Our Consortium

Diverse, Unbiased Expertise.

ANDREW SAMANN, BS
ISO/IEC 17025
GMP

JULIE KOWALSKI, PHD
Analytical Chemistry
ISO/IEC 17025

SUSAN AUDINO, PHD
Chemistry/Chemometrics

KATE EVANS, PHD
Analytical Chemistry
Regulatory Compliance & GMP

TESS EIDEM, PHD
Microbiology
21 CFR Part 117

Susan Audino is an analytical chemist/chemometrician independent consultant to chemical and biological laboratories. Her graduate research areas included experimental chemical kinetics and thermodynamics as well as MALDI TOF/MS application for polymer characterization. As a contractor for multiple accreditation bodies, she has been assessing contract and government laboratories for more than 12 years and has been teaching ISO/IEC 17025 and other technical subject matter for 10 years. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Center for Research on Environmental Medicine, Hood College Board of Trustees, and Faculty and Advisor at Seed to Health/Teachable Medicine. Susan's commitment to professional service includes chairing multiple technical working groups, advising the AOAC Cannabis Analytical Science Program, and participating on various other advisory panels such as Emerald Scientific, Analytical Cannabis, expert review panels, and was among the founding members of the ASTM D37 committee. She has been an invited speaker and participant at many domestic and international scientific conferences, was a contributing author of Cannabis Laboratory Fundamentals published by Springer-Nature in 2021, Purity IQ Standard, NCIA Guide for Laboratory Testing and has published multiple journal articles, webinars and podcasts. Susan has striven to make significant contibutions to the field of analytical chemistry in the cannabis industry to ensure science is transparent and valid. She is currently principal of multiple businesses and has several patents pending.

Tess Eidem, PhD: Tess is passionate about bringing cutting-edge science and good manufacturing practices to the cannabis industry. She earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology discovering new antibiotics against bacterial pathogens, owned and operated a fermented foods company with her husband Derek Staebell to bring beneficial microbes to consumers, and got her start in the cannabis industry in manufacturing and quality management. She has food manufacturing training in Good Manufacturing Practices of Human Food and is a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). Currently, Dr. Eidem is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Aerobiology and Disinfection Lab, where she studies airborne pathogens and cannabis-related bioaerosols to characterize, monitor, and mitigate bioaerosols in cannabis built environments.

Kate Evans, PhD: Kate is the principal and owner of Longboard Scientific Consulting Corporation based in Colorado. Cannabis/hemp-related projects have included the following: helping third-party laboratory startups - including assistance with licensing, regulatory compliance, laboratory design & workflow optimization, technical consultant for ASTM PTP program, and lead technical consultant providing ongoing testing data review and rule-making advice (regulations) to various state regulatory bodies. She also supports existing testing laboratories with sample preparation (Technical Contact- ASTM D8493-23 Standard Guide for Sample Preparation of Cannabis and Hemp Inflorescence for Laboratory Analysis), methods development and validation, training of staff and ISO 17025-2017 implementation, and performs assessments for both ANAB and A2LA as a lead assessor. Her diverse technical background includes toxicology and pharmaceutical analysis experience (cGMP) with a recent project providing ongoing support in test method development/validation, instrumentation qualification, and preparation for FDA test method submission. She also has prior expert witness testimony experience in both testing and manufacturing (cannabis and hemp) and DUI cases involving illicit drug intoxication.

Julie Kowalski is a technical consultant primarily serving the cannabis and hemp testing market. She earned her graduate degree in Analytical Chemistry. Her professional experience includes troubleshooting, method development and validation for GC, GC-MS, LC, and LC-MS/MS in addition to pesticide residue analysis and chromatography method development. She worked at a technology provider for over ten years and recently served as Scientific Director and Chief Scientific Officer for a cannabis testing lab. She has previously served as the President of the North American Chemical Residue Workshop, served on AOAC Expert Review Panels, the Cannabis Scientific Task Force for Washington State, chaired the AOAC CASP Chemical Contaminants Working Group and is currently chairing the AOAC CASP Pesticide Think Tank.

Andrew Samann is an experienced pharmaceutical professional with a strong background in the cannabis industry, recognized as a Processing Pro on The Cannabis Scientist's Power List for 2021 and 2022. With a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan, he has applied his pharmaceutical expertise to develop and implement GMP-based processes in cannabis production, ensuring international compliance with FDA, EU, EMA, Australian TGO, and ICH guidelines. As the founder and CEO of Orion GMP Solutions, Andrew has successfully led over 100 projects across North and South America and the European Union, specializing in strategic GMP process development and quality management systems for cannabis and bioactive materials. He has contributed significantly to the industry, including leading the ASTM D37.02 Quality Management Systems Subcommittee for Cannabis, certifying multiple Canadian cannabis LPs, and providing strategic solutions to challenges faced by cannabis companies. Andrew is also an accomplished speaker, having participated in numerous industry conferences and published articles on cannabis quality and research.