Honorable Jorge L. Alonso has served as a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2014. Judge Alonso was nominated to his position by President Barack Obama. Judge Alonso previously served as an Associate Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County where he presided over felony cases in the Criminal Division. Before taking the bench, Judge Alonso worked as an assistant public defender in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender for over a decade. While on the Circuit Court, he served on the Illinois Supreme Court Special Committee on Capital Cases, and as Faculty for both the Illinois Judicial Conference and the New Judge Seminar. Judge Alonso also volunteers with a number of local nonprofits, including the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and the Lawyers' Assistance Program. Judge Alonso received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Miami and his Juris Doctorate from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Brian Bargender is an internal consultant at Humana, one of the country's largest Medicare Advantage organizations. In recent years, Humana has been heavily involved in efforts to clarify and enforce the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) rules that pertain to Medicare Advantage. Brian has 15 years of experience in leading and improving health benefit subrogation and MSP operations. He currently acts a bridge between operational units and Humana's legal team for enforcing subrogation and MSP. In this role he devotes considerable attention to identifying and monitoring trends that may impact subrogation and MSP recovery efforts, developing new cost avoidance and recovery projects and advising operational leaders regarding subrogation and MSP issues.

Robert M. Bodzin is a partner/trial attorney at the Burnham Brown in Oakland, California. He was admitted to NY bar in 1992 and California in 1999. His practice focuses on business litigation, class actions, product liability, transportation/trucking and defense of wrongful death and catastrophic personal injuries. He has been a member of DRI since 2002 and is currently a Vice-Chair of Publications for the Retail & Hospitality Committee. He was also Chair of the Litigation Section of the California State Bar from 2013-2014, where he remains as an advisor on its Executive Committee.

Andrew A. Boros is a Senior Counsel in the Tort Litigation Practice Group at McDonald's Corporation at its world headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. He is responsible for supervising the defense of sensitive claims and tort litigation filed against McDonald's in 15 states in the central US region. Previously, he engaged in an insurance defense law practice and tried 41 civil cases to jury verdict in Illinois courts on behalf of defendants. He began his practice as an Assistant State's Attorney and tried 24 criminal cases to jury verdict.

Honorable Keith Brown (Ret.) former Chief Judge of Kane County, is a popular and highly respected senior mediator and arbitrator at ADR Systems. He concentrates his practice in personal injury, workers' compensation, insurance and other commercial matters. As a mediator, Judge Brown is known for his keen ability to easily connect with people and promote productive communications between all parties. He is a beloved pillar of the greater Chicagoland community and has been recognized numerous times for his community service.

Dimitrios G. Christopoulos is a partner with Christopoulos Law Group is recognized as Chicago's leading expert on legal matters relating to the Beverage Alcohol and Hospitality Industry. Dimitri regularly represents suppliers, importers, distributors and retailers before Federal, State and Local regulatory commissions. He is an authority on trade practice counseling and transactional matters, including distribution agreements, enforcement matters, licensing matters, and commercial disputes. Dimitri is an Industry leader and shares his knowledge as an author, teacher and frequent speaker at Industry events. Dimitri is a member of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, the Association of Beer Distributors of Illinois, the National Association of Licensing Compliance Professionals, the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys, the Illinois Restaurant Association, the Hellenic Bar Association and the Hellenic American Leadership Council. Dimitri earned his Bachelor's degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his law degree, cum laude, from the John Marshall Law School.

Carl W. Dowdy is the VP of Risk Management and Legal for Winter Park Resort, a year-round resort that employees more than 1, 800 people. Carl is a member of the Resort's management team, with legal responsibilities including all facets of guest and employee safety. Previously, Carl spent three years in-house with resort operator Intrawest, in part managing its personal injury litigation. In private practice, Carl defended numerous ski-related cases and successfully argued before the Colorado Supreme Court. Carl is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, and in 2013 he became the 10th person to ski from the summit of every mountain in Colorado over 14,000 feet.

Manuel A. Forero Rueda, Ph.D, PE received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, Ireland, his M S. in Automotive Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of the Andes, Colombia. Before joining S-E-A, he supervised, designed, and participated in numerous research and investigation projects in impact biomechanics. These projects involved head protection the development of computer models, laboratory setup design for impact testing, the investigation of falls and their injuries, and forensic injury analysis. At S-E-A, Dr. Forero Rueda provides scientific analysis of impacts and accidents, injury mechanisms, and injury causation.

Stacy D. Fulco is a partner at Cremer Spina, LLC in Chicago. Her practice focuses on the representation of retail, restaurant and hospitality companies through trial and appeal. She also oversees security related cases on a national level. Ms. Fulco is an active DRI member and the author of a retail, restaurant and hospitality law blog (www.stacyfulco.com). Ms. Fulco also provides training to companies and TPAs in areas such as security, investigations, discovery, negotiations and other aspects of claim handling. Ms. Fulco is the Program Vice Chair for the 2018 DRI Retail and Hospitality Seminar.

Karen R. Glickstein is a Shareholder in Polsinelli PC's Kansas City office. She focuses her practice on assisting employers in a wide variety of employment and human resources issues. In addition to providing day to day preventative advice to clients, Ms. Glickstein has tried several employment matters to jury verdict and in arbitration. She represents clients in front of a number of administrative agencies, as well as in state and federal courts throughout the country. Ms. Glickstein was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to its Civil Rules of Procedure Committee and was appointed by the Missouri Bar to its Committee on Women in the Profession-both appointments which she continues to hold.

Catherine E. Goldhaber is Partner-in-Charge of Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP's Chicago office. She defends companies as both national and local trial counsel, including through the appellate process. Ms. Goldhaber frequently consults on Medicare Secondary Payer Act compliance and resolves related disputes. She is the Chair of DRI's Medicare Secondary Payer Task Force.

Christian E. Hardigree, Ph.D.,oversees the Bachelor of Science degree program as Founding Director and Professor of the Michael A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality at Kennesaw State University. Prior to coming to KSU, Christian served as a tenured faculty member in the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In addition to her academic obligations, Christian has an extensive background as a trial attorney practicing primarily in the areas of premises liability, security/safety, products liability, and employment law. She maintains an active caseload, including private consulting and mediation/arbitration services. She is a Nevada state-appointed Arbitrator. She is licensed to practice law in the states of Nevada and Georgia, and is of counsel with the law firm of Parnell & Associates. After obtaining her B.S., cum laude, from the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV, Christian obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

Jennifer Snyder Heis is a partner in the Cincinnati office of Ulmer & Berne, where she represents product manufacturers and sellers, including drug and medical device companies and dietary supplement manufacturers. She defends clients both locally and nationally, in multidistrict litigation and coordinated state proceedings. Ms. Heis is actively involved with DRI's Drug and Medical Device and Product liability Committees, and serves on the Law Institute.

Jennifer Anderson Hoffman, a partner in the law firm of Marlow, Adler, Abrams, Newman & Lewis, P.A. in Coral Gables, Florida concentrates her practice in complex litigation matters in the area of general liability matters including construction defect, professional liability, negligent security, products liability and insurance coverage matters. She served as Chair of the Retail and Hospitality Committee from 2014 to 2016 and was the recipient of the Davis Carr Outstanding Committee Chair Award in 2016. She presently serves on the DRI Annual Meeting Steering Committee. In addition to DRI, she is a member of the Federal of Defense and Corporate Counsel and serves on the Ladder Down Committee which works to empower women lawyers through leadership, business development and mentoring.

Kara Ingelhart is a Law Fellow in the Midwest Regional Office of Lambda Legal. the oldest and largest organization dedicated to advancing the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. Ingelhart has played an instrumental role in advancing the rights of LGBT people under federal civil rights laws. She is co-counsel in Evancho v. Pine-Richland School District, where a court held that the equal protection guarantee protects transgender students from discrimination in schools (including bathrooms), and in F.V. v. Armstrong and Arroyo v. Rossello, where she represents transgender Puerto Ricans and Idahoans who have been denied birth certificates with accurate gender markers. In addition to her work as a litigator, Ingelhart has contributed to federal legislative and policy efforts concerning the inclusion of protections for LGBT people and people living with HIV who are involved in the federal criminal legal system. Recognized as an emerging leader and passionate advocate for the civil rights of LGBT people, Ingelhart has spoken at some of America's leading law schools. She has been recognized as one of 2016's 30 Under 30 best and brightest individuals in Chicago's LGBTQ Community by the Windy City Times. Ingelhart graduated from The University of Chicago Law School, where she was president of Outlaw and vice president of Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

Richard J. Keating, Jr., a partner at Swanson Martin & Bell LLP in Chicago, defends clients in the retail and hospitality industry. He routinely combines his litigation and criminal prosecution experience with his understanding of corporate business objectives to advise clients. Mr. Keating is Program Chair of the 2018 DRI Retail and Hospitality Seminar.

Megan Backer Kelley is a Director & Employee Relations Counsel at Target Corporation. Target owns and operates approximately 1800 retail stores across the United States and employs approximately 350,000 team members at its stores, distribution centers, and headquarters locations. Megan joined Target in 2012. She provides advice on employment-related matters and company initiatives and manages employment litigation and administrative charges arising out of Target stores. Prior to joining Target, Megan worked in private practice at Nilan Johnson Lewis PA in Minneapolis and clerked for the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She attended law school at the University of Minnesota and received her undergraduate degree at Gustavus Adolphus College.

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

Jessica Madrigal is Senior Director, Corporate Counsel for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. She has been a part of Kimpton's in-house legal team for five years, and is responsible for handling a variety of matters, including overseeing all litigation, providing advice and counsel on labor and employment matters and managing Kimpton's data privacy compliance program. Prior to joining Kimpton, Jessica was in private practice, handling general and employment litigation matters.

Lauren R. McBride is the Senior Risk Management Attorney for Publix Super Markets, Inc. Based in Lakeland, FL, Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the country and operates over 1,150 grocery stores throughout the Southeastern United States. A litigator over the course of her career prior to joining Publix, Lauren manages outside counsel and oversees the handling of general liability, workers' compensation, pharmacy, products, and commercial fleet litigation for Publix in all states of operation which currently include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Lauren also works closely with Publix's in house team of claims consultants responsible for the management of claims and lawsuits against Publix. In addition to litigation and claims management, Lauren serves as a resource and advisor to numerous other departments within Publix regarding Risk Management issues.

Sean J. Milano is a partner in the Boston, Massachusetts office of Morrison Mahoney LLP. Mr. Milano's practice is concentrated in the areas of tort and contract litigation involving premises liability, construction accidents, products liability and transportation litigation, as well as commercial and business litigation. Mr. Milano has substantial experience in the representation of shopping center owners, managers, developers and retailers in lawsuits involving allegations of negligent premises maintenance, security and management, as well as claims involving breach of contract, contractual indemnification and commercial lease disputes. Mr. Milano also has extensive experience in the representation of bars, nightclubs, restaurants and country clubs involving the defense of allegations of negligence relating to premises security, service of alcohol, maintenance and management. He serves on the DRI Retail and Hospitality Practice Group Steering Committee and the ALFA International Hospitality & Retail Practice Group Steering Committee.

Alan Carroll (A.C.) Nash is an attorney at the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida office of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. He focuses his practice in the defense of claims made and suits brought against insureds in product, automobile, commercial, construction and premises liability matters. His practice also includes public sector and municipal liability matters, including the representation of municipalities and law enforcement agencies against allegations of the violation of civil rights, false arrest, malicious prosecution and excessive force.

Lori S. Nugent focuses her practice on cybersecurity and privacy issues. She has served as lead counsel responding to and defending over 1,000 data breaches, as well ransomware situations and variety of privacy problems. Lori has defended breached operations of all sizes in a wide variety of market sectors, including retail, health care, financial institutions, energy and utilities, public entities, hospitality, high tech, and higher education, as well as for a variety of professionals. As a first-responder to cyber crisis situations, Lori leads a team of specially trained attorneys, on call 24/7. Lori builds strong legal defenses into responding effectively to cyber crisis situations. She assists in developing practical, legally defensible solutions. Collaborating with technologists, operational leaders, and in-house lawyers, Lori adds her expertise to assist in building strong teams in the fight against ever-changing, well-funded attackers. She understands the constantly mutating attack vectors, the vulnerabilities that attackers seek, and continuously works to develop and deploy practical countermeasures that enhance legal defenses.

Joseph B. Pereles is Vice President and General Counsel for Drury Hotels Company, LLC. Drury Hotels is a privately held hotel company, which presently manages 140 hotels in 21 states. Joe handles a variety of general legal matters including coordinating the defense of legal issues that arise as a result of accidents or incidents at the hotels and the review of contracts affecting the hotel chain, be it a national vending agreement or internet marketing contracts. He received his JD/MBA in 1978 from Washington University and his BS from the University of Utah in 1974.

Stephanie Gaston Poley is a Partner in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP. Her practice focuses on representing retailers, business owners and operators, franchises, manufacturers, and distributors in premises liability matters, product liability actions and business disputes. She serves as Chair for her firm's Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Practice Group and Vice Chair of the Premises Liability Practice Group and currently is the Chair of DRI's Retail and Hospitality Committee. Stephanie graduated with a degree in Music from Furman University and obtained her law degree from Campbell University School of Law.

Ryan Shea is the Vice President of Operations for House of Blues, a subsidiary of Live Nation. He has an extensive background in the concert venue and promotions business. Prior to his current position, Ryan was the General Manager at House of Blues Chicago. Before he transitioned to House of Blues he worked on the amphitheater side of Live Nation, managing venues such as Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, WI and Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA. Ryan earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He enjoys spending his spare time with his family or playing saxophone in one of Chicago's blues clubs.

Leon B. Silver is the leader of Gordon & Rees, Scully Mansukhani's Retail & Hospitality Practice Group and Co-Chair of DRI's Retail & Hospitality Commercial Litigation SLG. He handles complex commercial and real estate disputes for national retailers, restaurants, hotels and management companies, manufacturers, developers and investors. A former Board Chair and current Trustee for Planned Parenthood Arizona, Leon has expertise in personal privacy and gender equality issues. Leon serves on the board of Take the Lead, a women's leadership training organization, is the founder and leader of the Liberty Project, a reproductive rights think tank, and has lectured and published articles on the importance of inclusion and gender parity in law firms. A Southwest Super Lawyer since 2008, Leon has been named a "Top Ten Commercial Litigator" and one of the "100 Best Lawyers in Arizona."

Christian Stegmaier is chair of the Collins & Lacy Management Committee, as well as chair of the firm's Retail & Hospitality Practice Group. He defends national and regional leaders in the retail, hospitality, and entertainment sectors doing business in South Carolina in claims involving premises liability, loss prevention, food adulteration, third party torts, and alcohol liability. Additionally, he represents a national restaurant concept throughout the United States as its coordinating counsel in alcohol liability litigation. He is also an active appellate advocate. Outside of practice, he is an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina College of Hospitality, Retail & Sport Management and is member of the executive committee of the Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a captain in the JAG detachment of the South Carolina State Guard.

William Teas has significant experience as a risk management professional with over thirty years in the insurance and risk management industry. He has developed an extensive background in all facets of risk management including insurance program design, coverage analysis, claims adjudication, safety & loss control, and alternative risk strategies. He began his career in 1988 with one of the nation's largest insurers. During his tenure, the responsibilities quickly expanded ultimately tasked with managing several of the insurer's largest and most complex accounts. More recently and before Bill joined Willis Towers Watson in 2014, he led the corporate risk management department for Gaylord Entertainment Company for 10+ years and saw it through the REIT transition to Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. He was responsible for developing, implementing and directing the administration of the centralized risk management program for the portfolio including the group-oriented Gaylord Resorts & Convention Centers, Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, WSM Radio, and ResortQuest International. With Willis Towers Watson, Bill partners with both public and private companies to collaborate and engage in their risk management programs with his experienced specialization in formulation, design and execution of both traditional and complex risk solutions including claims management and risk control.

Katina C. Thornock serves as Director, Corporate Counsel, Litigation at Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle, Washington. She is responsible for overseeing complex commercial, real estate, intellectual property and Americans with Disabilities Act litigation on behalf of Starbucks. She also leads the company's general liability team. Ms. Thornock serves as a key advisor to internal business units at Starbucks, including the company's Global Operations, Safety and Security, Risk Management, Store Development and Supply Chain Operations groups. She is a past Co-Chair of the Starbucks Law and Corporate Affairs Diversity Committee and a 2014 Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity Fellow. In 2014, Ms. Thornock was appointed to the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Advocates. Ms. Thornock began her career in the Prosecuting Attorneys Offices of King and Pierce Counties, Washington where she guided misdemeanor and felony prosecutions through trial Prior to joining Starbucks, Ms. Thornock gained extensive litigation experience in private practice working at the Reed McClure and Cozen O'Connor law firms. In 1996, she graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in English and Political Science. She is a 2001 graduate of Seattle University School of Law.

Sara M. Turner is a shareholder in the Birmingham, Alabama, office of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC. She serves as co-chair of Baker Donelson's Hospitality Industry Service Team. Sara's trial experience includes product liability, drug and medical device, hospitality, timeshare, complex commercial litigation, class action and franchise claims. She regularly serves as outside general counsel and coordinates her clients' defense of claims nationwide. Sara serves as the Committee Vice Chair for the DRI Retail and Hospitality Committee

Deborah White is senior executive vice president and general counsel of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, as well as president of the Retail Litigation Center. Deborah joined RILA in 2012 and created the association's general counsel role and first legal department. As such, she oversees RILA's corporate legal and litigation responsibilities, and manages a team of professionals that address members' regulatory and compliance needs. Deborah also works closely with the general counsel of RILA's member companies and leads the development of RILA's annual Retail Law Conference. The Retail Litigation Center, which was created in 2010 to serve as the voice of the retail industry in the judicial branch, recently filed its 100th amicus brief. Before joining RILA, Deborah held multiple roles at the Food Marketing Institute. She began her professional career after law school with the law firm of Keller and Heckman.

Kristen M. Wilson is Director and Senior Corporate Counsel for Nordstrom, Inc. in Seattle, WA. She's responsible for managing the company's consumer class actions and other business, intellectual property, premise and loss prevention related claims and litigation. She's a former deputy prosecuting attorney.

Angela C. Winfield is the Director of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to the university's diversity, inclusion, and engagement efforts. Winfield develops and implements strategies to create an inclusive environment that supports Cornell's commitment to a diverse workforce. She oversees and implements the university's affirmative action program, is the equal employment compliance officer and one of three Americans with Disabilities Act coordinators for the campus. Winfield is Of Counsel with Barclay Damon in its Commercial Litigation practice group. She is a past commissioner for the American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights and serves on the Pathways to the Profession subcommittee on bias interrupters. Winfield earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University.