2017 PLUS International Conference PLUS

2017 PLUS International Conference

Start Date - End Date

November 01, 2017 - November 03, 2017

Registration Deadline

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

PLUS Conference

November 1-3, 2017

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Atlanta, GA

The PLUS Conference is a destination event for professional liability insurance professionals, and this year's 30th Anniversary Event is shaping up to be one of the best yet.

This year's program will offer 3 exciting session formats:

*Traditional Education Sessions: These sessions will feature leading-edge panel discussions with thought leaders and industry experts debating and discussing the emerging risks in the professional liability industry. Educational sessions ARE eligible for CE and/or CLE credit.

*Executive Forum Sessions: These sessions are designed specifically for tenured veterans of our industry…a chance to hear from governmental regulators and senior thought-leaders from across professional lines, and learn about the forces which will shape our industry in the years to come. Executive Forum sessions are NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit.

*Spark Sessions: New to this year’s PLUS Conference, these are fast-paced 20-minute educational opportunities focusing on unique and provocative topics. Attendees will gain critical insight that will inspire new ideas and approaches. Spark Sessions are NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit.

In addition, we're pleased to have the following special guests:

*Two Time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning
will present the Wednesday Opening Keynote

*Group President of Focus Brands Kat Cole
will present the Thursday Luncheon Keynote

*Emmy award-winning Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta
will present the Friday Breakfast Keynote

The PLUS Conference is the place to connect, learn and find solutions and to that end we will be adding some non-traditional educational sessions designed to appeal to all levels of professional.

Don't miss the professional liability insurance industry event of the year - register now and join us in Atlanta this November!

Registration Fees

Price Description	Amount
Non-Member Late Registration	$1320.00
Member Late Registration	$1075.00

Available Functions

Wednesday - November 01
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm
	Conference Opening General Session with Keynote Address from Peyton Manning Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, the NFL's only five-time Most Valuable Player and a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, has earned his place among the greatest quarterbacks in league history as the active leader in nearly every statistical passing category. Manning serves as a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet and The Pat Summit Foundation Advisory Board. He and his wife, Ashley, established the PeyBack Foundation in 1999 to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth by assisting programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk. It has provided more than $10 million of impact to at-risk youth through its grants and programs since inception.
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
	Opening Night Reception
Thursday - November 02
8:45 am - 9:45 am
	WARNING - The Internet May Be Hazardous to Employees! This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. Employers must be prepared to prevent and/or address a wide range of work place issues arising out of the internet and social media including workplace violence, bullying and claims from third parties who may be impacted by such issues. Employees are increasingly concerned about privacy; what is the impact of employers using social media, to screen potential workers or using technology to track employees’ whereabouts, whether they are working, and their health. OSHA requires that employers provide a safe work environment. Employers must also take into consideration the ADA; NLRA; the Stored Communications Act and background check laws. These competing considerations present challenges for employers in the cyber age where everyone is connected and the possibilities of bullying, violence, privacy concerns, and, other workplace concerns are increasing rapidly. The panel will address policies and procedures employers can institute to mitigate some of those exposures. Moderator: Claudia A. Costa, Partner, Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani Panelists: Lisa Fontana Brennan, Executive Claims Examiner, Markel Services, Incorporated Laura R. Lapidus, Esq., Risk Control Director, CNA Jennifer R. Weinstein, Esq., AVP - Management Liability Claims, OneBeacon Insurance Group
	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept? This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. First party business interruption coverage is traditionally the purview of property insurance, but is increasingly the focus of cyber-insurance products. The concepts may be alien to professional liability underwriters and brokers. This session will provide deep dive into business interruption coverage, including: Understanding key business interruption coverage concepts (i.e., period of indemnity, extended period of indemnity, waiting period); Dependent business interruption and contingent business interruption exposures and coverage; Computer security failure, “systems failure” and other common coverage triggers; and, Claims overview and claim trends. Moderator: Robert A. Parisi, Jr., Managing Director, Marsh FINPRO Panelists: Tim Francis, VP Cyber Insurance, Travelers David Lewison, SVP, National Professional Lines Practice Leader, AmWINS Brokerage Desiree Spain, Underwriter, Beazley Christina Terplan, Partner, Clyde & Co US LLP
	Executive Forum: A Conversation with a Former SEC Attorney This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. A discussion with former SEC attorney, Amelia Cottrell, who was the associate regional director of enforcement for the SEC's NY regional office. We will discuss the ins and outs of the investigative process, the insurance coverage issues implicated and what to expect with the new administration. Speakers: Tammy Yuen, Principal, Skarzynski Black LLC Amelia A. Cottrell, Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
9:00 am - 9:20 am
	Spark Session: The "Baby Boom" Goes Bust! This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. The Baby Boom Generation has reached retirement age, but is increasingly unable to “retire,” in the way their parents;’ generation did. Boomers’ need for continued employment to fund health care, long-term care, and other needs, combined with inadequate retirement benefits and an uncertain social safety net create potential liability exposures for employers, health care professionals, financial planners, and fiduciaries. Speaker: Louie Castoria, Co-Managing Partner, San Francisco, and Co-Chair Professional Liability Team, Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP
9:30 am - 9:50 am
	Spark Session: Construction Industry: Technological Innovations This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. This presentation will touch on innovative technology used in construction today, including but not limited to computer-aided design, advances in building materials and equipment, use of drones, cyber exposure, wearable technology, building information modeling, virtual design, green-building, and more. This innovation is being used at an increasing rate, and in addition to the benefits to construction professionals and end users, it also presents new risks, which will all be discussed. Speakers: Daniel Gmelin, RPLU, Vice President - Underwriting, Argo Pro Insurance
10:15 am - 11:30 am
	Coverage in Jeopardy! This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. What is a standard claim? Trick question… there’s no such thing! This exciting and interactive session, featuring a claims professional, lawyer, broker, and underwriter, will analyze claims scenarios in the cyber, crime, general liability, and D&O spaces. Come prepared to share your thoughts as the audience will be an active part of this session, voting on which coverages are impacted before the panel of experts deconstructs the claims and coverages. Moderator: Liz Roussel, Partner, Adams and Reese, LLP Panelists: Steven Carabases, Senior Vice President, Financial Line Claims, Navigators Pro Regan Katz, RPLU, Managing Director, Wortham Insurance & Risk Management Keith M. Lavigne, Head of Management and Professional Liability, Everest Insurance
	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial) This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. The trial of a professional liability loss allows for a number of defenses, but presenting such defenses to a jury poses a number of challenges. This panel will explore those challenges through the mock trial of a legal malpractice claim involving estate planning with disgruntled family members. The audience will view evidence, hear arguments, and get to decide the case as jury panels. Can you be fair? Moderator: Dax R. Watson, Partner, Lipson Neilson Cole Seltzer & Garin Panelists: Kristine L. D'Amato, Manager, Professional Risk Claims, Crum & Forster Kelly Geary, Principal, Coverage Counsel & Claims Leader, Integro U.S.A. Dana K. Maine, Partner, Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP Marian C. Rice, Partner, L’Abbate Balkan
	Executive Forum: Cognitive Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry Disruption This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Panelists will discuss the evolution of cognitive computing, AI, and the impact this technology is currently having on the insurance industry. Will cognitive computing change how the industry underwrites risks? Will jobs be lost to "robots"? Can artificial intelligence really replace underwriting instincts and decades of experience? Moderator: Christopher Leisz, Experienced Insurance Executive Panelists: Matt Stremel, Financial Services Industry Solutions Leader, IBM David Vandegrift, CTO, 4Degrees
10:30 am - 10:50 am
	Spark Session: Managing Diverse Cultures in US Litigation This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. While America is becoming more culturally diverse, not all segments of society view the growth of the diversity the same way. While diversity is increasingly accepted by some, there is also an increasingly vocal segment of society that is wary of it. Some seek a political response, such as proposals for restrictive legislation or tightening immigration. This panel will address the challenges created by the inherent conflict between and increasing diverse society and impact of the possible political responses. Speaker: Frances O'Meara, Esq., Managing Partner, Thompson Coe & O'Meara, LLP
11:00 am - 11:20 am
	Spark Session: The Defend Trade Secrets Act: Mitigating the Risk This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Speakers: Andrea Hoeschen, Attorney, Thomadsen & Hoeschen LLC Letoyia Horton, Claims Manager, Beazley
11:45 am - 2:00 pm
	Thursday Luncheon with Keynote Address from Kat Cole, COO and President, North America for FOCUS Brands presented by the PLUS Foundation Women's Leadership Network Kat Cole's twitter handle reads "Connected-Creative-Conscious-Community building Capitalist, Biz Advisor, MBA, Coffee-loving Chronic Learner" - this not only describes her as a person, it describes the philosophies she applies to business, brands and life. For the past four years, Cole has been President of Cinnabon, Inc. where she was accountable for leading, evolving and building the team and multi-channel brand. In her four years as President, her team and franchisees have accomplished franchise unit growth (1200 in 55 countries), profitability, franchisee satisfaction, philanthropic partnerships, and comp sales performance that is the strongest the brand has seen in over a decade. She works to encourage learning, constant improvement, and helping teams and businesses embrace their roots while driving innovation and growth.
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. Shareholder securities class actions (SCAs) historically have been and continue to be the driver of the most significant losses in the public D&O liability insurance arena. One of the hottest D&O trends right now is the “explosion” in SCA litigation activity, driven by a number of factors: the migration of merger objection claims from state courts (especially Delaware Chancery) to the federal courts, in the form of SCA disclosure claims; a renewed focus on SCA claims against foreign-domiciled companies; and the emergence of a new group of plaintiff firms plying their trade in the SCA arena. This trend has left D&O insurers scrambling to reassess their D&O books and their assumptions regarding the exposures they face from SCA claims. This panel will discuss what lies behind these new dynamics Moderator: Joel S. Townsend, SVP, Specialty Claims, CNA Financial Panelists: Jordan Eth, Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP Kristin Kraeger, Managing Director, Aon Jeremy A. Lieberman, Managing Partner, POMERANTZ LLP Darren J. Robbins, Partner, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
	Medical: Is it BI or BI? This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. Is it bodily injury? Or business interruption? The panelists will provide a case study of a cyber incident occurring in a medical facility that results in patient injury. It will illustrate exposures related to business interruption, patient injury, ransom ware, and medical device hacks. Insurance coverage will also be discussed. For example which policies should respond - med mal, cyber, D&O, property etc. Moderator: Lynn Sessions, Partner, Baker Hostetler LLP Panelists: Joel Fehrman, Underwriter, TMB, Beazley Alicia Marsiglia, RPLU, Allied Healthcare Product Head, Hiscox USA Kimarie R. Stratos, Senior Vice President/General Counsel, Memorial Healthcare System Cynthia F. Wisner, Associate Counsel, Trinity Health
	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Industry leaders will discuss the latest trends and issues facing the professional liability industry including the pace and scope of change affecting both insurers and distributors. Topics will include evolving customer expectations, attracting and retaining talent in the insurance industry, how their careers have been impacted by changes in their former and current organizations and other strategic topics facing our business. Audience participation will be encouraged. Moderator: Lisa Butera, Senior Vice President, Head of Client Strategy, Swiss Re Panelists: John Benedetto, President, Berkley Professional Liability Deborah Morris, Managing Principal, Integro Insurance Brokers Paul Schiavone, Head of Financial Lines & Liability, Allianz Joe Spallone, Executive Vice President, Sompo International
2:30 pm - 2:50 pm
	Spark Session: Spark Session: Emotional Intelligence and Effective Claim Management This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. As litigation costs continue to skyrocket, the need for efficient and effective claim management has never been more critical. While many focus on data-driven methods to further this goal, emotional intelligence also can play a critical role in the effective and efficient handling of professional liability claims. The panel will discuss the significant ways that emotional intelligence can impact professional liability claim defense, management, and resolution. Speakers: Kimberly Ashmore, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP Stephanie Lizotte, AVP, North American Claims Group, Allied World Insurance Company
3:00 pm - 3:20 pm
	Spark Session: Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Speakers: Caroline Berdzik, Partner, Goldberg Segalla Minton Mayer, Partner, Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC
3:30 pm - 3:50 pm
	Spark Session: Ready or Not, IoT is Coming to an Insured Near You This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Speakers: Richard Reiter, Partner, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP Richard Sheridan, Chief Claims Officer, Berkley Cyber Risk Solutions
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm
	The New Realities for Insurers and D&Os in Bankruptcy This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. This panel will address the newest trends by following one case from underwriting diligence; trustee's use of pre-litigation tactics; use of creative liability theories to find cases in a higher percentage of bankruptcies, the issues arising between the non-bankrupt parent and the bankrupt subsidiaries; the procedural complications and opportunities presented by comfort orders and settlement approval processes; issues with multiple defense counsel by former employees; and viewing the policy as an asset in bankruptcy. Moderator: Paul Lavelle, Insurance Company Claims Manager Panelists: Paul A. Brophy, Senior Vice President, Berkley Professional Liability Janet B. Dreifuss, Esq., Associate General Counsel & Senior Claims Counsel, ARC Excess & Surplus, LLC E. Joseph O'Neil, Partner, Peabody & Arnold LLP
	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. Panelists will discuss current and future trends in attackers utilizing malware such as ransomware to extort companies. Recent studies estimate that over 4,000 ransomware attacks occur daily. By explaining what ransomware and bitcoin are and by providing real-life examples of these attacks, session participants will understand what companies must do to survive should they be targeted. Key Questions to be answered: What is Ransomware and how does it work? What is a Bitcoin? How do I get one? How can I prevent similar attacks? Should I pay a ransom or not? Do cyber policies consistently respond to these attacks? What do underwriters and brokers need to consider going forward? Moderator: Matt Prevost, RPLU, Senior Vice President, Chubb Panelists: Jeremy Batterman, Associate Director Incident Response, Navigant Dan Burke, Vice President, Technology Product Head, Hiscox Shannon Groeber, Senior Vice President, JLT Specialty USA Jeremy Kerman, Attorney, Walker Wilcox Matousek LLP
4:00 pm - 4:20 pm
	Spark Session: The Evolution of Risks with 3D Printing This session is NOT eligible for CE or CLE credit. Speaker: Jura C. Zibas, Partner, Wilson Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP
Friday - November 03
8:30 am - 10:00 am
	Networking Breakfast with Keynote Address from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Emmy Award-Winning Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple Emmy award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role in CNN's reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN's shows domestically and internationally, and contributes to CNN.com. His medical training and public health policy experience distinguishes his reporting from war zones and natural disasters, as well as on a range of medical and scientific topics, including the recent Ebola outbreak, brain injury, disaster recovery, health care reform, fitness, military medicine, and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, Dr. Gupta is the host of Vital Signs for CNN International and Accent Health for Turner Private Networks.
10:15 am - 11:15 am
	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. This panel will discuss claim situations impacting this area of liability that has experienced recent explosive growth. They will also discuss factors needed to propel the continued and future application of this product. All of this, from both the vantage points of an insurer and reinsurer. Moderator: Jeffrey D. Cowhey, President, Ambridge Partners LLC Panelists: Jeremy S. Liss, P.C., Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP John McNally, Senior Vice President, JLT Specialty USA Rainer Schadel, Senior Underwriter, Munich Re Sean P. Whelan, Executive Vice President, Willis Re Inc.
	Trump Administration's Impact on Employment Law This session will be eligible for CE and/or CLE credit in various states. With President Trump vowing to repeal burdensome regulation, it is anticipated that the Trump Administration will significantly impact the employment practices landscape. At the Conference, we will be almost a year into the new administration. The panelists will discuss the changes implemented already by Executive Order (Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Order revoked March 27th), as well as how key players in the administration, including the new Chair of the EEOC and the Secretary of Labor, are already implementing changes and re-shaping stated core missions for policies related to employment. The panel will explore how the laws/directions have changed, the impact of these changes on employment claims and best practices for risk mitigation in light of the evolving landscape. Moderator: Wendy Mellk, Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C. Panelists: Rachel Freedman, Assistant Vice President, Claims Counsel, Sompo International Insurance Kelly Thoerig, U.S. Employment Practices Liability Coverage Leader, Marsh Christopher Williams, 2nd Vice President, Travelers

Speakers

Name	Organization	Speaking At
Alicia Marsiglia (PANELIST) <p> Alicia Marsiglia, RPLU, CRHRM is an insurance professional who has focused her career in the allied healthcare professional liability space. Since joining Hiscox in 2007, she has helped to build and now manages the allied healthcare professional liability book. Alicia specializes in risk-specific technical underwriting as well as developing customized programs and products for smaller risks. As the current Product Head for allied healthcare professional liability, part of the Professional Risks Practice at Hiscox, Alicia is responsible for developing and maintaining products that suit the needs of healthcare clients, which includes setting rates, appetite and underwriting guidelines while managing overall profitability. She works closely with the legal drafting team to develop policy language that addresses the emerging trends in healthcare liability. Her responsibilities also include underwriter development nationally, including training and oversight of a team of underwriters with varied levels of experience. Alicia holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, concentrating in Actuarial Science from the State University of New York at New Paltz. </p>	Hiscox USA	Medical: Is it BI or BI?
Amelia Cottrell (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> <strong>PRACTICE</strong><br/> Amelia A. Cottrell is a partner in the Litigation Department and Co-Chair of the Securities Enforcement Practice Group. Ms. Cottrell’s practice focuses on regulatory matters, including overnment examinations and investigations and compliance counseling.<br/><br/> Drawing on her decade of experience at the SEC, she represents public companies, private entities, and individuals in connection with SEC and other government inquiries, investigations, and actions.<br/><br/> Ms. Cottrell is fluent in French.<br/><br/> <strong>PRIOR EXPERIENCE</strong><br/> Prior to joining Willkie, Ms. Cottrell served as Associate Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office. As one of the top enforcement officials at the SEC’s New York office, Ms. Cottrell oversaw and managed SEC investigations and enforcement actions and was responsible for directing the New York Regional Office’s enforcement program. She had oversight responsibility for approximately half of the New York office’s investigations and litigations, supervising a large team of attorneys, investigators, accountants and paralegals.<br/><br/> Prior to serving as Associate Director, Ms. Cottrell was an Assistant Director in the SEC’s Market Abuse Unit and a Branch Chief in the New York Regional Office.<br/><br/> Ms. Cottrell has extensive experience with enforcement of securities laws and regulations across a variety of substantive areas including investment adviser fraud and disclosure violations, broker-dealer regulations and misconduct, alternative trading systems, high frequency and algorithmic trading, insider trading, complex market manipulation schemes, and public company reporting and disclosure violations.<br/><br/> At the SEC, Ms. Cottrell supervised many significant SEC enforcement actions, including major insider trading cases against large hedge funds; settlements against two large alternative trading systems (dark pools) for various regulatory violations; a settlement with the world’s largest interdealer broker for displaying fake trades and misleading customers; insider trading charges against a former global consulting firm executive and his friend who once worked on Wall Street; and an enforcement action against a complex market manipulation scheme in biopharmaceutical stocks.<br/><br/> <strong>BAR ADMISSIONS</strong><br/> Ms. Cottrell is admitted to the Bars of New York and Illinois (inactive) and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.<br/><br/> <strong>EDUCATION</strong><br/> Ms. Cottrell received a JD, with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, and a BA, magna cum laude, from Williams College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. </p>	Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP	Executive Forum: A Conversation with a Former SEC Attorney
Andrea Hoeschen (PANELIST) Andrea F. Hoeschen has 20 years of experience as a litigator before administrative agencies, state courts, and federal courts. She has litigated in both state and federal courts in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Louisiana, as well as federal courts in Michigan, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and Georgia, and state court in Kentucky. Her federal litigation experience includes serving as lead counsel, supervising staff and other attorneys, in complex multi-party matters. Andrea’s state and federal litigation experience includes: • Professional liability • Fiduciary liability under ERISA • Adversary proceedings in corporate bankruptcy, including WARN Act liability • All varieties of employment discrimination • Wage and hour claims • NLRA, LMRDA, and Norris – La Guardia Andrea is admitted to practice in Wisconsin, Iowa, Louisiana, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Andrea is also admitted to practice in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. She graduated from Tulane Law School 1995, where she was Chief Justice of the Moot Court. (* indicates inactive)	Carlson Dash LLC	Spark Session: The Defend Trade Secrets Act: Mitigating the Risk
Caroline Berdzik (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Caroline J. Berdzik, Esquire, is the chair of the Goldberg Segalla, LLP health care practice group and of the employment and labor practice group. Her intimate knowledge of the health care industry is frequently called upon by clients and industry insiders. Caroline often defends skilled nursing facilities and related entities in professional liability and related claims and provides risk management solutions to help avoid or mitigate future claims. Additionally, Caroline devotes her practice to helping corporate clients navigate the panoply of employment law issues, from proactive counseling through dispute resolution and trial. <br/><br/> In every matter, Caroline draws upon her previous experience as an in-house counsel to bring a deep understanding of and sensitivity to the daily challenges and cost considerations companies face. Ms. Berdzik earned her B.A. degree from Drew University and her J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law. She is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, American Health Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute and Women Presidents’ Organization. Ms. Berdzik is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. </p>	Goldberg Segalla LLP	Spark Session: Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings
Chris Williams (PANELIST) <p> Christopher Williams is the Employment Practices Liability Product Manager for Travelers. When Christopher joined Travelers in 1999, he worked in the home office as a claim manager on fiduciary, employment practices, directors and officers and miscellaneous professional liability claims. He was subsequently promoted to manage those claims for privately held companies and non-profit organizations on a countrywide basis. In that role, he managed a claim staff, implemented claim handling strategies, consulted on underwriting issues, and was involved in policy drafting. In 2013, Christopher transitioned to the Fiduciary Liability Product Manager role. He subsequently became the Employment Practices Liability Product manager, where he is responsible for the employment practices underwriting strategy, marketing, training, and consultation on complex EPL accounts. Christopher has spoken at industry conferences such as PLUS, RIMS and URMIA. Prior to his insurance experience, he worked as a social worker in Springfield, Massachusetts. </p>	Travelers	Trump Administration's Impact on Employment Law
Christina Terplan (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Christina focuses her practice on technology, IP and privacy law. She represents insurers on a broad range of issues and in claims brought against technology and media companies. She also counsels clients regarding data security and privacy breaches, including evaluation, the issuance of breach notification letters, regulatory investigations, and handling of consumer lawsuits. A major focus for Christina is on working with insurers on the development of new insurance programs and manuscripted coverages for evolving cyber security and data breach risks. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis. </p>	Atheria Law PC	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept?
Christopher Leisz (MODERATOR) <P> Christopher Leisz is an accomplished insurance executive with over 18 years’ experience in underwriting leadership. He has developed and implemented global strategies, led underwriting governance and product development, and overseen portfolio management for multiple lines of business.<br/><br/> During his career, Mr. Leisz has served in a multitude of senior executive and leadership roles, including: <style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>SVP, Chief Underwriting Officer for CNA Specialty (2014-present) for CNa Financial Corporation.</li> <li>SVP, Midwest Regional Executive (2009-2014) and SVP, Management Liability Product Head (2008-2009) for Hiscox USA.</li> <li>VP, Chief Underwriting Officer (April 2008-November 2008), VP, Zonal Underwriting Manager (2006-2008), VP Lead Division Counsel (January 2006-August 2006), AVP, Lead Division Counsel (2005-2006), and Division Counsel (2002-2005) for American International Group, and;</li> <li>Associate at Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg, LLP (1999-2002).</li> </ul><br/> Mr. Leisz graduated from St. John’s University Law School in 1999, earning a Juris Doctorate. As of May 1st, 2000, Mr. Leisz has been a member of the New York State Bar Association, and various United States District Courts including S.D.N.Y. (March 2001), E.D.N.Y. (March 2001), and W.D.N.Y. (May 2002).<br/><br/> Mr. Leisz also attended St. John’s University while pursuing his undergraduate education where he earned a B.A. in Government and Politics (with a minor in Philosophy and Public Speaking) in 1996 while maintaining a high-level of academic achievement, (Dean’s List and Honors designations). He was able to accomplish this while working full-time to finance his education.<br/><br/> Mr. Leisz is recognized as an active member in the community, contributing to various charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, New York Cares, and various initiatives through Winnetka Community House and charities affiliated with cures for breast cancer. </p>		Executive Forum: Cognitive Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry Disruption
Claudia Costa (MODERATOR) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Claudia A. Costa is a partner in the New York office of Gordon & Rees and a member of the Employment Law, Professional Liability Defense and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Her practice focuses on the defense of private and publicly held corporations in all aspects of employment-related matters. <br/><br/> In her Professional Liability Defense practice, Ms. Costa defends lawyers, accountants, architects and insurance brokers/agents in professional malpractice suits brought against them. She also skillfully defends municipalities and townships in civil rights and municipal liability claims.<br/><br/> Ms. Costa's experience spans a range of other practice areas across the professional liability spectrum including representing private and charter schools in school leaders' liability matters. She has served as general counsel for cases involving student expulsion, pregnancy, special accommodations and allergies, course removal, and the defense of wrongful termination and discrimination claims. She is also called upon to provide advice with regard to the disciplinary action of teachers and students, protocols for handling parents, and drafting of institutional handbooks. <br/><br/> As a Commercial Litigator, Ms. Costa has represented both publicly and privately held corporations in many aspects of their business litigation, including representing members of boards of directors in class action suits and shareholder derivative lawsuits, and she has represented clients in SEC investigations. Ms. Costa is also frequently called upon to represent the Board of Directors of Homeowner's Associations. <br/><br/> Ms. Costa holds a CLM premium membership and is an active member of the Defense Research Institute, where she has served as one of the marketing chairs of the Professional Liability Section since 2013. Ms. Costa is on the New Jersey Executive Board for CLM.<br/><br/> Ms. Costa is also the associate editor of <em><a href="https://www.legalmalpracticelawreview.com/" target="_blank">Legal Malpractice Law Review</a>, which provides summaries of recent decisions across the country in the area of legal malpractice. She is joined on this website by many noted attorneys in the area of legal malpractice and ethics.<br/><br/> In 1989, Ms. Costa obtained her juris doctor from the Fordham University School of Law where she served as editor of the moot court board. She also served as a legal research assistant for Professor Daniel Capra. During this time, Ms. Costa was a legal intern for the Honorable H. Lee Sarokin in the District Court of New Jersey, and she also worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in the Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit.<br/><br/> Ms. Costa is bilingual and is able to assist clients in both English and Spanish. She regularly conducts anti-harassment training in both languages. <strong>Representative Experience</strong><br/> <ul style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>Obtained dismissal and award of attorney’s fees and costs in action defending Homeowner’s Association.</li> <li>Obtained a dismissal with prejudice in a wrongful termination action against a worldwide hotel chain and its management company. The plaintiff's original $500,000 claim for alleged retaliation for the filing of repeated workers' compensation claims and for disability discrimination settled for $1,000.</li> <li>Obtained jury verdict in favor of the defense in legal malpractice action against law firm and attorney involving the leasing of a commercial facility and the sale of a fitness business and equipment.</li> <li>Claims of violations of Civil Rights against a New Jersey Municipality and its officers summarily dismissed.</li> <li>Entire lawsuit against New Jersey beach town and its officers for Civil Rights violations summarily dismissed.</li> <li>Obtained immediate dismissal of claims against New Jersey charter school for breach of contract and violations of public policy concerning termination of teacher.</li> <li>Dismissal of claims of violations of public policy; breach of contract and punitive damages asserted against a multi-state environmental remediation firm.</li> <li>Successfully prevented the individual owners of New York and New Jersey hotels and restaurants from being sued for pregnancy discrimination and violations of the Family Leave Act.</li> </ul><br/> <strong>Admissions</strong><br/> <ul style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>New York</li> <li>New Jersey</li> <li>District of Columbia</li> <li>U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York</li> <li>U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey</li> <li>U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit</li> </ul><br/> <strong>Memberships</strong><br/> <ul style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, Professional Liability Committee</li> <li>Defense Research Institute, Professional Liability Section</li> <li>Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS)</li> </ul> </p>	Gordon & Rees, Scully, Mansukhani LLP	WARNING - The Internet May Be Hazardous to Employees!
Cynthia Wisner (PANELIST) <p> Cynthia F. Wisner currently practices health law in the State of Michigan in the Office of Legal and Advocacy Services of Trinity Health where she serves as Associate Counsel assigned to provide legal assistance for Organizational Integrity, HIPAA and HITECH, Information Services, Supply Chain, Finance and policies and procedure activities. She served as Vice President and General Counsel for Detroit Medical Center from June 1994 through the end of 1999. Prior to 1994 she was in private practice with several prestigious Detroit law firms, including Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn. She is a member of the Michigan bar, admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan in 1981. <br/><br/> At Trinity Health Ms. Wisner specializes in corporate health care issues, and is currently involved in system-wide projects facilitating compliance with HIPAA HITECH, security, interoperable health care records, Stark, physician alignment, supply chain contracts, provider-based status, reimbursement including PRRB appeals, and various investigations and updates. Trinity Health is a faith-based organization with 20 ministry organizations and 47-hospitals (35 owned, 12 managed) with its home office in Novi, Michigan.<br/><br/> Ms. Wisner graduated <em>summa cum laude</em> with a B.S. with University Honors from Kent State University in 1978. She graduated <em>magna cum laude</em> with a J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law in 1981, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She is past President of both the Health Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Michigan Society of Health Care Attorneys and served previously on the Board of the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) and as past Chair of the In-House Counsel Practice Group of AHLA. She is Editor in Chief of the AHLA Journal of Health and Life Sciences and previously was an adjunct professor of health law for more than 25 years at University of Detroit Mercy. In 1994 she was named as one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ 40 Under 40. </p>	Trinity Health	Medical: Is it BI or BI?
Dan Burke (PANELIST) <div align=center><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"></span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Dan is a recognized industry leader and expert in cyber liability insurance. As National Cyber Practice Leader, Dan drives the strategy to continue to grow Woodruff Sawyer's cyber business. Under his watch, the Cyber Practice has been nominated as Cyber Broking Team of the Year by Advisen two years in a row. He has also led Woodruff Sawyer's designation as Champion for Cyber Security by the National Cybersecurity Alliance. </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;"> </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Dan has enhanced the foundation of the specialized expertise that Woodruff Sawyer's cyber team provides to clients. He has reimagined ways to qualify cyber risks for clients and was instrumental in developing our Cyber Services Network</span><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:12.00pt;">,</span><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;"> which gives our clients access to cyber risk assessments. This strategy includes developing tools to help clients and prospects understand and quantify their cyber exposures, as well as thought leadership. </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;"> </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Dan frequently speaks at industry conferences and has been quoted in various trade magazines and newsletters, including </span><i><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">The Wall Street Journal</span></i><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;"> and has been quoted in publications such as </span><i><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Insurance Business Magazine, Business Insurance, Leader's Edge, </span></i><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">and </span><i><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Bloomberg.</span></i></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:12.00pt;"> </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;">Before joining the firm in 2018, Dan served as cyber product head at Hiscox, Inc. where he managed the cyber insurance portfolio throughout the United States. He earned his bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison.  </span></div> <div class="Normal1"><span style="font-family:'Georgia';font-size:12.00pt;"></span></div>	Woodruff Sawyer	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide
Dana Maine (PANELIST) <p> Dana K. Maine is a founding attorney of FMG and is a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. Her practice focuses on professional liability defense and governmental litigation.<br/><br/> Ms. Maine heads the firm's Lawyer's (LPL) and Miscellaneous Professional Liability (MPL) practice groups. She has defended attorneys, insurance agents, real estate agents, teachers, corporate officers, and other professionals. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Liability Attorney Network (PLAN), which is a national association of select law firms with significant professional liability practices. She also serves on the leadership committee for the Professional Liability Committee within the Defense Research Institute.<br/><br/> Ms. Maine also is a former Chair of the Governmental Law Committee for the Defense Research Institute and is recognized as a leading national authority on land use and zoning, law enforcement, and civil rights litigation. She has tried all types of local government lawsuits and has argued a number of significant Section 1983 and constitutional appellate matters before the Georgia Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. <br/><br/> A 1987 graduate of Agnes Scott College (B.A.), Ms. Maine received her law degree from Emory University (J.D.) in 1991, where she was a member of the <em>Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal</em>. She has spoken throughout the country on professional liability issues and governmental law. Ms. Maine is a graduate of the Atlanta Regional Commissioner's Leadership Institute, and she also is active in a number of other civic and professional organizations in metropolitan Atlanta. </p>	Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial)
Daniel Gmelin (PANELIST) <P> Based in New York City, NY, Dan Gmelin is vice president of underwriting and head of <a href="https://www.argolimited.com/argo-pro/product/architects-and-engineers-protect/" target="_blank">Architects & Engineers</a> at <a href="https://www.argolimited.com/argo-pro/" target="_blank">Argo Pro</a>. He is tasked with growing Argo’s Architects & Engineers, Contractors and Real Estate Developers books of business. He is a recognized thought leader in the industry, having served on multiple panels ranging from risk management to innovations in construction technology. Gmelin has published numerous articles on topics such as advances in drone technology, risk management, safety on the construction site and more. Gmelin is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.<BR/><BR/> Gmelin was previously senior vice president and A&E product head at Hiscox Insurance Company, where, as one of their first U.S. employees, he helped build their professional liability department from the ground up. Gmelin has prior experience in multiple professional liability products, including A&E, Miscellaneous E&O, Allied Healthcare Technology, Cyber and General Liability. Prior to Hiscox, he was a senior underwriter at Professional Indemnity Agency, and before that, a financial advisor with CIBC Oppenheimer’s High Net Worth Private Client Group. Gmelin graduated with a degree in economics from the University at Albany. </P>		Spark Session: Construction Industry: Technological Innovations
Darren Robbins (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Darren Robbins is a founding partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. Over the last two decades, he has served as lead counsel in more than 100 securities class actions and has recovered billions of dollars for injured shareholders.<br/><br/> Darren has obtained significant recoveries in a number of actions arising out of wrongdoing related to the issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities, including the case against Goldman Sachs ($272 million recovery). Darren also served as co-lead counsel in connection with a $627 million recovery for investors in <em>In re Wachovia Preferred Securities & Bond/Notes Litig.</em>, one of the largest credit-crisis settlements involving Securities Act claims. Darren also recently served as lead counsel in <em>Schuh v. HCA Holdings, Inc.</em>, which resulted in a $215 million recovery for shareholders.<br/><br/> One of the hallmarks of Darren’s practice has been his focus on corporate governance reform. In <em>UnitedHealth</em>, a securities fraud class action arising out of an options backdating scandal, Darren represented lead plaintiff CalPERS and was able to obtain the cancellation of more than 3.6 million stock options held by the company’s former CEO and secure a record $925 million cash recovery for shareholders. Darren also negotiated sweeping corporate governance reforms, including the election of a shareholder-nominated director to the company’s board of directors, a mandatory holding period for shares acquired via option exercise, and compensation reforms that tied executive pay to performance. Recently, Darren led a shareholder derivative action brought by several pension funds on behalf of Community Health Systems, Inc. The case yielded a $60 million payment to Community Health, as well as corporate governance reforms that included two shareholder-nominated directors, the creation and appointment of a Healthcare Law Compliance Coordinator, the implementation of an executive compensation clawback in the event of a restatement, the establishment of an insider trading controls committee, and the adoption of a political expenditure disclosure policy.<br/><br/> Darren was named <em>California Lawyer</em> Attorney of the Year and has been recognized as one of the nation’s top securities litigators by numerous organizations and publications. He has been named one of the Top 100 Lawyers Shaping the Future by the <em>Daily Journal</em> and one of the Young Litigators 45 and Under by <em>The American Lawyer. The American Lawyer</em> commended him for helping “set the pace for [his] peers,” and <em>Chambers USA</em> called him “a prominent figure in the field of securities litigation” and “one of the leaders of the plaintiff Bar.” Additionally, Darren has been named a Benchmark California Star, a Local Litigation Star, and a State Litigation Star by <em>Benchmark Litigation</em>, and has been named a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer by <em>Lawdragon</em>.<br/><br/> Darren is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars around the world on securities litigation and corporate governance reform. He advises institutional investors in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Middle East, Asia, and the European Union.<br/><br/> Darren was awarded Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Economics from the University of Southern California, and received his Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School. </p>	Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion
David Lewison (PANELIST) <p> David Lewison is the National Professional Practice Co-Leader for AmWINS Brokerage Group. AmWINS Group is an insurance wholesaler with over 90 offices in 16 countries that places over $12 billion in premium annually. <br/><br/> Dave is highly experienced in management and professional liability products such as: Directors & Officers, Cyberliability, Employment Practices and Professional Liability. He leads and sets the strategy for the AmWINS Professional Lines practice, assists with claim disputes, authors client advisories, creates risk analysis tools, develops proprietary products, manages market relationships, provides coverage comparisons and other value added resources. <br/><br/> Dave draws upon his over 20 years of experience as a wholesale broker, retail broker and underwriter to teach continuing education classes as well as present on industry panels and author articles regarding Cyberliability, Directors & Officers Liability and Employment Practices Liability. Dave also moderates a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1414557/profile" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> group on Security & Privacy Insurance. </p>	AmWINS Brokerage	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept?
David Vandegrift (PANELIST) <p> David is the Co-Founder and CTO of 4Degrees, a startup focused on improving professional relationships. 4Degrees uses artificial intelligence to identify meaningful relationships, help professionals strengthen those connections over time, and guide them through the process of tapping into their network to achieve their goals. 4Degrees is the first tool to use intelligence to help form more authentic long-term relationships.<br/><br/> Prior to 4Degrees, David was an investor at Pritzker Group Venture Capital, where he focused on investments in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Before that he co-founded his first startup, MVP Innovation, an enterprise SaaS solution for the retail industry. David began his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. </p>	4Degrees	Executive Forum: Cognitive Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry Disruption
Dax Watson (MODERATOR) <p> Dax R. Watson is the managing partner of the Phoenix, Arizona office of Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer, Garin, P.C. His practice is focused in commercial litigation with an emphasis in real estate matters and professional liability defense. In his capacity as a defense attorney, Mr. Watson defends professionals in the field of real estate, law, accounting, architecture, and engineering. <br/><br/> Mr. Watson regularly appears and represents clients in regulatory matters before the Arizona Department of Real Estate and other state and federal agencies. He is admitted to practice in Arizona’s state and federal courts and has appeared and represented clients in every county in the state. Mr. Watson has extensive litigation and civil trial experience having acted as lead counsel in over 30 trials and hundreds of arbitrations and administrative proceedings.<br/><br/> Mr. Watson is a cum laude graduate with a B.A. in History from Arizona State University. He is also a cum laude graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.<br/><br/> <strong>Mediations and Settlement Conferences</strong><br/> Mr. Watson has been appointed by the Maricopa County Superior Court to act as a Judge pro Tempore. In that capacity, he conducts Court-appointed settlement conferences as a Settlement Judge and also serves as a “fill-in” Judge on civil matters and short trials. Mr. Watson also conducts private mediations and settlement conferences for all types of civil disputes, with a focus on real estate and commercial litigation disputes.<br/><br/> <strong>Presentations, Seminars and Teaching</strong><br/> Mr. Watson is approved to teach legal issues, agency and disclosure, and property management by the Arizona Department of Real estate. In this capacity, Mr. Watson regularly teaches risk-reduction classes and seminars to and for real estate Brokers throughout the state of Arizona. Mr. Watson’s classes are set up and delivered in a fun format, including mock trial classes and a Talk Show style class. </p>	Lipson, Neilson, P.C.	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial)
Deborah Morris (PANELIST) <p> Deborah is Managing Principal, New York Region Leader and National Financial Lines Practice Leader for Integro Insurance Brokers. In these positions Deborah oversees the delivery of client service, market relations and Integro’s continued expansion in the New York office as well as the P&L and strategic initiatives of the Financial Lines Practice. Prior to joining Integro, Deborah spent 25 years, with AIG, beginning her career in 1990. Her last position was Zonal Executive for AIG based in NY where she was responsible for the Lexington book of business in the NY region including Property, Casualty, Healthcare, and Financial Lines. Deborah spent the majority of her career with AIG in the International Financial Lines unit, spanning 85 countries, where she held several senior positions including COO and Commercial Institutions Manager. During her 21 years in International Financial Lines Deborah held a number of senior overseas assignments including London and Hong Kong. Deborah graduated with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary. In her spare time, Deborah is passionate about advocacy and therapeutic programming for people with Down syndrome. She is the Founder and past President of GiGi’s Playhouse NYC, a Down syndrome awareness and achievement center located in Harlem, NYC. </p>	Integro Insurance Brokers	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Desiree Spain (PANELIST) <p> Desiree began her insurance career in 2000 and has gained experience in retail, wholesale broking, and underwriting roles primarily in Property & Casualty lines of business. She has been with Beazley since 2013 working in both the London and Atlanta offices with the Commercial Property division, and currently holds a role with the Tech, Media and Business team underwriting Cyber and Tech E&O. </p>	Beazley	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept?
E. Joseph O'Neil (PANELIST) <P> Joe O’Neil is a partner at the law firm of Peabody & Arnold LLP, based in Boston. He is a 1991 graduate of the University of Oregon Law School and has spent virtually his entire career working on D&O and other financial lines coverage. He worked as a broker at Marsh in its FINPRO group. He counsels insurance carriers on exposure issues, coverage issues, and policy wording.</P>	Peabody & Arnold LLP	The New Realities for Insurers and D&Os in Bankruptcy
Frances O'Meara (PANELIST) Frances M. O’Meara is a partner at Thompson Coe & O’Meara in Los Angeles. She is a nationally recognized professional malpractice attorney certified by the California State Bar as a Certified Legal Malpractice Specialist. She advises professionals and law firms on legal professional and ethical issues, issues relating to risk management and loss control, and cyber security and data privacy risks. Frances also focuses her practice on defending general liability matters arising from premises liability, trucking, automobile, and accident claims involving property damage, personal injury, and wrongful death. She has extensive experience in D&O financial lines, commercial litigation, with an emphasis on fidelity, fiduciary and surety claims investigation and litigation. Ms. O’Meara also has experience in the area of employment litigation, including discrimination claims, employment contracts, and retaliation and sexual harassment claims and handles fidelity and bond matters throughout the State of California. </p>	Wood Smith Henning Berman	Spark Session: Managing Diverse Cultures in US Litigation
Greg Flood (PANELIST) <p> Greg Flood is an industry leader with 40 years of experience specializing in Professional and Management Liability Insurance. Most recently, Greg was President of IronPro®, Ironshore's Professional Liability division. Prior to joining Ironshore, Greg was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of National Union Fire Insurance Company, a subsidiary of American International Group. Before this position, Greg co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Specialty Risk (GSR), a D&O specialty insurer launched in 2000 and subsequently acquired by AIG. Previously, he was President of AIG's Mergers and Acquisitions Insurance Services Division. From 1988 to 1998 he served in a variety of positions with National Union. Greg also worked as a broker and Vice President with Marsh & McLennan. Greg holds a B.A. in Economics from Pace University and an M.B.A. from Long Island University. </p>	ATRI Insurance Services LLC	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Janet Dreifuss, Esq. (PANELIST) <p><span style="color:black;font-family:'Arial';font-size:10.00pt;">Janet is the Associate General Counsel and Associate General Counsel/Senior Claims Counsel at ARC Excess & Surplus. Janet specializes in executive risk liability exposures including Directors and Officers Liability, Financial Institutions Professional Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Cyber Liability, Fiduciary Liability and Fidelity coverages. Janet provides claim advocacy services on behalf of ARC’s Brokerage clients and assists clients in evaluating and negotiating complex claims and coverage issues in order to obtain the best possible results for ARC’s clients. In addition, Janet works with ARC brokers to draft and manuscript policy wordings and coverage modifications on these lines of business. Janet previously held positions at Alliant Insurance Services where she was Senior Vice President and Head of Claims for the Executive Risk Claims Practice located in New York and at Hilb Rogal & Hobbs where she was Senior Vice President and headed the National Executive Risk Claims Practice. Janet started in the insurance industry at AIG where she managed a claim staff in the Financial Institutions Department. Janet is an attorney and received her Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra University School of Law. She began her legal career in private practice where she was a commercial litigator and also spent several years working for the Federal Government in the Regional Counsel’s Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Janet is a frequent speaker on various panels that address insurance industry related issues, including claims and coverage matters.</span></p>	ARC Excess & Surplus, LLC	The New Realities for Insurers and D&Os in Bankruptcy
Jeffrey Cowhey (MODERATOR) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Jeffrey D. Cowhey is co-founder and President of Ambridge Partners LLC, a managing general underwriter of Transactional, Legal Contingency, Specialty Management Liability, and Intellectual Property Insurance products. Established in October 2000, Ambridge provides its clients with customized and responsive underwriting solutions for a wide variety of exposures that prevent a transaction from being completed. Ambridge’s wholly owned subsidiary, Ambridge Europe Limited is a managing general underwriter of complex risks in the United Kingdom and other countries in the European Union and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. </p>	Ambridge Group	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective
Jennifer Weinstein (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Jennifer currently manages a group that handles all aspects of management liability claims, including EPL, D&O, fiduciary, crime, cyber and employed attorneys. With over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Jennifer has managed claims for several large carriers with increasing complexities and responsibilities. She previously served as a Senior Attorney for the New York State Department of Health, handling employment law issues in the healthcare industry within New York State. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ithaca College and a juris doctor from Hofstra University School of Law. Jennifer is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and New York. </p>	Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions	WARNING - The Internet May Be Hazardous to Employees!
Jeremy Batterman (PANELIST) <p> Jeremy Batterman is a Cofounder of Azonic Solutions an Information Security and Incident Response firm based in Chicago, Austin, Seattle and Denver with expertise in cyber incident response, data breach investigations, malware discovery and analysis, computer and network forensics, application / infrastructure maintenance and deployment.<br/><br/> With over 17 years’ experience in information security, Jeremy has assisted clients, cyber insurers, and law firms with hundreds of cyber incident response matters, theft of trade secret investigations, intellectual property cases, and enterprise risk assessments. Mr. Batterman advises and educates boards, counsel and management in business issues pertaining to cyber security threats and brings a practical perspective on solving complex information security issues such as: <style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>APT Enterprise Intrusions</li> <li>Threat Intelligence</li> <li>Personally Identifiable Information (PII) theft</li> <li>Protected Healthcare Information (PHI) theft</li> <li>Banking malware</li> <li>Phishing attacks</li> </ul><br/> Prior to starting Azonic Solutions, Batterman worked for 2 years at Navigant Consulting where he led complex investigations and developed ransom payment solutions for clients as well as streamline Office365 email investigations. Batterman worked 6 years at Lockheed Martin and helped pioneer its professional services Incident Response group and developed many products such as training and attack simulation assessments. Prior to that he consulted for the FBI’s Special Technologies and Applications office, and for 5 years he was the technical CIRT lead at Qwest Communications.<br/><br/> He has earned several industry certification, such as EnCe, GREM, and GCFA. Mr. Batterman is an internationally known panelist, speaker, and educator on incident response, cyber intelligence, APT investigations, and strategy. </p>	Azonic Solutions, LLC.	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide
Jeremy Lieberman (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Jeremy A. Lieberman is Pomerantz’s Managing Partner. Jeremy led the litigation of <em>In re Petrobras Securities Litigation</em>, a closely-watched securities class action arising from a multi-billion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme involving Brazil’s largest oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras, in which Pomerantz was sole Lead Counsel. The biggest instance of corruption in the history of Brazil ensnared not only Petrobras' former executives but also Brazilian politicians, including former president Lula da Silva and one-third of the Brazilian Congress. In January and February 2018, Jeremy achieved a historic $3 billion settlement for the Class. This is not only the largest securities class action settlement in a decade but is the largest settlement ever in a securities class action involving a foreign issuer, the fifth-largest securities class action settlement ever achieved in the United States, the largest securities class action settlement achieved by a foreign Lead Plaintiff, and the largest securities class action settlement in history not involving a restatement of financial reports. </p>	Pomerantz LLP	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion
Jeremy Liss (PANELIST) <p> Jeremy Liss is a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice primarily involves counseling private equity funds and their portfolio companies, family offices, and other business owners on structuring and negotiating complex business transactions including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, purchases and sales through bankruptcy and out-of-court restructuring, equity financings, incentive equity and other compensation plans, leveraged dividends, and general corporate matters. <br/><br/> Jeremy has led numerous transactions in his career in a variety of industries with transaction sizes ranging from less than $100 million to more than $6 billion. His representative clients include Advent International, Arlon Group, Aterian Investment Partners, Marlin Equity Partners, New Water Capital, Sun Capital Partners, Teachers’ Private Capital and Wind Point Partners. <br/><br/> Jeremy is a thought leader in the use of representations and warranties insurance and other transactional risk insurance products. He regularly uses these insurance products to deliver enhanced terms to both buyers and sellers in transactions. Jeremy is highly regarded by, and has developed close relationships with, brokers and insurers who are active participants in the transactional insurance market. He has also authored and been interviewed for numerous articles on this topic and is a frequent speaker at industry events. </p>	Kirkland & Ellis LLP	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective
Jeremy Kerman (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Jeremy Kerman focuses his practice on insurance coverage and commercial litigation matters. He has handled hundreds of cases involving coverage issues related to cyber liability, professional liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, and errors and omissions liability. He is also an experienced litigator, handling cases in the areas of medical malpractice defense, defense of property management companies, and breach of contract, to name a few. Jeremy has participated in several complex insurance coverage and bad faith arbitration, as well as federal and state court trials and mediations. Jeremy has also briefed issues to the Seventh Circuit Court of appeals and presented oral argument to the Delaware Supreme Court. Jeremy is the founder and primary contributor to <a href="https://plusblog.org/author/jkerman/" target="_blank">Kerman’s Korner</a>, a podcast that shares story-driven, tips, thoughts, and lessons that Jeremy has learned over the years. </p>	Walker Wilcox Matousek LLP	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide
Joel Townsend (MODERATOR) <p> Joel is a Senior Vice President at CNA where he manages the Management Liability, Financial Institutions & Technology (MLFIT) unit of CNA’s Global Specialty Claims organization. This unit handles highly complex claims involving a wide variety of professional liability products including, among others, large account commercial D&O and professional liability E&O policies, fiduciary liability policies, employment practices liability policies, fidelity bond and commercial crime policies, cyber and technology products, and a wide range of D&O and E&O policies issued to customers in the financial services industry. Joel has been with CNA and a part of the MLFIT team since March 2016. <br/><br/> Prior to joining CNA, Joel worked at Chubb for nineteen (19) years holding several senior leadership roles, the latest being that of Senior Vice President and Worldwide Specialty Claims Manager with responsibility for managing and overseeing the home office and field claim handling procedures, reporting and authority protocols, managing high severity/high profile and systemic claims worldwide for Chubb Specialty Insurance. Before Chubb, Joel was in private practice as a partner in the law firm, Ross, Dixon and Masback, LLP. Joel received his law degree from the University of Virginia and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University. </p>	CNA Financial	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion
Joel Fehrman (PANELIST) <p> Joel attended The Georgia Institute of Technology from 1995-2000, graduating with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Afterwards he spent 10 years working in the technology industry in the Greater Atlanta area. In 2010 Joel completed his MBA at Georgia State University with dual concentration in Risk Management & Insurance and Finance. Since that time he has worked as an underwriter focused on Tech E&O, Media, and Cyber Liability risks. Joel is currently responsible for the Southeast region within Beazley’s Technology, Media and Business Services (TMB) group. </p>	Corvus	Medical: Is it BI or BI?
John McNally (PANELIST) <p> John leads JLT Specialty USA's Transaction Advisory Practice (TAP). TAP advises private equity and strategic buyers and sellers on the structuring and placement of representations and warranties, contingent tax, litigation/ known risk, fraudulent conveyance and successor liability insurance solutions in M&A transactions.<br/><Br/> Prior to joining JLT, John spent five years with Beazley Group in London, starting the firm’s mergers and acquisitions group and building it into one of the class’s leading global books of business, underwriting risks from Asia and Europe to the U.S. While there, he pioneered the use of quantitative rating models incorporating market frequency and loss data, risk weighting by sector and jurisdiction, and pricing optimization for deal size, limit, and attachment points. <br/><Br/> John spent 15 years with American International Underwriters (AIG) in various roles in New York and London, before moving to Beazley. <br/><br/> He has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. </p>	NFP	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective
John Benedetto (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> John is currently the President of Berkley Professional Liability LLC. He joined the WR Berkley organization in October 2008 after a 16 year career at AIG. His most recent position at AIG was President of the National Accounts Division (publicly traded companies with revenues over $500mm) of AIG Executive Liability. In addition to this day-to-day responsibility he had oversight responsibility for the Corporate Accounts Division (publicly traded companies with revenues below $500mm) John held a succession of underwriting and management positions throughout his career at AIG. He has underwritten and managed various management liability products including but not limited to: public company D&O, private company D&O, GPL, Employment Practices and Fiduciary Liability. <br/><br/> Prior to his employment at AIG, John worked within the Private Client Group of Merrill Lynch. John graduated from Boston University with a BSBA in Finance and International Management in 1989.<br/><br/> John is currently a Trustee of PLUS. </p>	Berkley Professional Liability	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Jordan Eth (PANELIST) <p> Jordan is co-chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White Collar Defense Group. He is one of the leading securities litigators in the United States, known for his success in handling complex, high-stakes cases. He has more than 30 years of experience representing public companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, SEC investigations, derivative suits, M&A litigation, and internal investigations. Based on his and the Group’s recent successes, <em>The Daily Journal</em> named Jordan to its 2021 list of "Top 100 Lawyers" in California. He has also received a "California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award" for co-leading the successful defense of JDS Uniphase Corp. and its former executives in a securities class action jury trial seeking $20 billion in damages. <br/><br/> Jordan is recommended by multiple publications including <em>Chambers USA, Legal 500 US, The Best Lawyers in America</em>, and <em>Benchmark Litigation</em>. In 2010, he was selected by his peers as one of <em>Law360</em>’s 10 Most Admired Securities Attorneys. Clients have described Jordan as "the total package of what you could want from a lawyer: judgment, expertise, toughness, and business savvy." Others have commented that "Jordan Eth is in a class of his own. He is deeply knowledgeable and experienced and a natural leader without ego issues. He thinks strategically and is extremely responsive, realistic, and clear in his assessments of situations" and that "Jordan understands the CEO mentality with respect to securities actions and navigates the corporate politics of these matters with the same expertise with which he handles the legal case." <br/><br/> Jordan received his J.D. from Stanford University, Order of the Coif, where he served as Co-President of the Moot Court Board. He received his B.A. in Economics from Swarthmore College, with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa. Jordan clerked for United States District Judge Robert F. Peckham, then-Chief Judge for the Northern District of California. </p>	Morrison & Foerster	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion
Joseph Spallone (PANELIST)	Sompo International	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Jura Zibas (PANELIST)	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP	Spark Session: The Evolution of Risks with 3D Printing
Keith Lavigne (PANELIST) <p> Prior to joining Everest, Keith served as Executive Vice President of Chubb Financial Lines, and business segment Leader for Chubb’s retail management liability business. In this capacity, Keith managed a team of 300 underwriters across 38 offices in North America, focused on providing specialty solutions to companies in the private and not-for-profit industry segments. Prior to joining ACE in March of 2009 (currently known as Chubb), Keith spent approximately eight years with AIG, most recently as Senior Vice President of the AIG executive liability financial institutions division. <br/><br/> Keith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in financial accounting from the University of New Haven and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Connecticut. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA") and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants ("CSCPA"). Commenting on the hire, Mike Karmilowicz, Head of Everest Specialty Underwriters stated, "We are thrilled that Keith has joined us at Everest. Keith is an accomplished and action oriented leader, as well as a strong underwriting technician who will be a tremendous asset to Everest as we continue to innovate and solve our clients and trading partners’ most challenging problems." <br/><br/> Keith will manage his team of US underwriters from the Everest Insurance® office in New York City. </p>	ProSight Specialty Insurance	Coverage in Jeopardy!
Kelly Geary (PANELIST) <p> Kelly Geary is Coverage Counsel & Claims Leader for the Specialty Division of Integro USA Inc. based in the New York City area. <br/><br/> Kelly has spent approximately 20 years in the insurance industry. She began her career as an insurance defense and coverage attorney in the professional lines space in New York City. After private practice, Kelly held positions within the claims, underwriting, compliance and legal departments at various NYC based insurance carriers with a focus on professional and financial lines products. While on the carrier side, Kelly acquired significant experience evaluating cyber risks and exposures and developing cyber insurance products for various insurers. <br/><br/> Currently, Kelly provides risk management counseling, policy and contract evaluation services and claim advocacy to professional service firms as well as large public and private companies. In addition, Kelly is actively involved in the evaluation, analysis, and negotiation of insurance products tailored to address cyber risks and exposures to firms and companies of all sizes, across all industry segments. <br/><br/> She is licensed to practice law in the State of New York and is certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals as a U.S. Information Privacy Professional. </p>	Integro U.S.A.	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial)
Kelly Thoerig (PANELIST) <p> Kelly Thoerig is Marsh’s U.S. Employment Practices Liability and Wage and Hour Coverage Leader and is primarily responsible for manuscripting EPL and W&H policies, leading policy and insurer new product reviews, and drafting endorsements. In addition, Kelly is a claims advocate for Marsh’s FINPRO practice, specializing in complex coverage and claims issues concerning EPL, W&H, D&O, professional liability, crime, and cyber insurance, where she calls upon her prior law firm experience representing insurance carriers in coverage disputes. Kelly frequently presents at industry seminars nationwide on various insurance coverage topics. </p>	Marsh	Trump Administration's Impact on Employment Law
Kimarie Stratos (PANELIST) <p> As Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Privacy Officer for Memorial Healthcare System (“Memorial”), the third-largest public hospital system in the nation, Kimarie Stratos oversees legal, risk, and privacy issues for the entire system, which includes six hospitals, primary care and outpatient centers, accountable care organizations, a clinically integrated network, and more. Ms. Stratos also ensures compliance with state and federal regulations such as HIPAA and HITECH, leads Memorial’s incident response team, serves as a point-person to OCR, and spearheads Memorial’s innovative privacy team in collaboration with IT to constantly improve Memorial’s top-notch data privacy and cybersecurity practices. </p>	Memorial Healthcare System	Medical: Is it BI or BI?
Kimberly Ashmore (PANELIST) <p> Kimberly Ashmore is a partner at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington D.C. and a leading lawyer in the insurance field. Ms. Ashmore works in Wiley Rein’s Insurance Practice, representing professional liability insurers as coverage counsel and in coverage litigation. She serves as monitoring counsel in connection with complex professional liability claims, and counsels insurance clients on coverage issues and strategies for handling underlying liability matters with large exposures. Ms. Ashmore also serves as defense counsel for lawyers, accountants and other professionals in complex professional liability actions at both the trial and appellate levels. Ms. Ashmore received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, where she graduated with highest honors. She went on to clerk for Judge Deborah Chasanow in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Recently selected by <em>Business Insurance</em> Magazine for its “Break Out” Award, Ms. Ashmore also has been named one of DC’s “Super Lawyers” for Insurance Coverage by <em>Super Lawyers</em> magazine, and was selected as a “recommended lawyer” in Insurance Law by <em>The Legal 500 US. </em> </p>	Wiley Rein LLP	Spark Session: Spark Session: Emotional Intelligence and Effective Claim Management
Kristin Kraeger (PANELIST) <p> <strong>Current Responsibilities</strong><br/> Kristin is a Managing Director and the National D&O and Fiduciary Product/Practice Leader within the Financial Services Group.<br/><br/> Kristin works directly with the senior legal and underwriting leadership with our insurer partners on manuscript policy language and Aon exclusive contract terms. She is directly involved with the brokering/[policy negotiation of many of our Fortune 500 D&O accounts. She serves as a senior legal resource advocating for our client on complex corporate claims. Kristin also is the national leader on the exclusive endorsement of Aon as the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (“Bio”) broker offering an executive liability business solution for Bio and it’s state affiliates’’ member base.<br/><br/> <strong>Special Areas of Expertise</strong><br/> Kristin has over twenty years of legal experience, primarily insurance defense and particularly directors’ and officers’ liability. Previously she practiced in the litigation department at one of Boston’s oldest and largest law firms where she worked in the firm’s litigation department on complex Directors’ and Officers’ coverage and liability actions, as well as, cases involving securities and employment law. Her practice included work with both for profit (public and private) and not-for-profit companies across the country. Her D&O liability experience also includes over 10 years of advising clients on IPO placements and risks. She has advocated for clients on hundreds of class action securities litigation and regulatory investigations. Her work has also included providing legal advice to directors’ and officer’ on the subject of corporate governance.<br/><br/> In June 2016, Kristin was named by Insurance Business America as one of the “Elite Women” in the industry. Kristin speaks often at national and global industry events on numerous D&O related topics ranging from Securities Litigation, D&O Marketplace Trends, IPO Preparedness and Contract Certainty.<br/><br/> <strong>Prior Industry Experience</strong><br/> Kristin held a similar position with Boston-based regional insurance broker.<br/><br/> <strong>Education</strong> <style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>College of the Holy Cross</li> <li>Suffolk University Law School</li> <li>All American and Academic All American honors in Track & Field. Dean’s List, National Constitutional Law Team and the Moot Court Board.</li> <li>She taught Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy at Boston University Law School for 10 years.</li> </ul><br/> <strong>Professional Designations/Affiliations</strong> <style="list-style-type:disc"> <li>Admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.</li> <li>Member of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association and the American Bar Association.</li> <li>She is also a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).</li> </ul> </p>	Aon	D&O Trends: The Securities Class Action Explosion
Kristine D'Amato (PANELIST) <p> Kristine L. D’Amato, National Claims Counsel, Executive and Professional Risk Solutions (EPS) is based in New York, New York. Kristine’s role is to advocate on behalf of clients in relation to coverage and legal matters arising from complex EPS claims. <br/><br/> Kristine is an attorney with almost 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining USI, Kristine was Coverage Director and Counsel for the Executive Risk Department of Crum & Forster, overseeing all aspects of coverage for the Professional Liability, Management Liability, and eRisk-Cyber departments, as well as overseeing claims for the Management Liability department. Prior to that, Kristine oversaw a team that handled a wide variety of Management Liability and Professional Liability claims as Assistant Vice President for Liberty International Underwriters, and handled claims across those lines for Liberty since 2011. Prior to that, Kristine was a Claims Consultant in the Public Company D&O group at the Hartford, and began her career in private practice as an insurance defense and coverage attorney. <br/><br/> Kristine received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in New York, and her B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Kristine is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. </p>	USI Insurance Services	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial)
Laura Lapidus (PANELIST) <p> Laura Lapidus is CNA’s Management Liability Risk Control Director, and provides risk control support to all of the insurance products which provide management liability coverage, with a focus on Employment Practices Liability (EPL) insurance coverage. Laura has more than 25 years of experience in employment law. She has taught dozens of CNA’s School of Risk Control Excellence (SORCE) courses and webinars, and has written various articles on employment practices issues.<br/><br/> Prior to CNA, Laura spent ten years managing EPL and other management liability claims for other carriers. Prior to her employment in the insurance industry, Laura was the in-house employment counsel for a nationwide restaurant company, worked as in-house employment counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, and practiced at a litigation boutique, concentrating on employment law and commercial litigation. </p> <p> As CNA’s Management Liability Risk Control Director, Laura provides risk control support to all of the insurance products which provide management liability coverage, with a focus on Employment Practices Liability (EPL) insurance coverage. <br/><br/> Laura has 25 years of experience in employment law. She has taught dozens of CNA’s School of Risk Control Excellence (SORCE) courses and webinars, and has written various articles on employment practices issues.<br/><br/> Prior to CNA, Laura spent ten years managing EPL and other management liability claims for other carriers. Prior to her employment in the insurance industry, Laura was the in-house employment counsel for a nationwide restaurant company, worked as in-house employment counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, and practiced at a litigation boutique, concentrating on employment law and commercial litigation. <br/><br/> Laura is admitted to practice in New York and is a graduate of Albany Law School of Union University and of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. </p>	CNA	WARNING - The Internet May Be Hazardous to Employees!
Letoyia Horton (PANELIST) Letoyia Horton is the Claims Focus Group Leader for Beazley Group’s Employment Practices Liability team. She is responsible for managing a national team of claims managers. She handles complex employment claims involving a myriad of issues, including but not limited to discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, COVID-19, and a host of other workplace issues. Prior to joining Beazley, Ms. Horton represented domestic and foreign insurers in complex coverage litigation in state and federal courts. She also is a trained mediator. Upon completion of law school, she completed a federal clerkship for The Honorable James R. Spencer, United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia. Ms. Horton is a member of the bar in Georgia and New York.	Beazley	Spark Session: The Defend Trade Secrets Act: Mitigating the Risk
Lisa Butera (MODERATOR) <p> Lisa Butera is a Senior Vice President and Senior Client Manager at Swiss Re. In this role, she is chief sales leader and relationship manager for 5 major insurer clients. She is responsible for growth and profitability of the overall client relationship and leads cross-functional teams to develop and deliver risk and capital management solutions to her clients. Additionally, Lisa is the Head of Client Strategy for her Division.<br/><br/> Prior to joining Swiss Re in August 2012, Lisa spent most of her 20 year insurance career at AIG. Most recently, she was Head of the Multinational Risk Practice for AIG North America and prior to that Head of Worldwide Commercial Management Liability within the international Financial Lines Division. During her AIG career, Lisa held several positions of increasing responsibility. <br/><br/> After leaving AIG for a short hiatus and then again returning after 2.5 years, Lisa was a broker at Aon within the Financial Services Group. <br/><br/> Lisa is a Communications Studies graduate of Montclair State University. </p>	Swiss Re	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Lisa Fontana Brennan (PANELIST) <p> Lisa Fontana Brennan is an Executive Claims Examiner for Markel Corporation. She handles claims in all states for a variety of professional lines including architects and engineers, accountants, dentists, directors and officers, employment practices liability, homeowners associations, miscellaneous errors and omissions, and technology services. Lisa is a licensed attorney in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana and practiced law at an insurance defense firm prior to joining Markel. </p>	Markel Service, Incorporated	WARNING - The Internet May Be Hazardous to Employees!
Liz Roussel (MODERATOR) <p> Elizabeth “Liz” Roussel is a Partner in the New Orleans office of Adams and Reese and focuses her practice on litigating commercial disputes, director and officer liability claims and employment claims. Liz has represented a wide variety of clients including financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, public entities, nonprofit corporations, state agencies, private universities, public trusts and charter schools. Liz enjoys spending time in the courtroom, but appreciates the value of resolution and works with clients to understand and achieve their goals.<br/><br/> Liz’s experience includes: litigating commercial contract disputes; litigating the enforceability of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements; defending corporate directors and officers against breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference with contract and business relations, fraud, conversion and misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information claims; defending companies in consumer protection and unfair trade practice litigation; litigating shareholder derivative suits; and advising and representing employers in state and federal courts on a wide range of employment matters including claims brought pursuant to Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Sections 1981 and 1983 of the United States Code and Louisiana’s anti-discrimination and whistleblower statutes. Liz is a past chair of the board of directors for the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, a nonprofit United Way partner agency that provides mental health, counseling and other services to children and families. Liz also serves on the Board of Directors for Longue Vue House and Gardens and a member of the Board of Trustees for Trinity Episcopal School. When Liz isn’t practicing law, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with her children and family. </p>	Adams and Reese, LLP	Coverage in Jeopardy!
Louie Castoria (PANELIST) <p> Louie Castoria is a professional liability defense and coverage attorney, and, as his photo for the PLUS Conference suggests, a published humorist. His session will address the “Baby Boom” generation’s plight and its effect on a wide range of professions’ potential liability. <br/><br/> Himself a Boomer, Louie is the Co-Managing Partner in Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP’s San Francisco office. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Professional Liability Practice Group, and is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Educational Association, where he remains a Director. Louie authored portions of PLUS’ RPLU curriculum on Miscellaneous professional liability. He is Hearing Officer under contract with the City and County of San Francisco.<br/><br/> Louie is a frequent speaker at insurance industry educational events. He assists California businesses and professional offices in avoiding liability exposures, and defending them in court when such exposures become lawsuits. Louie has written insurance policies for carriers and chapters in the multi-volume series “Insurance Agency Risk Management,” published by Thomson-Reuters. He writes quarterly columns on avoiding E&O exposures for <em>National Underwriter Property & Casualty 360</em> magazine and for the <em>Los Angeles Daily Journal.</em><Br/><br/> His weekly humor column, Quip Tide, is published by the Half Moon Bay Review. </p>	Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, LLP	Spark Session: The "Baby Boom" Goes Bust!
Lynn Sessions (MODERATOR) <p> Lynn Sessions is Partner at Baker Hostetler with over 23 years of experience and focuses her practice on data security and privacy. She has handled over 500 data breaches and over 150 regulatory investigations following those breaches. She is knowledgeable of both state and federal data breach laws, including HIPAA, FERPA, PCI, and Gramm Leach Bliley. Lynn is a member of Baker Hostetler’s data privacy group, which has been recognized as one of the top data privacy groups in the nation by Law 360 and Chambers. Prior to joining Baker Hostetler, Lynn served as in-house counsel and director of several departments for Texas Children’s Hospital and was responsible for risk management, insurance, litigation, emergency management, environmental health and safety, audit, and privacy. Lynn completed her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University and received her law degree from Baylor University School of Law, where she was honored in the Order of Barristers. Lynn is ranked by Chambers as a leading healthcare attorney in the state of Texas. Lynn was also awarded a Burton Distinguished Writing Award at the Library of Congress for her article, “Anatomy of a Healthcare Data Breach” and was named a Trailblazer in Cyber Security by the National Law Journal in 2016. Lynn is a frequent speaker on data security and privacy matters. </p>	BakerHostetler	Medical: Is it BI or BI?
Marian Rice (PANELIST) <P> For more than 35 years, Ms. Rice has concentrated her practice on the representation of attorneys and risk management for lawyers. Ms. Rice holds the AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethics and legal ability, has been designated a Super Lawyer annually since 2008 and was assigned a “superb” AVVO rating. In 2012, Long Island Business News named Ms. Rice as one of the 50 most influential women on Long Island.<br/><br/> Ms. Rice is the Chair of the New York State Bar Association Law Practice Management Committee, a member of the NYSBA Bar Journal editorial board, an appointee to the newly created NYSBA Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession and an alternate to the NYSBA Nominating Committee. In addition to having authored a column for the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Magazine, Ms. Rice is a Past President of the 5,000 member Nassau County Bar Association, the largest suburban bar association in the country. In 2014, Ms. Rice was awarded the NCBA President’s Award for service to the Association and in 2015, she was honored by the St. John’s Law School Alumni Nassau Chapter.<br/><br/> Ms. Rice also served as an ABA Presidential appointee to the ABA Standing Committee on Lawyer's Professional Liability from 2009 through 2012 and was Chair of the New York State Bar Association - Committee for Insurance Programs from 2008 to 2013. Ms. Rice is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society; the Defense Association of New York and the Defense Research Institute.<br/><br/> In addition to being a New York State Bar Association Presidential appointee to the Task Force on Non-Lawyer Ownership and the Special Committee on Legal Specialization, Ms. Rice has served on the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section. Her prior roles at the Nassau County Bar Association include President 2012-2013, President Elect 2011-2012, First Vice President 2010-2011, Second Vice President 2009-2010, Treasurer 2008-2009, Secretary 2007-2008, Director 2004-2007, Judiciary Committee (Chair 2015-2016 and 2006-2007), Vice-Chair (2005-2006), Strategic Planning Committee (Chair 2005-2006) (Vice-Chair 2003-2005), Nassau Lawyer/Publications Committee (Editor in Chief 2006-2007) (Co-Managing Editor 2005-2006). She is also a member of Nassau-Suffolk Trial Lawyers and the Suffolk County Bar Association. <br/><br/> Ms. Rice has authored materials for numerous publications and newsletters, including the New York Law Journal, BNA publications, the New York State Bar Journal and Nassau Lawyer, and has lectured extensively for the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, the ABA Standing Committee on Lawyer’s Professional Liability, PLI, the National Legal Malpractice and Risk Management Conference, the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar and the American Conference Institute, as well as for various law firms, insurers, law schools and trade associations, at seminars covering such diverse topics related to the representation of attorneys in every aspect of civil litigation, disciplinary matters, general counseling and risk management.<br/><br/> From 1999 to 2003, Ms. Rice administered the Attorney Loss Prevention Hotline Service for the broker responsible for the NYSBA sponsored professional liability insurer. <br/><br/> Ms. Rice received her Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law, Jamaica, New York in 1979 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham College at Fordham University in 1976. She was admitted to practice before the Courts of the State of New York in 1980 and is also admitted before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as well as several other jurisdictions on a pro hac vice basis. <br/><br/> From 1984 to 2000, Ms. Rice was a Governor-appointed member of the Council for the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. </P>	L'Abbate Balkan	What's Your Verdict? Potential Pitfalls in PL Defense (A Mock Trial)
Matt Prevost (MODERATOR) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Matt Prevost, RPLU, joined Chubb in July 2014 as National Product Line Manager for Chubb’s network security, privacy and technology Errors & Omissions (E&O) products. Since 2016, he has assumed overall responsibility for cyber product management in North America. <br/><br/> In this role, Matt is responsible for developing underwriting strategy, negotiating complex accounts, developing and maintaining a broad network of brokerage and vendor relationships, developing and driving distribution, and enhancing cyber services through all channels. Additionally, Matt plays a significant role in Chubb’s Global Cyber Practice, which addresses growing risks as legislation and privacy and network security exposures evolve around the world and customer demands for cyber insurance and risk management solutions grow and change. As of 2018, Matt is also a member of Chubb Group’s Emerging Risk Committee and an advisor for the Cyber COPE Insurance CertificationSM (CCIC) program provided by Chubb and Carnegie Mellon University. <br/><br/> Matt is a certified Continuing Education instructor in a majority of states and regularly speaks on the topics of cyber and privacy insurance, technology E&O, Directors & Officers (D&O) coverage, and cyber risk. He is a graduate of Lafayette College with a degree in International Economics and Commerce, and also studied at Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Dijon in France. </p>	Chubb	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide
Matt Stremel (PANELIST) <p> D. Matthew “Matt” Stremel is an Insurance Industry Solutions Leader with IBM Financial Services. In this role, he supports advancing client business value through the alignment and application of IBM’s broad portfolio of services and software offerings including a focus on advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and cognitive computing. He works directly with insurance and financial services clients and account teams to ascertain the mix of solution components to most quickly drive business return and increase used adoption and acceleration.<br/><br/> In this role, Mr. Stremel leverages his successful career as an Associate Partner in the Insurance Strategy and Transformation Practice of IBM Global Business Services where he brought his seasoned business and management consulting experience to his insurance and financial services clients with proven success in large and complex global transformation programs, strategic program management and delivery, industry thought leadership, and resource and team development. His extensive and varied consulting experiences including engagements in domain-specific front office, policy administration, and claims as well as enterprise transformations. He consistently exceeds client expectations in a wide variety of roles including program director, engagement and project manager, delivery advisor, and team lead and he was frequently placed in positions where he worked directly with both business and information technology stakeholders driving consensus and building value-added solutions.<br/><br/> Matt has successful delivered initiatives across the insurance value chain with a strong focus on customer acquisition, mobile and online enablement, and self-service. He brings significant qualifications in life and annuity (individual and group) companies as well as P&C, personal, commercial, and specialty lines and supplemental health.<br/><br/> Prior to joining IBM in January 2011, Matt worked in management consulting roles at Ernst & Young LLP, Capgemini, and WhittmanHart. Mr. Stremel has worked with a large number of leading insurance companies in North American including P&C, Life & Annity, Disability, Supplemental Health, Commercial, Personal, Multi-line, and Reinsurance business models. Mr. Stremel also brings over fifteen years of experience working at AT&T, Ameritech, and Motorola.<br/><br/> He serves as a member of the Insurance Leadership team and is based in Chicago, Illinois where he lives with his wife and two grown children. Matt completed his undergraduate work at Miami University and holds an M.A. from Bowling Green State University. </p>	IBM	Executive Forum: Cognitive Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry Disruption
Minton Mayer (PANELIST) <p> Minton Mayer, AV Rated Attorney, is a partner with Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC and focuses his practice on the defense of medical liability insurance claims with a focus on the defense of long-term care organizations including nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other aging services providers. Minton is the immediate past President of the Memphis Jewish Home and Rehab. Minton's professional practice and volunteer experience as past President, Vice President and General Counsel of a nursing home provides him with unique insight into the operational, compliance, risk management and board functions of long-term care providers. This experience enables him to have a keen awareness of his clients' day-to-day opportunities and challenges beyond litigation. He regularly consults with long-term care organizations regarding risk management, regulatory, operations, insurance, administrative and employment related issues. He lectures frequently across the country on insurance issues, long-term care and aging services and health care related topics. He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31, listed General Civil Mediator.<br/><br/> Minton earned his B.A. degree from Kent State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C Humphrey school of Law. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute where he is the Program Chair of the 2017 Nursing Home and Assisted Living Conference, Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and the Memphis Bar Association where he is Vice Chair of the ADR Section. Minton is admitted to practice in Tennessee and Arkansas. </p>	Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC	Spark Session: Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings
Paul Schiavone (PANELIST) <p> With over 20 years of insurance experience, Paul Schiavone leads Allianz's North American team in the growth and development of Financial Lines and Liability products in the region. Before joining Allianz, he was responsible for the Private Equity Practice at Zurich US. Prior, he worked in the London office of Zurich General Insurance as the Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Special Lines (inclusive of Directors and Officers (D&O), Management Liability, Financial Institutions, Professional Indemnity, Surety, Political Risk and Trade Credit insurance).<br/><br/> Prior to Zurich, Paul was Vice President at American Wholesale Insurance Group (AmWINS) Brokerage, where he was responsible for wholesale brokering of all financial liability lines of business. He has also served in a variety of roles at AIG Europe SA, American International Underwriters (the international underwriting subsidiary of AIG), and National Union Fire Insurance Company. Paul holds a Juris Doctorate in Law from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University. </p>	Allianz	Executive Forum: A Conversation with Senior Leaders
Paul Lavelle (MODERATOR) <p> Paul Lavelle is Chief Claims Officer for Zurich North America, a position he began in September 2018. He has more than 30 years of insurance experience and has held a number of Claims and Underwriting senior leadership and management roles, including American International Group and National Union. In addition, he served as Senior Vice President, North America Claims Operations at Allied World Assurance Company, where he oversaw the entire North American Claim Operation, Bermuda and London. Prior to that he was President and Founder of LVL Claims Services, LLC, where he created and operated all facets of a professional liability claims adjusting company. </p>	Zurich North America	The New Realities for Insurers and D&Os in Bankruptcy
Paul Brophy (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Paul A. Brophy is co-founder and Executive Vice President of Berkley Professional Liability, an operating company of Fortune 500 and Ward’s 50 property and casualty insurer, W.R. Berkley Corporation. Berkley Professional specializes in management, professional, and transactional liability insurance for public and private commercial entities and financial institutions within the United States of America and Canada, and internationally through W/R/B Underwriting Syndicate 1967 at Lloyd’s of London. <br/><br/> Paul joined W.R. Berkley in October 2008 after a ten year career at AIG, where he held a succession of underwriting and management positions in both the public and private management liability arenas. Paul ultimately served as Senior Vice President of AIG Executive Liability, where he was responsible for running AIG’s large public company Directors and Officers, Fiduciary, and Employment Practices Liability lines of business for the U.S. Central and West Coast zones, and for all of Canada. <br/><br/> Paul began his insurance career in 1990 as a claim adjuster with The St Paul Cos, where he was cross-trained in all lines of personal and commercial property and casualty business, ultimately specializing in large commercial general liability claims. From 1992 through 1995, Paul worked as a commercial lines broker for Lovitt and Touché, an insurance brokerage based in Phoenix, Arizona. <br/><br/> Paul has been a featured panelist, speaker, and moderator at numerous insurance industry events focused on domestic and foreign management liability issues and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and History and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona. </p>	Berkley Professional Liability	The New Realities for Insurers and D&Os in Bankruptcy
Rachel Freedman (PANELIST) <p> Rachel joined Sompo in July 2017 as Assistant Vice President, Claims Counsel for Management Liability handling complex and high exposure EPL, D&O and Fiduciary claims for a wide variety of insureds including both public and private companies. Rachel also serves as a technical leader for EPL working closely with internal and external business partners on communicating EPL claim trends and legal updates, identifying loss drivers and developing EPL claim strategy. Rachel has over 20 years’ experience in the insurance and legal industries. Prior to joining Sompo, Rachel was a Director/Sr. Claims Counsel at CNA Insurance Company in the Management Liability & Financial Institutions Claim Department. Prior to her employment with CNA, Rachel was an associate at Peterson & Ross in New York serving as coverage and monitoring counsel for a number of carriers. Rachel received her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the George Washington University National Law Center. She is a member of the New York State Bar. </p>	Sompo International	Trump Administration's Impact on Employment Law
Rainer Schadel (PANELIST) <p> Rainer is a lawyer by training and started his career with Allianz Vesicherungs AG as a D&O Underwriter. He joined Munich Re in 2005 as a facultative Financial Lines Underwriter. Rainer was delegated to Munich Re America in Princeton, NJ in 2010 where he worked as an SVP in Professional Liability. Since his return to Munich in August 2015, Rainer works as a Senior Financial Lines Treaty Underwriter in the Global Clients / North America Division of Munich Re in Munich, Germany. He leads the Munich Re expert group for D&O. Munich Re is a reinsurer of a significant number of insurers, several of whom are leading underwriters of R&W Insurance. Munich Re has exerted considerable effort in compiling a data base of issues ranging from rate-on-line, claim frequency and claim severity. If chosen, our panel will include sharing of interesting and informative data from this analysis and panel Q&A to further explain and add color to the significance of the data. </p>	Munich Reinsurance	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective
Regan Katz (PANELIST) <p> <strong>Overview</strong><br/> Regan joined Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in 2012 and was elected a Managing Director in 2014. She currently chairs the firm’s National Law Practice Group. Prior to that, she worked in public accounting and for a publicly traded insurance brokerage. During her tenure in insurance, she has focused on professional service clients, providing advice on risk management for law firms, non-profit/social service organizations and retail/hospitality. She is actively involved in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and currently serves on the Board of Directors.<br/><br/> <strong>Education</strong><br/> Texas A&M University - BBA in Accounting, Spanish<br/> Registered Professional Liability Underwriter<br/> Certified Risk Manager<br/> Licensed Risk Management Professional </p>	Marsh	Coverage in Jeopardy!
Rich Sheridan (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Rich Sheridan is the Chief Claims Officer for Berkley Cyber Risk Solutions. Prior to joining Berkley in March of 2017, Rich was a Vice President of Claims for AXIS Pro, where he oversaw Cyber Liability, Technology, and Miscellaneous Errors and Omissions claims from September of 2013 until March, 2017. Before joining AXIS Pro, Rich served in a similar capacity at Ace North American Claims for over ten years, starting in January of 2003, and before that was a Complex Claim Director for AIG Technical Services for more than five years, beginning in March, 1997. Prior to entering the insurance industry, Rich worked as an associate attorney at New York City law firms for more than 3 years, and before that was an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County, New York, for more than five years. Rich earned his JD from Fordham University School of Law in 1989 and has a BA in English from the State University of New York at Albany.<br/><br/> Rich has taught a Cyber Insurance class at the CLM Claims College in 2018 and 2019, and was an instructor on a general insurance issue at the CLM Claims College in 2017. Rich has been a panel speaker for numerous Cyber Insurance events over the last 10 years, presenting for organizations such as PLUS, NetDiligence, Execusummit, CLM, Eagle International and others. </p>	Berkley Cyber Risk Solutions	Spark Session: Ready or Not, IoT is Coming to an Insured Near You
Rich Reiter (PANELIST) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Richard Reiter represents client interests in complex business disputes, intellectual property, cyber, real estate, and insurance coverage. A member of the firm’s Information Governance Leadership Committee, Rich advises on business interruption, threats to a client’s reputation, notification obligations, data management and the Internet of Things. In addition, he assists with e-commerce and technology errors and omissions. Rich counsels clients on the protection of IP assets and represents individuals and businesses accused of infringement and computer technology implementation failures. Rich also advises and represents high-profile U.S. and global clients on trademark, copyright, patent, cyber liability, false advertising, trade secrets and unfair competition issues. He serves a range of clients from large hedge funds to top insurance companies and lending institutions to high-net-worth individuals, as well as businesses in other industries that have integrated technology into their operations.<br/><br/> In addition to handling cases before New York state courts, Rich has considerable federal court litigation experience and frequently employs arbitration and mediation to facilitate the cost-effective resolution of disputes. Rich has litigated and arbitrated multimillion-dollar disputes arising from commercial agreements and a range of business-related matters.<br/><br/> <strong>Cyber Law/Media</strong><br/> In the area of cyber law, Rich has advised clients on the preparation of incident response plans, data breach response, ransomware, and implementation of measures designed to comply with legal obligations and prevent data intrusion. He defends individuals and businesses accused of infringement, violation of trade secrets and computer technology implementation failures. Rich also has significant experience in the area of multimedia law, including the representation of web-based clients, product developers and creative content owners. He has prepared social media policies that comply with the law and company messaging. He also counsels clients on obtaining rights and clearances and defends them against claims of data breaches and defamation.<br/><br/> <strong>Intellectual Property</strong><br/> Leveraging his extensive experience in diverse intellectual property infringement matters, Rich advises clients in the areas of copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, patents, licensing issues, privacy rights, false advertising, domain name disputes, art law issues and other claims of unfair competition. In addition, he provides an array of legal services complimentary to traditional intellectual property assignments, such as mergers and acquisitions, audits for compliance and preparation of agreements for licensing. Rich litigates tortuous interference of business claims arising from internet law, and he is proactive in advising clients on protecting their intellectual property assets. He has drafted contractual terms and conditions and secured and protected intellectual property rights for creators of downloadable applications for use on electronic devices. Rich also counsels clients on registration of copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office, explains the effects of new technology and legislation on copyright law, enforces clients’ rights and litigates or defends against charges of copyright infringement.<br/><br/> <strong>Real Estate Transactions</strong><br/> Rich represents clients in commercial and residential real estate transactional matters, including but not limited to the acquisition of land, procurement of loans, and drafting of agreements with architects, engineers and contractors. Representing either a seller or a purchaser in a transaction involving commercial/industrial properties, office buildings, retail facilities or residential properties, he has the skills to guide clients efficiently through the process. Rich also assists landlords and tenants with all types of leasing matters and advises on various mortgage loan and building and construction loan transactions. He has prepared real estate option agreements and enforced those agreements in court.<br/><br/> A real estate investor in his own right, Rich is particularly attuned to those tasks and responsibilities that are central to profitability, with an eye toward controlling costs.<br/><br/> <strong>Insurance Coverage</strong><br/> Bringing together his extensive business litigation background, Rich represents the interests of insurers in insurance coverage matters. He is regularly involved in insurance and reinsurance coverage matters arising from general liability, cyber liability, directors and officers, and professional liability errors and omissions policies. Rich sorts through the complex technical and legal issues that characterize this practice, often serving as defense, monitoring or coverage counsel on an array of matters. Rich also assists his clients with the procurement of insurance to help ensure that the insurance coverage being placed addresses the risk.<br/><br/> <strong>BAR ADMISSIONS</strong><br/> New York<br/><br/> <strong>EDUCATION</strong><br/> Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 2002 <br/> University at Albany, B.A., 1999, <em>magna cum laude</em>, Recipient of Margaret J. Hughes Scholarship Award<br/><br/> <strong>COURT ADMISSIONS</strong><br/> U.S. District Court, Eastern, Northern and Southern <br/> Districts of New York<br/><br/> <strong>MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS</strong><br/> Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)<br/> International Association of Privacy Professionals<br/> International Trademark Association (INTA)<br/> Professional Liability Underwriters Society (PLUS)<br/> Westchester County Association </p>	Fisher Broyles	Spark Session: Ready or Not, IoT is Coming to an Insured Near You
Robert Parisi (MODERATOR) <p> <strong>Experience</strong> <br/> Prior to joining Munich Re, Robert was a Managing Director and Marsh’s Cyber Product Leader; where his responsibilities included advising clients on issues related to intellectual property, technology, privacy, and cyber risks as well as negotiating with carriers on terms and conditions. <br/><br/> Robert was the senior vice president and Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) of eBusiness Risk Solutions at AIG. Robert joined AIG in 1998 as legal counsel for its Professional Liability group and held several executive and legal positions, including CUO for Professional Liability and Technology. While at AIG, Robert oversaw the creation and drafting of underwriting guidelines and policies for all lines of Professional Liability. Robert was also instrumental in the development of specialty reinsurance to address aggregation of risk issues inherent in cyber, privacy and technology insurance. In addition to working with AIG, Robert has also been in private practice, principally as legal counsel to various Lloyds of London syndicates. <br/><br/> <strong>Education</strong> <br/> BA in Economics cum laude, Fordham University; JD, Fordham University School of Law <br/><br/> <strong>Affiliations</strong> <ul style="list-style-type:disc;"> <li>Spoken at various business, technology, legal, and insurance forums throughout the world</li> <li>Written, on issues effecting professional liability, privacy, technology and telecommunications, media, intellectual property, computer security, and insurance</li> <li>Admitted to practice in New York and the U.S. District Courts</li> <li>Honored by Business Insurance (2002) magazine as one of the Rising Stars of Insurance</li> <li>In 2009 & 2019, honored by Risk & Insurance magazine as a Power Broker</li> <li>In 2014, 2015 and 2016 honored by Advisen as Top Cyber Risk Broking Team</li> <li>Advisen’s Cyber Risk Champion for 2019</li> <li>2019 Toby Merrill Award for Excellence</li> </ul> </p>	Munich Re America Inc.	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept?
Sean Whelan (PANELIST) <p><span style="font-size:9.00pt;">Sean is an Executive Vice President of Willis Re. He is a member of Willis Re’s Professional Liability and Casualty Practice Groups. Based in the New York office, Sean works with all U.S. offices and Willis Re’s international team to identify and develop new business opportunities as well as new reinsurance/insurance products.<br/><br/>Sean joined Willis Re in 2002, bringing 16 years of reinsurance broking experience from Guy Carpenter where he had most recently been a Managing Director and Professional Liability & Political Risks Specialty Practice Leader.<br/><br/>Sean has been a speaker on a variety of insurance and reinsurance topics, serving on panels for the PLUS International Conference, the PLUS D&O Symposium, American Bar Association Legal Malpractice Symposium, the Casualty and Actuarial Society’s Annual Meeting, among others.</span></p>	Gallagher Re	Reps and Warranties Coverage: An Insurer and Reinsurer's Perspective
Shannon Groeber (PANELIST) <p> Shannon runs CFC’s admitted platform, CFC USA. The admitted platform provides Cyber policies to US-based SME’s, produced from a single data point within minutes. The best-in-class admitted product is supplemented with a full suite of Risk Management services and an award-winning Incident Response mobile application. <br/><br/> Prior to joining CFC, Shannon spent 12 years as a Cyber Liability and Errors & Omission broker, providing a full range of placement and advisory services to clients across all industries. In that role she assisted clients with identifying complex areas of risk through exposure identification and assessment, helped them prioritize areas of risk and created solutions for risk financing and balance sheet protection. She has held roles at Aon, Lockton and JLT Specialty/Marsh. <br/><br/> Shannon began her insurance career as an underwriter, spending nearly five years focusing on MPL and Technology E&O. It was at that time that Cyber Liability had just been introduced to the market, allowing her to focus on the product in its infancy, and having influence over the evolution of the product throughout the various phases of her career. <br/><br/> Shannon holds a BA from Gettysburg University, and has been recognized for her contributions to the industry throughout her career. She is a 2017 Women to Watch Honoree as named by Business Insurance; a 2018 Power Broker as named by Risk & Insurance; and a 2021 Elite Women Honoree as named by Insurance Business America. She is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry conferences and events, as well as contributor to publications and reports. </p>	CFC Underwriting	Ransomware Attacks! A Survival Guide
Stephanie Lizotte (PANELIST) <p> Stephanie assists in the management of Allied World’s E&O team which handles lawyers errors and omissions (E&O) liability, insurance agents and brokers E&O liability, miscellaneous professional liability, tech/privacy professional liability and architects and engineers professional liability lines. <br/><Br/> Prior to joining Allied World, Stephanie held the position of Senior Claims Counsel at XL Professional in Hartford, CT, handling high-severity public and private directors and officers (D&O) liability claims as well as employment practices liability matters and fiduciary liability matters.<br/><br/> Stephanie’s previous professional experience includes practicing as an insurance defense and personal injury attorney with Noble, Young & O’Connor, P.C. in Hartford, CT as well as clerking with the Danbury Superior Court.<br/><br/> Stephanie earned her B.A. at The Catholic University of America and her J.D. at Pepperdine University School of Law. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. </p>	Allied World Insurance Company	Spark Session: Spark Session: Emotional Intelligence and Effective Claim Management
Steven Carabases (PANELIST) <p> As Global Head of Financial Lines at Hartford Global Specialty, Steven oversees all professional and management liability claims handling and loss services. He leads a team of 53 claims professionals, mostly lawyers, with the experience and ability to handle the claims and business issues that may arise in connection with the most sophisticated errors and omissions, directors and officers, fidelity and fiduciary liability risks.<br/><br/> Steve's experience includes 20 years of managing claims and claims professionals relating to the insurance industry. He re-joined Navigators from ACE North American Claims, where he oversaw management liability claims for a decade. <br/><br/> Steve also held various professional positions at Gulf Insurance and American International Group (AIG) as well as in the law department of Prudential Securities and Prudential Financial.<br/><br/> He received a J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law and a B.A. degree from Rutgers College. He is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. </p>	The Hartford Financial Lines	Coverage in Jeopardy!
Tammy Yuen (MODERATOR) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Tammy Yuen is coverage counsel for domestic and international insurance companies in matters involving professional liability insurance coverage, particularly directors and officers liability. She handles complex coverage issues involving failed banks, the subprime, credit crisis, Ponzi and embezzlement schemes, government investigations, consumer actions and insolvent insureds and policyholders. Tammy drafts policy forms and endorsements to professional liability policies. She also litigates insurance coverage and related disputes including those involving multiple towers and bad faith allegations. At her prior firms, Tammy represented clients in complex commercial disputes including class action securities claims, anti-trust, patent and copyright infringement and employment discrimination actions as well as representing companies and individuals in government and internal investigations alleging irregular accounting. <br/><br/> Tammy served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Loretta A. Preska, District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. </p>	Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP	Executive Forum: A Conversation with a Former SEC Attorney
Tim Francis (PANELIST) <p> Tim Francis leads Travelers’ Business Insurance Management and Professional Liability initiatives. He also serves as the Enterprise Lead for Cyber Insurance. <br/><br/> In this latter role, Tim has oversight of all of the company’s cyber product management, including products for businesses of all sizes, public entities, and technology firms. <br/><br/> Tim has emerged in the insurance industry as one of the foremost cyber experts, having been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Reuters, Insurance Journal, Property Casualty 360, Business Insurance, CNBC.com, and other premier media outlets. Additionally, he served as co-chair of the NetDiligence Conference and has spoken at numerous other conferences on the evolution of cyber risk and how businesses can protect against them. <br/><br/> Tim is also a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS), and has served as Chairman of the Hartford Chapter. He is a participant in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Incident Data and Analytics Working Group (CIDAWG), an ongoing private-public engagement that is examining how a cyber incident data repository could help meet the information requirements of insurers, CISOs, and other cybersecurity pro. </p>	Travelers Companies, Inc.	Business Interrupted: An Alien Concept?
Wendy Mellk (MODERATOR) <div style="text-align:center;font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"><span style="font-family:'Calibri';font-size:11.00pt;"> <p> Wendy J. Mellk is a Principal in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Since joining the firm in October 1996, she has concentrated her practice in employment litigation and counseling employers on a full range of workplace issues including wage and hour compliance.<br/><br/> Ms. Mellk's litigation practice includes the defense of employers in single and multi-plaintiff actions before state and federal courts, the American Arbitration Association and administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Division of Human Rights on claims of discrimination (gender, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation), sexual harassment, breach of contract, retaliation, violation of whistleblower protections and wage/hour laws, and wrongful discharge and related tort claims (invasion of privacy, defamation, interference with business relations, misrepresentation, and fraud). She also has handled appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the New York State Appellate Division.<br/><br/> She has represented numerous clients in national collective actions under the FLSA for overtime compensation and has experience in all aspects of class action cases, including developing litigation strategy, overseeing class-wide discovery, preparing potential exposure analyses, opposing class certification, interviewing witnesses, defending and taking depositions and retaining experts.<br/><br/> In her counseling practice, Ms. Mellk advises employers on issues such as wage and hour, disability management, reductions in force, privacy in the workplace, terminations without litigation, restrictive covenants, best practice employment policies, hiring and separations, and performance management. She also conducts management training for employers on a wide variety of employment law topics. Ms. Mellk regularly is invited to lecture on the FLSA, ADA, FMLA, and Title VII and other employment-related issues.<br/><br/> <strong>Litigation Experience</strong><br/> Ms. Mellk's litigation practice includes the defense of employers in single and multi-plaintiff actions before state and federal courts, the American Arbitration Association and administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Division of Human Rights on claims of discrimination (gender, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation), sexual harassment, breach of contract, retaliation, violation of whistleblower protections and wage/hour laws, and wrongful discharge and related tort claims (invasion of privacy, defamation, interference with business relations, misrepresentation, and fraud). She also has handled appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the New York State Appellate Division.<br/><br/> <strong>FLSA Collective Actions Experience</strong><br/> Ms. Mellk has represented numerous clients in national collective actions under the FLSA for overtime compensation and has experience in all aspects of class action cases, including developing litigation strategy, overseeing class-wide discovery, preparing potential exposure analyses, opposing class certification, interviewing witnesses, defending and taking depositions and retaining experts.<br/><br/> <strong>Advice and Counsel Experience</strong><br/> In her counseling practice, Ms. Mellk advises employers on issues such as wage and hour, disability management, reductions in force, privacy in the workplace, terminations without litigation, restrictive covenants, best practice employment policies, hiring and separations, and performance management. She also conducts management training for employers on a wide variety of employment law topics. Ms. Mellk regularly is invited to lecture on the FLSA, ADA, FMLA, and Title VII and other employment-related issues.<br/><br/> <strong>Education</strong><br/> Brooklyn Law School<br/> J.D., 1993<br/> Hirschfeld Prize for Excellence<br/><br/> University of California, Los Angeles<br/> B.A., 1988<br/><br/> <strong>Admitted to Practice</strong><br/> 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, 2005<br/><br/> New York - E.D. N.Y., 1994<br/><br/> New York - S.D. N.Y., 1994<br/><br/> New York - W.D. N.Y., 2002<br/><br/> New York, 1994<br/><br/> <strong>Honors and Recognitions</strong><br/> <em>Best Lawyers</em>, 2019 </p>	Jackson Lewis P.C.	Trump Administration's Impact on Employment Law