Executive Biography- Ira Jane Hurst-Romero Ira Jane Hurst-Romero, C-SAPA is President and Owner of Employee Screening Services, Incorporated (ESS, Inc.) and Ira Jane Hurst & Associates (IJH&A). Ira Jane has established her 100%, wholly woman-owned, Louisiana-based company as one of the premier provider of substance abuse program administration services. She is a pioneer in the field of third party drug and alcohol program administration, avidly promoting the involvment of woman-owned businesses within our industry. She frequently consults with her industry peers regarding prevalent industry issues, including Federal regulation implementation, industry-wide development and consolidation. A nationally recognized expert in the field, she is frequently called upon to testify as an expert witness for the promulgation and implementation of Federal and State regulations, in addition to several requests to comment on current industry issues. She has held several seminars throughout the country, in order to educate her peers about industry-wide Federal regulation implementation and pertinent industry issues. She was recently invited to participate in the 3rd Bi-National Demand Reduction Conference, sponsered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as well. Currently, Mrs. Hurst-Romero is serving as President of the Substance Abuse Program Administratorís Association (SAPAA). She is a founding member of the Association, having served as a member of the SAPAA Board of Directors, Standards and Ethics Committee, and the Governmental Affairs Committee. She has also acted as chairman of the Bylaws Committee, the Finance Committee and the Membership and Registration Committee. She has worked to establish a separate commision to construct and implment a certification program for Certified Substance Abuse Program Administrators-the C-SAPA. Her commitment to employee education has guided her belief that the key to compliant employee participation in any substance abuse program begins with a sound chain of custody. Her area of expertise lies in the real life applications of drug and alcohol policy and procedure implementation. She pioneered the development of the multi-level random selection program, and she is currently serving on the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Serviceís Administration Chain-of-Custody Review and Design committee. In addition, she has been nominated to the Department of Transportationís Advisory Council for Paperless Laboratories. Ira Jane Hurst-Romeroís commitment to industry education is ever evolving. She publishes a weekly e-newsletter, entitled The Advisor, which informs clients and industry professionals on current issues in drug and alcohol testing practices.