THE ACTA GROUP - Key Persons
Alexander E. Howard, MS is a Toxicologist and Regulatory Scientist with The Acta Group (Acta®) responsible for placing and monitoring studies to support global product registrations. Mr. Howard's experience includes serving as lead monitoring scientist at a Fortune 500 global agrichemical company responsible for ecotoxicology, physical chemistry, and fate and effects studies; and performing hazard and risk assessments on new and existing chemicals for both human health and environmental endpoints for numerous large clients as a consultant. His scientific acumen was honed as a lab researcher doing in vivo and in vitro epigenetic and endocrinology research.
Mr. Howard assists clients with testing necessary for regulatory compliance under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulations; U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines; the European Union's legislation on Plant Protection Products (PPP); and other global chemical regulatory programs.
Mr. Howard offers clients exceptional knowledge of test methods, including those prescribed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council (CIPAC). He brings experience in performing exposure analysis and hazard characterization and applying this information to help develop risk assessments. Mr. Howard is adept at literature and data research and proficient with quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and read-across analysis using the OECD QSAR Toolbox, TEST, VEGA, CEM, and other modeling software.
Mr. Howard holds a Master's Degree in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology.
Allison MacDougall Davidson is the Senior Editor for The Acta Group (Acta®). She proofreads, provides citations, and checks many of the documents that the firm provides to clients and agencies. She has proofed and cite checked many of the articles and books published by individuals in the firm. Ms. MacDougall Davidson has been an environmental professional for more than 30 years and is a confident and trusted resource for Acta.
Barbara Christianson has worked at The Acta Group (Acta®) for over a decade, honing her experience in the industries that Acta serves. Ms. Christianson assists Acta clients with a broad range of detail-oriented, oftentimes deadline-driven activities.
Ms. Christianson plays a key role in coordinating and providing detailed quality control review of documents and submissions and has significant experience using industry-specific software programs. She reviews and revises regulatory submissions to confirm conformance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. In particular, Ms. Christianson:
Formats scientific reports submitted in support of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) registrations and amendments, and in response to data call-ins, according to EPA's strict requirements;
Coordinates assembly and presentation of EPA forms and related documentation for FIFRA submissions;
Reviews documentation for confidential business information and prepares sanitized submissions; and
Works with EPA e-PMN software to complete Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) submissions, including Premanufacture Notifications (PMN), exemption applications, and related support documents.
Ms. Christianson also assists clients with detailed review of FIFRA product labels to implement EPA-required changes and verify completeness and consistency of revisions.
Carolyn Wray is Regulatory Assistant for The Acta Group (Acta®). Based in Acta's Manchester, England, office, Ms. Wray assists with the preparation of contracts, data sharing agreements, and other required notices; prepares documents drafted by firm professionals in final for submission to clients and government entities; coordinates client meetings and conferences; and ensures the efficient day-to-day functioning of the firm's professionals.
Chad Howlin has been an essential part of The Acta Group (Acta®) team for three decades. In serving as Lynn Bergeson's administrative assistant, Chad's responsibilities are extensive. He manages all day-to-day activities, client meetings, client calls, and all domestic and international travel arrangements. Chad manages and assists with the preparation of all of Ms. Bergeson's publications. Chad's relentless devotion to detail and superb organizational skills have made him a well-recognized professional among B&C's many clients and friends. Chad's resourcefulness and calm under pressure are comforting assets to colleagues and clients alike.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regulatory Specialist With
Christopher R. Blunck is a Senior Regulatory Specialist with The Acta Group (Acta®). Mr. Blunck most recently served as Policy Analyst and Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Mr. Blunck has managed or participated in the development of hundreds of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program regulations, guidance documents, and policy papers, and his decades of involvement in the regulatory development process at EPA are an invaluable asset to clients seeking to anticipate, address, and resolve regulatory compliance matters.
Over the course of his 30-year career at EPA, Chris developed and reviewed regulations, interpretive guidance, and other policies on TSCA matters, international chemical treaties, and international trade matters related to chemicals; represented the United States in the negotiation and implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and at technical and policy meetings under the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent; and earned numerous agency special citations and awards, including an EPA Gold Medal for Exceptional Service in 2017 for his work on the framework for implementing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century amendment of TSCA.
Mr. Blunck received his law degree from George Mason University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental, Population, and Organism Biology from the University of Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Content Manager
Emily A. Scherer is an integral member of Acta's team, supporting the marketing and scientific professionals in a range of capacities. Ms. Scherer's marketing activities include preparation of physical and digital materials promoting the capabilities of Acta and our affiliates, monitoring Acta's digital content metrics and devising appropriate digital strategy, and supporting Acta professionals at industry conferences and exhibits.
Ms. Scherer writes and curates content for Acta's websites and blogs.
Ms. Scherer is a graduate of Washington College, where she worked in the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) lab and was a tutor for Statistics, Management Information Systems, and Financial Analysis.
Emma Louise Jackson, The Acta Group's (Acta®) Manager, REACH, is distinguished by more than a decade of experience in regulatory environments, assisting clients to achieve regulatory compliance in the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU), the Americas, and Asia. She offers particular expertise in worldwide chemical notifications, data analysis, preparing test plans, and managing to completion large and complex compliance projects cost-effectively and harmoniously across multiple jurisdictions. Her focus is on compliance for industrial chemicals and chemical products.
Based in the UK, Ms. Jackson serves clients in the UK, EU, and worldwide. She offers regulatory advice on the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the UK's domestic implementation of REACH (UK REACH), South Korea's Act on Registration and Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (K-REACH), Taiwan's Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act (TCSCA), the EU and UK Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, and chemical control measures in India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China, among others. Clients rely on Acta specialists such as Ms. Jackson for review of classification and labeling of substances and mixtures, testing strategy advice, literature searching and reliability assessment, and compilation of regulatory documents, such as Chemical Safety Reports (CSR). She is an excellent resource for reviewing compliance with Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and she supports others in Acta in preparing SDSs and product labels and in liaising with various regulatory authorities in this regard.
As Manager, REACH, Ms. Jackson anticipates client needs by providing critical information necessary for intelligent business decisions. This value-added information allows clients to progress with their complex business arrangements. Previous to joining Acta, she was a regulatory manager at a large commercial laboratory.
Heather F. Collins, M.S., Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta®), has over two decades of experience developing, implementing, and managing environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) compliance for global chemical and chemical product companies. Her prodigious skills in developing biocide and pesticide registration and compliance strategies, coupled with her keen awareness of the financial and temporal pressures of the marketplace, make her an excellent resource for clients seeking a competitive edge in their compliance management. Ms. Collins holds a Masters in Science degree in Environmental Science and Management and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Biochemistry from Duquesne University.
Ms. Collins works with registrants of agricultural and other conventional pesticides, antimicrobial products, and biopesticides to register and manage compliance under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and U.S. state pesticide regulations. Her strategic guidance includes planning and coordinating preparation of FIFRA registration and amendment applications, tolerance and exemption petitions, notifications, and other submissions, including establishment registrations and annual reports, fee filings, and supplemental distributor notices. Ms. Collins also assists clients with compliance with requirements under the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).
Ms. Collins's knowledge of the hazard evaluation process enables her to assist clients efficiently and comprehensively to submit health and safety information to ensure that products are suitable for the intended registered application, and that customers use the products effectively. In addition, she has an extensive background in project management and has established multiple regulatory compliance training programs for companies.
Before joining Acta, Ms. Collins held senior positions at LANXESS Corporation and Weatherford International, and provided EH&S services to a wide variety of industrial clients as a consultant.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regulatory Consultant
Heather J. Blankinship is a Senior Regulatory Consultant withwith The Acta Group (Acta®). Ms. Blankinship works with clients to develop strategic, comprehensive, cost-effective approaches to global regulatory compliance, product risk assessment, and sustainability programs to help Acta clients achieve competitive advantage and long-term product viability and success. Prior to joining Acta, Ms. Blankinship directed the development and implementation of integrated global product stewardship and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) activities for Guardian Industries, INVISTA S.à r.l., and Flint Hills Resources, among others. Ms. Blankinship's product category expertise includes oil and gas, polymers and fibers, specialty materials and solvents, glass manufacturing, and industrial coatings.
Through Ms. Blankinship's 30-plus years' experience managing and directing global teams engaged in regulatory compliance, she has developed an extraordinary talent for understanding and devising effective solutions for multijurisdictional and novel or emerging chemical regulatory challenges. Her combination of hands-on experience and innovative thinking make her a powerful asset to clients seeking compliance assistance. Ms. Blankinship has helped companies develop and implement sector-leading strategies for hazard communication; risk assessment; risk management and mitigation, including those related to toll manufacturing and third-party manufacturing; product safety systems and training; supply chain communication; change management; and business process transformation.
Ms. Blankinship provides expert advice and assistance in achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance under many global regulatory schemes, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the European Union's (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), matters under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Operations and Marketing
Heidi Brown Lewis, Senior Director, Operations and Marketing for The Acta Group (Acta®) and our affiliates Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C., manages operations, general business functions, and marketing and business development for our law offices and consulting affiliates in the U.S., UK, and EU. Ms. Lewis brings over 30 years of business management and marketing experience to our firms, having held senior roles in media and communications companies in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Lewis contributes to cost-effective management throughout the organizations, deploying her considerable skills in strategic planning, process management, marketing technology, and personnel development to help our firms deliver outstanding service to our clients.
In addition to responsibility for financial planning and controls, personnel administration, systems, and physical facilities, Ms. Lewis directs B&C's marketing and business development efforts, promoting our people and services in a manner that clearly expresses our commitment to quality, service, and value across the spectrum of twenty-first century communication tools: client alerts and newsletters; websites, blogs, and social media outlets; industry events and directories; and traditional media and press outlets.
Prior to joining Acta, Ms. Lewis was Vice President of International Marketing at Sony Music, London. Her previous roles include Vice President, Marketing, Columbia Records in New York, and President of Heidi Brown Lewis Associates, a marketing and brand strategy consultancy. Ms. Lewis earned a degree in Molecular Biology from Vanderbilt University, and a certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University. She is active in the Legal Marketing Association, the International Legal Technology, the Association of Legal Administrators, and the American Bar Association Law Practice Division.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs
Job Titles:
- Regulatory Consultant With
Karen L. Lorusso, Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta®), is a highly-experienced product safety professional who has led many complex global hazard communication and regulatory compliance projects, both as in-house staff and as a consultant serving global chemical and chemical product producers. Ms. Lorusso's areas of expertise include U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), the European Union's (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, UK REACH, South American hazard communication requirements, implementation of KKDIK (Kimyasalların Kaydı, Değerlendirilmesi, İzni ve Kısıtlanması), and those of the Pacific Rim, including Australia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
Ms. Lorusso's clients benefit from her superior project management skills and ability to bring multiple projects to timely and successful completion. Ms. Lorusso assesses product compositions to meet country regulations and produce compliant Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and labels in multiple platforms, including SAP, WERCS, MSDgen, and Chemwatch AuthorITe; provides guidance and input on regional system programming and data input; and determines transportation classifications based on regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG), the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), and the Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG). She is certified by the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council (DGAC) in DOT, IMDG, IATA, and ADR, and by the International Compliance Center (ICC) in TDG.
Before joining Acta, Ms. Lorusso held positions at Ashland Inc. (formally International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP)), Takasago International Corporation, and a large environmental, health, and safety (EHS) consultancy.
Job Titles:
- Director of Hazard Communication
- Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy
- Regulatory Consultant
Karin F. Baron, MSPH, Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy with The Acta Group (Acta®), has more than 20 years' experience developing, implementing, and managing complex chemical regulatory compliance strategies for some of the largest industrial and specialty chemical companies in the world. Her primary areas of practice include navigating the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), including classification, labeling, and authoring of compliant safety data sheets (SDS), hazard and risk assessment, industrial hygiene, and environmental health and safety (EHS) programs. She managed assessments for product manufacturers wishing to comply with the food contact materials and cosmetics regulations under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumer products under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Canada's Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations (CCCR).
Ms. Baron provides clients with expert advice and guidance in a broad range of chemical-specific regulatory matters involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the European Union's (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), UK REACH, South Korea REACH, KKDIK (Turkey REACH), China's MEE Order No 12, FDA, Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and the transport of dangerous or hazardous goods. She maintains certifications to provide guidance on a variety of issues on hazardous materials transport under the U.S. Department of Transportation Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 C.F.R. Parts 105 - 180), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
Ms. Baron's comprehensive grasp of the sometimes bewildering tangle of worldwide chemical control regulations is a powerful asset for clients bringing products to market in multiple jurisdictions. As Manager of Hazard Communications at International Specialty Products (ISP), Manager of FDA Compliance at Ciba Specialty Chemicals, and Product Safety Toxicologist and Global Health and Safety officer at Reichhold, Inc., Ms. Baron gained extensive, hands-on knowledge of how to commercialize a wide variety of chemical end products, distribute them globally, and manage the documentation necessary to maintain compliance. Clients rely on Ms. Baron's skillful project management to bring large projects to completion under tight deadlines and intense competitive pressures.
Job Titles:
- Regulatory Consultant With
Kelly N. Garson is a Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group. (Acta®). Ms. Garson assists clients with Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and other federal and state regulatory matters; researches and prepares white papers, briefs, and regulatory memoranda to provide Acta clients with knowledge and strategy to meet regulatory challenges and seize competitive opportunities; and augments the timely and efficient delivery of outstanding client services by the Acta team.
Ms. Garson developed her skills in handling regulatory matters at the local, state, and federal level through an impressive track record of clerkships and internships, including positions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance; the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division; the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 2 Office; and the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.
Ms. Garson holds a JD from The George Washington University Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the George Washington Journal of Energy and Environmental Law, and degrees in history and environmental studies with a concentration in policy and law from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regulatory Scientist / Quality Assurance Specialist
- Senior Regulatory Scientist and Quality Assurance Specialist
Lara A. Hall is a Senior Regulatory Scientist and Quality Assurance Specialist at The Acta Group (Acta®) and Registered Quality Assurance Professional in Good Laboratory Practices (RQAP-GLP) with over two decades of experience in environmental research, study monitoring, quality assurance, and international regulatory support. Ms. Hall assists clients in placing and monitoring studies to assist with new chemicals, pesticides, biocides, and endocrine disruptor testing programs (domestic and international); developing testing plans for chemicals that are subject to regulatory approval; and assessing studies for conformance with testing guidelines, data compensation, and regulatory and GLP requirements.
Ms. Hall's commitment to scientific integrity, deadlines, budgets, and her acute attention to detail are all invaluable to clients pursuing regulatory compliance in a competitive business climate. She is proficient in monitoring and auditing studies through all phases of environmental testing programs, including test plan development, laboratory inspection and study placement, protocol development, dose selection, in-life monitoring, and report and data review for scientific integrity and compliance, budget management, and sponsor updates. Her regulatory experience includes dossier and robust summary preparation, environmental risk assessment, fate modeling, and interfacing with a global network of regulatory officials related to submissions under the European Union (EU) Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the EU, Korea, and Turkey.
Lisa M. Campbell founded The Acta Group (Acta®) with Lynn L. Bergeson. Today her practice focuses on many aspects of pesticide and chemical regulation. She counsels clients on a wide range of issues pertaining to exposure and risk assessment, risk communication, and related legal and regulatory aspects of pesticide programs under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). She also counsels B&C clients on various chemical-specific programs under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as well as chemicals regulation and compliance matters under other environmental statutes.
Ms. Campbell offers more than 20 years of experience in addressing pesticide and chemical product approval, defense, and regulatory issues. She assists clients in addressing issues and problems quickly and efficiently, and helps to focus resources on those aspects of an issue that will enable clients to move forward effectively. Ms. Campbell helps coordinate appropriate internal and external expert technical, policy, public relations, and other legal resources and she applies them to client issues so that effective and efficient solutions are developed and implemented. She also assists clients in communicating with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff, managing their products and issues, and brings more than two decades of experience to these matters.
Ms. Campbell, with her colleagues, offers an unparalleled breadth and depth of experience and expertise in finding and implementing solutions to challenging pesticide and chemical product regulatory issues, whether helping clients keep challenged products on the market or bringing new products to the market.
Among the many services Ms. Campbell provides B&C clients are:
Strategic counseling on U.S. pesticide and industrial chemical product approval, defense, and regulatory issues.
Assistance in working and meeting with EPA and other agency staff on various product approval, defense, and regulatory issues.
Preparing written documents, comments, letters, and other similar items intended for submission to regulatory agencies, competitors, and other legal counsel.
Working with technical, policy, public relations, and other legal experts in various fields related to product defense and approval work, to bring a coordinated, efficient, and effective solution to client challenges.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regulatory Specialist
Job Titles:
- Editor
- President
- EPA Can Lead or Get Out of the Way, " the Environmental Forum, May / June 2023
- Expert
President of The Acta Group (Acta®), Ms. Bergeson counsels clients on issues pertaining to chemical hazard, exposure and risk assessment, and risk communication. She has earned an international reputation in the legal and regulatory aspects of conventional and nanoscale chemical regulatory programs under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), and on issues pertinent to nanotechnology and other emerging transformative technologies. Specialties include chemical product approval and regulation under TSCA, FIFRA, and REACH, as well as nanoscale substances and nanomaterials law, policy, and regulation.
Today, Ms. Bergeson works with corporations and a wide range of trade associations on evolving regulatory and policy matters pertinent to products of conventional, biotechnology, biobased chemicals, nanotechnologies, and other emerging technologies particularly with respect to TSCA, FIFRA, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), REACH and REACH-like programs, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) matters.
She served as chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources and currently serves as chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Agriculture and Food Section. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, and the Product Stewardship Society, among other business and law organizations, and lectures and writes frequently on legal, regulatory, and science policy issues. Ms. Bergeson is also Managing Partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., a Washington D.C. law firm focusing on conventional, biobased, and nanoscale industrial, agricultural, and specialty chemical product approval and regulation, product defense, and associated business issues, and President of B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C., which helps the chemical industry leverage resources and maximize impact by forming consortia to achieve shared research, testing, regulatory, and access goals.
Lynn L. Bergeson, Bethami Auerbach, Lisa R. Burchi, Carla N. Hutton, and Zameer Qureshi, Authors, "Case Studies in Regulatory Concepts," in Chemical Risk Governance, Adam DK Abelkop, Lucas Bergkamp, Lynn L. Bergeson, and Bethami Auerbach, Editors, Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law, Edward Elgar Publishing (2023).
Lynn L. Bergeson, Editor; Bethami Auerbach, Lynn L. Bergeson, Lisa R. Burchi, Lisa M. Campbell, Sheryl L. Dolan, Ruth C. Downes-Norriss, Carla N. Hutton, Leslie S. MacDougall, Henry M. Jacoby, Kathleen M. Roberts, Contributing Authors, Global Chemical Control Handbook: A Guide to Chemical Management Programs, American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (2014).
Mayra T. Johnson, CPA, is Senior Controller for The Acta Group (Acta®), guiding and managing all financial activities of the consulting firm and affiliated law and consortia management firms including offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. She manages Acta's accounting team and works closely with the firm's banking and tax planning vendors.
Ms. Johnson's two decades of accounting and financial management experience include roles of increasing responsibility with outside accounting firms and in-house financial departments, most recently as assistant director of accounting with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), where she was responsible for managing the financial audit requirements of AFT and its related entities and led the training and preparation of the annual multi departmental budget.
Ms. Johnson has led internal accounting teams through major system migrations and has been a critical resource in identifying and implementing more efficient processes at various levels of the organization.
Job Titles:
- Regulatory Scientist / Quality Assurance Specialist
Michelle C. Mims, MS, RQAP-GLP, is a Regulatory Scientist and Quality Assurance Specialist at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®). Ms. Mims assists clients in placing and monitoring studies for regulatory submissions related to new substance registrations and continued compliance under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) chemical control frameworks.
Ms. Mims' knowledge of and experience with regulatory guidelines and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards ensures client test data are of the highest quality. Her business-sensitive project management skills drive continuous process optimization to help clients meet their commercialization goals within budgetary constraints and production timelines. Prior to joining B&C, Ms. Mims was a Quality Assurance Auditor with a global testing and research organization. She received Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Biotechnology with a Minor in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Odeth Yalcin has been an integral part of Acta's team for 20 years. Odeth's familiarity with our clients, friends, and service providers is an essential component to the firm's day-to-day functioning. Odeth's many administrative responsibilities include creating and processing letters, memoranda, and other communications to clients and others, ensuring all firm supplies are obtained, assisting with the firm's billing protocol, assisting with opening new client matters in the firm's software platform, managing bank deposits, maintaining the firm's extensive client and friends database, collaborating with other firm professionals to meet client needs, addressing all needs pertinent to meetings within the office, and otherwise ensuring client needs are satisfied.
Odeth's commitment and loyalty to the firm and its affiliates are a reflection of her passion for excellence and service.
Paula M. Bérard, MLS is a Paralegal and Legal Editor with The Acta Group (Acta®). For more than 40 years, Ms. Bérard's expert and accurate document review has improved books, periodicals, scientific papers, and government documents published by the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Geographic Society, and Princeton University Press, among others.
Ms. Bérard holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland.
R. David Peveler, Ph.D. is a chemist with several areas of specialization. His areas of expertise include domestic and Canadian product regulatory compliance, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) Indirect Food Additive and packaging matters, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) product registration and labeling matters, Department of Transportation (DOT) classification and labeling issues, and product safety (Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)/Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) compliant Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and labels). He is an authority in the Premanufacture Notification (PMN) review process and guides clients in preparation of PMNs, including any needed interaction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of the PMN after submission. Dr. Peveler also provides preparation and submission of New Substance Notifications in Canada.
Dr. Peveler is very familiar with the Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) enterprise resource planning software for the environmental, health and safety (EHS) module and the role it plays in support of regulatory compliance. He is extraordinarily adept at putting EPA's eTSCA/e-PMN software to good use for The Acta Group (Acta®) clients.
Previous to joining Acta, Dr. Peveler served as a consultant to Evonik Degussa Corporation and managed a variety of product regulatory compliance matters under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), FFDCA, and related chemical product laws and regulatory programs. His work there provided special emphasis on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations around bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), including drug master files, drug establishment registrations, drug product listings, labeling, and import requirements. He also worked on the implementation of expert rules for use with Evonik's product safety software, SAP EH&S.
Prior to Evonik Degussa, Dr. Peveler was a Senior Regulatory Scientist with Chemtura Corporation, where he managed TSCA and Canadian Domestic Substance List (DSL) issues and chemistries, ranging from mineral oils to complex reaction products, a wide variety of FFDCA direct and indirect food contact matters, and DOT classification and training issues. Before Chemtura, Dr. Peveler was at Witco Corporation, as Manager of Regulatory Affairs for the Polymer Additives Group. He also served as R&D Group Leader, where he directed researchers in a variety of areas involving polymer additives, including PVC heat stabilizers and polymeric plasticizers, and antioxidants for polyolefins.
Job Titles:
- Director of Chemistry With
Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. is Director of Chemistry with The Acta Group (Acta®). Dr. Engler is a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is one of the most widely recognized experts in the field of green chemistry, having served as senior staff scientist in EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) and leader of EPA's Green Chemistry Program. He has participated in thousands of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) substance reviews at EPA, as well as pre-notice and post-review meetings with submitters to resolve complex or difficult cases, and he draws upon this invaluable experience to assist B&C clients as they develop and commercialize novel chemistries.
Dr. Engler's expansive understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities TSCA presents for green and sustainable chemistry is a powerful asset for clients during regulatory review. He assists clients in performing toxicological reviews, performing environmental fate modeling using Sustainable Futures tools, and preparing scientific and test data for regulatory submission. He is particularly skilled in preparing Pollution Prevention (P2) statements to highlight the concrete environmental benefits of biobased or renewable chemicals, as well as other sustainable chemistry products and processes.
During his years at EPA, Dr. Engler was an advocate for green chemistry and leader of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, served many years on the organizing committee of the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, performed relevancy reviews for EPA's Office of Research and Development Small Business Innovation Results funding, and represented EPA on the NSF/GCI/ANSI 355: Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard development committee, where he served as Vice-Chair. He also taught risk-based decision-making at the University of California, Berkeley Extension's Green Chemistry Certificate program.
Dr. Engler holds a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and taught classes in organic chemistry there and at the University of San Diego prior to joining EPA.
Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. and Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D., "Why the US EPA can, and should, evaluate the risk-reducing role a new chemical may play if allowed on the market," Chemical Watch, February 22, 2021.
Stanley B. Johnson is Senior Accountant for The Acta Group (Acta®) and affiliated law and consortia management firms, executing the crucial day-to-day financial transactions of the firms.
Mr. Johnson has over a decade of accounting experience with industry and non-profit organizations, during which he led efforts to update filing systems, increase efficiencies, and complete timely audits for clients.
Mr. Johnson has over a decade of accounting experience with industry and non-profit organizations, during which he led efforts to update filing systems, increase efficiencies, and complete timely audits for clients.