Jennifer Arnold founded Canine Assistants, a service dog school located just north of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1991. Through her work there, she developed the Bond-Based Approach® to living with and loving dogs and created the We Leash®. Jennifer is the New York Times bestselling author of “Through a Dog’s Eyes,” “In a Dog’s Heart” and “Love Is All You Need.” She shares a home in Milton, Georgia, with her husband, Kent Bruner, DVM, their son, Chase, and many animal companions.

Rob Bohannon has nearly 20 years of experience representing companies and trade associations in the healthcare, entertainment, transportation, environmental and high-tech industries in federal and state politics. He has worked on legislative and regulatory matters across the country related to health and wellness, economic development, First Amendment protections, e-commerce, retail and privacy, with substantial experience partnering with governors and state attorney general offices to build consensus and secure support for amicus briefs. In Virginia, Robb has represented clients before the General Assembly since 2014, with particular emphasis on transportation, environmental, entertainment, retail and local government issues. He supports clients by drafting legislation, testifying before legislative committees, developing legislative strategies, administering political action committees, and implementing grassroots and grasstop campaigns at the local, state and national levels.

Stephanie Galica is a senior healthcare policy and commercial strategist with more than 35 years of experience in the U.S. healthcare industry. She brings deep expertise in commercial market access and policy development, with a focus on payer, PBM and government strategies. Her work with global pharmaceutical start-ups and established organizations has centered on expanding access to therapies in complex markets, including specialty and rare diseases, partnering with manufacturers, policy organizations and public health stakeholders to advance education and access to life-saving medications. Stephanie lives outside Washington, DC, with her husband and their three dogs. A University of Vermont alum born at Fort Benning, Georgia, she is proud to be part of a multigenerational legacy of service, a tradition of leadership and sacrifice that continues to inspire her work.

Samantha Galloway is a nationally respected health and human services executive with more than two decades of experience leading public policy, healthcare and government transformation initiatives. As a former executive leader of one of Oklahoma’s largest agencies, she oversaw programs serving millions of individuals and families and managed multi-billion-dollar budgets, and she helped secure bipartisan support to eliminate a 13-year waiting list for developmental disability services, extending services to more than 4,000 Oklahomans. Her expertise spans Medicaid and public health systems, behavioral health, opioid overdose prevention, and access to naloxone and other life-saving interventions. Samantha has also advanced healthcare policy affecting individuals living with epilepsy and other chronic neurological conditions, working to preserve continuity of care and remove barriers to coverage. She is known for building consensus among diverse stakeholders to advance effective, evidence-based health policy.

Stella Pekarsky is a Virginia State Senator, former educator and mother of six who proudly represents Virginia’s 36th Senate District. After earning a master’s degree in education from George Mason University, she taught full time in Fairfax County Public Schools and settled with her family in Centreville, Virginia. Stella began her public service on the Fairfax County School Board, where she served as chair during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she defeated a long-term incumbent in a primary for the Virginia State Senate, and she has represented the 36th District since 2024.

Mark Slater is an award-winning writer, strategist and creative director with more than two decades of experience building brands and narratives across healthcare. He has partnered with hundreds of healthcare organizations, from early-stage startups to several Fortune Ten companies, in agency, consultancy and advisory roles. Mark is the founder of Otherside, the world’s first agency dedicated exclusively to neuroscience branding, strategy and marketing, and in 2025 he launched the Otherside Lounge, a first-of-its-kind pop-up activation that connects people living with epilepsy at conferences and events around the world. A person with epilepsy himself, Mark serves on the board of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium and is a leading voice in the campaign for a National Plan for Epilepsy, advising organizations across the global neuroscience ecosystem.

Reggie Whitten is co-founder of the Whitten Burrage Law Firm, one of the most successful plaintiff law firms in the United States. He was a lead litigator in the nation’s first opioid trial, which led to the Purdue Pharmaceutical settlement and the creation of the National Center for Wellness and Recovery, where he serves as pro bono general counsel. Reggie helped establish Arcadia Trails, one of Oklahoma’s most advanced residential addiction treatment centers, and has lectured on addiction at the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2010. After losing his son Brandon to addiction in 2002, he co-founded the Whitten-Newman Foundation and F.A.T.E. (Fighting Addiction Through Education), has spoken to more than 28,000 students about substance abuse, and produced the Emmy Award-winning docuseries “Killing Pain.” Following the death of his son Dylan to SUDEP in 2017, Reggie became a dedicated epilepsy advocate, helping pass Dylan’s Law in Oklahoma and working with HarborPath to advance similar reforms nationwide.