by Michael Johnsen, Drug Store News

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Tuesday announced several keynote speakers for its upcoming event, The Conference, taking place Oct. 18–21 at The Ritz-Carlton in Marana, Ariz.

Kicking off the first full day of sessions at The Conference on Thursday, Oct. 19, is Stephen Ostroff, FDA’s deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, who will discuss the agency’s regulatory priorities for dietary supplements and food. On Thursday afternoon, Bryce Hoffman, author of “Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competition by Challenging Everything,” will share insights on how companies can stress-test their strategies, identify missed opportunities, and expose hidden threats in order to help them succeed in today’s rapidly changing global economy.

And Friday begins with a keynote address from Bob Woodward, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor at the Washington Post. Woodward will share insights on the current political climate. On Friday afternoon, Stephen Wunker, consultant, entrepreneur and author of “Jobs to be Done: A Roadmap for Customer-Centered Innovation,” will discuss ways of connecting with the dietary supplement consumer based on his innovative methods, followed by a panel discussion with industry experts.

Saturday morning, the popular “Breakfast With…” session will feature Mark Halperin, senior political analyst, NBC News and MSNBC. Halperin, co-author of New York Times bestsellers “Double Down: Game Change 2012” and “Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime” among other books, is at work on the third Game Change installment, scheduled for publication in early 2018, and acquired by HBO for a planned mini series, following the success of the 2012 Game Change adaptation by HBO Films.

The final keynote session, following “Breakfast With…” on Saturday morning, will feature Brian Solis, digital analyst, business strategist, futurist, and author of the best-selling books “X: The Experience When Business Meets Design,” “The End of Business as Usual” and “What’s the Future of Business?”

In addition to these keynote talks, The Conference will include sessions on: nutritional gaps and ways to fill them; highlights from the CRN 2017 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements; pathways to dietary supplement consumers; and understanding poison control center data for dietary supplements.