Pete Meachum has nearly two decades of experience as a senior staff member on Capitol Hill. Most recently he serves as Sr. Director for Government Affairs for the Cronos Group, a global cannabis company. Prior to joining Cronos, he served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Sean Duffy where he worked on diverse issues including Financial Services Committee issues, regulatory and trade issues, and Puerto Rican debt restructuring. He has worked on and managed many successful federal political campaigns at the Presidential, Congressional levels. Previously he served as Finance Director and Political Director for national 501c4s and SuperPacs, innovating in rapidly changing political landscapes. He served as Director of Member Services in the Republican Whip office and started his political career in Florida. Pete is a graduate of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Brittani Cushman is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB), a Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of branded consumer products, including alternative smoking accessories and consumables with active ingredients, through its iconic brands Zig-Zag® and Stoker’s®. Ms. Cushman is responsible for all legal, regulatory, and government affairs for the Company and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, providing commentary on the complex landscape surrounding heavily regulated industries. Ms. Cushman currently serves on the U.S. Hemp Roundtable Board of Directors Executive Committee, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets Board of Directors, the Women in Tobacco USA Board of Directors, the Coalition of Independent Tobacco Manufacturers of America Board of Directors, the Coalition of Manufacturers of Smoking Alternatives Board of Directors, and the Food and Drug Law Institute Tobacco and Nicotine Products Committee. She also participates in the Cigar Association of America.

Ms. Cushman has a B.S.B.A. in Business Management from The University of Tulsa and a J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law. Prior to joining Turning Point Brands, Ms. Cushman spent five years at Xcaliber International, where she was most recently the General Counsel, responsible for all legal affairs.

Dawn is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist with over 35 years’ experience in the Nutrition Industry both in the UK and the US. Dawn started her career as a Clinical Dietitian working in London Teaching Hospitals. With a passion for sports nutrition, she became a pioneering accredited Sports Dietitian in the UK. Dawn was a lecturer for the Sport Nutrition Foundation in London and was invited to be a member of the Nutrition Steering Committee for the British Olympic Association. Over the years, Dawn has worked for many British Olympic Teams, as well as professional athletes, and was a guest speaker on BBC television and radio. Dawn also held the position of Chief Nutritionist for the Lawn Tennis Association in London, where she worked with British Wimbledon tennis players until 1996, when she moved to Florida with her family.

While raising her family in the US, Dawn obtained her Master’s in Nutrition and became a Registered and Licensed Dietitian in Florida running a private nutrition practice. During this time Dawn developed a passion for Natural Products working for local health food businesses. This led her to join Garden of Life in 2003 as Director of Product Support. Over the years Dawn has traveled extensively teaching for Garden of Life. Today Dawn is Senior Director of Nutrition Science and Educational Content for Garden of Life, now considered to be one of the leading brands in the Natural Products Industry.

Eric joined Ecofibre as the CFO and Director in December 2015. He was appointed CEO and Managing Director in December 2017.

Eric has over 25 years of leadership and executive management experience, both as an officer in the United States Army and as a financial services executive in Australia.

Prior to joining Ecofibre, Eric served as Captain and Apache pilot in the US Army for eight years in a range of roles, including Troop Commander, Operations Officer, Executive Officer and Personnel Officer in the United States and Europe.

After leaving the military, Eric moved to Australia to work for the global management consulting firm, Bain & Company, where he specialized in the financial services industry in Australia and Asia. More recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Perpetual Limited and Director of the APO for AMP Limited.

Ecofibre provides hemp-based products across a range segments and is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Science from West Point and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Gregory Reeder is a healthcare executive with 20+ years of experience in the Rx and OTC industries across diverse domestic and international geographies.

In August 2021, he was appointed CEO of Medterra, a fast-growing global leader in the CBD market.

Prior professional highlights include a series of executive roles, including Senior Vice President of Pfizer's $2 billion Global Wellness Franchise, Vice President and General Manager for Pfizer Consumer Canada, and Country Manager of Pfizer Romania. Greg started his career at P&G and then Pfizer in brand management with progressive commercial leadership roles, including three multi-billion dollar brands (Lipitor, Effexor, Actonel).

In addition, Greg has served in numerous leadership capacities beyond core business responsibilities, including President of Romania PhRMA association and the Executive Council for Pfizer Diversity & Inclusion.

From an education standpoint, Greg earned both his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. in Chemistry from Berea College.

Frederick Cawthon is the co-founder and CEO of Verge Agritech, which is focused on advancing research & education, creating everyday life products, and developing lifestyle brands that transform customer experiences with cannabis. Since 2016, he has been an active hemp advocate, participating and volunteering at local hemp events. Prior to his work in hemp, Frederick spent the last 20+ years in product and program management roles for various Fortune 500 companies. Frederick holds an MBA from Tennessee State University. He is also a member of U.S. Hemp Roundtable's Minority Empowerment Committee.

James Shorris is currently Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Counsel for Curaleaf, Inc., a vertically integrated, multi-state medical and recreational cannabis firm based in Massachusetts. Prior to joining Curaleaf, Jim served in compliance and legal roles with several major financial services firms, including most recently the Bank of Montreal and Citizens Bank. Jim also served as Executive Director of Enforcement for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in Washington, DC. He began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Jim is also president of the Clemente Course in the Humanities, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to bringing the humanities to economically disadvantaged adults as well as veterans.

Hannah is an associate at Frost Brown Todd where she is a member of the Business Combinations & Capital Transactions practice group and the Hemp Industry Team. Her practice focuses on general corporate counseling, business combinations, corporate governance matters, venture capital, and mergers & acquisitions. Hannah advises clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including sports & entertainment, health care, private equity, and startups & emerging businesses.

Hannah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Texas Christian University and received her Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Hannah also serves as organizational counsel of the U.S. Hemp Authority.

John Copeland has over 25 years of experience in various areas of taxation including hi-tech, agri-business, equine, real estate, investment, franchising, retail, manufacturing, service professions, nonprofit, and small construction contractors. His responsibilities include tax consultation, planning and compliance for corporate, partnership, nonprofit, fiduciary and individual clients.

Mr. Copeland joined Blue & Co, LLC in 2013 after more than 15 years with a Lexington-based public accounting firm. Mr. Copeland graduated from Transylvania University and is a member of the American Society of CPAs and the Kentucky Society of CPAs. Mr. Copeland has served and continues to serve as treasurer for various charitable and civic organizations.

Rend Al-Mondhiry advises the dietary supplement, food, cosmetic, and over-the-counter medicine industries on a broad range of regulatory and compliance matters, with a focus on helping companies navigate the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape for hemp and CBD products at both the federal and state level. She is committed to helping companies responsibly develop and market products, drawing on her years of experience advising the nation’s leading dietary supplement and food companies on complex ingredient and labeling issues. She is also a frequent speaker and author on emerging legal and regulatory issues in the industry and is regularly quoted in the trade press.

Rend’s practice focuses on reviewing product labeling, ingredients, and advertising to determine compliance with federal and state regulations, and assisting companies in matters before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and National Advertising Division (NAD). She also advises clients on compliance with California’s Proposition 65, U.S. Customs issues, class action defense strategies, and FDA matters including Warning Letters, recalls, detentions, seizures, and import alerts.

Rend brings a unique perspective to these issues, having served as Associate General Counsel at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, one of the leading trade associations representing the dietary supplement and functional food industry. She has advocated on the industry’s behalf numerous times before FDA, FTC, Congress, and state attorneys general, and has substantial experience initiating and defending challenges before the NAD. In addition, she has over ten years of experience analyzing and responding to legislative and regulatory changes at the federal and state levels, working closely with scientific experts to ensure policy positions are not only legally sound but grounded in science. She has also assisted trade associations with non-profit compliance, strategic planning, and corporate governance matters.

When she’s not spending time with her husband and two very active boys, Rend enjoys running, practicing yoga, and reading historical fiction.

Alyssa Erickson is a Kentucky native who became passionate about hemp after discovering its rich ties to her home state. She graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Mass Communications in 2014 and relocated to Lexington, Kentucky where she co-founded several hemp-focused entrepreneurial endeavors with the goal of advancing the local and national industry. Through creative content and messaging, media strategies, special events and appearances, and coordinated efforts with local community business and organizations, Erickson grew grassroots initiatives that have reached more than one million online users and thousands of Kentucky visitors or residents. She currently serves as social media and marketing coordinator for multiple clients in the hemp space, including the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, managing all social platforms, creating content such as graphic assets and videos, while developing and designing digital and print materials.

Kerry Hinkle is the Membership Coordinator for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. He is an Anderson Indiana native, with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Indiana State University. In his role as Membership Coordinator with the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, Kerry works to onboard new clients through ongoing outreach to qualified organizations. He is currently a resident of Lexington KY, where he lives with his fiancé, dog, and 2 cats; who all enjoy the benefits of CBD.

Nolan is a litigator and regulatory attorney at Frost Brown Todd LLC, where he has practiced with the hemp service team since 2016. Nolan regularly advises hemp clients on myriad hemp issues involving regulatory compliance and enforcement. He has successfully represented hemp clients in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings and has conducted employee trainings on marketing and selling hemp-based products, including CBD. Additionally, Nolan has authored journal articles on hemp and spoken at hemp conferences and seminars across the United States.

Hannah is an associate at Frost Brown Todd where she is a member of the Business Combinations & Capital Transactions practice group and the Hemp Industry Team. Her practice focuses on general corporate counseling, business combinations, corporate governance matters, venture capital, and mergers & acquisitions. Hannah advises clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including sports & entertainment, health care, private equity, and startups & emerging businesses.

Hannah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Texas Christian University and received her Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Hannah also serves as organizational counsel of the U.S. Hemp Authority.

There are few individuals who have been more influential in the development of the U.S. hemp industry than the U.S. Hemp Roundtable’s General Counsel, Jonathan Miller. Upon helping found the Roundtable (and its sister organization, the U.S. Hemp Authority), Jonathan has served as the industry’s leading advocate for Hemp and CBD legislation on the ground in Congress and in dozens of state legislatures. A recovering politician (the Democrat was elected twice as Kentucky’s State Treasurer), Jonathan has worked across the aisle with leading hemp champions such as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on critical legislation, including the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills. Now he spends his time working with Congress, the White House, the USDA, FDA and DEA to promote policies that advance the industry. In acknowledgment of his accomplishments, the National Law Journal named Jonathan to its inaugural class of “Trailblazers” among government relations professionals and Politico labeled him a “Power Player” on hemp issues on Capitol Hill.

Jonathan serves as Member in Charge of Frost Brown Todd’s Washington, D.C. office, and leads the national law firm’s broad and diverse hemp practice. Jonathan supports pro-Israel organizations and serves as President of the Robert S. Miller Family Foundation for Justice and Equity. Jonathan graduated with high honors from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He is a poker aficionado who made the final table in a 2012 World Series of Poker tournament.

Brooke Parker Robertson, a government relations specialist at Frost Brown Todd, serves as the firm’s Kentucky lobbyist, registered both as an executive branch and legislative branch agent.

Since joining Frost Brown Todd in 2013, Brooke has worked to become one of the nation’s leading lobbyists for the US Hemp Roundtable. In her role directing the work of state lobbyists across the country for the US Hemp Roundtable, Brooke has developed an unparalleled knowledge of regulatory and legal regimes in all 50 states.

Further, Brooke also serves as the administrator of the U.S. Hemp Authority. In doing so, Brooke has developed keen insight in emerging standards for the hemp industry.

Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Brooke spent more than14 years of service as a senior state government employee, including six years as a top lobbyist for Governor Steve Beshear, Brooke’s policy expertise is necessarily broad, but her experiences are particularly deep in regard to energy policy. As a senior Beshear Administration official at the Energy & Environment Cabinet, Brooke was very involved in a wide range of issues including regulation of coal and natural gas generation and production, renewables, energy efficiency promotion, and clean air and water enforcement.

Ashish R. Talati leads Amin Talati & Wasserman’s FDA practice and is one of the industry’s foremost experts on FDA regulatory matters. He has gained an exceptional reputation for his successful results at the cutting edge of FDA and regulatory law, where he has responded nimbly to changes in the regulatory climate and the marketplace, guiding clients through some of our industries’ most complex issues.

Ashish primarily counsels clients on matters of regulatory compliance, helping them anticipate and address regulatory issues in their day-to-day business operations and strategic planning. He also advocates on their behalf before the FDA, FTC, Customs, USDA, DEA, and other federal agencies, and in court. He is considered a leading authority in the areas of Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) requirements and New Dietary Ingredients (NDI); Ashish and his team do more NDI and GRAS projects than many of their competitors combined, and are known for their representation in the highest numbers of NDI matters submitted to FDA overall. Considered a creative and strategic partner by his clients, Ashish works with companies all over the globe and is a trusted advisor at every step of the product life cycle, including product formulation, safety and efficacy studies, product launch, and ongoing marketing and sales.

In addition to his pioneering background in FDA regulatory matters, Ashish is highly regarded for his wealth of knowledge on advertising regulations. He counsels clients on compliance issues and claims substantiation in connection with their advertising and marketing programs, and represents advertisers in both defending and challenging claims before the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) and other regulatory bodies.

In addition to legal advice, he prides himself on providing business-oriented solutions which minimize risks and enable his clients to reach their corporate goals. The companies with whom he works prize his immediate accessibility, his wide range of contacts in the regulatory arena, and his deep expertise gleaned from a sharp focus on this area of law. Prior to law school Ashish worked as a Chemist and a GMP auditor for the pharmaceutical industry. He also brings a tremendous amount of GMP experience to help respond to FDA 483’s and Warning Letters.

Ashish frequently publishes articles and presents at webinars and conferences addressing industry and legal subjects of developing importance. In his spare time, Ashish and his wife, a pediatric dentist, enjoy sharing their healthy lifestyle with their two young children.

Katelyn Wiard, a nationally recognized advocate for the emerging hemp and CBD industry, serves as the administrative manager of Frost Brown Todd’s hemp practice.

Katelyn joined Frost Brown Todd in 2016 as an administrator of the firm government affairs affiliate, CivicPoint. Initially, she worked to address a myriad of client interests, from agricultural lending to child marriage laws. In this capacity, Katelyn also spent much of her time learning about the needs of emerging markets and how they make space for themselves in their corresponding industries. Soon thereafter, she found herself deeply involved in the emerging hemp industry. Katelyn uses her role as Director of Operations to continue to develop as a subject and industry expert. In this capacity, Katelyn has learned about the barriers, regulatory and otherwise, that are often placed on new markets and how to effectively overcome them. Katelyn now serves as a point of contact for much of the hemp industry, with connections to various hemp groups across the country, and she is well-versed in the art of managing large, diverse teams to accomplish a single, mutually beneficial goal.

Prior, Katelyn graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and she is currently working toward her Executive MBA through the University of Kentucky’s Professional MBA Program. In 2016, Katelyn was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship by the J. William Fulbright Foundation in the Field of Public Policy. In 2019, Katelyn served on the Gubernatorial Transition team for Agriculture Policy. Currently, Katelyn serves on the Advisory Board for Sullivan University as they work to develop a cannabis curriculum, and she spends much of her free time volunteering in the Lexington Community through the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.