Mark Dopp is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), previously serving as the American Meat Institute's (AMI) senior vice president of regulatory affairs and general counsel. He became AMI's outside general counsel in May 1995 and in 1999 he formally joined the Institute and assumed responsibility for AMI's legal and regulatory affairs. In his current role, Dopp oversees policy development and research and represents industry views to government officials on all significant regulatory and scientific initiatives. He also provides legal counsel to NAMI. Prior to joining AMI, Dopp worked at Hogan and Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), where he was active in areas of food and agricultural law on behalf of many clients, including domestic and foreign corporations. He joined Hogan and Hartson in 1989 as an associate and in January 1993 became a partner. Dopp began his career in USDA's Office of the General Counsel in 1984 and entered private practice in 1985. Dopp received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin and his Master of Science from Michigan State University in 1981, also in agricultural economics. He received his law degree in 1984 from the University of Missouri.