Organic & Natural is building a broad coalition of consumers and companies working to preserve and advance the health and well-being of people, animals and plants, and the planet as a whole. As the Association CEO, I working to transform how business is done by operating with the following guiding principles:Sustainability – Reflecting food, farm, and goods production and distribution practices and processes that are restorative to nature, give the utmost consideration to animal welfare, are socially responsible, and demonstrate our commitment to a resilient environment by altering the current resource consumption paradigm.Transparency – Reflecting the strength in creating honest relationships between consumers and corporations and our commitment to instill business and marketing practices that value disclosure and unambiguous knowledge as well as empower and inform consumer purchasing.Accessibility – Reflecting the need to enable broader consumer access to organic and natural food, products and services as part of our commitment to the health and wellness of all individuals, communities and cultures.Traceability – Reflecting an ongoing and consistent practice of holding suppliers, manufacturers and distributors accountable for a clearly defined, quality-controlled production process based on our commitment to ensure products are accurately labeled, undergo appropriate testing and reflect consumers’ desire for wholesome goods and services.

Speaker, writer and blogger on pet food and supplement issues, and contributor for Petfood 2.0 program content.

Members of the National Animal Supplement Council are concerned and committed manufacturers of animal health supplements across the globe. Together they endeavor to improve the quality of these products sold to consumers for the benefit of their horses, cats, dogs and other companion animals.NASC's overriding goal is to promote the health and well-being of non-human food chain animals that are given animal health supplements by their owners, and to protect and enhance the integrity of the animal health product industry.The cornerstone of NASC's mission is to work cooperatively with state, federal and international government officials to create a legislative and regulatory environment that provides a framework that is Fair, Reasonable, Responsible and nationally Consistent.Such an environment of safety, accuracy and quality serves the interests of NASC's members by ensuring that ethical manufacturing and labeling practices are complied with throughout the industry.All NASC members are required to undergo a rigorous independent audit of their facilities. Upon completion of this audit, members are then able to display the NASC Seal of Quality to show consumers they are committed to the “highest current standards of quality in the industry today.”

Karen has managed the AANMC, in addition to serving as Executive Director of the AANP, since 2002. AANMC is comprised of the seven North American naturopathic medical schools and was formed in 2001 to advance awareness of naturopathic education and support quality education and research. Her ongoing duties include administration of the budget, coordination of board-directed marketing, post-graduate and research programs. She is also responsible for development and implementation of legislative campaigns for loan eligibility and repayment, and continued pursuit of federal recognition. She supports profession-wide initiatives concerning federal accreditation and research initiatives. She has also led the effort to implement a new, unified Central Application System.

In the nine+ years Karen managed the AANP, she grew the organization from a one-person operation with a $275,000 deficit to a $1.6 million budget and a staff of seven employees and four consulting contracts. By building systems and procedures, implementing successful fundraising and membership campaigns, creating a presence on Capitol Hill, and training volunteers, she positioned naturopathic doctors as a force in the health care arena. Naturopathic medicine has gained recognition in federal loan repayment programs. National health care organizations spanning the worlds of convention and alternative medicine are in relationship with the AANP. And, access to naturopathic doctors is being sought by a growing number of consumers who have learned about the medicine from a strong Internet presence and AANP’s external media efforts. Under Karen’s management the AANP achieved the following:Sustainable infrastructure: Developed and maintained systems and processes to ensure sustainable growth from the ground up, including creating a culture of inclusion and respect to foster increased staff creativity and productivity. Financial performance: Over a nine-year period, increased total assets from ($276,000) to $698,000, developing a sizeable operating reserve.Membership growth: In nine years increased individual membership by 60 percent and corporate sponsorship revenue by more than 50 percent. Federal presence: Created the annual DC Federal Legislative Initiative where more than 1000 doctors and naturopathic medical students have been trained as advocates for their profession and their patients. Each year the AANP’s national lobby day concludes with the highly popular and well-attended Congressional reception. State advocacy: Supported multiple legislative and regulatory efforts related to licensing, scope of practice and health care reform implementation.

My independent consulting firm specialized in supporting managed care organization’s marketing and product development initiatives for private and public sector programs. Clients included managed mental health companies, pharmaceutical companies and national/regional health care plans. Consulting services included pursuit of state and federal health care contracts, creation and marketing of smoking cessation programs, and critical evaluation of scientific research.

Managed care consultant for an international marketing group, responsible for development of a multifaceted domestic health care division representing managed care clients. Supported corporate pursuit of state and federal contracts for health services in state Medicaid (including behavioral health care cave-outs), federal CHAMPUS initiatives and other unique opportunities relating to health and safety.

Health care marketing and public policy for the health practice group, representing the corporate interests of health maintenance organizations and hospitals seeking to enter emerging markets in CHAMPUS health care contracts, the Veterans Administration and federal employee marketplace.

Responsible for legislation relating to mental health care coverage for federal employees, children, Native Americans and CHAMPUS beneficiaries.

Professional staff to the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee. Specialized in health care and retirement legislation, including work on the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) legislation. Served as staff to the U.S. House of Representatives Franking Commission.