The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a trade association representing the dietary supplement and functional food industry, today announced promotions and new responsibilities for three key staffers. Holly Vogtman was promoted to director of communications, Rashidah Denton to manager of scientific and regulatory affairs, and Gretchen Powers’ role was expanded to senior director of both marketing and member experience.
 
“We believe in recognizing excellence and promoting talent internally,” CRN president and CEO Steve Mister said. “Holly, Rashidah, and Gretchen have gone above and beyond for our members and made CRN a more productive association.”
 
Vogtman, who joined CRN in 2016, will continue managing trade media and CRN’s annual survey. She looks forward to exploring new ways to foster relationships with the retailer community through CRN’s industry initiatives, the association said. Vogtman will continue to report to Brian Wommack, senior vice president of communications. “When the pandemic hit and CRN simultaneously faced being down a senior staff member, Holly went into overdrive and helped us continue to serve members when they needed us the most,” Wommack said. “She was absolutely essential, and this big promotion – skipping a level entirely – is well deserved.”
 
Stand-out moments for Vogtman in 2020 included leading CRN’s annual consumer survey and launching its COVID-19 survey that examined supplement usage during the pandemic. Her role in CRN’s media outreach efforts also increased. Vogtman managed CRNs’ virtual annual communications conference and CRN’s participation in the annual Shopping for Health event.
 
Denton has been part of CRN since 2018, managing logistics and operations ofr member committees, working groups, and task forces. Continuing to report to Andrea Wong, PhD, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, Denton led the department’s quick pivot to video conferencing at the start of the pandemic. Her efforts ensured meeting continuity, and she refined the member experience over video conference as the public health crisis wore on. In her new role as manager, Denton will run logistics for member groups, CRN’s Day of Science, and Senior Scientific Advisory Council (SSAC) events at CRN’s Annual Conference.
 
“She walks on water for us,” Wong said about Denton. “Rashidah was already working at a higher level, so this promotion recognizes the excellence of her performance. Rashidah is always thinking proactively about how to make experiences better for our members.”
 
Gretchen Powers’ role has expanded to reflect her leadership in shaping the experience of CRN members. Now a senior director of marketing and member experience, Powers led the launch of the CRN Daily Supplement newsletter and the “CRN Connect” mobile app in 2020. Also reporting to Wommack, Powers joined CRN in 1999, consulted for CRN between 2007 and 2013, and ultimately returned as a full-time CRN staffer later that year.
 
“We’re constantly working to upgrade CRN members’ experience,” Powers said. “In my newly expanded role, I look forward to connecting with more of our members to learn about their day-to-day experiences in their jobs so we can provide more valuable ways for them to engage with all CRN has to offer.”