Leah is the second-generation family owner and CEO of Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC. Founded by her father Oscar Wong in 1994, Highland is the founding brewery in Asheville. It is also the largest independent brewery born in NC and in the nation’s top ten breweries led by women. She has led the company since 2018.

​

Leah’s currently serves at her alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, on the Board of Visitors and on Gov. Stein’s WNC Recovery Committee.

​

Recognitions include Brewbound’s Person of the Year, Woman Executive of the Year from the Asheville Chamber, and James Beard semi-finalist for Beer, Wine or Spirits Professional.

​

Leah is married to Brock Ashburn, Highland’s VP of Facilities and Engineer, and is stepmother to two amazing young women.

​

She is delighted that drinking Highland beer is PR, while drinking anyone else’s beer is Market Research.

Dave Davis is the President and Chief Legal Officer of the Utah Food Industry Association. Dave joined the Association in 2007 as their Vice President and General Counsel and was elected by the Board of Directors to serve as President in March of 2010. As the President of the association, Dave serves as the spokesman and chief lobbyist for the grocery and convenience store industries in Utah. Immediately before joining the associations Dave spent a decade as the Vice President of Human Resources and Legal Counsel for Associated Food Stores based in Salt Lake City.

​

Dave graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark School of Law.

​

Dave and his wife Kerri reside in Draper, Utah and have three daughters, three son-in-laws and three grandchildren.

Michael was named President and Chief Executive Officer for the Food Industry Alliance in April, 2018. While leading the organization to maintain and grow as the premier voice for the grocery industry, Michael coordinates our public policy, communications and trade relations efforts.

​

Prior to joining FIA, Michael was an advocate for New York’s small businesses as State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business for nearly 8 years. He also served in a variety of roles on former New York Governor George E. Pataki’s staff and has worked in the state legislature.

​

​These past positions have given Michael a deep understanding of the complex political and public policy issues impacting New York’s economy. Active in the community, Durant has previously served on several boards in both the village of Ballston Spa and Town of Milton. Durant received his bachelor’s degree from Siena College in 2000 and resides in Malta with his wife and two children.

Greg Ferrara is the President and CEO of the Washington, DC based National Grocers Association (NGA). NGA is the national trade association that is the voice of the retail and wholesale companies which comprise the independent sector of the supermarket industry, as well as those companies that provide products and services to the industry. In his role as President and CEO, Mr. Ferrara is responsible for working with NGA’s Board of Directors to develop and implement a strategic vision which advances the Association’s efforts and public policy positions. Prior to being appointed President and CEO in September 2019, Mr. Ferrara served for many years in various leadership roles at NGA, including as the organization’s chief lobbyist.

​

Mr. Ferrara brings a wealth of experience in the grocery industry, having managed his family’s century-old supermarket in New Orleans before the store was ultimately destroyed in 2005 in Hurricane Katrina. Greg holds a BA in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans and is a fellow of the prestigious Institute of Politics at Loyola University. He is a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM), is a graduate of the NGA Executive Leadership Program at Cornell University and is an Eagle Scout. Greg and his wife Nicole are the proud parents of two children, Matthew and Katelyn.

Chris Flynn joined the Massachusetts Food Association in May, 1986 as Vice President.  On January 1, 1989, Chris became President of MFA.  Prior to joining MFA, he was Assistant Attorney General for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office Under Attorney General Frank Bellotti.  He also served as Chief of the Consumer Complaint Department. He is a graduate of Boston College and Suffolk University Law School.  During his service at MFA, Chris has served on multiple boards and committees including chairing the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Boston College Alumni Association, The Food Industry Association Executives (FIAE), and other issue, ballot and state advisory committees. He has three daughters and seven grandchildren, resides in Southborough, MA and has also has a home in Wells, ME. Chris enjoys reading, gardening and spending time with family.

Lorena Holley currently serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Florida Retail Federation. She joined FRF in 2018 and has proudly represented, protected and advocated for retailers throughout Florida. Prior, she served as General Counsel of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 8 years. 

Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Holley spent a number of years with the Florida Public Service Commission, advising on legal and policy issues related to the economic regulation of Florida’s electric, gas, telecommunications and water utility industries. Ms. Holley also spent several years working in private practice, where she provided legal representation to local governments and private utility companies. Prior to that, Ms. Holley served as a staff attorney with Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. where she worked as an advocate for indigent clients before various forums including the United States Social Security Administration, Citizen and Immigration Services, and the Florida Department of Children and Families. 

She received her J.D. in 1999 from the Texas Tech School of Law in Lubbock, Texas and is a member of the Florida Bar. Originally from Chile, Ms. Holley grew up in Austin, Texas, and is now proud to call Tallahassee, Florida her home.

Ryan is a nationally-recognized writer, director, and communications specialist who creates advertising and strategy for leading companies, campaigns and causes.  A partner at Consensus, his clients include numerous publicly-traded corporations, industry groups, party caucuses and political campaigns.

​

 Ryan’s work includes award-winning corporate TV spots and hundreds of ads for successful campaigns across the country—from Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas to Minnesota, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Virginia.  Ryan’s ads have also headlined The Drudge Report, scored millions of hits on YouTube, and earned coverage from Fox News, MSNBC, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and many other national outlets.   

​

 In 2014, Ryan published a book on generational politics with Post Hill Press.  Upon its release, the new title quickly shot to the top of Amazon’s National Politics, Elections and Commentary sections. As an accomplished spokesman and ghostwriter, his work has appeared in most major print outlets in Florida, including the Tampa Bay Times, the Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel.  

​

 Over the years, Ryan has served as spokesman for national organizations, statewide campaigns, and publicly-traded companies, appearing on Fox News and other notable TV and radio outlets.  He’s also a frequent public speaker on corporate media management, ad creation, and topical political subjects.  His work includes numerous published print and scholarly articles as well as documentary directing credits.

​

 Prior to joining Consensus Communications, Ryan was executive director of Florida’s historic Vote No on 4 campaign in 2010—a $16 million statewide campaign that transformed a 30-point deficit into a 2-to-1 victory.  He is also a veteran of Mel Martinez’s successful U.S. Senate bid in 2004 and an alumnus of his Senate staff.

​

Ryan was twice listed among Influence Magazine’s 100 most influential people in Florida Politics and was also honored among the Orlando Business Journal’s “40 under 40.”

Debra Mathias has over 50 years of experience in sales, marketing, promotions, branding, and sales management. As president of Connect to Clients and a LinkedIn trainer and coach for over 15 years, Debra brings her strategic, actionable approach to everyone from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies.

Her dedication to others' success is what sets her career apart. Applying her LinkedIn strategies gives companies and individuals the toolkit they need to succeed in social media marketing.

​

Debra is one of the top 50 LinkedIn trainers worldwide, ranked by Meller Marketing's LinkedIn Rockstars list.

​

Debra is the host of LinkedIn Local Raleigh/Triangle, a worldwide networking initiative held quarterly in the Triangle area that brings LinkedIn connections together to market, promote, and grow their businesses. Debra is a former racecar driver for 13 years and a 22-year breast cancer survivor, and she brings the same focus, determination, and passion for success to every aspect of her life.

Claire Neal, DrPH has spent her career bringing diverse partners together to tackle complex health challenges.   She currently serves as the CEO for MANNA Foodbank, an organization dedicated to ending hunger in Western North Carolina.  At MANNA, Dr. Neal works to equitably address hunger for people facing food insecurity today while also working to ensure fewer people face hunger tomorrow.  Recently, she served as the CEO for Lifelong: Health for All where she led the organization’s efforts to fight for food, housing and health care as basic human rights and to ensure vulnerable populations in Washington have the care and support they need.  As the Executive Director of Transformative Initiatives at Prisma Health, she designed, built, and scaled ideas to change the way we approach health care.  Previously, Dr. Neal led the Triangle Global Health Consortium, a non-profit member organization representing some of the best and brightest in global health, including major pharmaceutical and biotech companies, leading global health organizations, and prominent academic institutions.  For over a decade, she worked at the LIVESTRONG Foundation where she provided the leadership and vision for LIVESTRONG’s global work serving cancer survivors.

​

Dr. Neal is a passionate advocate for increased access to care. Her research has been dedicated to helping build strong, sustainable systems for cancer care.  She received her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and her MPH from Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.  She studied Primary Health Care Management at the ASEAN Institute of Health and Development in Thailand.  She has a BA in Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Health Care Systems from Duke University. She now resides in Asheville, NC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.