his B.S. from Cornell University.

Kathy L. Gross, Ph.D., PAS, Dip. ACAN, is an experienced animal health scientist who holds a B.S. in Animal Bioscience and both a M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition.

Gross joined Hill's Pet Nutrition in 1990 and spent more than 30 years driving the development and commercialization of innovative products for companion animals. Throughout her career she was an inventor on multiple patents, authored more than 45 articles and book chapters and published over 50 abstracts.

Although she retired from Hill's in 2022, Gross remains active in the animal health industry as a consultant, an adjunct faculty member at Kansas State University and continues to volunteer in her community.

Terrie Jo Hamtak started her career in human health as a microbiologist from California State University- Long Beach, before entering the animal health world at the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic, University of Missouri, Columbia.

From the veterinary diagnostic arena, she moved into the animal health industry working for several large firms in various departments from quality, virus production, regulatory affairs, R&D, quality technical support and most recently compliance programs.

 Todd Harrison is co-chair of Venable's FDA Group. In this role he guides clients through complex government regulations related to food and drug labeling and marketing. He specializes in pet food and supplement safety, labeling and advertising claims and assisting clients across the industry—including animal feed, drugs, medical devices and dietary products—in regulatory compliance. 

Harrison also defends clients against Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advertising complaints, enforcement actions, prosecutions and competitor challenges in courts and other forums. 

Brent Mayabb, D.V.M., M.S., is a veterinarian with both private practice and veterinary industry experience. He currently serves as the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Veterinary Officer for Royal Canin USA. Mayabb manages a team that builds relationships with pet owners, veterinarians, veterinary specialists, regulators, government officials and non-profits to share knowledge and build the company's reputation as thought leaders. Learn more

Emily McVey is a workforce development connector, strategist and advocate based in the Kansas City region. She serves as the vice president of animal health for the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, or KCAHC.

The KCAHC is an industry association that works collaboratively with KC's business, educational, scientific and government communities to cultivate a climate of opportunity for companies competing in and supporting the animal health and nutrition industry. Creating this ecosystem fosters an environment for existing companies to grow and expand, new companies to relocate and expand and early-stage companies to advance their technologies. Read more about McVey

Jolieke van Oosterwijk is the Chief Scientific Officer at U.S. Biologic Inc. She earned a master’s in molecular medicine and a Ph.D. in translational science and oncology in Europe. She came to Memphis after being recruited to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. After St Jude, she worked at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

At US Biologic, she leads all development of the OrisBio platform for novel antimicrobials and vaccines for animals and humans. This work is innovating an oral delivery platform for vaccines and therapeutics.

Van Oosterwijk guides products through their lifecycle from innovation in the laboratory, through process development in Manufacturing, develops Quality Control where necessary and supports the Regulatory team to guide the product through licensure. The first product, an oral Lyme vaccine for mice, the wildlife reservoir for Lyme disease, is available in the US and available through Pest Management Professionals.

Dennis Ridenour, M.S., MBA, is the president and CEO of BioNexus KC. In this role, he fosters regional collaboration while increasing the concentration and capacity for life sciences and healthcare research in the region.

Prior to this role he was president and CEO of BioKansas, where he managed all facets of the organization. Ridenour previously worked at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, MO, Merck Research Labs in Boston, MA, and as a researcher in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.  

He earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences and M.S. in Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas. Read his full bio on BioNexus's website.

Jennifer Schofield graduated from Kansas State University in 2002 with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. After veterinary school, she worked in private practice for three years, cutting her teeth at a 24-hour small animal medical, surgical and emergency clinic in Redding, California.

Jennifer transitioned to a career in research and development in 2005 and has enjoyed roles in preclinical development and regulatory affairs (Bayer Animal Health, Elanco Animal Health Inc.) working with both EPA and FDA programs for large and small animal products.

Jennifer is dedicated to the health and well-being of humans and animals. Her passions include faith, family and mental and physical fitness.

Helen Smith received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Guelph. Following graduation in 1992, she joined Langford Laboratories, then a division of Cyanamid Canada, supervising the Viral Quality Control group and developing a Viral Research and Development team. Following a company takeover and then a subsequent move to Fort Dodge, Smith continued work in Bovine Viral R&D.

After a brief interlude in Assay Development, Smith started her career in Biological Regulatory Affairs in 1998 with Fort Dodge Animal Health. Through changes in companies and mergers, Smith continued her career in Biological Regulatory Affairs at Schering-Plough Animal Health, which became part of Merck Animal Health, and worked at Boehringer Ingelheim as the Head of U.S. Biological Regulatory Affairs for Livestock and Equine. She served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at Ceva Animal Health for more than 4 years.

Smith is currently the Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality at Kemin Biologics.

With a veterinary degree from the University of Montreal, Martin Tiemann, D.V.M., spent 20 years in mixed animal practice between Montreal and Ottawa in Canada. He joined Industry with Merial Canada as the manager of RA, QA and Technical Services. Learn more

Kathy Vannatta is an accomplished animal health executive with 30 years of global experience in regulatory and product development roles. She is currently serving as senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Phibro Animal Health.

In this role, Vannatta oversees scientific and regulatory operations that support products ranging from autogenous vaccines and antimicrobial agents to nutritional specialty products for livestock.

Before joining Phibro in 2022, Kathy spent over two decades in strategic roles across the animal health industry working with companies like Elanco and KindredBio, as well as independently consulting animal health start-ups and industry association groups.  

Kathy received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and an MBA from Indiana University, Indianapolis. 

Leah Wilkinson is the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) chief policy officer and oversees the association’s legislative, regulatory and global policy efforts.

Wilkinson joined AFIA in 2010 and interacts with the administration, Congress, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies. Wilkinson holds a bachelor’s degree in animal and plant systems from the University of Minnesota.

Matt Zehnder is the CEO of Pasture Biosciences, a biotechnology company developing a vaccine to reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock. For the past 10 years has built and led startups that bridge his background in molecular biology and computer science. He holds a BA from Harvard and an MS from New York University.