About the Instructors
Sidney Hornby, MS
Sidney Hornby Consulting, LLC
Sidney Hornby, MS is a consultant and president of Sidney Hornby Consulting, LLC. and is recognized for her ability to develop creative clinical or in-vitro product testing strategies to support consumer compelling efficacy claims to drive business results.
Prior to forming Sidney Hornby Consulting she was Associate Director, Medical/Clinical Research for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. She was recognized with the prestigious Johnsons Medal for developing a unique claim support strategy for a key anti aging product which drove the skin care business results. She was also a 3-time recipient of the R&D Excellence Award recognizing innovative research and claims development.
Sidney Hornby earned her BS and MS in Chemistry from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ. There she also completed PhD course work in Chemical Engineering. Sidney Hornby has been an adjunct member of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and has authored numerous publications and scientific posters presented to the AAD and the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, specializing in anti-aging, skin barrier, hair, nails and dry skin. She has also served as President and Treasurer of the California chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
Martha Tate, PhD
Tate Science, LLC
Martha Tate, PhD is a consultant for Tate Science, LLC. and has 30 years of experience in cosmetics claims, and skin and hair research. Martha represented the US Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) on the Executive Committee of the Praesidium of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists. During Martha’s two terms on the SCC’s Committee on Scientific Affairs, she served as Chair of that committee. She also served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Cosmetic Science. She is active on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Biophysics and Skin Imaging (ISBS).
At Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Martha’s research supported claims for a wide variety of products (infant diapered skin, adult care, elder skin, feminine care, work wear, facial and bath tissue). She was Manager of Claims Substantiation for skin and hair care products at L’Oréal. She is known for hair research done while a scientist at TRI/Princeton. Her education includes a Ph.D. in Textile Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.S. from the University of Georgia, and B.S. from Mercer University. She had a postdoctoral fellowship in ethnic hair at Textile Research Institute at Princeton University.
Ronie M. Schmelz
K&L Gates
Ronie Schmelz is a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office and a member of the Commercial Disputes practice. Ronie spent the first part of her career at an international law firm defending clients in complex litigation, including consumer class actions and disputes involving reinsurance, general commercial, real estate, and health care related matters. She now spends a significant amount of her time counseling clients on litigation-avoidance strategies so they can confidently focus on building and operating their businesses in a way that reduces the risk of regulatory oversight and consumer challenges. These strategies include implementing best practices for complying with regulations and standards enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), other Federal and State regulatory agencies, as well as the National Advertising Division (NAD), and ways to reduce exposure to consumer class actions. Ronie advises clients on a myriad of issues – including contract and intellectual property matters, privacy, automatic renewal and loyalty programs, implementation of recall procedures, Prop 65, responding to FDA Warning Letters, Notices of Action, and MedWatch Adverse Event Reports – and she continues to defend clients in nationwide consumer class actions and complex commercial litigation matters.