April 29, 2021 |

May 23, 2023

SPEAKER BIOS

Kate Bailey is the Chief Policy Officer for the Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR). APR is the only U.S. 

trade association focused exclusively on growing and sustaining the plastics recycling industry. APR 

members are the entirety of the plastics recycling industry from design to collection to recovery to 

remanufacturing. Kate has nearly 20 years of experience working with state and national legislators, 

government staff, consumer goods companies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to implement actionable, 

effective solutions to improve recycling. She has championed numerous local and state policies, 

including Colorado’s groundbreaking Producer Responsibility for Packaging program. Kate previously 

served as the Policy & Research Director for Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit pioneer in recycling operations. She 

is based in Colorado.

Peter Blair is the Policy Director for Just Zero. He is an environmental attorney and Zero Waste policy 

expert. He leads Just Zero’s legislative and policy work to implement just and equitable solutions to 

unsustainable waste management practices. An accomplished environmental advocate, Peter has 

helped enact laws, policies, and regulations that phase out single-use plastics, improve recycling 

programs, and hold polluters accountable for the waste they create. Prior to helping launch Just Zero, 

Peter worked for several environmental non-profits. Peter is licensed to practice law in both Oregon 

and Maine.

Sarah Dearman is the Chief Innovation Officer for The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization 

solving for circularity by mobilizing people, data, and solutions across the value chain to unlock the 

environmental and economic benefits of recycling and a circular economy. Sarah leverages her 

corporate, government, and nonprofit experience to build collaborative, action-oriented initiatives that 

advance the system. Before joining The Recycling Partnership, Sarah led sustainable packaging at CocaCola and worked at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources where she managed the governor’s 

conservation program.

Peter DePasquale is Vice President of Government Affairs for Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), a leading 

beverage company in North America with annual revenue of more than $14 billion and approximately 

28,000 employees. KDP’s portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands is designed to 

satisfy virtually any consumer need, any time, and includes Keurig®, Dr Pepper®, Canada Dry®, 

Clamato®, CORE®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, Mott's®, Snapple®, and The Original Donut 

Shop®. With nearly 15 years of experience leading advocacy strategies for Fortune 500 companies, 

DePasquale is responsible for overseeing KDP’s public policy engagement activities. His work advances 

public policies at the state and federal level that align with and enable KDP’s “Drink Well. Do Good.”

corporate responsibility platform, encompassing the environment, supply chain, health and wellbeing, 
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and people and communities. DePasquale received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the New England 

School of Law and his B.A. in Corporate Communication from the College of Charleston. 

Julia Solomon Ensor is an attorney in the Enforcement Division of the Federal Trade Commission’s 

Bureau of Consumer Protection where she works on a variety of compliance and enforcement matters, 

including environmental marketing and “Made in USA” matters. Prior to joining the FTC in 2010, Ms. 

Ensor was an Associate at King & Spalding LLP in Washington, D.C. Ms. Ensor holds a Bachelor of Arts 

from Yale University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Anne Germain is the Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the 

National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) responsible for establishing and implementing 

strategies for recycling, landfilling, and sustainability. She has over 30 years in the waste and recycling 

industry that includes extensive background analyzing industry trends, contracting, engineering, 

operations, and compliance. Prior to joining NWRA, Anne was Chief Engineer with the Delaware Solid 

Waste Authority (DSWA). Anne is a Past President of the Solid Waste Association of North America 

(SWANA) and serves on the executive committee of ABET and is a trustee-at-large for the American 

Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES). She is a professional engineer and a 

Board-Certified Environmental Engineer with a Master in Civil Engineering from the University of 

Delaware and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. In 2020, she was recognized by MSW 

Management with their legacy award and in 2023, she was named to the inaugural class of Waste360’s 

2023 Women Who Inspire.

Jeffrey A. Greenbaum is the Managing Partner of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and a partner in the 

firm’s Advertising Group, where he represents advertisers, advertising agencies, media companies, 

online platforms, and others on advertising, branded entertainment, and intellectual property matters.

He also serves as the Chairman of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance. In addition, he is a member 

of the Board of Directors of the International Advertising Association and serves as Chair of the IAA’s 

Public Policy Council. He is also currently serving as the Chairman of the Jury for the International 

Council for Advertising Self-Regulation’s Global Awards. Best Lawyers in America has twice named him 

“Advertising Lawyer of the Year” for the New York metro area. 

Michel Grosz is an economist in the Division of Consumer Protection in the Federal Trade 

Commission’s Bureau of Economics, where he works on a variety of consumer protection matters. 

Prior to joining the FTC he was a Senior Analyst at Abt Associates and a Research Associate at the 

Urban Institute. He holds a BA from Pomona College and a PhD in Economics from the University of 

California, Davis.

Karen Hagerman is the Director of How2Recycle at GreenBlue. In this role, she leads the growth and 

development of the How2Recycle team and program, working with companies to further the adoption 

of clear and consistent on-package recyclability labeling. She brings a passion for engaging 
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stakeholders across disciplines to work towards changing the way we interact with the environment. 

Her work at GreenBlue has included developing, launching, and facilitating SPC Collaboratives and 

building out work on policy and Extended Producer Responsibility. After a nine-year career in 

operations and program management as a CH-53E Helicopter Pilot in the Marine Corps, Karen shifted 

her energy towards addressing plastic pollution and responsible resource usage. She earned her MS in 

Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University, with a focus on circular and resilient systems. Karen 

holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Brian Hawkinson is American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Executive Director, Recovered Fiber. 

In this role, he manages issues and programs that promote increased paper recycling and maintain 

member company access to mill-quality recovered fiber for use in manufacturing new pulp, paper and 

paperboard. Before joining AF&PA, he held leadership positions with: Hawkinson Group, LLC, where he 

helped AF&PA establish the Paper+Packaging Board; and Public Affairs Council, where he led the 

organization’s management consulting practice, helping members adapt effective practices that 

improved corporate public affairs operations. Brian is a former adjunct faculty member of The George 

Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. He is also a past member of the 

boards of directors of The Recycling Partnership and the National Recycling Coalition. Brian holds a BBA 

from James Madison University and an MBA from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

Kim Holmes is the owner and principal consultant of 4R Sustainability, a consulting firm dedicated to 

working with industry to advance recycling and sustainability goals. Kim works with clients to drive 

innovation to meet voluntary sustainability goals. Where regulation or mandates exist, 4R works with 

clients to ensure they are in compliance with the changing legislative landscape. Prior to relaunching 

her firm, Kim was the vice president of sustainability for the Plastics Industry Association, where she 

developed new models for testing end market development and collection methods for a wide range 

of recycled plastic feed streams. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, hiking and biking with her 

family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

James Kohm is the Associate Director for the Enforcement Division of the Federal Trade Commission’s 

Bureau of Consumer Protection. In that capacity, he oversees enforcement of all consumer protection 

orders, the Commission’s Green Marketing program, Hispanic Initiative, Bankruptcy program, Criminal 

Liaison Unit, and a myriad of FTC Rules and Guides. Prior to joining the Enforcement Division, Mr. 

Kohm served as the Bureau’s Chief of Staff with responsibility for the Commission’s seven regional 

offices, and as both the Acting Associate Director and an Assistant Director in the FTC’s Division of 

Marketing Practices. Mr. Kohm received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and 

his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Laura Koss is an Assistant Director in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Division of Enforcement. In 

addition to her extensive work on the Green Guides, Ms. Koss has supervised and worked on a variety 

of FTC rules, guides, and projects, including the Jewelry Guides, the Negative Option Rule, the Energy 
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Labeling Rule, and the Made in USA Rule and enforcement. Prior to working at the FTC, Ms. Koss was 

an associate at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C. Ms. Koss holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell 

University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Patrick Krieger is the Vice President, Sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association. Within this role 

he supports the plastics industry and the association’s members by promoting and advocating for 

plastics as the sustainable material of choice. He leads the association’s initiatives to promote a circular 

plastics economy, eliminate plastics waste in the environment, and to use resources responsibly. He 

has successfully managed several projects to develop new markets for traditionally difficult to recycle 

plastic materials, including in the medical, automotive, and packaging industry. He manages Operation 

Clean Sweep, the largest international plastics stewardship program which focuses on eliminating 

plastic resin loss throughout the supply chain. He joined the PLASTICS in March 2015 and previously 

worked for the Animal Health Institute. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2007.

Raissa Lerner is a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, Attorney 

General’s Office, Environment Section. She first joined the Environment Section in 1998 and served 

until 2016, representing state agencies and the People of the State of California in cases concerning 

environmental quality, plastics pollution, endangered species, and greenwashing. She rejoined the 

Environment Section in 2022 to support its work on plastics pollution and greenwashing. Prior to 

joining the California Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Lerner litigated Proposition 65 cases on behalf of 

the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, and clerked for several trial and appellate 

judges in Boston. She is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School. 

Hampton Newsome is an attorney with the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade 

Commission. His primary duties involve energy-related consumer labeling and green advertising claims. 

Before coming to the FTC, Mr. Newsome worked at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission where he 

specialized in environmental law and nuclear materials issues. He received his undergraduate degree

from Duke University and his Juris Doctor and master’s degree in planning from the University of 

Virginia.

Bonnie Patten is Executive Director of Truth in Advertising (TINA.org), a nonpartisan, nonprofit

consumer advocacy organization whose mission is to combat deceptive advertising and consumer 

fraud; promote understanding of the serious harms commercial dishonesty inflicts; and work with 

consumers, businesses, synergy organizations, self-regulatory bodies and government agencies to 

advance countermeasures that effectively prevent and stop deception in our economy. Since its 

inception, TINA.org has pursued hundreds of legal actions, published more than 2,000 articles, and 

tracked more than 4,000 federal class actions alleging deceptive marketing. State and federal agencies 

have obtained more than $250 million from wrongdoers based on TINA.org’s legal work, and returned 

millions in ill-gotten gains to consumers. Ms. Patten has testified before Congress on issues related to 

consumer protection, deceptive marketing and economic justice, and she is a regular commentator on 
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marketing and advertising issues in the media. She is the 2019 recipient of the Florence Kelley 

Consumer Leadership Award from the National Consumers League. She earned her J.D. from Boston 

University and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adam Riedel is the Manager of the Environmental Management Office in the Arlington County 

Department of Environmental Services. He oversees the Arlington County solid waste management 

programs, including trash, recycling and organics collection and disposal. Prior to joining Arlington 

County, Mr. Riedel was an environmental attorney in private practice and academia. He earned his J.D. 

from Duke University School of Law and his M.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke 

University Nicholas School of the Environment. He received his B.A. from The George Washington 

University.

Michelle Schaefer is an attorney in the Enforcement Division of the Federal Trade Commission’s 

Bureau of Consumer Protection where she handles numerous matters on behalf of the FTC and 

consumers including litigating federal court cases, investigating violations of FTC law, and monitoring 

compliance with and enforcing litigated court orders. Prior to joining the FTC in 2013, Ms. Schaefer was 

Of Counsel at DLA Piper in Washington, D.C. Ms. Schaefer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts 

University, and a Juris Doctor from the Case Western University School of Law.

Kaelah M. Smith is an Assistant Attorney General in the Environment Section of the Connecticut Office 

of the Attorney General. She is a 2013 graduate of UConn Law, where she served as co-Symposium 

Editor of the UConn Law Review. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, she worked in 

private practice in Hartford, Connecticut.

Anthony Tusino is senior program officer for plastic policy advocacy at WWF, focusing primarily on 

pathways to mitigate plastic pollution, incentivize the use of recycled materials and ensure protections 

for local communities and environments. This includes working with federal and state governments to 

implement necessary reforms to our recycling system and pairing WWF’s strategic private sector 

engagement with public sector action. Anthony serves on the steering committee of the U.S. Plastics 

Pact, a convening of over 100 organizations to combat plastic waste, and co-leads the Pact’s policy 

workstream. Anthony also leads OneSource Coalition, a convening of corporate, non-profit and expert 

partners who advocate for policies to implement a circular economy.

Eric Unis is a Senior Attorney at BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD). At NAD, 

he has authored dozens of decisions in cases involving a wide range of products and industries, 

including food and beverages, OTC drugs, dietary supplements, personal care products, 

telecommunications, and automobiles, including several cases involving environmental benefit claims. 

In private practice representing clients in a wide range of industries prior to joining NAD, Eric focused 

on complex commercial litigation, consumer class actions, government investigations, consumer 
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product safety issues, and advertising and marketing law. Eric is a graduate of New York University and 

Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Quinta Warren is associate director of sustainability policy at Consumer Reports (CR), where she 

leads the legislative, regulatory, and corporate engagement strategies for sustainability on behalf of 

consumers. At CR, she co-authored a major survey report on consumer attitudes toward electric 

vehicles and low carbon fuels. She testified before Congress about the consumer benefits of the 

historic clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, and she has advocated for reforms such 

as improvements in federal fuel economy and emissions standards, as well as California’s landmark 

Advanced Clean Cars rule. Prior to joining CR, Dr. Warren developed novel carbon capture methods 

with ConocoPhillips, managed carbon management and power generation policy at the U.S. 

Department of Energy, helped develop energy projects in emerging economies at the Millennium 

Challenge Corporation, and launched her own firm, Energy Research Consulting. She holds a PhD in 

chemical and biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in chemical 

engineering from Penn State.