Wade Ackerman Partner, Covington & Burling LLP Wade Ackerman is a Food, Drug, and Device partner in the Los Angeles office of Covington & Burling LLP. Until June 2016, Mr. Ackerman served as Senior FDA Counsel to the U.S. Senate Health Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, providing advice to Chairman Tom Harkin and later, Ranking Member Patty Murray. In this role, he was involved in legislative initiatives, oversight hearings, and other Senate activities concerning the FDA and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Prior to his role in the Senate, he served for over five years as Associate Chief Counsel in the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), where he was responsible for providing legal advice to FDA program staff and the Office of Commissioner on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues. Through more than a decade of experience in private practice and positions within the FDA and on the Hill, Mr. Ackerman has acquired a unique insight into the legal and policy issues surrounding food and dietary supplements.