August 15, 2022 – Notice:
Dear President Daniels, Regional Vice Presidents, and NHBPA Executive Committee,
This announcement came out late on Friday from the HISA PR firm. The Authority has announced even more executives to the newly created committee they have put together. For those interested, please see below and the attached press release. Please take note that all 4 individuals do not appear by my interpretation to have any working knowledge of the horseracing industry nor experienced in equine testing. But, rest assured if we have marathon runners out there being trained for an equine iron-man, we have that covered.
August 12, 2022 (Kansas City, Mo.) – The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) today announced three appointments to its executive leadership team – Ben Mosier to the role of Executive Director, Kate Mittelstadt to Chief of Operations, and Michelle Pujals to General Counsel. Both Mittelstadt and Pujals will report to Mosier. This announcement comes as the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), in consultation with HIWU, prepares to submit draft regulations for the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for review ahead of implementation of the Program on January 1, 2023.
Mosier joined Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), the independent enforcement agency selected by HISA to operate HIWU and administer the ADMC Program, in 2010. He most recently served as Vice President of Business Development at DFSI and has overseen anti-doping programs for the National Basketball Association (NBA), the PGA Tour, Major League Baseball’s Minor League Program, and NASCAR. Prior to joining DFSI, Mosier served as National Events Coordinator at the Kansas City Sports Commission.
Mittelstadt joins HIWU with more than two decades of experience in the field of anti-doping. She most recently served as Director of the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program, which became the first program run by a private, non-federation sports organization that formally adhered to the World Anti-Doping Code. Mittelstadt’s career in anti-doping began in 2000, when she became one of the first employees hired by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and where she served for six years as Director of Doping Control. During that time, she was Manager of Out-of-Competition Testing at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. She has since served in various capacities with the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Association of National Anti-Doping Organizations.
Pujals previously served for more than 20 years as a member of the NBA’s legal department, most recently as Vice President & Assistant General Counsel. During her tenure, she oversaw the development and administration of anti-drug programs for NBA players, coaches, and trainers, and was a member of the NBA/NBPA Prohibited Substances Committee and the NBA Crisis Management Team. Pujals also oversaw the NBA’s general litigation matters, internal arbitrations and investigations, and the development of the NBA Arena Security Standards. Prior to joining HIWU, she was the owner and principal of Tautemo Consulting, LLC, a legal and sports consulting firm.
About the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI) to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The ADMC Program, which will be effective as of January 1, 2023, will create a centralized testing and results management process and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the U.S. HIWU will oversee testing, educate stakeholders on the new Program, accredit laboratories, investigate potential violations, and prosecute any such violations.
