Consumer Assembly 2012
March 15 & 16, 2012
Embassy Suites Convention Center Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Program
Thursday, March 15, 2012
8:15am
Welcome
Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America
8:30am
Congressional Legislative Priorities
Introducer
Ed Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director
U.S. PIRG
Speaker
The Honorable Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate
9:00am
Consumer Concerns and Priorities
Introducer
George Gaberlavage, Policy Integration Director, Consumer & Livable Communities, Office of Policy Integration
AARP
Speaker
Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research
Pew Research Center
9:40am
The Regulatory Reform Debate
Moderator
Mozelle Thompson, CEO
Thompson Strategic Consulting
Panelists
Richard Williams, Director of Policy Research
Mercatus Center, George Mason University
Sally Katzen, Senior Advisor
The Podesta Group
10:45am
Consumer Privacy in the Age of Social Media
Moderator
Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection
Consumer Federation of America
Roundtable Participants
David Jacobs, Consumer Protection Fellow
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Cora Tung Han, Attorney, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection
Federal Trade Commission
Jules Polonetsky, Director and Co-Chair
Future of Privacy Forum
Christopher Calabrese, Legislative Counsel
American Civil Liberties Union
Morgan Reed, Executive Director
Association for Competitive Technology
10:45am
The Growing Student Debt Crisis
Moderator
Travis Plunkett, Legislative Director
Consumer Federation of America
Roundtable Participants
Pauline Abernathy, Vice President
The Institute for College Access and Success
Herman De Jesus, Senior Program Associate
Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project
Rohit Chopra, Student Loan Ombudsman
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Winfield P. Crigler, Executive Director
Student Loan Servicing Alliance
Jason Delisle, Director, Federal Education Budget Project
New America Foundation
10:45am
Can Voluntary Safety Standards Protect Consumers Adequately?
Moderator
Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel
Consumer Federation of America
Roundtable Participants
Nancy Cowles, Executive Director
Kids in Danger
David Arkush, Director
Public Citizen’s Congress Watch
Len Morrisey, Director, TCO Division
ASTM International
Mike Dwyer, Executive Director
Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
Daniel Kaufman, Acting Deputy Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection
Federal Trade Commission
12:15pm
Lunch and Keynote Address – The Age of Austerity
Introducer
Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America
Speaker
Thomas B. Edsall, Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
2:00pm
Deceptive and Unfair Auto Sales Practices
Moderator
Irene Leech, President
Virginia Citizens Consumer Council
Roundtable Participants
Robin Thurston, Staff Attorney
Federal Trade Commission
Rosemary Shahan, President
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety
Rebecca Bowman, Administrator
Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs
George Rose, Vice President, Customer Relations
Fitzgerald Auto Malls
Vivienne Cameron, Senior Director
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
2:00pm
Mobile Payments Opportunities and Challenges
Moderator
Jean Ann Fox, Director of Financial Services
Consumer Federation of America
Roundtable Participants
Marianne Crowe, Vice President, Payment Strategies
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Suzanne Martindale, Staff Attorney
Consumers Union
Javier Martell, General Counsel
Boku
Randy Vanderhoof, Executive Director
Smart Card Alliance
Mike Altschul, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
CTIA
2:00pm
How the Safety of Low-Income Children is Being Jeopardized and Ignored
Moderator
Christopher Waldrop, Director of Food Policy Institute
Consumer Federation of America
Roundtable Participants
Andrea Gielen Professor, Director, Center for Injury Research and Policy
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Jennifer Quinlan, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences and Department of Biology
Drexel University
Meri-K Appy, President
Appy and Associates
Toussaint Morgan, Director of Family and Community Partnership and Health
The Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center
Karen Gay, District Department of Transportation, Transportation Safety Branch
Frank D. Reeves Center
3:30pm
50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Declaration of Consumer Rights
Introducer
Willard P. Ogburn, Executive Director
National Consumer Law Center
Speaker
Jim Guest, President and CEO
Consumer Reports
4:00pm
The Impact of a 54 MPG Fuel Economy Standard
Introducer
Jack Gillis, Public Affairs Director
Consumer Federation of America
Speaker
Gary Guzy, Deputy Director and General Counsel
White House Council on Environmental Quality
4:15pm
The Impact of a 54 MPG Fuel Economy Standard
Introducer
Jack Gillis, Public Affairs Director
Consumer Federation of America
Panelists
Gary Guzy, Deputy Director and General Counsel
White House Council on Environmental Quality
Jack Fitzgerald, President
Fitzgerald Auto Malls
David Champion, Deputy Technical Director – Auto Test Center
Consumers Union
Brad Markell, International Representative, UAW Research Department
United Auto Workers Union
Friday, March 16, 2012
9:00am
Keynote Address on Internet Technology Policy
Introducer
Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America
Speaker
Daniel J. Weitzner, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy
The White House
9:30am
The Coming Revolution in the “Internet of Things”
Moderator
Ioana Rusu, Regulatory Counsel
Consumers Union – Washington Office
Panelists
Chris DiBona, Open Source Programs Manager
Google
Elizabeth Grossman, Technology Policy Group
Microsoft Corporation
Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America
11:00am
The Department of Justice’s Efforts to Protect Consumers
Introducer
Reggie James, Director
Consumers Union/Southwest Regional Office
Speaker
Tony West, Acting Associate Attorney General
Department of Justice
11:30am
Consumer Litigation: What Has Been and What Can Be Accomplished
Introducer
Ira Rheingold, Executive Director
National Association of Consumer Advocates
Speaker
Paul Bland, Senior Attorney
Public Justice