DRI Faculty List

Employment and Labor Law Seminar

Hilton Denver City Center | Denver, CO | May 20 - 22, 2020


Brendan D. Benson
Associate
Miletich PC

Brendan D. Benson has experience litigating claims involving employment issues, commercial disputes, professional liability defense, housing discrimination, and insurance defense. With an emphasis on employment law, Mr. Benson has defended claims alleging retaliation, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, whistleblower claims, violations of the FMLA and ADA, and class action wage and hour violations. He has experience defending clients in state and federal courts and before regulatory agencies. Mr. Benson also counsels employers on a wide range of issues, including hiring, discipline, termination, accommodating disabilities, wage and hour compliance, medical and recreational marijuana, and personnel policies.


JB Bettinger
Stonebridge Companies

JB Bettinger is a highly accomplished HR professional, with 30+ years of experience in diverse organizations. She is VP of Human Resources for Stonebridge Companies, who own and operate or operate for ownership groups 65 hotels in 12 states, representing more than 3,000 team members. Ms. Bettinger is responsible for maintaining labor law compliance in city, state, federal, and union contract requirements. She is a Board Member of the BEL Commission Colorado Development Council and the Arapahoe County/Douglas County Workforce Development Board.


Kristin M. Bronson
City of Denver

Kristin M. Bronson serves as the City Attorney for the City and County of Denver, having been appointed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock in October 2016. In that capacity, Ms. Bronson provides policy and legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, the twenty-six city agencies and departments, all city boards and commissions, the City Auditor and the Clerk and Recorder. She is the final decision maker on critical legal decisions facing the city and manages a public law firm of 230 attorneys, paralegals, victim advocates and staff.


Sanford M. (Sandy) Brook
Judicial Arbiter Group Inc

Sanford M. (Sandy) Brook is a former Chief Judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals, Trial Judge and Trial Lawyer. He has taught trial advocacy and courtroom persuasion both nationally and internationally. Sandy is a former Adjunct Professor at the Notre Dame Law School. He now serves as a private judge, providing ADR services with the Judicial Arbiter Group (JAG) in Denver. Sandy has a lifelong interest in acting and the theater. He has enjoyed success in theatrical performances of the play, "Clarence Darrow." He creatively uses his theater performance of Darrow as a backdrop for a memorable and instructional CLE.


Kevin L. Carr
Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC

Kevin L. Carr is a Member at Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC in Charleston, West Virginia and co-chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. His practice encompasses the gamut of traditional labor law issues facing employers, trial work in employment matters, class and collective actions, complex immigration litigation, and wage and hour law. He represents employers in the collective bargaining process with labor organizations and regularly advises employers during union organization efforts and elections.


Michele On-ja Choe
Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP

Michele On-ja Choe defends sophisticated clients in complex employment disputes, with particular experience serving the healthcare industry. Her clients include healthcare systems, providers, and affiliates; and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Ms. Choe also defends product liability, mass tort, and medical malpractice claims. She has tried cases in federal and state courts throughout the country and has handled multidistrict, pattern, and class action litigation. Ms. Choe is an officer of the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, and Colorado Super Lawyers lists her for Employment Litigation Defense. Ms. Choe earned her J.D. in 2003 from the University of Iowa College of Law.


The Honorable S. Kato Crews
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

The Honorable S. Kato Crews is a U.S. Magistrate Judge with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. He was appointed to the bench in August 2018 and earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Before taking the bench, Judge Crews practiced law for over 17 years with a focus on labor and employment law and civil litigation. He started his career as an attorney with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board before entering private practice.


Dessislava N. (Dessi) Day
Greene & Roberts LLP

Dessislava N. (Dessi) Day has practiced law in California for 20 years, during which time she has represented employers in a wide spectrum of employment law disputes, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, whistleblower, trade secret violations, and representative actions. She counsels employers on employee discipline, leaves of absence, accommodations, compensation, and employment agreements. In addition to her law practice, Ms. Day is also actively involved in several professional organizations. She is the Vice Chair of the DRI Employment Law Committee and has served on the DRI Employment Law Steering Committee for over a decade.


Jean E. Faure
Pres. & Managing Shareholder
Faure Holden Attorneys at Law PC

Jean E. Faure represents public and private employers in all labor and employment-related issues. She litigates wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and hour, trade secret, non-compete, and FMLA claims throughout Montana. She also is actively engaged in traditional labor law, representing employers in front of the NLRB and in union grievance arbitration. Since 2009, Jean has been selected to the Mountain States Super Lawyers® in labor and employment law and employment defense litigation. Best Lawyers in America named Jean the Employment Lawyer of the Year in Great Falls, Montana in 2019 and 2020.


Stanley E. (Stan) Graham
Partner
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP

Stanley E. (Stan) Graham is a partner with the Nashville office of Waller. He is also Chair of the DRI Employment and Labor Law Committee. Stan has extensive jury trial experience, including first-chair verdicts for Ford Motor Company, Dollar General, Logan's Roadhouse, and Federal-Mogul Corporation. He also has broad first-chair experience defending EEOC enforcement litigation, class/collective action claims, and arbitrations. Mr. Graham formerly served as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Employment Law Section, and he continues to serve on its Executive Council. He is recognized as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA and has been twice named Nashville Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in the field of Labor Law-Management for 2017 and 2019.


Curtis Graves
Employer's Council

Curtis Graves is an employment law attorney for Employers Council, headquartered in Denver. Employers Council is a non-profit membership organization of more than 4,000 employers in 17 states throughout the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Employers Council provides advice, counsel, information, representation, training, and education in all aspects of the employment relationship. He specializes in legal issues surrounding drug use by employees, unemployment compensation, and corporate training. In addition to local media, Mr. Graves has appeared on CNN, National Public Radio, and Al Jazeera to discuss employment law and how it relates to recreational marijuana in Colorado.


Jill Pedigo Hall
Partner
Von Briesen & Roper SC

Jill Pedigo Hall practices in the Madison, Wisconsin office of vonBriesen & Roper, s.c.. She partners with businesses to develop and implement best practices, strategies, and solutions that ensure legal compliance, while supporting business goals. Ms. Hall is recognized for her efficient, practical approach to litigation defense and resolving employment law disputes. She focuses on counsel and defense in the areas of affirmative action, discrimination and medical leaves, with an emphasis on workplace leadership and culture, FMLA and disability leave management, harassment and discrimination prevention. Ms. Hall is rated AV Pre-eminent® by Martindale-Hubbell.


Katherine Coe Heard
Employment Counsel
HCA Healthcare

Katherine Coe Heard is an in-house Employment Counsel at HCA Healthcare. She provides daily advice and counsel to HCA's affiliated business lines across the country, provides training, manages the defense of administrative claims, and manages outside counsel on litigation matters. She began her legal career at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville, TN and later became a partner in its Labor & Employment Practice Group. During her time at Waller, Ms. Heard dedicated her practice to defending and advising employers on a broad range of employment claims and issues.


Helen R. Holden
Shareholder
Spencer Fane LLP

Helen R. Holden practices in the Phoenix, AZ office of Spencer Fane. 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 defending individual and collective actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 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 2020 Best Lawyers in America honoree She is Chair of the Employment Practices and Workplace Liability Section of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.


David M. (Dave) Kight
Assistant General Counsel
Garmin International Inc

David M. (Dave) Kight is Assistant General Counsel – Employment & Regulatory Affairs for Garmin International, Inc. in Olathe, Kansas. Mr. Kight has more than twenty years combined law firm and in-house experience representing a diverse cross-section of companies both large and small. His responsibilities include: North American employment laws and procedures, Garmin's internal immigration team, and environmental and safety laws and procedures. In addition, he provides guidance on FDA medical device / wellness issues; and FCC and Global Positioning System spectrum issues.


Daniél C. (Dani) Kimlinger, PhD
MINES and Associates

Daniél C. (Dani) Kimlinger, PhD is the Chief Executive Officer of MINES and Associates, she joined MINES in 2008. Dr. Kimlinger has her undergraduate in Psychology and Sociology and a Master of Health Administration (MHA). Dr. Kimlinger completed the Executive Leadership Program at Cornell University and completed her Ph.D. in the school of Business Psychology in Organizational Leadership at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Kimlinger has a strong background in Human Resources and Organizational Psychology including workplace investigations, organizational assessments and interventions, strategic planning, interviewing, professional development, training, coaching, conflict resolution, human resources consulting and breakthrough projects.


Eric E. Kinder
Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC

Eric E. Kinder is a Member at Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC. His primary areas of practice are labor and employment law with emphasis on wage and hour, employee benefits litigation. Experienced in drafting and reviewing employment policies, practices and procedures, he offers advice and counseling on all labor and employment law issues. He has served as lead counsel in defense of employment discrimination complaints and general litigation matters, and is the Editor-in-Chief of AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT LAW (3d ed.).


J. Al Latham, Jr.
Partner, Employment Law Department
Paul Hastings LLP

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.


Jaime Walker Luse
Partner
Tydings & Rosenberg LLP

Jaime Walker Luse is a partner in the Baltimore firm of Tydings & Rosenberg LLP. Ms. Luse defends businesses of all sizes in employment and commercial litigation. An advocate who has prevailed in many difficult trials, she has experience in the state and federal trial and appellate courts of Maryland, District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia. She is adept at negotiating with adversaries to resolve disputes efficiently on behalf of her clients. Ms. Luse defends employers against employment-related claims, including discrimination, wrongful discharge, harassment, and unlawful retaliation. She has also handled numerous commercial cases, including negligence, insurance coverage, breach of contract, and leasing disputes. Ms. Luse is a current member of the Law Institute for DRI.


Sandra (Sandy) Marciari
Facebook Inc

Sandra (Sandy) Marciari is the Director of the North America HR Investigations team at Facebook. Prior to Facebook, Ms. Marciari spent nearly 16 years focusing on labor and employment matters on behalf of management. Ms. Marciari has experience advising clients on all matters relating to employment, including TII, state law, EEOC and state administrative claims/charges of discrimination and retaliation, wage & hour matters, workplace investigations, labor relations, policies and advice and counseling. Ms. Marciari's practice also included training and consulting on various employment law issues for public and private employers in almost every industry.


Cyrus B. Martinez
Banner Health

Cyrus B. Martinez is originally from New Mexico, and received his B.A. from the University of New Mexico in 1998, and his J. D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 2001. He is currently Associate General Counsel for Banner Health, which maintains a presence in six states, with over 50,000 employees. At Banner, Mr. Martinez provides day-to-day counsel to all levels of executive staff and assures legal compliance with the panoply of federal and state employment and labor laws.


Fiona McEntee
McEntee Law Group

Fiona McEntee is an award-winning, nationally recognized immigration lawyer. She is the founding and managing attorney of McEntee Law Group, an immigration law firm based in Chicago. Fiona and her team of passionate advocates represent individuals and families, as well as some of the world's leading musicians, artists, athletes, innovative entrepreneurs, and multinational and U.S. companies. Ms. McEntee is a national spokesperson for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). You may recognize her from her frequent national and international media appearances, including on MSNBC, BBC, CNN.com, and RTé, and in Politico, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and Irish Central, among others.


Amy L. Miletich
Managing Partner
Miletich PC

Amy L. Miletich has over twenty years' experience in litigation and in counseling clients. Focused on employment and insurance law, Ms. Miletich enjoys an active and varied practice serving a range of clients. Ms. Miletich has represented domestic and international private employers, public employers, and academic institutions in the defense of claims alleging violations of federal and state employment laws, including cases alleging sexual harassment and discrimination on the bases of gender, race, disability, national origin, age, and religion. Selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer every year in employment defense since 2007, Ms. Miletich has also been named one of the Top 50 Women Colorado Super Lawyers.


The Honorable Kristen L. Mix
US District Court for the District of Colorado

The Honorable Kristen L. Mix was appointed to the federal bench in 2007. In addition to serving as a full-time Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, she has served on the Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judge System, the Executive Committee of the Federal Magistrate Judges' Association, the District of Colorado's Local Rules Committee, and as a member and Chair of the Colorado Judicial Coordinating Council. Judge Mix also serves on the Sedona Conference's Judicial Advisory Board. In 2014, Judge Mix created a public sector internship program for local diverse law students which has resulted in placement of more than one hundred second and third-year law students in public-sector legal internships.


Sarah E. Moffett
Partner
Fisher Phillips LLP

Sarah E. Moffett is a Partner at Fisher & Phillips, LLP. She is a nationwide, employment litigator, successfully defending employers facing employee claims before state and federal courts and arbitration panels. In addition to litigation, Sarah counsels employers and assists company management by advising on personnel policies, hiring, training, disciplining, terminating, reasonable accommodations, protected leave, complaints, and regulatory compliance. Sarah was named to Benchmark Litigation's nationwide list for "Top Litigators Under 40," Super Lawyers Rising Stars in Virginia and D.C., and was a Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.


Cory J. Person
Hill Ward Henderson

Cory J. Person is a Shareholder with Hill Ward Henderson, practicing in the firm's Litigation and Employment Law groups. His practice is primarily focused on the defense of products liability, premises liability, negligent security, general negligence and complex tort claims. Mr. Person also has extensive experience representing employers in litigation arising out of discrimination, harassment and non-competition agreements and has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star (2015), Florida Super Lawyer (2016 & 2017) and as Florida Legal Elite (2018) in the area of civil litigation. He currently serves as a Board Director of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and is a two-term past president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association.


John R. Richards
Greenberg Traurig LLP

John R. Richards is a Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig. John regularly provides advice to employers in many industries around LGBT+ workplace concerns. He frequently trains well- known global companies on these topics to employer audiences ranging from highest level officers and boards of directors to entry level rank-and-file employees on LGBT+ related issues. For six years, Mr. Richards served on the National Board of Directors for Lambda Legal and serves on the Out Leadership Council where he helps provide strategic direction globally to LGBT business organizations dedicated to driving LGBT+ equality. In recognition of his ongoing commitment the LGBT+ community, the LGBT Bar named John one of the "Top 40 under 40 LGBT Lawyers" in the United States.


Kimberly A. Ross
Partner
FordHarrison LLP

Kimberly A. Ross has expertise in Title VII, ADEA, ADA, and FMLA discrimination and harassment claims, as well as non-compete agreements, whistleblower claims, negligent hiring, supervision and retention, and retaliatory discharge. Ms. Ross is a recognized authority in employment law, conducting seminars, providing training and authoring articles on proper employment practices including hiring, effective discipline and discharge, performing investigations, maintaining personnel files and properly classifying employees under the FLSA. She is also well-versed in reviewing and drafting employee handbooks, employment policies, employment contracts, and severance agreements.


Robert J. Sniffen
Sniffen & Spellman PA

Robert J. Sniffen is the founder and managing partner of Sniffen & Spellman, P.A. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Labor and Employment Law. Mr. Sniffen has received an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America publication in Labor and Employment Law and has been named to Florida Trend Magazine's "Legal Elite" in the area of Labor and Employment Law. He has also been named on two occasions as one of the Top 100 lawyers in the State in all practice areas by Super Lawyers Magazine and has been selected by the Best Lawyers publication Tallahassee Employment Defense Attorney of the Year on several occasions. His practice encompasses transactional advice and litigation of employment disputes.


Keith Sonderling
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Keith Sonderling currently serves as Deputy Administrator of the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. He previously served as the Agency's Acting Administrator. The Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces some of the Nation's most comprehensive Federal labor laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family Medical Leave Act. As the Deputy Administrator, Mr. Sonderling generally oversees enforcement, outreach, regulatory work, strategic planning, performance management, communications, and stakeholder engagement. In July of 2019, President Trump nominated Mr. Sonderling to serve as a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He is currently pending Senate confirmation for that role.


Theresa A. Vogel
Hall & Evans LLC

Theresa A. Vogel practices in the Denver, Colorado office of Hall & Evans, LLC. Ms. Vogel focuses on employment and family-based immigration as well as asylum matters. She represents businesses and individuals in immigration proceedings with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and in I-9 compliance audits conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has given numerous presentations on I-9 compliance matters for human resource associations. Ms. Vogel has also served as an Adjunct Professor with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, co-teaching the Civil Litigation Clinic and teaching the course, Immigration Law & the Workplace.


The Honorable Nina Y. Wang
US District Court for the District of Colorado

The Honorable Nina Y. Wang is a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2015, she was a partner in a multinational firm, where her practice focused on complex intellectual property litigation. She also served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Colorado in the civil division and a law clerk to the Honorable Peter J. Messitte in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. She currently serves on the national Advisory Group for the Pro Bono Patent Initiative as well as a judicial advisor for the Sedona Conference Working Groups focused on cross-border issues arising in intellectual property disputes.