International Bottled Water Association | NEWS RELEASE | March 16, 2011
IBWA Announces New Director for Government Relations
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is proud to announce that James P. (JP) Toner, Jr. has joined IBWA as Director of Government Relations. His responsibilities include IBWA’s government affairs work at the state and federal levels, working with legislators, IBWA members and allies to shape sound legislation, regulations and public policy for the bottled water industry. Mr. Toner will work closely with Dan Felton, IBWA’s Vice President of Government Relations.
Mr. Toner comes to IBWA after serving Manager of External Affairs for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association of the nation’s shareholder-owned utility companies. In this role, Mr. Toner managed grassroots activities, Internet advocacy and state and local government and third-party group relationships. Before EEI, Mr. Toner worked as Director of Grassroots Consulting for Aristotle, an international public affairs consulting firm, supporting clients in their efforts to improve their grassroots, PAC and advocacy programs.
He also served as Manager of Political Involvement Programs at the Public Affairs Council, the country’s premier association for public affairs professionals, where he was the main resource for grassroots, community involvement, corporate philanthropy and international public affairs for the Council’s members.
JP’s first foray into the political world came in his home state of Connecticut where he worked on the campaigns of then State Representative Norma Gyle. He eventually joined her in Hartford as her aide and served as staff for the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee.
JP Toner is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with B.A. in political science. He lives in Fairfax, VA with his wife Cheryl and two daughters, Alexandra and Meghan. He can be reached by phone at 703.647.4616 or by email at jtoner@bottedwater.org.
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Contact:
Tom Lauria
703.647.4609 office / 703.887.4056 cellphone
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.
In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.
IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.
