WASHINGTON, D.C., January 10, 2013—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry’s leading trade association, is pleased to announce John Blair, senior vice president of NSA, LLC (JuicePlus+®), has been named chair of the association’s Board of Directors. Mr. Blair, who will hold the chairmanship through 2014, succeeds Jim Hamilton, president of DSM Nutritional Products, USA, Inc.
Mr. Blair, in 1992, spearheaded NSA’s decision to enter the nutrition field, based on NSA’s Juice Plus concept. During his time at NSA, Mr. Blair managed the development of the global manufacturing team that produces the entire Juice Plus line and managed the worldwide clinical research effort for the product line. His knowledge of the health and wellness industry makes him a valuable provider to CRN. He has served on the board most recently as chair elect, and was the conference chair of CRN’s 2012 Annual Conference.
“Our industry will continue to face challenges over the course of the next two years, but we’re prepared for them and this industry is positioned like never before for strong growth,” said Mr. Blair. “Moving forward in 2013, we’ll work to educate the 113th Congress on health benefits that dietary supplements provide and how they are regulated; we’ll challenge the industry to ensure complete compliance with the laws and regulations already in place; and we’ll be zealous advocates on behalf of our members to promote a commercial marketplace and a regulatory framework supported by sound science. I’m excited about the next two years as CRN’s chairman and look forward to advancing CRN’s mission.”
CRN’s Board also elected a lineup of new officers to serve along with Mr. Blair during his two-year term: Chair Elect—Harvey Kamil, NBTY, Inc.; Treasurer—Debbie Trinker, Kemin Health, L.C.; Secretary—Kristen Blanchard, Nutramax Laboratories, Inc.; and Immediate Past Chair—Jim Hamilton, DSM Nutritional Products. Mr. Mister, CRN President & CEO, will continue to serve as a Board Officer.
“I am delighted to hand the gavel to John Blair. His experience and capabilities make him uniquely qualified to lead the organization going forward,” said Jim Hamilton, who just completed his two-year term as chairman of CRN’s Board of Directors. “CRN’s Board is composed of an incredibly dedicated group of executives, committed to providing direction and leadership to the valuable work of CRN. I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to act as Chair, look forward to continued contributions as immediate past chair, and wish John much success in his new role.”
Separately, CRN’s membership has elected the new Board of Directors for 2013. Michael Bentley, SierraSil Health Inc.; Paul Dijkstra, InterHealth Nutraceuticals, Inc.; and Paul Faganel, Embria Health Sciences, were newly elected to serve on the Board. Carl Hastings, Reliv International, Inc.; and Vic Neufeld, Jamieson Laboratories Ltd., were re-elected for a second three-year term.
CRN’s new Board of Directors is comprised of 34 member company representatives and CRN President & CEO Steve Mister. Following is a full list of CRN’s Board of Directors, including the Executive Committee (in bold) and the Officers (as noted), for 2013:
- John Blair, NSA, LLC (Juice Plus+®) (Chair)
- Michael Bentley, SierraSil Health Inc.
- Kristen Blanchard, Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. (Secretary)
- Paul Bolar, Pharmavite LLC
- Michael Bradley, Perrigo Company
- David Christensen, Bayer HealthCare
- Richard D’Aloisio, Mondēlez International, Inc.
- Mike DeGennaro, Lonza, Inc.
- Paul Dijkstra, InterHealth Nutraceuticals, Inc.
- Greg Dodson, Archer Daniels Midland Company
- Paul Faganel, Embria Health Sciences
- Marjorie Fine, Shaklee Corporation
- Pierre Fitzgibbon, Atrium Innovations, Inc.
- Jim Hamilton, DSM Nutritional Products (Immediate Past Chair)
- Carl Hastings, Reliv International, Inc.
- David Henstrom, Cargill Health & Nutrition
- T.J. Higgins, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
- Jim Hyde, Albion Laboratories, Inc.
- Samy Jandali, BASF Corporation
- Harvey Kamil, NBTY, Inc. (Chair Elect)
- Allison Levy, AdvoCare International, LP
- Steve Mister, CRN (President & CEO)
- David Morrison, The Vitamin Shoppe
- Vic Neufeld, Jamieson Laboratories Ltd.
- Al Powers, NOW Foods
- Michelle Potorski, Procter & Gamble
- Mike Satow, Nutrition 21
- Ona Scandurra, Country Life Vitamins
- Brian Schaneberg, Mars Botanical
- Michelle Stout, Amway/Nutrilite
- David Sullivan, General Nutrition Centers, Inc.
- Sharon Tonetta, Bausch & Lomb
- Debbie Trinker, Kemin Health, L.C. (Treasurer)
- John Venardos, Herbalife, Ltd.
- Tyler Whitehead, Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
Additionally, the following committee chairs will serve CRN during the coming year:
- Government Relations Committee—Florence Okaro, NBTY, Inc.
- International Trade and Market Development Committee—John Venardos, Herbalife, Ltd.
- Communications and Media Outreach Committee—Doug Jones, Pharmavite
- Regulatory Affairs Committee—Michael Lelah, NOW Foods, and Haresh Madeka, BASF Corporation
- Senior Scientific Advisory Council—Michael McBurney, DSM Nutritional Products, and Barry Ritz, Atrium Innovations
For a complete list of CRN member companies, visit CRN’s website. For information on membership with CRN, please contact Carl Hyland, director, membership development, CRN, at 202-204-7674 or chyland@crnusa.org.