About Us

Overseeing Marketing and Communications at Clean Label Project, Karli brings years of experience partnering with both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Her primary focus areas are business strategy, brand/marketing management, PR and communications, graphic/web design, and overall operations. In addition to her work managing the reach, relevance, and reputation of both individuals and organizations, Karli has spearheaded enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, focusing on brand and business development, social outreach, and client advocacy. She has partnered with, supported, and held leadership roles within several socially innovative organizations like The B Team with Virgin Unite, and educational institutions like the Center for the Advancement of Well-being at George Mason University. Karli is a true Clean Label Project advocate with an aim to change the way we work and live for the better.

Karli holds a BFA from Shepherd University, and presently works and volunteers as a Design and Business Consultant for startups, local small businesses, and growing non-profits nationally.

Sarah is a devoted mother of two that brings her appreciation for clean eating and living an active and healthy lifestyle to the Clean Label Project. Sarah supports the Clean Label Project’s social media and website content research and development. Given Sarah’s unique skill set as a full-time special education instructor, Sarah ensures that the Clean Label Project toxicology, epidemiology, and statistics content is distilled in a manner that is understandable to scientists and non-scientists alike. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys running half marathons, playing soccer, and working on her Masters in Educational Leadership.

Sarah holds a Masters in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University and a Bachelors in Language Arts from Miami University in Ohio.

Sheridan Peterson is currently studying Animal Sciences and Food Safety Technologies at Colorado State University. She is set to graduate in May 2021 and wants to pursue a career in the food safety industry. Being the sixth generation on a cattle ranch Sheridan is passionate about the meat and agricultural industry and wants to take part in changing the relationship between the producer and the consumer by adding more transparency in the food we eat and how it is produced.

Jackie Bowen is the Executive Director of the Clean Label Project. Before coming to Clean Label Project, Jackie held numerous technical, standards development, and leadership roles within the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, NSF International. Most recently, she served as the General Manager of Quality Assurance International, the largest domestic USDA organic certifier, the Director of NSF International’s Consumer Values Verified division focusing on bringing to market certification offerings including Non-GMO Project and Certified Gluten-free, and the Director of NSF Agriculture- North America focusing on farm food safety.

Jackie earned a BS in environmental biology from Michigan State University, a Master of Public Health in management and policy from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science in quality engineering from Eastern Michigan University, and a post-graduate certificate in innovation and business strategy from MIT.

Kayleen is the COO at Euphebe Healthcare, a ‘food as medicine’ program designed to make it easy to improve our health, to feel and look better through eating really tasty, plant-based, good-for-you food. Before joining Euphebe, she was the Director of Nutrition at Natural Gourmet Institute, where she instructed chefs in training on the topic of culinary nutrition. Kayleen is currently an adjunct professor of Nutrition in Food Studies at NYU. She has also worked in private practice consulting with clients on the topics of heart disease, gut health, and weight loss.

As a registered dietitian with a deep-rooted love for food, she is passionate about sharing a simplified method for approaching culinary nutrition and demystifying nutrition science as a whole. She developed the Culinary Nutrition Certificate Program at Natural Gourmet Institute and collaborated with Vegetarian Times magazine to develop and instruct the ‘Foundations of Plant-Based Nutrition’ online course, which covers the fundamentals of nutrition and plant-centric cooking techniques.

Kayleen earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and has a background in finance and accounting from working as a CPA at a Big 4 Accounting firm.

Tisha Deeghan, MSW MPH is a public health professional who has dedicated her life to changing the conversation on mental health. She has worked in the field of mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention for 40 years, and has spearheaded many programs aimed at improving the total health of people in the community, body and mind. She received her Master of Social Work from Michigan State University and her Master of Health Services Administration/Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Ms. Deeghan recently retired as Fairfax County (VA) Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services, a broad network of agencies and community organizations serving more than 120,000 residents each year with a budget of $800 million. She served previously as the Executive Director of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, a public mental health entity that serves over 21,000 people each year. Prior to that, she worked for thirteen years as the Senior Vice President/COO of Genesee Health System (GHS) in Flint, Michigan, an integrated behavioral health/primary care organization. In addition, she has served as a national healthcare consultant for over 18 years, during which time she assisted hundreds of public and private healthcare organizations to better focus on the health and welfare of the people they serve. She is a recognized community leader in the drive to reduce the risk of preventable deaths from treatable illnesses. In pursuit of this goal, Ms. Deeghan personally expanded the mission of GHS, transforming the mental-health-focused agency into a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center that served the total health needs of Flint area residents who could not otherwise access basic medical services. She has presented on these topics at numerous state and national conferences including the American Public Health Association, National Council for Behavioral Health, and NIMH

Todd began his career with Proctor & Gamble in 1989 but soon became a serial entrepreneur. After graduating from the University of Denver Law School in 1994, he successfully completed an environmental service rollup, which led to a career as a venture capitalist. In 1996, Todd co-founded Canyon Capital, an early-stage venture fund. As a Managing Partner, he was intimately involved with the development of a wide range of software, Internet, and consumer product companies. Also, in 1996, Todd co-founded Global Education Fund (“GEF”), a non-profit organization building libraries in developing countries. To date, GEF has created 53 libraries and literacy centers in 21 countries throughout the world. In 2002, Todd co-founded the IZZE Beverage Company. IZZE manufactures and markets a line of all-natural sparkling fruit juices available at Whole Foods Markets, Wild Oats Marketplace, Starbucks, Target, Costco, and a wide variety of independent locations. Todd served as President and CEO of IZZE until its sale to PepsiCo in 2006 and was a recipient of the 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Ernst & Young. Mr. Woloson earned a BA degree from St. Lawrence University in New York and a JD from the University of Denver Law School.

Bethan Grylls has been working as a professional writer for more than a decade. She is currently the Editor of Food Manufacture, which commands the largest audience of any online platform dedicated solely to readers working in the UK food and drink manufacturing industry. Prior to joining Food Manufacture (part of the William Reed group), she led New Food Magazine’s content team. Among her achievements made during her time at New Food, she was responsible for organizing one of the world’s largest virtual, scientific food and beverage conferences (Food Integrity 2021). Bethan is a regular speaker at food and drink events and a well-respected thought-leader in her field.

Dr. Canale is from Montreal, Canada and earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from McGill University. She completed her residency training in Family Medicine at UCLA. After medical residency, she joined the teaching faculty at the UCLA Family Health Center, where she practiced for 15 years. Dr. Canale is a Member of the American Board of Family Medicine. In 2021, she left UCLA and practicing full-time to focus on Lactation Lab.  Lactation Lab was born out of a personal need to understand what was in her breast milk she in turn wanted to help mother’s optimize their milk and baby’s nutrition. She is married with two young children and despite loving the weather in Southern California still enjoys winter sports such as skiing and playing ice hockey.

Education:
Medical Board Certifications: Family Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, 2007-present
Residency: Family Practice, UCLA School of Medicine, 2005-2007
Internship: Family Practice, UCLA School of Medicine, 2004-2005
Degree: McGill University Faculty of Medicine, M.D., 2004

Lactation Lab was founded in 2017
Why Lactation Lab was founded:

Lactation Lab was born out of my own breastfeeding experience, which I felt was the hardest time of my life. For me, breastfeeding was incredibly painful and time-consuming, and not enjoying the process filled me with shame and guilt. I sought answers everywhere as to what might be going wrong. While the Internet was full of theories, I was surprised to find that there were essentially no evidence-based resources available. I thought, “of all the lab tests I can order, why is there no way of knowing what is in my own milk?”

I started digging into the scientific research and realized that there is actually plenty of evidence around the science of breast milk. There were an abundance of studies showing that behavior changes, like modifying diet, could create a positive impact on breast milk quality and feeding outcomes. I resolved to create a solution that would empower moms with the information I had longed for in my own journey.

Dr. Susan Beck, Ph.D. L.Ac. CNS, is a California licensed acupuncturist and a nationally certified acupuncturist. Dr. Beck is also a certified clinical nutritionist and has expertise in clinical trial design and management and public speaking. She has over 18 years of experience developing products for the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, functional food/beverage, and cosmeceutical industries. Dr. Beck possesses a broad knowledge of modern nutritional science and traditional botanical use. Dr. Beck has worked previously as the Chief Science Officer for Threshold Enterprises and has also been the Lead Scientist for Dietary Supplements for Nestlé, USA, as well as acted as the Technical Director for two prominent companies in the dietary supplement industry: Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems and Draco Natural Products. She was part of the team at Rainbow Light that created the number one selling multivitamin in the industry. She was also part of the northern California regional buying team at Whole Foods Market and ran her own Health and Wellness Clinic in Sunnyvale, CA. As Chief Science Officer, Dr. Beck was responsible for new product development and new product pipeline oversight and management, reducing new product time to market by 56%. She oversaw the successful execution of over 170 new products in 6 years, including the creation of uniquely targeted products specifically designed for a wide variety of health issues, such as cognition, cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health, mitochondrial regeneration, healthy inflammation response, blood sugar balance, and mood health. Currently, Dr. Beck is consulting for various companies in the Natural Products Industry and is creating unique products in the supplement, food, and pet care categories.

Dr. Beck earned a Ph.D. in Nutritional Science with a specialization in Oncology from Union Institute and a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University.

In 1997, Dr. Dan Berman founded the Denver Animal Hospital. Prior to beginning Denver Animal Hospital, Dr. Berman owned and operated Homevet, an exclusive house call practice for the Denver community. As a resident of the Washington Park neighborhood, Dr. Berman’s goal when founding Denver Animal Hospital, was to establish a “neighborhood practice” which would provide him the ability to have solid long-term doctor/client relationships. This philosophy has paved the way for Denver Animal Hospital to be what we all know and love today.

Dr. Berman is a 1983 graduate of Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He also earned a Masters Degree in Animal Nutrition from Colorado State University and a Bachelor Degree in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts.

Hannah Gardener, ScD, is the founder of A Green Slate, a consulting company that helps families choose safe and healthy products for their homes. A Green Slate is all about making it easy and affordable to go green. She works with people to identify small, simple, gradual, and inexpensive changes they can make to their living environment to reduce their exposure to toxic chemicals. Dr. Gardener’s education and nine years as an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Medical School are key assets to Clean Label Project’s algorithm and methodology for assessing contaminants in consumer goods. As an epidemiologist, she conducts clinical research on risk factors for chronic diseases, with primary areas of focus in environmental and dietary predictors for neurological diseases and the long-term effects of exposures early in life. Dr. Gardener’s work has been featured on the Today Show, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Primer Impacto, National Public Radio, and radio talk shows. Her research has been published in more than 60 medical journals and presented at major medical conferences in the US and internationally.

Dr. Gardener earned a Doctorate in epidemiology from Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Dr. Goldberg is a Miami-based integrative medicine physician in private practice. She has practiced medicine for nearly 20 years and is board certified in internal medicine, integrative/holistic medicine, and has an advanced degree in tropical medicine and hygiene from the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine (Lima, Peru). Her background includes 15 years as an academic internist/hospital medicine physician serving as an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (both in New York City), and more recently at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Goldberg has a special interest in the links between environmental toxicity and chronic disease. She particularly enjoys working with patients suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity and associated conditions because of limited treatment options within the conventional medical model. Her practice is geared towards helping patients learn practical application within a toxic world by providing the hands-on, detailed advice that needed to reclaim and maintain health.

Dr. Hand is the kind of pediatrician every parent wishes they knew. His work in pediatric integrative medicine is a model for treating children’s chronic lifestyle health issues. Parents love his caring approach to teaching children about the value of making healthy choices in their daily life. After his medical residency, Dr. Hand developed the pediatric nephrology division at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.

In his most recent career journey, he graduated from Dr Andrew Weil’s fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona (2008) and created the pediatric integrative medicine division at Maine Medical Center. In 2011 Dr Hand was hired by New Hampshire’s Hospital for Children at the Elliot Hospital to develop the pediatric nephrology division and to create a children’s hospital with integrative medicine as its cornerstone. He has been featured in a number of international television shows including 20/20, the Discovery Channel and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Clean Label Project is honored to have his support in reducing children’s exposure to contaminants and additives in foods.

He graduated from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1989, followed by his pediatric residency and chief residency at Maine Medical Center. Dr. Hand then completed his fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Mr. Lijana has spent his career protecting the public through food safety and quality assurance. With 35+ years of experience in practical food manufacturing, Bob’s area of expertise lies in food quality and food safety risk management. He worked in technical leadership capacities within DuPont and Procter & Gamble. Lijana has extensive knowledge in food quality systems and public health protection measures including GMPs, HACCP, SQF, and FSMA. He is an experienced writer contributing to over 30 regulatory publications.

Amanda Smith is an Analytical Chemist and Food Scientist who realized at an early age that understanding science was the key to knowing the truth about food and health. Through her career, she has used a suite of analytical instruments to detect specific qualities of food and beverages such as synthetic colors, flavoring components, sodium content, solvent residues, and agricultural source. While with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Amanda led the successful initiative to achieve ISO 17025 accreditation for the Nonbeverage Products Laboratory. Recently, she has been consulting on food product formulation, with a number of her formulations now on store shelves.

Amanda earned a Masters in Food Science and Nutrition from The Ohio State University and a Bachelors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and German from Bradley University. She and her two retired racers volunteer with Colorado Greyhound Adoption.

Yan Hai is the president and principal consultant of Innova Medipharm Inc. (IMI), a consulting firm specializing in regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and cGxPs services for the cannabis and pharmaceutical industries. The main services IMI offers include but are not limited to: cannabis License application, inspection readiness, auditing, SOP writing, GMP and ISO qualification, quality system development, deviation investigation, gap assessment, change control program, etc. Yan earned a Master of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry & Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering from University of Toronto. She has over 18 years of progressive experience in the pharmaceutical, cannabis, medical device, and natural health products. Yan has thorough knowledge and extensive experience in quality and compliance, cGxPs, regulatory standards including FDA and Health Canada drug, cannabis and medical device regulations, and ISO standards. Yan has worked on a variety of roles in big pharmaceutical companies such as: Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, Taro Pharmaceuticals, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has also worked with well-known cannabis companies like Vivo Cannabis. Yan has proven ability to improve quality systems including interpreting new regulatory requirements, fixing gaps between quality systems and regulatory standards, implementation of CAPA systems and other quality processes to ensure compliance and cost effectiveness. Throughout her career, she has successfully conducted key scientific and quality roles on 300+ projects.