Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., and The Acta Group Announce Appointment of Mark J. Washko as Senior Government Affairs Advisor, and Alexander E. Howard and Michelle C. Mims to Science Team Positions

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) and The Acta Group (Acta^®) are pleased to announce the appointment of several professionals to key roles at our firms.

Mark J. Washko has joined our firms as Senior Government Affairs Advisor.  Mr. Washko has guided policy advocacy and government affairs for more than 30 years for global Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, law firms, and on Capitol Hill.  Most recently, Mr. Washko was Head of Federal Government Affairs at BASF Corporation.  Mr. Washko’s reputation for building and leading coalitions to achieve successful outcomes in a bipartisan manner will be a tremendous asset to our clients.  Mr. Washko has played a key advocacy role in passage of notable legislation, including the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act (2019), the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (2016), and the Sunscreen Innovation Act (2014).

He has served the wider business and civic community as a board member of the Business-Government Relations Council, Chair of the Business Network for Environmental Justice, Chair of the Sustainability Task Force at the National Association of Manufacturers, Co-Chair of the Environmental Justice Working Group at the American Chemistry Council, leader of the chemical sector at the CEO Climate Dialogue, and a member of the Advisory Board of the College of William & Mary Washington Center.   

Highlights of Mr. Washko’s career prior to joining B&C and Acta include serving as Director, Legislative Affairs, Energy and Environment for the Portland Cement Association and as Majority Staff Counsel, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives.  Mr. Washko holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Vermont Law School, and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Government, from The College of William & Mary.

Alexander E. Howard, MS, has joined our firms as a Toxicologist and Regulatory Scientist.  Mr. Howard offers clients exceptional knowledge of test methods 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), and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).  Mr. Howard draws upon his significant experience conducting exposure analysis and hazard characterization to help clients develop risk assessments.  Prior to joining our firms, Mr. Howard was Regulatory Toxicologist with Stoller Enterprises, a Corteva AgroSciences Company.  Mr. Howard holds a Master of Science in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Bowling Green State University.

Michelle C. Mims, MS, RQAP-GLP, has joined our firms as Regulatory Scientist and Quality Assurance Specialist.  Ms. Mims’ knowledge of and experience with regulatory guidelines and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards ensures client test data are of the highest quality. Ms. Mims assists clients in placing and monitoring studies for regulatory submissions related to new substance registrations and continued compliance.  Prior to joining our firms, Ms. Mims was a Quality Assurance Auditor with global testing and research organization Charles River Laboratories.  She received a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and Biophysical Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Lynn L. Bergeson, B&C Managing Partner and President of Acta, commented regarding these appointments: “Our firms are laser focused on delivering top-flight legal, scientific, policy, and regulatory services to our clients in all venues in which they conduct business.  The addition of Mark, Alex, and Michelle to our team reflects the success of our strategies, enhances our ability to execute on our promise of delivering extraordinary value, and builds upon our capabilities in areas core to our practice.”

Mr. Washko, Mr. Howard, and Ms. Mims join a powerful team of advocates, scientists, and regulatory and business consultants at B&C and Acta.  Our professionals offer clients an unmatched wealth of experience and unparalleled record of scientific, legislative, and business accomplishment for substances and products regulated by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and other global chemical control frameworks.

About Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. — Located in Washington, D.C., B&C is a law firm focusing on conventional, biobased, and nanoscale industrial, agricultural, and specialty chemical product regulation and approval and associated business issues.  Additional information is available at http://www.lawbc.com.

About The Acta Group — Acta, a consulting affiliate of B&C with offices in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Belgium, and Manchester, United Kingdom, offers expertise with regulatory programs and chemical product approvals in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Eurasia.  Acta supports clients’ products from concept to approval so they get to market quickly and efficiently.  Additional information is available at http://www.actagroup.com.