Matthew T. Anderson is an attorney and partner in the Phoenix law firm of Jaburg Wilk where he defends a wide range of businesses in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Matt also defends licensed professionals in professional liability matters before licensing boards and in malpractice lawsuits. Additionally, due to a recent influx of lawsuits filed against Arizona businesses alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Matt has developed a specialty in defending these matters. He regularly speaks and writes on a variety of litigation-related subjects. Matt received his law degree from Drake University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa.

Asilia S. Backus is a Director and Senior Attorney, Employment Law in American Airlines' Legal Department in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. American Airlines, with over 100,000 employees, together with its regional partners, operates an average of 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. Asilia provides employment-related advice and counsel to HR and management clients on various issues including recruiting, discipline and performance management, and medical leaves and reasonable accommodations. She also manages employment litigation and conducts HR and management training. Prior to joining American Airlines, Asilia worked in private practice in Chicago. Asilia is a graduate of Northwestern University and Northwestern University School of Law.

Sarah H. Braughler is Senior Claims Counsel and Mid-Atlantic Team Leader for the Specialty Claims Group at United Educators, a reciprocal risk retention group that provides insurance and risk management to colleges, universities, and schools. In this role, Sarah oversees claims arising under United Educators' general and professional liability policies for institutions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands. She has also handled claims for United Educators' members in New England, the South, and the Midwest. Prior to coming to United Educators, Sarah was a staff attorney at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the largest post-secondary educational institution in Kentucky. She also served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Lewis G. Paisley (retired) of the Fayette Circuit Court in Lexington, Kentucky. Sarah received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky, where she was a member of the Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Law and on the national team of the Moot Court Board. She received her B.A.in English, cum laude, from Wake Forest University. Sarah is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the Kentucky Bar Association.

Jeff Colvin is a partner with Marcus & Colvin, LLP in Nashville, Tennessee and is of counsel to the New York based firm, Carroll, Guido & Groffman, LLP, where he focuses on the representation of musicians, songwriters, producers, music publishers, records labels, music business executives and entrepreneurs. Jeff is a graduate of the Pepperdine University School of Law, where he received a JD, as well as a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine's acclaimed Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Licensed to practice law in both California and Tennessee, Jeff has participated as a panelist for several national music conferences, and has been a guest speaker at the Vanderbilt University School of Law, Belmont University and Pepperdine University School of Law.

Darren M. Creasy is a Principal in the Philadelphia office of Post & Schell, P.C. He works closely with in-house counsel, senior management, and human resource professionals to deliver business-specific legal services and drive the proactive development and implementation of best practices, risk management, and litigation avoidance strategies. He also counsels and defends employers in diverse civil litigation and agency proceedings arising under a wide range of federal and state employment statutes. Darren received his law degree from William & Mary and undergraduate degree from Bucknell University.

The Honorable Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., native Nashvillian, President Barack Obama nominated him as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and he took his seat on April 15, 2016. Judge Crenshaw received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University. He served as a law clerk for United States District Judge John T. Nixon, before being appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State of Tennessee. He entered private practice representing workers and unions and joined Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, where his practice focused on labor and employment matters. He was Waller's first African-American attorney.

Neil H. Dishman is a Principal in the Chicago, IL office of Jackson Lewis P.C., a national law firm representing management exclusively in workplace law. His business is defending employers from all manner of employee disputes and providing advice to avoid those disputes when possible. Neil is a member of the Firm's Wage-Hour Practice Group and leads the wage-hour practice in the Chicago office. He devotes much of his practice to helping employers comply with the complex laws regarding employee pay. Neil is a cum laude graduate of both the University of Michigan Law School (J.D.) and Hanover College (B.A.).

Jean E. Faure is a Montana trial attorney with 27 years of experience in labor/employment law and civil litigation, representing public and private employers in connection with all labor and employment-related issues. Jean is one of the Top 100 Mountain States Super Lawyers. Best Lawyers In America has named Jean Great Falls' (Montana) Lawyer of the Year in Employment and Labor Litigation for 2017. Jean also is ranked in Chambers USA Guide to Leading Lawyers in the field of employment litigation and is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel and Litigation Counsel of America.

Duncan J. Forsyth is a partner in the Hartford office of Halloran & Sage, LLP. Duncan represents employers in employment-related litigation, contract negotiations, grievance arbitrations and discrimination claims before the Connecticut Commission on Human & Rights and Opportunities and the EEOC. He regularly advises clients on a variety of employment related topics such as, wage & hour requirements, unemployment and workers' compensation issues, disciplinary matters and fraud investigations. Duncan previously served as an Assistant State's Attorney where he prosecuted major felonies, organized crime and political corruption. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Duncan graduated from Washington & Jefferson College and Wake Forest University School of Law.

William (Bill) A. Gavin heads a consulting firm which focuses on leadership initiatives, compliance audits and security strategies for corporations. The firm has provided compliance audits to the Catholic Church addressing the crisis of the sexual abuse of children. He has served as the Vice-President of Guardsmark, Inc., a half billion dollar security services provider. Bill retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after 28 years. At the time of his retirement he was the as Assistant Director of New York FBI Office. He was responsible for the investigative direction and resolution of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, a Master Degree from Fordham University and he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the recipient of the (US) Presidential Distinguished Rank Award and the (US) Presidential Meritorious Rank Award. He is co-author PICK UP YOUR OWN BRASS- Leadership the FBI Way with a foreward by Tom Peters author of In Search of Excellence.

Stanley (Stan) E. Graham is a partner with the Nashville office of Waller. He is also the Vice-Chair of the DRI Employment and Labor Law Committee. He has extensive jury trial experience, including first-chair verdicts for Ford Motor Company, Dollar General, Logan's Roadhouse, and Federal-Mogul Corporation. Stan formerly served as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Employment Law Section. He is recognized in Chambers USA and was recently named 2017 Nashville Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in the field of Labor Law-Management. He has represented clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings in 22 states and counting.

S. Gordon Hill is a Shareholder with Hill Ward Henderson in Tampa, FL where he focuses on employment litigation and counseling, as well as general restrictive covenant, trade secret, commercial and business litigation. Gordon has successfully defended clients in a wide variety of employment litigation, but also provides proactive counseling/solutions to help clients manage their employees and avoid litigation. Gordon is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has been named to Best Lawyers in America - Labor and Employment, and is President-Elect of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Gordon is a graduate of Wake Forest University (J.D.) and Vanderbilt University (B.A.).

Helen R. Holden is a shareholder with Sacks Tierney, P.A. Her practice encompasses assisting businesses of all sizes with both counseling and litigation involving a wide range of human resources and employment law issues. Her litigation experience includes success in state and federal court bringing and defending restrictive covenant litigation, defending discrimination and harassment matters, and defending complex commercial and business disputes. Ms. Holden is rated as AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and is a 2017 Best Lawyers in America honoree. She writes and speaks regularly on a variety of employment law issues. She is Vice Chair of the Employment Practices and Workplace Liability Section of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) and is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM).

Diane Krebs is a partner in the New York office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP. She has extensive experience in civil rights, labor and employment matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, defamation, breach of contract, civil service, equal pay, and wage and hour claims. Ms. Krebs represents companies in litigation, provides counseling and advice on daily issues, emergency situations and personnel decisions that arise in the workplace, prepares myriad human resource-related documents, and conducts sensitivity and other employee training.

J. Al Latham, Jr., is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Paul Hastings LLP, an international law firm. He was President Reagan's appointee as Staff Director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and before that, was Chief Counsel to Member Patricia Diaz Dennis of the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Latham has taught labor law at the University of Southern California School Of Law for over 25 years. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Mr. Latham received his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Yale in 1973, and his J.D. degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1976.

Victoria A. Lipnic has served as a Commissioner of the EEOC since 2010. In November 2015, she was confirmed by the Senate for a second term, which will end on July 1, 2020. Immediately before coming to the EEOC, Commissioner Lipnic was of counsel with Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Washington, DC. Commissioner Lipnic has a breadth of experience working with federal labor and employment laws, most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards where she oversaw the Wage and Hour Division, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, and the Office of Labor Management Standards. Commissioner Lipnic has also served as Workforce Policy Counsel to the then-Majority (Republican) members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the House of Representatives, acted as in-house counsel for the U.S. Postal Service, and served as a special assistant for business liaison to the then Secretary of Commerce, Malcolm Baldrige. A native of Carrolltown, Pennsylvania, Commissioner Lipnic graduated from Allegheny College and George Mason University School of Law.

Jaime W. Luse is a partner in the Baltimore firm of Tydings & Rosenberg LLP. Ms. Luse represents businesses of all types and sizes in the areas of employment and commercial litigation in state and federal courts in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Ms. Luse is a member of the DRI Law Institute.

Scott J. Lynn is SVP & General Counsel of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., a position he has held since 2013. Prior to such time, Scott served as Associate General Counsel of Ryman's predecessor, Gaylord Entertainment Company (2003-2012), and as an associate counsel at the Nashville law firm of Stokes & Bartholomew, P.A. (1998-2002). Scott received his law degree from Vanderbilt University and undergraduate degree from Tennessee Technological University

C. Stuart Mauney is a shareholder in the Greenville office of Gallivan White & Boyd. His practice is focused on the defense of business and commercial clients in the professional negligence, personal injury, and trucking law practice areas. Additionally, he serves the South Carolina legal system as a certified mediator. Stuart defends trucking companies in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. This defense includes coordinating the emergency response to trucking and industrial accident scenes, the investigation that follows, and the subsequent litigation and trial of those matters. His professional negligence practice is centered on the healthcare industry, especially representing nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Stuart has spent many years as a mental health advocate, including serving on the board of directors and as President of Mental Health America of Greenville County. He later served on the board and as an officer of Mental Health America of South Carolina. He currently serves on the board of Gateway, a local non-profit clubhouse that provides rehab services to the chronically mentally ill in the Greenville community. Stuart also volunteers with the SC Bar Lawyers Helping Lawyers program, which provides resources, education and support to lawyers and judges who have a substance abuse disorder or mental health problem. He just recently served on the national ABA Advisory Committee for the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs.

Stacy L. Moon practices in the areas of employment law, commercial litigation, government liability, insurance defense, and construction contracts and law. She is admitted to practice law in Alabama state courts, all federal courts within the State of Alabama, and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She is active with the Defense Research Institute (DRI) serving as vice-chair of the Law Practice Management Committee; past editor of The Job Description (the newsletter for the Employment Law Committee); and past chair of the Lawyers' Professionalism and Ethics Committee.

Sharon S. Moyer is a shareholder at Sacks Tierney P.A. in Scottsdale, Arizona. A majority of her time is focused on employment counseling and litigation. She assists clients with employee handbooks and other preventive measures and in keeping clients diligent in protecting their employees and their businesses. She also frequently lectures on issues of employment law and provides employee workshops on harassment, discrimination and diversity. Outside of The Firm, Sharon is an advocate and supporter of the Phoenix Children's Project and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) of Greater Phoenix and the Assisted Living Federation of America.

Jeffrey S. Nowak serves as co-chair of the labor and employment practice at Franczek Radelet in Chicago. As a management-side employment attorney, Jeff is widely recognized as one of the nation's foremost FMLA and ADA experts, regularly counseling clients on compliance with FMLA and ADA regulations, conducting FMLA/ADA audits and training, and successfully litigating FMLA and ADA lawsuits. Jeff also is the author of the highly regarded FMLA Insights blog, which has been selected for five consecutive years by the ABA Journal as one of the top 10 labor and employment blogs in the country. Jeff also serves on the faculty of the National Employment Law Institute (NELI) in the areas of FMLA and ADA. He is regularly quoted by business and legal publications on employment-related issues and is a frequent national presenter on employment law matters.

E. Todd Presnell is a partner in Bradley's Nashville office where he practices in the areas of business and employment litigation. Mr. Presnell also counsels and advises in-house legal departments on the attorney-client and other privileges, and authors the popular legal blog Presnell on Privileges. Mr. Presnell is a former chair of DRI's Young Lawyers Committee, former Chair of the DRI Annual Meeting, and currently serves on the DRI Law Institute.

Laura E. Proctor is Associate General Counsel over litigation with Louisiana-Pacific in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Proctor focuses her practice on products liability litigation, class action litigation, employment litigation, construction litigation, antitrust, toxic torts, premise liability and general tort litigation. Ms. Proctor, Immediate Past President of DRI and third female president, has served on DRI's Board of Directors as a National Director since 2007. She is active in several DRI committees including DRI's Corporate Counsel Committee for which she is a founding member. She also served as Committee Chair for DRI's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and DRI's Young Lawyers Committee.

Terrence O. Reed is the Managing Director of Employment Litigation for Federal Express Corporation. He leads a team of employment litigation attorneys who represent FedEx in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals throughout the country. Terrence has tried several jury trials in various jurisdictions including, Memphis, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Rafael, Manhattan, and Long Island. In addition to employment litigation, Terrence specializes in class action litigation. Prior to joining FedEx's legal team, Terrence was in private practice at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville, where he specialized in complex civil litigation. Terrence is a frequent speaker and article author for the International Association of Defense Counsel, in which he holds various leadership positions. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and graduated summa cum laude. He has been practicing law for 16 years.

The Honorable Luis Felipe Restrepo was born in Medellin, Colombia, was raised in Northern Virginia, and took the oath of United States citizenship on September 7, 1993. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Tulane Law School and worked as a Defender in Philadelphia in both the local and federal courts before entering private practice in 1993 where he worked until he was sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2006. He has been an adjunct professor at Temple University James E. Beasley Law School since 1993 and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1997 to 2009, where he was appointed the Irving R. Segal Lecturer in advocacy. His varied publications have appeared in The Legal Intelligencer, The National Law Journal, and the ABA's Criminal Justice magazine. President Barack Obama nominated Judge Restrepo to be a United States District Court Judge in November of 2012. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 17, 2013 and received his commission on June 19, 2013. In November of 2014 President Obama nominated Judge Restrepo to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, he was confirmed by the Senate on January 11, 2016 and received his commission on January 13, 2016.

Michael L. Russell is a Nashville attorney and mediator. He frequently serves as a neutral in a variety of civil claims, from single plaintiff matters to nation-wide class actions. Mr. Russell also teaches at the Belmont University College of Law. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee. Mr. Russell attended the University of Memphis Law School on a Humphreys Law Fellowship, graduating Magna Cum Laude. His articles have been published in The American Journal of Trial Advocacy, the Ohio Northern University Law Review, the University of Memphis Law Review, the Seton Hall Constitutional Law Journal, and Employee Rights Quarterly.

Spencer H. Silverglate is the Managing Shareholder Clarke Silverglate, P.A. in Miami, Florida, where he represents companies in employment and business litigation. He is actively involved in Bar related activities, having served as President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, Chair of the DRI Employment and Labor Law Committee, Chair of the DRI Jury Preservation Task Force, and Director of the IADC Trial Academy held at Stanford University Law School. Spencer is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America by Best Lawyers Guide, a Top Lawyer by The South Florida Legal Guide, Best of the Bar by The South Florida Business Journal, and among Florida's Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine.

Sidney R. Steinberg is a Principal and Chair of Post Schell's Labor and Employment & Employee Relations Practice Groups. His practice involves virtually all aspects of employee relations, including substantial litigation experience defending employers against employment discrimination in federal and state courts. He also has experience in representing employers before federal, state and local administrative agencies, including the EEOC, the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board as well as in arbitration proceedings. In addition to his litigation experience, he regularly advises employers in matters including employee discipline, labor relations, restrictive covenants and in the creation or revision of employee handbooks. He lectures frequently regarding federal and state employment issues, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Title VII, and the Equal Pay Act. He is the monthly employment law columnist for The Legal Intelligencer in Philadelphia and is a regular contributor on employment matters to Law.com, the legal website of The American Lawyer. He was named one of Philadelphia's Super Lawyers in the specialty of Employment Litigation in 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2012, Martindale-Hubbell listed him as one of Philadelphia's Top-Rated Lawyers.

Michelle R. Stewart is a Member of Hinkle Law Firm, LLC, and the Member in charge of the firm's Kansas City office. In practice since 1999, she focuses her practice on litigation in employment, construction and legal malpractice/professional negligence matters. She has significant trial experience in state and federal courts in both Kansas and Missouri and serves as employment counsel for multiple businesses and governmental entities, advising them on matters ranging from compliance to creation of personnel handbooks. Ms. Stewart is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named one of the Best Lawyers in Kansas City by Ingram's Magazine consistently since 2011. Ms. Stewart received her law degree from Washburn University and her undergraduate degree from Kansas State University

Tanja L. Thompson dedicates her practice to representing companies in the area of traditional labor law. Union-free efforts include campaigns, comprehensive human relations audits, communication strategies, and positive employee relations training. She has successfully represented companies throughout the country in union organizing campaigns. Tanja's NLRB litigation practice includes unfair labor practice charges, as well as pre- and post-election litigation. For unionized clients, Tanja takes a proactive and assertive approach in representing clients' interests at the bargaining table, in labor arbitrations, and in developing training and communication programs to ensure effective management under collective bargaining agreements.

Chris L. Vlahos focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation involving copyright and trademark as well as other complex commercial disputes. Chris has substantial litigation experience in the entertainment industry having represented recording artists, managers, songwriters, record companies, music publishers and book publishers. Chris has been named to Best Lawyers in America - Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television, Entertainment Law - Music and Litigation - Intellectual Property. Chris formerly served as Chair for the 2015-2016 Tennessee Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Section. Mr. Vlahos is a graduate of the University of Tennessee (B.A. and J.D.)

Vania Montero Wit is Deputy General Counsel, Employment, Labor & Benefits, of United Airlines, Inc., one of the largest U.S. global airlines. She joined United in 1999 and currently leads a team of employment, labor and benefit attorneys and staff specialists and is responsible for managing litigation and legal compliance in the employment, labor and benefits areas. Her responsibilities also include responding to state and Federal charges involving claims under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and other employment and labor-related laws. Also provides counsel and direction related to workforce merger and restructuring activities, HR policies, and employee related investigations. Additionally, she is responsible for the company's affirmative action plan compliance. Prior to working for United Airlines, Vania was an associate with the law firm of Littler Mendelson. Vania received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Northwestern University, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

John B. Woods, M.D., is an addiction medicine specialist based in Jackson, Tennessee. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, he has practiced internal medicine in Middle and West Tennessee for the past 26 years. For the past five years, since obtaining board certification in addiction medicine, he has specialized in the practice of addiction medicine in both outpatient and residential treatment settings. He is the owner of Recovery Specialists, L.L.C. Dr. Woods is a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He also holds certifications as a Medical Review Officer and as a Substance Abuse Professional. He has experience in evaluating impaired professionals, and currently works with the Tennessee Professional Assistance Program to evaluate nurses and allied health professionals suspected of impairment.

Anne R. Yuengert works with clients to manage their employees, including conducting workplace investigations of harassment or theft, training employees and supervisors, consulting on reductions in force and severance agreements, drafting employment agreements (including enforceable noncompetes) and handbooks, assessing reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and working through issues surrounding FMLA and USERRA leave. When preventive measures are not enough, she handles EEOC charges, OFCCP and DOL complaints and investigations, and has handled cases before arbitrators, administrative law judges and federal and state court judges. She has tried more than 30 cases to verdict.