May 13, 2024

CTP is pleased to announce that John Verbeten has been selected as the next Director of CTP’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement. Mr. Verbeten comes to CTP from the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), where he served as the Deputy Director for Import Operations Enforcement within the Office of Enforcement and Import Operations (OEIO).

Mr. Verbeten is coming to CTP from FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), where he has served as the Deputy Director for Import Operations Enforcement within the Office of Import Operations (OIO). He has over 20 years of experience providing direction to, and leadership of, field operations, compliance and enforcement, and national-level program management. In his latest role within OIO, Mr. Verbeten served as the Principal Advisor to ORA leadership on import operations and enforcement activities and oversees FDA’s field import operations, which includes a staff of more than 700 people. He also provided leadership in the development, implementation and evaluation of new laws, regulations, and policies related to ORA’s global and national programs and activities. As a result of his work, Mr. Verbeten has had several notable accomplishments. Most recently, he led the Agency’s development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FDA and U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which established a framework that provides a basis for the development of bilateral data exchange and provides FDA access to USPS advanced electronic data for imported mail shipments. In addition, Mr. Verbeten led the FDA import operational strategy and response to the national infant formula shortage, including supporting the Administration’s initiative to mitigate the shortage by implementing screening criteria changes to expedite importation of infant formula from historical suppliers and those identified under the Agency's enforcement discretion program. Mr. Verbeten has also championed operations in support of FDA’s artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives. Prior to his latest role within OIO, Mr. Verbeten was the Director for the Division of Import Operations within the OIO/ORA/FDA; before that, Mr. Verbeten spent 14 years in ORA’s field operations, mostly as an inspector in the import program. Mr. Verbeten received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Mr. Verbeten was selected after an extensive nationwide search, multiple interview panels that evaluated a substantial and well-qualified applicant pool, and clearance through important FDA ethics and security processes. Mr. Verbeten joins the Center effective June 16, 2024.

CTP would like to express its gratitude to Ele Ibarra-Pratt and Jill Atencio for their unwavering leadership and support of OCE, especially over the past several months. CTP is extremely thankful to them for capably serving as Acting Office Directors during a period of considerable productivity and progress.

Please welcome Mr. Verbeten to CTP as he works in the coming months and years to achieve the Center’s critical mission to make tobacco-related death and disease part of our nation's past by ensuring a healthier future and advancing health equity for those living in the United States.