UNPA Team
Loren D. Israelsen
President & Founder
loren@unpa.com
801.474.2572
Mr. Israelsen is the President and Founder of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), an international trade association of dietary supplement companies committed to safety, science and quality.
He has been deeply involved in the commercial and regulatory issues facing the global dietary supplement industry since 1980. On the commercial side, he served as general counsel and president of Nature’s Way Products, Inc. He has also served as vice president/general counsel to the American Herbal Products Association, co-founder and counsel to the European American Phytomedicine Coalition (EAPC), founding member of IADSA, industry liaison to FDA’s Expert Advisory Committee on Ephedra, industry advisor to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), expert panel member on IFT’s Functional Food Report and an expert panel member to the Department of Defense study on dietary supplement use among military personnel.
Mr. Israelsen has authored over 150 articles, book chapters and has lectured in over 30 countries on dietary supplement and functional food issues. He is the inaugural recipient of the NBJ Lifetime Achievement Award, the NNFA President’s Award and the B.Y. Morrison Lecture and Medal. He was honored to be included in Natural Health Magazine’s 30th Anniversary Hall of Fame and the New Hope Natural Media Hall of Fame. Mr. Israelsen was awarded the Mark Blumenthal Community Builder award in 2015 and received the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PLMI) Distinguished Service and Leadership Award in 2019.
Daniel Mabey
President – Asia Region
daniel@unpa.com
Based in Beijing, China, Daniel Mabey serves as UNPA’s Asia President. He is the Principal Director of UNPA’s Market Development Cooperator Program with the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration. This program aims to increase sales to China by developing an export-oriented quality standard for dietary supplements based on distributed ledger technology. Daniel also provides UNPA members with market research, regulatory support, and other services. He has over ten years of experience working in China and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. Daniel earned his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and studied abroad at Peking University.
Kira Olsen
VP of Member Services & Events
kira@unpa.com
801.474.2572
Kira Olsen serves as UNPA’s VP of Member Services & Events and has been with the organization since 2006. She manages the daily functions at UNPA, including member support, new client screening, and facilities, finance and office administration. Kira is also in charge of the planning and production of all UNPA events and educational offerings. Ms. Olsen comes to UNPA with a background in advertising and marketing. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in speech communications and minored in sociology. When Kira is not working, she loves to do anything “fun, challenging and exciting,” such as training for marathons and other athletic events, snowboarding, wakeboarding, scuba diving, and most of all, spending time with her husband and three beautiful children.
Mika Israelsen
Sr. Director of Operations
mika@unpa.com
801.474.2572
Mika serves as UNPA’s Senior Director of Operations, she has been the vibrant force driving daily operations since 2015. With a knack for finding silver linings, she infuses positivity and efficiency into her work, sparking enthusiasm among her colleagues. Mika, a natural-born cheerleader, fosters a culture of joy even within the routine of daily tasks, ensuring smooth operations across the board.
Based in the charming town of Littleton, Colorado, Mika radiates sunshine in both her personal and professional life, spreading joy and kindness wherever she goes. When she’s not immersed in work (though, let’s face it, moms never truly stop), she enjoys outdoor activities, dancing and occasionally indulges in makeup.
Heidi Calder
Assistant to the President
heidi@unpa.com
Heidi Calder brings 20 years of experience in the sports medicine and natural health fields. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with an emphasis in exercise physiology. She has also served as an instructor for the Utah Heart Association and worked at the LDS Hospital Fitness Institute in Salt Lake City. Since 1987, she has been the executive assistant to UNPA President Loren Israelsen during her tenure at Nature’s Way, the LDI Group, and UNPA. She is a skilled gardener and chef and the mother of three awesome boys.
Clint Calder
Senior Digital Marketing Advisor
clint@unpa.com
Clint is a digital marketing and brand development expert with a dynamic background. He began his career at some of New York City’s hottest ad agencies, supporting top-tier brands such as IBM, Dove Skin Care, and Chase Bank, where he executed large-scale social media campaigns. A trailblazer in every sense, Clint ventured into entrepreneurship, founding his own niche marketing firm that helps small businesses grow and scale. Outside the office, Clint’s passion for photography and Utah’s great outdoors keeps him busy and clear-headed.
Clint’s primary role for UNPA is managing content on the website, promoting events, and capturing and sharing content throughout the industry.
Peter Reinecke
Senior Political Advisor
Peter Reinecke, principal of Reinecke Strategic Solutions Inc., serves as Senior Advisor to UNPA. For 25 years, Peter has been a leader in health and nutrition policy having spent over 20 years working for the U.S. Congress. As staff to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and as Legislative Director and Chief of Staff to Sen. Tom Harkin, he helped write many key pieces of health legislation, including the establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Peter’s Capitol Hill tenure also included work on a range of other legislation including health care reform, child nutrition, measures to expand access to chiropractic and acupuncture services and to reorient the health care system towards prevention and wellness.
Peter has also served on the staff of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences and as a Visiting Lecturer at Duke University. He is a graduate of Duke University and is the proud father of two young children.
Patricia Knight
Senior Political Advisor
Patricia Knight left three decades of government service in 2007 to found a small Washington, D.C.-based consulting business providing strategic advice on a range of health-care issues, with an emphasis on those that are FDA-related. Trisha has had a long association with health care policy and legislation, particularly that involving dietary supplements. She served as Health Policy Director and later Chief of Staff to Senator Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, for 15 years. In that position, she was responsible for directing all aspects of the Senator’s office, including policy, legislative development, staffing and administration. She has also served at the Department of Health and Human Services twice as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation (Health), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Commerce, professional staff to the House Appropriations Committee, and chief legislative assistant to Rep. James T. Broyhill, former Ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Trisha has been involved in formulating legislation on a range of health-related issues, including health care reform, regulation of foods, drugs and medical devices, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She was one of the lead staffers in developing the major dietary supplement laws enacted in the past two decades – the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-417) and the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 109-462). Trisha graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University with a degree in photojournalism and anthropology.
John Atwater
Senior Regulatory & Technical Advisor
John B. Atwater, Ph.D. has over 25 years of experience in analytical chemistry, quality assurance program development, and drug development project management. Dr. Atwater had been with USP for 19 years and was the senior director of USP’s verification programs. Dr. Atwater helped develop and implement the most stringent national/international verification program for dietary supplements, dietary ingredients, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients. He has worked with over 60 different companies verifying the quality of their products. Dr. Atwater joined USP, in July 2001, after serving as Director of the Natural Products Analytical Group at Hauser Technical Services, in Boulder, CO, where he worked with staff chemists to isolate (extract, fractionate, and purify) natural drug actives; and develop, validate, and perform analytical test procedures for natural products analyses.
Education:
- PhD, Analytical Chemistry, Colorado State University
- BA, Chemistry, Colorado College
Certifications and Professional Associations:
- Regulatory Affairs Certified (RAC) Professional, Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS)
- Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), American Society for Quality (ASQ)
Tim Avila
Senior Science & Innovation Advisor
Tim is a leading authority in the global nutrition industry, blending 33 years of experience in discovery, validation and marketing of bioactive ingredients and consumer packaged nutrition products. He is President of Systems Bioscience, Inc., a company specializing in providing Global Fortune 500 companies with business and product development knowledge for the NEW CPG space comprised of dietary supplements, natural/organic and regenerative foods.
He also co-founded Zero Worries Foods Inc. in 2005, manufacturer and distributor of ZSWEET® brand all natural and USDA Certified Organic zero calorie tabletop sweetener. ZSweet is the innovator preparation and pioneering formulation in the blending of all-natural ingredients to replace caloric sweeteners and artificial sugar substitutes and the first to use erythritol. Related to his pioneering efforts in natural zero calorie sweeteners, Mr. Avila has successfully worked with an early-stage manufacturer to develop low cost sugar replacement ingredients for big food and beverage.
Mr. Avila has a 25-year tenure as Senior Executive Advisor to the Newhope Network and SupplySide trade media franchises now owned by Informa Markets. Tim's list of past clients includes Cargill, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Mars Inc. and many others. Mr. Avila is an original founding member of the screening committee at Nutrition Capital Network and now sits on the National Board of Directors of the Naturally Network, a non-profit membership association supporting industry growth.
As an advisor to Sambazon Inc. beginning in early 2001, Tim contributed to the development and revenue growth of one of the industry’s most respected socially responsible and B Corp. companies and lifestyle/passion brands.
Tim passionately and creatively pushes the boundaries of what is possible in product development and maintains a global network of radical innovators. Over the last 5 years, early-stage ventures have been a focus with projects ranging from a raft of start-ups, incubator concepts leading to successful new brands and companies. These projects benefit from Tim’s ability to coach and guide entrepreneurs in all aspects of the venturing process.
Becky Wright
Media Relations
Becky Wright has 25 years of experience in the nutritional field as a writer, editor, and marketer. For the first part of her career, she spent 12 years as the editor of the industry trade publication Nutraceuticals World. Most recently, she served as Marketing Manager, Innovation, at OmniActive Health Technologies, and before that as Director of Marketing & Communications for Aker BioMarine’s Superba krill oil brand. Today, she is the Marketing Communications Director for OmegaQuant, a consumer brand that specializes in omega-3 status testing. She also runs Wright On Marketing & Communications, a small independent agency that offers a variety of marketing and communication services to clients, with a particular emphasis on the nutritional field. She can be reached at becky@wrightonmarketing.com.
Karen Raterman
Editor, UNPA Digest
Karen has 25+ years of experience in the natural products industry, joining the industry right after the passage of DSHEA. In her current role as Associate Director of Content Marketing for Informa Markets, she specializes in custom and content marketing strategies for industry suppliers on Natural Products Insider, Food and Beverage Insider and for SupplySide Network events. She has covered the industry from an editorial perspective and served in management for New Hope Network publications and events. She has also worked as a contributing writer to HerbalGram, New Nutrition Business and Nutrition Business Journal and as a content creator and strategist for industry brands, suppliers and related associations. Karen enjoys working with the UNPA team on the Digest.