Washington, D.C., January 16, 2020—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, today announced Luke G. Huber, ND, MBA and Amanda Darlington, J.D. have joined the association as the vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs and the director, government relations, respectively.
Dr. Huber, reporting to Andrea Wong, Ph.D., senior vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs, will execute CRN’s scientific affairs and nutrition policy activities that support the appropriate role for dietary supplements and functional food in health promotion and health and wellness. Most recently, Dr. Huber held the position of global R&D director, VMS with RB (Reckitt Benckiser). Dr. Huber has 20 years of experience in the dietary supplement industry, having held senior scientific & technical leadership roles at prominent companies.
“Luke’s ability to offer a clinician’s perspective to dietary supplements and nutrition science offers an invaluable addition to our science and regulatory team,” says Dr. Wong. “His impressive industry experience and expertise in nutrition science will enhance our association’s role in the development of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other scientific research related to nutrition and health promotion. Luke’s unique strengths and proficiencies will complement our already strong science team and will heighten our association’s ability to serve its members well.”
Dr. Huber has extensive dietary supplement industry experience in leading product development, scientific & technical affairs, research & development, clinical research, and regulatory affairs. He received his doctorate of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Bothell, WA, completed his two-year residency at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, IL, and earned his MBA from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ms. Darlington will report to vice president, government relations, Julia Gustafson and manage the state government affairs program for the association. Prior to CRN, Ms. Darlington was the director, state government affairs for the Apollo Education Group/University of Phoenix. Previously, she was a policy analyst for the American Academy of Actuaries and a legislative fellow in the Office of United States Congressman Alcee L. Hastings in Washington D.C.
“Amanda brings essential experience to CRN’s government relations team, and CRN members will benefit greatly from her ability to navigate complex regulatory activity in the states and to provide expert analysis of patchwork state legislation surrounding in-demand supplements and ingredients, such as CBD,” says Ms. Gustafson. “We are thrilled to have her on board.”
Ms. Darlington has experience with managing state legislative tracking systems, conducting research, and drafting position letters and briefing documents. At CRN, she will lead CRN’s Government Relations State Subcommittee and play a large role in developing and executing CRN’s State lobbying events. Ms. Darlington earned her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and received her B.A. from the University of Central Florida. During law school, Ms. Darlington worked as a certified litigation intern for the Broward County State Attorney’s Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In addition to hiring new talent, CRN is proud to promote multiple staff members who play integral roles in the success of our organization:
- Megan Olsen to vice president and associate general counsel
- Maya English to director, membership, education and events
- Holly Vogtman to communications manager (promoted in July 2019)
- William Dumais to manager, government relations
- Emily Zavrel to communications associate
- Rashidah Denton to associate, scientific & regulatory affairs (promoted in July 2019)
Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @CRN_Supplements and LinkedIn.