Government Affairs Council
Protecting marketers and monitoring the regulatory regime.
The PDMI's Government Affairs Council follows all regulatory developments affecting the performance-driven and direct-to-consumer marketing industries. The Council weighs in on behalf of members where and when it's deemed appropriate by PDMI staff and members. Its members will also highlight important information in PDMI publications on various regulatory and legal developments at the federal, state, and local levels.
Council Members
Thomas Cohn
HelloFresh
Senior Director, Marketing and Product
917-701-1960
Thomas Cohn is senior director, marketing and product at HelloFresh, the largest meal-kit provider in the United States, with operations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Europe, which he joined in November 2022. He’d previously served at The Cronos Group, an innovative global cannabinoid company, where he oversaw global regulatory compliance with a staff of seven professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. Cohn also served as general counsel and corporate secretary of The Avon Company and deputy general counsel, regulatory at NBTY, Inc. Before that, as director and assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Northeast Region, Cohn was responsible for managing antitrust and consumer protection investigations and law enforcement actions, as well as local and regional outreach efforts to educate consumers, businesses, and law enforcement agencies on fraud identification and avoidance, and how to comply with antitrust and consumer protection laws enforced by the FTC.
Roger Colaizzi has significant trial experience in Intellectual Property Rights, including Lanham Act false advertising, state deceptive trade practices, trademark, trade dress, patent, copyright, unfair competition, direct to consumer marketing, social networking, affiliate advertising, and other e-commerce matters. He has represented clients before regulatory agencies such as the FTC and self-regulating bodies such as ERSP and NAD, and in state AG investigations.
Linda Goldstein is a member of BakerHostetler’s Advertising, Marketing & Digital Media team. She provides advertising counsel and regulatory advice to leading Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. She represents clients in investigative and enforcement proceedings brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other federal and state agencies. Goldstein spends a considerable portion of her time advising clients on how to minimize the legal risks associated with mobile marketing, e-retail, social influencers, native advertising, email and telemarketing, and more. Goldstein’s commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC’s TODAY Show, Adweek, Advertising Age, and the National Law Journal.
Aaron Goodman is counsel in the Chicago office of BakerHostetler. He advises clients on legal issues within the areas of media, data, advertising, and technology. He regularly assists clients in negotiating and drafting agreements with vendors and customers, advises clients on the development of new products and services, helps clients understand their legal compliance obligations and develop compliance programs, and helps clients manage disputes and regulatory actions. Goodman has acted as both in-house and outside counsel, and his background includes both transactional and litigation matters.
Leonard Gordon
Venable LLP
Partner
llgordon@venable.com
212-370-6252
venable.com
Leonard Gordon, co-chair of Venable’s Advertising and Marketing Group, is a skilled litigator who leverages his significant experience working for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help protect his clients’ interests and guide their business activity. Gordon regularly represents companies and individuals in investigations and litigation with the FTC, state attorneys general, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He also represents clients in business-to-business and class-action litigation involving both consumer protection and antitrust issues.
Daniel Kaufman is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of BakerHostetler and brings nearly 25 years of experience with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, recently leading the 450-person bureau as acting director, where he oversaw all consumer protection matters, including investigations and cases involving privacy, data security, advertising, influencers, endorsers, and other marketing practices. As deputy director of the bureau for most of the past 10 years, Kaufman was involved in virtually every high-profile consumer protection and privacy case brought by the FTC during that time. A preeminent thought leader and subject matter expert in advertising and data privacy issues, he is a frequent speaker on consumer protection matters and can provide context for the challenges marketers face regarding privacy and consumer advertising. Kaufman originally joined the FTC as a staff attorney in 1998, where he litigated cases challenging unsubstantiated health and disease claims in the Division of Advertising Practices.
Sarah La Voi is a partner in the Chicago office of BakerHostetler. She focuses her practice on commercial negotiations within the advertising ecosystem, including agency agreements, media buys and activations, brand collaborations, sponsorships, digital marketing, influencer protocols, intellectual property and dispute resolution. Business-focused and practical, she provides counsel to clients on forming strategic advertising and brand partnerships and creating in- house systems to manage clearance risk operationally. She also assists with advertising review and compliance, both self-regulatory and regulatory.
Damon Wright heads the Advertising & E-Commerce practice at Gordon Rees LLP. He represents leading brands, direct response advertisers, e-commerce retailers, lead generators, advertising agencies, fulfillment companies, technology companies, and related service providers. His clients span almost all verticals, including food and beverage, dietary supplements, telehealth, cosmetics, financial publishing, cryptocurrency, fitness, clothing, electronics, home goods, people search, and coaching. Wright is relied upon as a trusted advisor on advertising, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, consumer protection law, business agreements, and acquisitions. He is a determined advocate when litigating FTC and state attorney general actions, business disputes, consumer class actions, infringement, false advertising, unfair competition, and other high stakes matters. He is the editor of the E-Commerce Legal Guide, a practical playbook for any online advertiser.
Brian Rouse
Cannella Media DTC
Vice President, Legal & Product Management
brouse@cannellamedia.com
951-216-6549
www.cannellamedia.com
Brian Rouse is based in Washington, D.C., and is in-house counsel at Cannella Media DTC, a direct-to-consumer marketing and media company with more than 35 years of DRTV campaigns. He has worked at multiple marketing agencies throughout his career, the past eight years as a licensed attorney. Rouse uses his legal and marketing expertise to provide Cannella Media with risk assessment analysis, regulatory compliance with advertising laws, contract negotiation with clients and vendors, and management of trademarks. His role also includes leading Cannella Media’s lead-generation efforts and managing projects that involve both television and digital advertising components.
Randal Shaheen
BakerHostetler
Partner
rshaheen@bakerlaw.com
202-861-1521
www.bakerlaw.com
Randy Shaheen has more than 30 years of experience as an advertising attorney. A member of BakerHostetler's Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team, he represents clients before a variety of regulatory agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), National Advertising Division (NAD) and state attorneys general, and he is sought after for his handling of multijurisdictional matters. Randy's background facilitates practical insight: He has a significant history with matters related to privacy and data security, marketing to children, "green" claims, dietary supplements, claims of weight loss and health and performance, comparative claims, the use of surveys and "Made in the USA" claims.
Damon Wright heads the Advertising & E-Commerce practice at Gordon Rees LLP. He represents leading brands, direct response advertisers, e-commerce retailers, lead generators, advertising agencies, fulfillment companies, technology companies, and related service providers. His clients span almost all verticals, including food and beverage, dietary supplements, telehealth, cosmetics, financial publishing, cryptocurrency, fitness, clothing, electronics, home goods, people search, and coaching. Wright is relied upon as a trusted advisor on advertising, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, consumer protection law, business agreements, and acquisitions. He is a determined advocate when litigating FTC and state attorney general actions, business disputes, consumer class actions, infringement, false advertising, unfair competition, and other high stakes matters. He is the editor of the E-Commerce Legal Guide, a practical playbook for any online advertiser.