Douglas G. Aspros, DVM, is President of the 

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). 

He has practiced small animal medicine in New 

York since his 1975 graduation from the College of 

Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Dr. Aspros 

is also a partner at Bond Animal Hospital in White 

Plains, NY, and Pound Ridge Veterinary Center in 

Pound Ridge, NY. Before becoming AVMA president, 

Dr. Aspros served six years on the AVMA Council on 

Education, and is active in local and state veterinary 

organizations. In 1985, Dr. Aspros was the fi rst 

veterinarian in New York to be appointed president 

of a county board of health. He has served as 

Westchester County’s board of health president since 

1994, directing initiatives on both emerging threats 

and core public health programs. Dr. Aspros has also 

served on Cornell’s College Advisory Board and the 

Cornell Council.

Robert D. Atkinson, Ph.D., is the President of 

Information Technology and Innovation (ITIF), a 

non-partisan research and educational institute that 

seeks to devise and foster public policies to advance 

technological innovation and productivity. Before 

coming to ITIF, Atkinson was the Vice President 

of the Progressive Policy Institute and Director 

of PPI’s Technology & New Economy Project. Dr. 

Atkinson is the author of Innovation Economics: The 

Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012) and The Past 

and Future of America’s Economy: Long Waves of 

Innovation that Power Cycle of Growth (Edward Elgar, 

2005). He received his Ph.D. in city and regional 

planning from the University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill in 1989.

Andrew J. Bane, Ph.D., is COO of VetSource, Inc., 

a Vet-VIPPS accredited, outsourced veterinary home 

delivery pharmacy and technology services company 

in Portland, Oregon. As a member of the founding 

team of VetSource, Dr. Bane has been involved in 

shaping the strategic direction of VetSource and 

has held many positions in the company since its 

inception in 2005. He has previously served as 

COO for Scott Barber, Inc., as Director of Clinical 

Operations for Pharmatech, Inc., and was co-founder 

of Premier Veterinary Hospitals, Inc. Dr. Bane earned 

a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Physiological 

Psychology from Colorado State University. He has 

published many articles, including scientifi c studies in 

behavioral neuroscience.

Elaine Blythe, PharmD, is an Associate Professor 

at St. Matthews University, School of Veterinary 

Medicine on Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. 

She received her B.S. and Doctor of Pharmacy 

degrees from Southwestern Oklahoma State 

University School of Pharmacy. She joined the 

faculty at the school of veterinary medicine in 2012 

after teaching 10 years at Creighton University School 

of Pharmacy and Health Professions in Omaha, NE. 

Dr. Blythe’s area of expertise is educating pharmacy 

students and veterinary students in veterinary 

pharmacy and veterinary pharmacology. Dr. Blythe 

also provides regulatory aff airs consulting services 

for several animal health companies in the United 

States, focusing on wholesale drug distribution and 

pharmacy licensing requirements, and served as 

a member of the AVMA Council on Biological and 

Therapeutic Agents subcommittee on veterinary 

dispensing, prescribing, and compounding in 2002-

2003. 

James C. Cooper, Ph.D., is the Director of Research 

and Policy at the Law & Economics Center and a 

lecturer in law at George Mason University School 

of Law. Prior to moving to George Mason, he spent 

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012 1
several years at the FTC, where he served as Attorney 

Advisor to Commissioner William Kovacic, and Acting 

Director of the FTC’s Offi ce of Policy Planning. Before 

coming to the FTC, Dr. Cooper worked in the antitrust 

group at Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, 

DC. Dr. Cooper’s research has appeared in various 

publications. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from 

Emory University and a J.D. from George Mason 

University School of Law, where he was a Levy Fellow 

and a member of the George Mason Law Review. 

Mark Cushing is the Founding Partner of the Animal 

Policy Group, where he focuses his advocacy practice 

on providing high-level strategic advice and services 

to clients with needs at any level of government 

and to key trade/industry associations in the US, 

Canada, and Mexico. Mr. Cushing is the Chair of the 

Government Relations and Public Policy Practice 

and also a partner at Tonkon Torp LLP. Since 2004, 

Mr. Cushing has specialized in animal health, animal 

welfare, and veterinary and veterinary educational 

issues. He is a frequent speaker at animal policyrelated conferences, and is an adjunct faculty 

member in Animal Law at the Lewis & Clark Law 

School and a visiting lecturer at the University of 

Oregon School of Law. Mr. Cushing is a graduate of 

Stanford University and the Willamette University 

College of Law. 

Brad Dayton is Senior Director of Pharmacy for 

Ahold USA. Ahold operates 565 pharmacies in its 

Giant, Martin’s, and Stop & Shop supermarkets in 

ten states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Dayton’s 

current responsibilities with Ahold include supply 

chain, business development, compliance, and 

clinical programs. Mr. Dayton has been involved in 

the retail pharmacy industry for the past twenty-four 

years; before joining Ahold, he worked in Pharmacy 

Operations for CVS in the Washington, DC, area. Mr. 

Dayton is a graduate of Duquesne University School 

of Pharmacy. 

Race Foster, DVM, has been a licensed veterinarian 

since 1983. He is co-owner of Drs. Foster and Smith 

pet supplies, a major pet supply retailer in business 

for nearly 30 years. The Drs. Foster and Smith 

pharmacy is both Vet-VIPPS and PCAB certifi ed. 

Dr. Foster served on the Board of Directors of the 

Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Michigan State 

University for four years, and was also a full time 

practitioner for ten years as co-owner of four clinics 

in northern Wisconsin. 

Andrew I. Gavil is the Director of the Offi ce of Policy 

Planning at the Federal Trade commission, on leave 

from Howard University School of Law, where he 

has been a member of the faculty since 1989. He has 

written and spoken extensively in the United States 

and abroad on various aspects of antitrust law, policy, 

jurisdiction, and procedure. 

Daniel J. Gilman, Ph.D., is an Attorney Advisor in 

the FTC’s Offi ce of Policy Planning, where he works 

on competition issues in health care and technology 

markets. He helped draft the FTC Staff Report, 

Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy, and 

has published in many journals across industries. 

Mr. Gilman came to the FTC from the University of 

Maryland, where he was a visiting professor of law. 

Before that, he was in private practice at Hogan & 

Hartson and an Olin Fellow and adjunct professor 

of law at Georgetown University, where he taught 

law and economics. Mr. Gilman earned an A.B. from 

Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from the University of 

Chicago, and taught bioethics, neuroscience, and the 

philosophy of science for a decade before attending 

law school. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law 

Center where he served as senior articles editor of 

the Georgetown Law Journal.

Christopher M. Grengs is an Attorney Advisor in 

the FTC’s Offi ce of Policy Planning. He works with 

staff across the Commission to coordinate research 

and advocacy eff orts on a wide variety of complex 

legal and economic policy issues. In particular, he has 

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012 2
made signifi cant contributions to the Commission’s 

research and policy activities in the areas of 

telecommunications, including broadband Internet 

access, and mortgage disclosure reform, among 

others. Grengs earned his JD from the University of 

Minnesota Law School and his BA in Economics and 

Political Science from the University of WisconsinMadison.

Wendy Hauser, DVM, is the Managing DVM of Coal 

Creek Veterinary Hospital in Centennial, Colorado. 

A 1988 graduate of the Oklahoma State University 

College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Hauser has 

practiced in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado. 

In 1997 she founded Coal Creek Veterinary Hospital, 

and continues to manage medical policy and hospital 

direction after selling the business to a national 

corporation in 2008. Dr. Hauser is active in a number 

of professional associations, such as the AAHA 

NABA Business Group Task Force, a special task force 

convened to organize and introduce the concept 

of small business groups to AAHA membership, 

and the North American Business Association, an 

independent, by-invitation veterinary business group. 

Dr. Hauser has published articles in Feline Practice 

and The Bovine Practitioner as well as reviewing 

client education articles for AAHA HealthyPet.com. 

Michael H. Hinckle is a Partner with the law fi rm 

of K&L Gates LLP where his practice focuses on 

FDA regulatory matters with an emphasis in the 

area of pharmaceutical and medical device product 

regulation. Mr. Hinckle has represented clients before 

the FDA, CMS, DEA, and various State Boards of 

Pharmacy both in private practice and as in-house 

General Counsel for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. 

Prior to entering the practice of law, Mr. Hinckle 

worked as a molecular biologist with the American 

Type Culture Collection and served in the US Navy. 

He is a former member of the Board of Directors 

for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and a 

frequent lecturer and author on FDA-related matters.

Adrian Hochstadt directs the AVMA’s state 

legislative and regulatory initiatives as Assistant 

Director of State Legislative and Regulatory Aff airs, a 

position he has held since March 2005. Mr. Hochstadt 

has over 20 years of experience in managing 

government aff airs programs and association 

management, including at the American Society of 

Plastic Surgeons and the Accreditation Association 

for Ambulatory Health Care, a leading healthcare 

organization. Previously, Mr. Hochstadt was staff 

counsel with the American Bar Association. He 

holds a JD from Northern Illinois University College 

of Law, and earned a Certifi ed Association Executive 

designation from the American Society of Association 

Executives in 1999. 

Robert L. Hubbard is Assistant Attorney General in 

the Antitrust Bureau of the New York State Attorney 

General’s offi ce, a position he held since 1987. From 

April 2000 to January 2011, he was also the Director 

of Litigation for the Antitrust Bureau. A graduate 

of Fordham University School of Law and New 

York University’s Graduate School of Business, Mr. 

Hubbard has been involved in various competition 

and consumer protection cases in the state of New 

York. Notably, Hubbard served as lead counsel during 

In re Disposable Contact Lens Antitrust Litigation, 

M.D.L. 1040 (M.D. Fla). Prior to that case, he was the 

chair of a committee of states challenging restraints 

on the sale and distribution of disposable contact 

lenses. 

Elizabeth A. Jex is an Attorney Advisor in the 

FTC’s Offi ce of Policy Planning where her expertise 

includes health care competition and regulation. 

She is one of the primary authors of the FTC’s 

Follow-On Biologic Drug Report in 2009, work that 

earned her the agency’s Paul Rand Dixon Award 

for its contribution to the FTC’s mission. From 

1990 to 2009, Ms. Jex was an attorney in the FTC’s 

Bureau of Competition, where she investigated 

pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device 

mergers, acquisitions, and intellectual property 

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012 3
licensing agreements. Ms. Jex is a graduate of 

Williams College and earned her JD from Georgetown 

University Law Center.

Gregg Jones is the Compliance Manager for 

the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy 

(NABP). The NABP is involved with the accreditation 

of internet pharmacies selling both human and 

veterinary prescription drugs, prescription drug 

wholesalers, internet advertisers of prescription 

drugs, and pharmacies selling medical supplies under 

Medicare Part B. Mr. Jones has over 26 years of work 

experience in pharmacy and drug regulation with the 

State of Florida Department of Health. He is also a 

registered pharmacist and a consultant pharmacist.

Sydney Knight is an Attorney in the FTC’s Division 

of Advertising Practices in the Bureau of Consumer 

Protection. Recently, Mr. Knight investigated and 

obtained settlements against three online marketers 

of contact lens for violations of the Contact Lens 

Rule. Before joining the FTC, he was an attorney 

at Hogan and Hartson. Mr. Knight received his B.A 

degree with honors from St Mary’s University in Nova 

Scotia, Canada, and his JD from Howard University, 

where he was Book Review Editor of the Howard Law 

Journal.

Tara Isa Koslov is Deputy Director of the FTC’s 

Offi ce of Policy Planning, a position she has held 

since March 2011. Her portfolio includes a broad 

range of competition and consumer protection 

issues. Ms. Koslov previously spent almost twelve 

years as an Attorney Advisor to three diff erent FTC 

Commissioners (focusing primarily on competition 

issues), and also worked in one of the agency’s 

merger enforcement divisions, following several 

years in private practice. She recently completed a 

three-year term as Editorial Co-Chair of the Antitrust 

Law Journal, having served on the editorial board for 

15 years. Ms. Koslov earned her JD from Harvard Law 

School and an AB from Brown University.

Jon Leibowitz was designated to serve as 

Chairman of the FTC on March 2, 2009, by President 

Barack H. Obama, having been previously sworn 

in as a commissioner in September 3, 2004. In 

joining the Commission, Chairman Leibowitz 

resumed a long career of public service. He was 

the Democratic chief counsel and staff director 

for the U.S. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee from 

1997 to 2000, where he focused on competition 

policy and telecommunications matters. He served 

as chief counsel and staff director for the Senate 

Subcommittee on Terrorism and Technology from 

1995 to 1996 and the Senate Subcommittee on 

Juvenile Justice from 1991 to 1994. In addition, 

he served as chief counsel to Senator Herb Kohl 

from 1989 to 2000. Chairman Leibowitz worked for 

Senator Paul Simon from 1986 to 1987. In the private 

sector, Chairman Leibowitz served most recently 

as Vice President for Congressional Aff airs for the 

Motion Picture Association of America – from 2000 to 

2004 – and worked as an attorney in private practice 

in Washington from 1984 to 1986. A Phi Beta Kappa 

graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. 

in American History (1980), Chairman Leibowitz 

graduated from the New York University School of 

Law in 1984.

Kent D. McClure, DVM, is General Counsel for the 

Animal Health Institute (AHI). Formed in 1941, AHI 

represents research-based manufacturers of animal 

health products. Dr. McClure has been with AHI since 

1999. He has previously practiced law with the fi rm 

of Cowles & Thompson in Dallas, Texas. He has also 

been in small animal veterinary practice. Dr. McClure 

is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law 

and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. 

David G. Miller, R.Ph., is Executive Vice President 

and CEO of the International Academy of 

Compounding Pharmacists (IACP), an association 

representing more than 2,700 pharmacists, 

technicians, students, and members of the 

compounding community who focus upon the 

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012 4
specialty practice of pharmacy compounding. 

Before coming to IACP, Mr. Miller was the Director of 

Pharmacy Aff airs at Merck, where he was responsible 

for corporate relations with the profession at the 

national and state level as well as with the academic 

community. Mr. Miller also previously served as 

the Director of Professional Aff airs at the National 

Community Pharmacists Association, and was 

Executive Director for the Maryland Pharmacists 

Association. Mr. Miller received his B.S. in 1985 from 

the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. 

Clarke D. Newman, O.D., is a Fellow in the 

American Academy of Optometry (AAO), and in 

1993, received his Diploma in the Section on Cornea, 

Contact Lenses, and Refractive Technologies. Dr. 

Newman earned his Doctor of Optometry degree 

and his BS degree in pre-medical biology from the 

University of Houston. Dr. Newman has been a 

member of the American Optometric Association for 

over twenty-fi ve years, and he serves on numerous 

committees at the organization. He is an adjunct 

assistant professor at the University of Houston 

College of Optometry, serves as editor of Texas 

Optometry, and has a regular column in Contact Lens 

Spectrum. 

Paul D. Pion, DVM, is the President, Founder, and 

CEO of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), an 

online community for veterinarians. Prior to founding 

VIN in 1991 with Dr. Duncan Ferguson, Dr. Pion was 

a full-time instructor and researcher at the University 

of California, Davis. He also interned at the Animal 

Medical Center in New York City and completed 

a residency in Cardiology at UC Davis, a postdoctorate in Pharmacology at Columbia University, 

and coursework and research toward his PhD at UC 

Davis. Dr. Pion holds a BS and a DVM from Cornell 

University, and he is board certifi ed as a Diplomate of 

the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 

(Specialty of Cardiology). He has received many 

awards and honors and has published extensively. Dr. 

Pion is the co-author of the book Cats for Dummies. 

John Powers is the Executive Vice President at Drs. 

Foster and Smith pet supplies, a major pet supplies 

retailer. Mr. Powers has over thirty-fi ve years of 

executive leadership experience in the pet supplies 

industry, including the last 20 years at Drs. Foster 

and Smith. Prior to that, his executive positions 

included VP of Merchandising and Marketing, and 

VP of Operations, positions that encompassed direct 

marketing, brick-and-mortar businesses, and internet 

retailing, each on a national scale. 

Deborah Dubow Press is Regulatory Aff airs 

Manager in the Government Relations Offi ce of 

the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty 

to Animals (ASPCA). Ms. Press develops ASPCA’s 

regulatory strategies related to puppy mills, farm 

animals, equine protection, and animal cruelty issues. 

Previously, she worked at USDA as an Enforcement 

Specialist, where her responsibilities included the 

analysis of legal issues and the pursuit of penalties 

in connection with the enforcement of the Animal 

Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. Ms. Press 

received her law degree from Cornell Law School 

and a B.S. in animal science from the University of 

Vermont. 

Joel L. Schrag, Ph.D., joined the FTC’s Bureau of 

Economics in 2000, where he works on a range of 

merger and non-merger investigations, including 

many involving the pharmaceutical industry. Prior 

to coming to the FTC, Dr. Schrag taught in the 

Department of Economics at Emory University, and 

he has published a variety of articles in the fi elds 

of law and economics, industrial organization, and 

behavioral economics. His current research interests 

lie in the areas of the economics of intellectual 

property and the nature of competition in the 

pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Schrag received his 

Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, 

Berkeley. 

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Nate Smith is currently the Vice President of 

Business Development at Nu Skin Enterprises. 

Previously, from 2004 to 2010, Mr. Smith was the 

Senior Director of Grocery Strategy at Walmart 

Stores, Inc. While at Walmart, Mr. Smith helped 

develop pet department strategy and launched new 

initiatives related to pet medications. Prior to his 

employment at Walmart, Mr. Smith was with NuSkin 

as the Director of Business Development. Mr. Smith 

earned his MBA from the University of Virginia’s 

Darden Business School, and a BS in economics from 

Utah State University.

Clinton Vranian is Vice President and General 

Counsel for Novartis Animal Health US, Inc., the 

animal health affi liate of Novartis AG. Prior to joining 

Novartis in 2006, Mr. Vranian worked with law fi rms 

in North Carolina and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where his 

practice focused on antitrust and trade practice. Mr. 

Vranian graduated from Emory and Henry College 

and the University Of Richmond School Of Law and 

received an MBA from Duke University.

Link V. Welborn, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian 

who is board certifi ed in canine and feline practice. 

Dr. Welborn owns four small animal hospitals in 

Tampa, Florida, all of which are accredited by the 

American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). He 

is past president of the AAHA and currently serves as 

the AAHA Delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. 

Dr. Welborn is also Chair of the AVMA Economics 

Strategy Committee and AVMA Workforce Advisory 

Group. He earned his undergraduate degree from 

the University of South Florida and is a graduate 

of the University of Florida College of Veterinary 

Medicine. 

Stephanie A. Wilkinson is an Attorney Advisor in 

the FTC’s Offi ce of Policy Planning, where she has 

worked on competition and consumer protection 

issues in healthcare markets. Ms. Wilkinson joined 

the FTC in 2001, and before joining OPP, she served 

as a staff attorney in the Bureau of Competition, 

where she investigated mergers involving a range 

of industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical 

devices, laboratory services, high technology, and 

chemicals. Ms. Wilkinson earned her JD from William 

and Mary School of Law in 2001 and a BA from 

Vanderbilt University in 1996.

R. Joe Zeidner is the Chief Legal Offi cer, General 

Counsel, and Corporate Secretary fort 1800Contacts. 

Prior to joining the company in 2000, Mr. Zeidner was 

the regulatory general counsel for Pharmanex, Inc., 

a Utah-based vitamin and supplement manufacturer 

and distributor. Prior to that, he served as Northeast 

Asia general counsel for Nu Skin Japan and Nu Skin 

Korea and worked at Pfi zer Pharmaceutical. Mr. 

Zeidner received a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese and 

Communications from Brigham Young University and 

a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. 

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