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.

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.

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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. 

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

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

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

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.