Ms. Abeln (pronounced Abe Lyn) is the founder and president of Strategic Health Alternatives, Inc., a company formed in 1990 and dedicated to helping healthcare organizations reduce the frequency and severity of their work-related injuries. She received her Bachelor of Science degree with honors from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; her graduate degree in Health Policy, also University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ,and this degree was also conveyed with honors. She has held the Associate in Risk Management designation from the Insurance Institute of America since 1989. Ms. Abeln is a licensed physical therapist, certified Field Safety Representative and a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers, American Society of Quality, American Society of Safety Engineers and the Risk and Insurance Management Society. Susan has over 21 years of the area of workers’ compensation cost containment and more than 30 years experience in the healthcare industry.

Ms. Abeln has been a consultant, widely in the areas of occupational injury management and injury prevention, disability management, return to work, functional outcomes, benchmarking, and workers’ compensation cost containment including extensive work demonstrating return on investment of selected interventions. Ms. Abeln has written and lectured has lectured nationally and internationally on these issues and authored “Rehabilitation and Disability Management” for the Insurance Institute of America’s curriculum for Associate of Risk Management. She has also been a regular and featured regular writer for the publication Workers’ Compensation Cost Control published by Quinlan Publishers.

Catherine (Cathy) Aguilar recently moved to Northern California and is the Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager for the San Francisco USD. She has been active in the workers’ compensation industry for almost 30 years, working her way up from the mail room to claims examiner, supervisor, manager, director and Vice President of Claims for a National TPA. In addition, Ms. Aguilar worked for Costco Wholesale as their Regional Director for the East Coast workers’ compensation program and was the Manager of the Workers’ Compensation Program for the San Diego County Schools JPA for over 3 years.

Ms. Aguilar is the current Chairperson for the PARMA Bay Area Chapter and serves on the Golden Gate RIMS Board. She has also been an active member of the California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation and is currently a Commissioner on the Commission on Health, Safety and Workers’ Compensation, appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger.  She has presented at numerous conferences and seminars and taught various courses for the Insurance Education Association over the years.

Kent Ball has been a member of the California State Bar since 1983 and Certified as Workers’ Compensation Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization since 1991. Over his 27-year career as a workers’ compensation lawyer he has served as retained counsel in both very small as well as large statewide law firms. Mr. Ball was an AVP for Zenith Insurance, managing their in-house legal department in Northern California.  Currently, he is the Litigation Manager for ICW Group. In 2008 and 2009 Super Lawyers Magazine selected him as a Workers’ Compensation Super Lawyer.

Donald Barthel graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with honors in 1986, and received his Juris Doctorate from U.C.L.A. in 1990.

A Founding Partner of a statewide workers’ compensation defense firm with twelve offices, Bradford & Barthel, LLP, Mr. Barthel's entire legal career has been dedicated to the defense of employers' rights, particularly those involving workers' compensation matters. Having practiced in southern and northern California, he has appeared at virtually every WCAB district office in the state. Mr. Barthel’s clients number in the hundreds and include insurance carriers, TPAs, governmental entities, and private businesses, running the gamut from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.

Mr. Barthel, an acknowledged expert regarding the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, founded the B&B Rating Services in 2005. At last count, the rating service had successfully identified tens of millions of dollars in permanent disability savings for clients. Mr. Barthel is a Reviewer for the AMA Guides (6^th), and the only non-physician on the Board of Advisors for the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME), an organization established to enhance the quality of independent medical examinations in California, the US, and throughout the world.

An accomplished public speaker, Mr. Barthel regularly addresses groups of workers’ compensation professionals—including adjusters, human resource directors, brokers, employer representatives, attorneys and physicians—throughout both California and the United States.

Jeffrey A. Berman, MD is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon in Los Angeles. His educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA. He attended medical school at USC. His orthopaedic residency was in the UCLA program. He has been in private practice since 1984 and is located in Century City. Along with an active private practice, Dr. Berman has been involved in the workers' compensation field for many years and has considerable experience. He has treated and evaluated patients on a regular basis. He is on the state panel for second opinion spinal surgical consultations. For many years he has been an AME used on a regular basis. This continues to the present time.

Thomas L. Bolinger, Esq.
Shareholder and Managing Attorney
Parker & Irwin, A.P.C.

Mr. Bolinger received his B.A. in 1978 from Point Loma Nazarene University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego in 1984.  He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1984.  In 1978, he was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.  He is a member of the Phi Delta Lambda Scholastic Honor Society and The San Diego County Bar Association.  He joined the Law Firm of Parker & Irwin in 1987.  He has been involved in workers’ compensation litigation for 23 years.  Recently, Mr. Bolinger was named as one of the tope rated attorneys by Inland Empire magazine.  Occasionally, he teaches Business Law at Point Loma Nazarene University.  He presently serves as a board member of the California Workers’ Compensation Defense Attorneys Association.

Martin Brady is executive director of Schools Insurance Authority, a joint powers authority providing liability, property and workers’ compensation insurance to 34 school districts in northern California. Martin joined SIA in 1988 as wellness program manager and has been executive director since 1997. He is a strong advocate for pools and their potential for providing cost-effective, innovative services, particularly in the public sector arena.  

Martin is an active board member with the California Coalition for Workers’ Compensation (CCWC) and California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA).

Nancy J. Brown received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, in 1981. She received her Juris Doctor in 1991 from Pacific Coast University College of Law in Long Beach, California. She was admitted to practice in 1992 and became a Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation in September 1999.

From 1981 to 1992 she worked exclusively in the medical field. This included consultation on a direct basis with physicians of various medical specialists including Orthopedic, Neurology, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Radiology. She has an extensive background and working knowledge of how the various medical specialties interact with Workers’ Compensation cases.

Ms. Brown is a partner at Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown. She specializes in workers’ compensation defense, and is a former President of the Long Beach Bar Association. Ms. Brown has been Chairperson of the Orange County State Bar Association/Workers’ Compensation section and has served as a Judge Pro-tem. She was also appointed to the State Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Law Advisory Commission in 2005, serving as Vice-Chairperson from 2007-2008, and beginning September of 2008, Ms. Brown will serve as the Chairperson until 2009. Ms. Brown currently works out of the Irvine office. 

WCAB decision published: Irvin v. WCAB/City of Los Angeles, 62 CCC 1297 (1997). Additional decisions can be sent to your attention per your request for any attorney.

Ronnie Caplane
Commissioner
California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board

The Honorable Ronnie Caplane serves as Commissioner on the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board where she reviews appeals from the 18 local workers’ compensation trial courts throughout the state. Every month the commission reviews and issues decisions on 300 to 350 cases. Ronnie received her law degree from Hastings College of the Law and was admitted to the California Bar in 1975. As a practicing attorney in San Francisco, she handled issues such as workers’ compensation, employment discrimination and personal injury.

Raymond F. Correio, Esq.
Senior Associate
Pearlman, Borska & Wax

Raymond F. Correio is a senior associate with the defense firm of Pearlman, Borska & Wax specializing in all aspects of workers’ compensation litigation, from case inception through trial and appeal.  Before joining the firm, Ray was a Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge assigned to both the Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey District Offices for approximately twelve years.  He retired in September 2009.  Prior to taking the bench, he was with his own firm, Correio, Wai & Connor.

Ray is a graduate of Chapman College and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

During his tenure as a Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge, he was a frequent speaker on a variety of topics and issues.  He is the author of a widely used apportionment case law summary and continues to be an invited speaker on a variety of workers’ compensation issues and topics. Most recently on June 19, 2010, he was on a panel to help train 250 physicians on apportionment at the CSIMS (California Society of Industrial Medicine) seminar in San Diego.  In 2010 he was an invited speaker at the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar on recent cases dealing with AMA Guides under Almaraz & Guzman.  He helped to train all of the workers’ compensation judges in the State of California on apportionment at a state-wide judge’s training in September 2009, and was a speaker at the DWC Educational Conference in 2010.

Senator Mark DeSaulnier (DE-SOWN-YEA) was elected to the Senate in November 2008, representing the 7^th Senate District, which includes most of Contra Costa County.

Prior to his election to the Senate, DeSaulnier served in the Assembly. He received the distinction of first freshman member to chair the Assembly Transportation Committee. He also chaired the Select Committees on Growth Management and Air Quality. DeSaulnier lent his expertise in local government and state regulation to the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Human Services, and Labor and Employment.

DeSaulnier authored forty bills and coauthored numerous others for the 2007-2008 Legislative Session. His bills address the need to fight truancy among school children, to push back sea-level rise on our coastline, to remove unsafe guns from the hands of children and thieves, to improve indoor air quality in our schools, to better manage state-wide growth and to create opportunities for at-risk youth.

During his four terms on the Board of Supervisors, DeSaulnier addressed the local and regional issues of Contra Costa County on the California Air Resources Board, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Prior to becoming a supervisor, he served as the mayor of Concord and was a city councilmember from 1991 to 1993. He also served on the Concord Planning Commission and was a member of the University of California Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program Advisory Committee.

Transportation: Contra Costa County and the burgeoning Northern California region have benefited from a strong partnership between Senator DeSaulnier, Congressman George Miller, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher and Assemblymember Tom Torlakson. Through their partnership, they have consistently fought for transportation and mobility improvements.

DeSaulnier's Capitol Hill advocacy secured increased transportation funding for the expansion of Highway 4, eBART to eastern Contra Costa County, development of a fourth bore in the Caldecott Tunnel, and improvements to other Bay Area roadways.

During his 10 years on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, DeSaulnier and his fellow commission members oversaw the most recent edition of the long-range plan, Transportation 2030, which charts a new course for the agency, particularly with regard to promoting “smart growth” development patterns. DeSaulnier also guided the development and implementation of the FasTrak electronic toll collection system and the 511.org traffic information system to ease traffic congestion and speed travel throughout the Bay Area and surrounding communities.

In response to the 2007 fiery tanker truck crash that closed the MacArthur Maze, he co-authored legislation (Assembly Bill 1612) that cracked down on hazardous materials truck operators who had operated without regular safety inspections. DeSaulnier has been a strong champion for the expansion of the light rail eBART extension into Eastern Contra Costa County (expected operation by 2013-14).

As former chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, DeSaulnier voted to fully fund public transportation projects throughout both Contra Costa and California.

Air Quality:  DeSaulnier has cultivated extensive experience in air quality management. The historic Contra Costa County Industrial Safety Ordinance and the Refinery Flare Rule for local refineries and chemical facilities sponsored by Supervisor DeSaulnier stand as landmark collaborative legislation that protect workers and surrounding Bay Area communities.

Health Care: Throughout his career in public service, DeSaulnier worked to greatly advanced healthcare access and quality of treatment for his constituents. He authored local measures to fight childhood obesity and to expand second-hand smoke regulations.

Recognizing the great need for women's health services, DeSaulnier introduced a comprehensive Women's Health Program that would serve the health care needs of all women in Contra Costa County. The plan included construction of four new Women's Health Centers featuring a "one-stop shopping" approach to women's health needs. The Women's Health Centers are located in Bay Point, Pittsburg, Brentwood, Concord and Richmond.

As a county supervisor, DeSaulnier annually spent surplus office funding for suicide prevention, alcohol and drug abuse counseling, preventative dental care for disadvantaged youth, and school breakfast programs.

Smart Growth: DeSaulnier continues to play a significant role in Regionalism and Smart Growth. He has long been a champion of the need for government agencies to collaboratively solve regional problems. He established the Interregional Partnership that has spearheaded legislation to change growth patterns. He instigated the Regional Agencies Smart Growth Strategy and the Contra Costa: Shaping Our Future, process. He is also the co-author of the Contra Costa County Smart Growth Action Plan.

The Senator will continue to advocate Transit Oriented Developments, (such as the Contra Costa Centre), and mixed-use infill projects that combine housing, offices, and retail, in order to reduce unnecessary vehicle trips.

Children & Family Issues: The welfare and needs of children have been DeSaulnier’s major concern throughout his service. He has sponsored numerous initiatives on their behalf including the Contra Costa Children’s Report Card and the Children’s Accountability Act, both tools for evaluating children’s issues and the impact of county programs on children. He also established the annual Children and Families' Budget, a separate County budget that reviews and measures the effectiveness of County programs in these areas. His other projects for children include AfterSchool4All, the Future Fund and the Children and Families Committee of the Board of Supervisors.

Background: Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, DeSaulnier earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the College of the Holy Cross.

DeSaulnier has been a member of the Teamsters union as well as the hotel workers union. Unique to many Democratic legislators, DeSaulnier has been a small business owner most of his career. Over the last 35 years, DeSaulnier owned several successful restaurants in the greater Bay Area.

Honorable Lynn A. Devine is at the Los Angeles District Office of the WCAB. She is a Certified Specialist in Workers Compensation. She holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from California State University at Long Beach; an M.A. in Marriage Family Counseling from Azusa Pacific University; and a Juris Doctorate degree from Whittier College School of Law in 1992.  Judge Devine had extensive law enforcement experience before practicing law.  She served as a law clerk to the family law division of the Los Angeles Superior Court and concurrently served as a family law mediator for child custody mediation. She has practiced in small- and mid-sized firms in workers’ compensation responsible for all phases of litigation representing applicants, employers and carriers.  Since being appointed to the bench, Judge Devine has taken an active roll in the Bench and Bar series of lectures and meetings, providing legal training for attorneys and hearing representatives.

Adam Dombchik began advocating for the rights of the injured early in his career. He started working for the firm while at Southwestern University School of Law, then joined full-time after graduation and was named partner in 2005. Mr. Dombchik received the Exceptional Achievement Award in Workers' Compensation Law & Practice from his alma mater.

Recognized by the California State Bar as a Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation , Mr. Dombchik sits on the Executive Board of the California Applicants' Attorneys Association, a 1,000-member statewide organization that advocates for injured workers' rights, and is a past president of the Southern California chapter. He has served as a delegate to the California State Bar's Conference of Delegates. He is also licensed to practice law in Florida.

Mr. Dombchik received a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from Pennsylvania State University in Speech Communication. Law & Politics magazine has named Mr. Dombchik a "Rising Star" among Southern California lawyers for three consecutive years.

Dennis Downing is CEO and Founder of Future Industrial Technologies (F.I.T.), an international organization with the goal of reducing workers’ compensation costs through effective injury prevention protocols. For over 11 years he has worked with companies large and small across America. Through the practical applications of BACKSAFE® and SITTINGSAFE® employees around the world have benefited from reduced injuries and improved quality of life, while companies have enjoyed lower work comp costs and increased employee morale.

Dominic Dugo, Esq.
Deputy District Attorney
Fraud Division, San Diego County District Attorney

Dominic Dugo is a career prosecutor with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. After prosecuting traditional criminal cases for 6 years, Mr. Dugo has spent the last 16 years working in the Insurance Fraud Division.

Mr. Dugo has prosecuted and/or supervised the handling of workers’ compensation, auto insurance, healthcare/disability, and life insurance fraud cases. Mr. Dugo established San Diego’s Premium Fraud (1996) and Medical and Legal Insurance Fraud (2005) Task Forces. Both of those were the first of their kind. In 1999, Mr. Dugo was named Insurance Fraud Prosecutor of the Year by IASIU for Southern California. Mr. Dugo has served as Assistant Chief and Chief of San Diego’s Insurance Fraud Division. In 2007, Mr. Dugo accepted the position of Director of Fraud Grants.

Mr. Dugo, a premium fraud expert, has authored several articles on this topic and frequently teaches how to investigate and prosecute these cases. In 2007, Mr. Dugo provided insurance fraud training to the following groups: Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, Washington DC; National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) Annual Conference, Anaheim CA; Zurich Insurance SIU Nationwide Conference, Orlando FL; Economic & Employment Enforcement Conference, Sacramento CA; California District Attorney’s Association Annual Insurance Fraud Seminar; Unum Insurance SIU Nationwide Conference, San Diego CA; Seabright Insurance Annual Training, Orange CA; State Compensation Insurance Fraud Annual Training, San Diego CA; and Bureau of Automotive Repair Statewide Conference, Fresno CA.

Mr. Dugo obtained a B.A. in Political Science with highest honors and a JD in law with honors (top 5%) from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

John C. Duncan
Director
California Department of Industrial Relations

John C. Duncan, for the second time in his career, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR).

Duncan has had a distinguished career in both state and federal service including an appointment as special assistant to former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger. He assisted the Secretary in writing "Fighting for Peace," an autobiographical account of the Secretary's years at the Pentagon. In 1987, he received the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Public Service.

His current state government appointment-by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 9, 2007-follows previous service to DIR that included chief deputy director and then DIR director from 1995 to 1999. From 1991, he was DIR deputy director of communications.

During his first DIR tenure, he was the principal advisor to Governor Pete Wilson on labor and employment issues and was a member of his Cabinet.

As DIR Director, Duncan oversees a department with 2,700 employees and a $382 million budget. He also serves as the administrator of apprenticeship and as an ex-officio member of the State Compensation Insurance Fund Board of Directors.

Prior to his current appointment, he was Chair of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) from March 2004 and was a member of Governor Schwarzenegger's transition team where he was charged with handling issues and personnel for the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Duncan has also had significant private sector experience in labor and regulatory matters. He was president of Duncan Consulting, Inc. where he designed communications strategy for corporate, legal and governmental clients and specialized in navigating labor-related regulatory issues. He was also president and COO of Magnitude Information Systems, a company specializing in software and internet solutions for preventing workplace injuries, for several years.

As part of his federal service, Duncan was an assistant to the secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense and special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs, East Asia and Pacific Affairs.

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor's degree in history and of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government with a master's in public administration.

Duncan is a board member of the Yosemite National Institute and California Conservation Corps Foundation, a former president of the Industrial Relations Association of Northern California, and a former chair of the California Employment Training Panel.

Prior to working for Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi LLP, Mr. Egan was employed by California Casualty for 5 years as a Senior Claims Examiner and then followed the natural progression into law school.  Mr. Egan managed the Fresno LFLM office from 1997-2000 where he learned to appreciate tri-tip steak and air-conditioning.  He returned to San Francisco in 2000 where he coordinates the firm's marketing efforts.  He enjoys trying out as many new restaurants as possible and still has a soft place in his heart for both Beavers and Duck football. Mr. Egan is the 2010 President of the California Workers' Compensation Defense Attorney's Association.

As the founding partner of the Farrell Law Group, Mary has extensive experience defending wrongful termination cases, handling employment discrimination and harassment matters, and providing preventative advice to both private and public employers.

Mary counsels employers on all aspects of employer-employee relations including privacy issues, proprietary rights/trade secret conflicts, wage and hour laws, personnel policies, and employee leave issues. By offering preventative advice, Mary assists employers in reducing the incidence of litigation. When litigation is imminent, however, Mary provides employers with an alternative to expensive and protracted litigation. As an effective advocate, Mary has experienced significant success in resolving disputes short of trial by way of dispositive motions and/or settlement negotiations. In addition to her employment law practice, Mary has handled complex business litigation and intellectual property matters.

Dr. Harbaugh serves as the current Regional Chief of Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Occupational Medicine program.

He is responsible for oversight of 18 Kaiser Permanente Southern California Workers' Compensation clinics. This includes operations, policies and procedures, physician relations, quality of care delivery, content expertise, and compliance. He has a strong interest in disability management. Dr. Harbaugh joined Kaiser Permanente in 1998. Previously, he served as Medical Director for Occupational Medicine clinics at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, California (1987 – 1991) and Glendale Adventist Hospital in Glendale, California (1991 – 1998). A practicing physician for 35 years, he is Board Certified in both Occupational Medicine and Family Practice.

Lori C. Kammerer
Principal
Kammerer and Company

Lori C. Kammerer is recognized nationally as a leading authority on policy issues affecting California's Workers' Compensation System. Lori has represented the business community as Executive Director of the California Coalition on Workers' Compensation from 1987-2002. More recently, she founded Kammerer & Company and serves as the Legislative and Workers' Compensation Policy Director for employers and trade associations across the state. In addition, she serves as an advisor to several boards, commissions and task forces including the California Commission on Health & Safety & Workers' Compensation, The RAND Corporation, the California State Council of Laborers, and numerous chambers of commerce.

Kurt Leisure has been a risk management professional in the restaurant industry since 1987. With 23 years of industry experience, Kurt has effectively implemented aggressive and measurable claims reduction programs and innovative insurance programs. 

Kurt graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics in 1985. With a minor in Psychology, Kurt understands the intricacies of behavior as a factor in claims prevention. Kurt began his career in the Insurance industry in 1985 marketing Life and Disability insurance for Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company. In 1987, he took his insurance knowledge and joined Restaurant Enterprises Group, Inc. (also known as Prandium, Inc.), owners and operators of 350 full service restaurants.

In 1999 Kurt joined The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated and is currently the Vice President of Risk Services/Assets Protection. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated operates 177 upscale, high volume, casual dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory, Grand Lux Café and Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen names. These restaurants offer an extensive menu of more than 200 items and serve over 2,000 guests per restaurant per day. The Company also operates two bakery production facilities that produce over 30,000 bakery products per day for the Company's restaurants and for third-party foodservice operators and distributors.

Kurt sits as President on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Chapter of RIMS and is actively involved in advancing the practice of risk management in the Southern California region.

Monica Lichtenstein has been the Western and Central Regional Claims Manager for ARMARK since 2006. Prior to working at ARMARK, Monica worked adjusting and supervising the management of industrial claims for over 10 years. 

As an employee of ARMARK’s Global Risk Management Department, her responsibilities include the management and fiscal integrity of all industrial injuries in her regions.  She is also responsible for the continued success of the medical provider networks and legal firms in her jurisdictions.

Monica’s work at ARAMARK was essential in ARAMARK receiving the 2009 Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management Award.

Sean McNally is the vice president of human resources and legal counsel for Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, California. He is certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in workers’ compensation law. He is a licensed general contractor and serves as a trustee for the Self Insurer’s Security Fund. His community activities include serving on the Kern Adult Literacy Council Board of Directors as the president, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Golden Empire Gleaners and the Board of Trustees for Garces Memorial High School.

He is a graduate of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and was a partner at the law firm of Hanna, Brophy, MacLean, McAleer and Jensen. He graduated from the University of San Francisco with bachelor's degrees in English and Theology. Following that, he did graduate studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem Israel.

Ms. Middleton is a graduate of both UCLA and USC, earning her Masters in Public Administration at USC. She has over 35 years of workers compensation experience at the State Fund. Most of her career has been in claims management, but she has as well leadership responsibility in underwriting, marketing, auditing and loss control. She has held management assignments in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Diego and the Home Office in San Francisco.

In her present assignment Lisa reports directly to the State Fund Board of Director’s Audit Committee Chair and has executive responsibility for internal audit, public records, governance and special investigations. In 2009 she became a member of the Fraud Assessment Commission, and in 2010 she was elected Chair of the FAC. The FAC has responsibility for the determination of funding for the investigation and prosecution of workers’ compensation fraud.

Ms. Middleton was responsible for the development of the State Fund/Kaiser Permanente Alliance program and the State Fund Preferred Provider Network. In 1995 she was honored by State Senator Gary Hart for her personal and the State Fund’s corporate response to the murder of three EDD employees during a shooting rampage at the Oxnard EDD office. While managing the State Fund San Diego District office between 2004 and 2008 the State Fund, Department of Insurance and San Diego District Attorney cooperated in over 75 convictions for workers compensation fraud. In 2001 and 2004 she was honored by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute for her contributions to the workers’ compensation industry.

Ms. Middleton is a widely recognized public speaker on the subjects of workers’ compensation claims and fraud trends and management.  In 2007 she became the first, and remains the only insurance executive, to deliver the keynote address at the Annual Conference of the California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery.

Phil is CSIA’s Executive Director, taking over that position in November of 2005. Prior to this current position, Phil worked for Chevron Corporation for 36 years. He worked in Chevron’s Workers’ Compensation Division since 1981 and was the Claim Manager from 1989 through 2005 with overall responsibility for Chevron’s Workers’ Compensation activity in 25 state and federal jurisdictions.

Prior to joining CSIA, Phil served on the following committees: California Manufacturers and Technology Association – Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Committee 1998 to 1995; California Self-Insurers Association – Board of Directors 2001 to 2005, and Chairman of the Board 2004 to 2005; California Self-Insurers Security Fund – Trustee, 2002 to 2006; National Council of Self-Insurers – Board of Managers 2005; and Workers’ Compensation Research Institute – Research Committee Member, 2002 to 2005.

Phil has a BA from San Francisco State University. He is also a certified Self-Insurance Administrator and he has his CPDM.

The Honorable Alfonso Moresi is a commissioner on the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board in California. He has served as a workers’ compensation defense attorney and has represented insurance carriers, employers and government entities for 34 years. Mr. Moresi has served as a senior partner at the law firm, Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi, LLP since 1985.

Destie Overpeck was appointed chief counsel for the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) in 2005, where she has worked as an attorney since April 2000. Ms. Overpeck served as lead attorney on many of the reform regulations. She is currently leading the regulatory teams implementing the Division’s 12-point plan to help control medical and administrative costs.

Ms. Overpeck graduated from U.C.L.A. cum laude in 1980 and from Hastings College of Law in 1983. She was admitted to the California state bar in 1983. Prior to working with the DWC, Ms. Overpeck was a partner in a civil practice law firm in San Francisco.

Barry S. Pearlman, Esq.
Founder
Law Offices of Pearlman, Borska & Wax

Barry Pearlman, who founded Pearlman, Borska & Wax with a loan from his parents, started the firm as a sole practitioner in May 1984.

In addition to maintaining a full case load, he is the managing partner of the firm. Barry specializes in the litigation of workers’ compensation matters involving complex legal and factual issues, representing employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators, in coverage disputes, defense of workers’ compensation claims and other employment law issues. He is an experienced litigator with numerous successes before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, Superior Court and the California Court of Appeals.

Out of his commitment to the legal profession and the Workers’ Compensation community, Barry acts as an Arbitrator for the State Bar of California, has previously served on the Governor’s Workers’ Compensation Community Task Force and the Administrative Director’s Advisory Committees on Permanent Disability and Medical Provider Networks.

Barry has twice served as President of the California Workers’ Compensation Defense Attorneys’ Association and served six years as President of the Southern California Workers’ Compensation Defense Attorneys’ Association.

He is a member of the State Bar of California admitted to practice before all Courts in the State of California and the United States District Court. 

Most know Barry as an avid traveler and is involved in community affairs. He has been happily married since 1983 and has two lovely children of whom he is so very proud.

Dr. Peplowski is the National Medical Director and Executive VP of Zenith Insurance. She has been practicing occupational medicine for 26 years, and started her career as an on site occ med physician at Lockheed. Prior to joining Zenith Insurance, she was the Director of Occ Med at Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

Dr. Peplowski has been a QME, and has been a committee member for the ACOEM Treatment Guidelines since their inception. She currently is a member of the DWC Treatment Guides Committee. She has served as an Instructor for UCLA since the 1980s.

Dr. Peplowski, and the Zenith, are focusing on the development of a hand selected provider network. The selection process and maintenance of the network are grounded in the principles of partnership, highest quality medical care, return to function, collaboration in lieu of utilization review and accountability. The accountability is structured around a metric system coupled with chart review. The metric system becomes a feedback loop for both the provider and the Zenith.

Jeffrey W. Pettegrew
Executive Director
California Self-Insurers' Security Fund

Jeff Pettegrew was appointed as the first Executive Director/CEO of the California Self Insurers’ Security Fund (SISF) in January 2004. He was previously Vice President of Risk Management & Insurance for Westaff, a self-insured international staffing company for 12 years.  Prior to that, Jeff was CEO for 10 years of the Contra Costa Municipal Risk Management Insurance Authority, where he pioneered one of the nation’s first fully self-insured and self-administered joint powers authorities—providing workers’ compensation, liability, property, safety and health coverage to 18 municipalities.  He began his career as the first Risk Manager for the cities of Walnut Creek and Sunnyvale, California.

Mr. Pettegrew was named "Risk Manager of the Year" in 1989 by Business Insurance magazine and was the Chairman of the Business Insurance National Workers’ Compensation Conference for 9 years.  He also served as President of the Public Agency Risk Managers Association (PARMA); the California Joint Powers Association (CAJPA), wherein he was a founding member; as well as the Golden Gate Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS). 

During the past 30 years, Jeff has been a frequent lecturer and spokesperson at various regional and national conferences around the country, and has appeared on CNN and 60 Minutes regarding complex self-insurance and financial risk management issues.  He has taught doctoral level classes in insurance at Golden Gate University as well as ARM courses. Jeff meets regularly with California and other state lawmakers and regulators on a variety of issues and has as an expert witness in state and federal courts.

A former Captain (Admin/Protocol officer) in the U.S. Air Force, Jeff handled VIP meeting and travel arrangements for the White House Cabinet (President Nixon); Congress and the Pentagon while stationed in California and Iceland.  He earned a Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Denison University, Granville, Ohio; and an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation.

Lanai Phoung Phun has over 25 years’ experience in the California workers’ compensation field.  She has managed claims operations for third-party administrators and insurance companies. She currently oversees the workers’ compensation program for a self-insured, self-administered grocery retailer with over 300 retail locations in California and Nevada. The claims operation utilizes state-of-the-art document imaging tools to enhance their utilization review and claims-management programs. 

Ms. Phoung Phun is a certified Self-Insurance Administrator, Workers’ Compensation Claims Associate and has lectured at the University of California, Irvine and Cal State Fullerton in their certificate programs.

Fernando Pla is an assistant vice president at Sedgwick CMS, the largest third-party administrator in the U.S.  He serves as the operations manager responsible for the claims management services delivered in the Van Nuys, CA and Ontario, CA offices. Mr. Pla has been actively involved in the California workers’ compensation industry for 20 years, having worked as a field claims examiner, in-house examiner, claims supervisor, account sales executive, program manager, and operations manager.  Over the years, he has worked closely with self-insured employers to develop innovative solutions to reduce case inventories and lower claim costs.

Mr. Pla teaches several workshops for the Insurance Educational Association, including the popular lien workshop.  He has been a guest speaker at the PARMA East Bay Chapter and at other employer educational forums. His articles have been published in Claims Magazine and CWCE Magazine.  Mr. Pla holds the Associate in Claims, Workers’ Compensation Claims Professional, and Certified Professional in Disability Management designations.

Rick Plein is the Deputy Commissioner of the Enforcement Branch for the California Department of Insurance (CDI), which consists of two investigative units—the Fraud Division and the Investigation Division. Mr. Plein has more than 19 years of law enforcement experience beginning as a CDI fraud investigator, and then as a supervisor, chief investigator, and bureau chief. He has extensive managerial and program experience in planning and directing statewide law enforcement operations. The Fraud Division oversees five major anti-fraud programs: Automobile, Organized Automobile Insurance Fraud Activity Interdiction, Workers’ Compensation, Property/Casualty/Life, and Disability/Health Care. The Investigation Division enforces the criminal and administrative laws related to insurance agents, brokers and insurance companies, specifically Premium Theft, Senior Citizen Abuse, Title Insurance and Bail Bond issues. As Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Plein provides program planning and oversight, budget control, training, outreach, state and regional case development, and strategic planning to the Enforcement Branch. Mr. Plein has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Fullerton.

Mark Popolizio, J.D., is the Vice President of Customer Relations for NuQuest/Bridge Pointe.  Prior to joining NuQuest/Bridge Pointe, Mark practiced law for ten years concentrating in the areas of workers’ compensation defense and insurance defense litigation.  Mark developed a national Medicare practice that included Medicare Set-Asides and general compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer Statute.  While in private practice, Mark represented numerous carriers, third-party administrators and self-insureds.  In addition to his workers’ compensation and Medicare practices, Mark served as the Executive Director of the Negotiated Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program (NWCIP) which is an alternative dispute resolution system under the Florida workers’ compensation act.

Mark served as Vice President of the National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP) from 2006-2008 and remains active with NAMSAP concentrating on education and legislative matters.  He was also a featured instructor on Medicare and Life Care Planning issues with the former University of Florida/Medipro LLC program.

Over the past several years and currently, Mark has been a featured presenter at numerous seminars and other industry events across the country.  His presentations have included Medicare Basics, Medicare Set-Asides, Medicare Conditional Payments, Medicare Part D (prescription drugs), and Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid & SCHIP Extension Act. Mark has also authored numerous articles addressing several topics related to Medicare Secondary Payer compliance issues.  Mark is currently involved in legislative efforts in Congress regarding the Medicare Secondary Payer Enhancement Act (H.R. 4796).

Mark He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut with Bachelor of Science degrees in Legal Studies and Sociology.  Mark relocated to South Florida in 1992 to attend law school at Nova Southeastern University School of Law in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  While at law school, Mark served as a Judicial Clerk to the late Honorable John D. Wessel (15^th Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida) and was a research assistant for Professor Leslie Larkin Cooney.  Mark graduated from Nova in 1995 and is licensed to practice law in Florida and Connecticut.

Diana J. Rich is the Workers’ Compensation Program Manager for the California JPIA. Ms. Rich has over three decades of multi-faceted risk and insurance management experience, with a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of workers' compensation programs.  She has worked as a claims adjuster and supervisor, account executive for a large regional insurance brokerage, and manager of legal assistants for a workers' compensation defense firm.  She has been in risk management since 1992 for employers in the publishing, hospitality and temporary staffing industries, and public agencies.

Ms. Rich is certified by the State of California as a self-insurance administrator. She has her ARM and RMPE designations, in addition to workers’ compensation certifications. Ms. Rich is active with the Orange County Chapter of RIMS, having served as a board member and past president, and as a speaker at national and local RIMS conferences.

Nancy Rietman is the occupational claims manager for The Home Depot USA Mexico & Guam. Nancy has overall responsibility for daily operations of 14 claim unit locations throughout the United States.

Nancy has 20 years of experience in corporate risk management, risk finance, claims and safety. She has been with The Home Depot for six years.  Prior to The Home Depot, Nancy has held leadership positions in risk management/safety for other large employers.

Nancy has a Bachelors degree in business administration and is certified in Hazard Control Management, and as a Healthcare Safety Professional.

She currently is a member of RIMS, ALPHA, and Board of Hazard Control Management.

Alex Rossi is the County of Los Angeles Workers’ Compensation Contract Administrator. The County’s self-insured workers’ compensation program, one of the largest in the state, is one of several programs under the Risk Management Branch of the Chief Executive Office. In his current position, Mr. Rossi oversees workers’ compensation third-party administration contracts responsible for the claims management of over 23,500 workers’ compensation claims and workers’ compensation medical and disability cost-containment programs.

Mr. Rossi received his Master of Business Administration degree from the State University of New York at Albany. He holds numerous certifications and designations from various industry organizations. In addition to presenting at various seminars, Mr. Rossi serves as an Instructor for the Los Angeles Training Academy a public-public partnership with the California State University system.

Earl H. Sherman
Corporate Director of Claims – Western Region
SUPERVALU Inc.

Earl H. Sherman started his career in the Claims field in December, 1968, after honorable service overseas with the United States Naval Security Group.

After working for multiple Insurance Carriers and Employers over the years in Sr. Claims Management positions, he was most recently the Director of Risk Management for Ralphs/Food4less Grocery Stores, (a Division of the Kroger Company), and now works as the Corporate Director of Claims, Western Region, for New Albertsons, Inc., (a Division of SUPERVALU INC), overseeing claims matters for workers’ compensation, general liability & property.

He currently holds an Associate of Arts degree in Retail Merchandising as well as a Bachelors, (BBA), & Masters Degree, (MBA), in Business Administration. He has also attended Western State University College of Law and has been certified as an Expert on Workers’ Compensation matters in State and Federal Court. He is further state-certified in Self-Insurance and Claims Administration by the California Department of Insurance and is also currently licensed in Texas and Oklahoma.

Earl has served on many and varied committees over the years to and including the California Department of Insurance’s Committee implementing rules on certifying claims adjusters & medical bill reviewers who administer workers’ compensation claims, (requested by John Guaramendi, then California Insurance Commissioner). In addition, he is past Education Committee Chair for Orange County RIMS, (Risk & Insurance Management Society), and a Task Force member of the California Grocers Association committee on Workers’ Compensation as well as a current speaker at the WC Forum Conference. 

He most recently served as a member of the Workers’ Compensation Law Advisory commission for the State Bar of California, certifying attorneys for legal specialization in workers’ compensation law.

Joel Sherman is the Director of Safety & Workers’ Compensation for Grimmway Farms, a large vegetable grower/packer/shipper based in Kern County, California. Mr. Sherman oversees a department responsible for the safety and workers’ compensation issues for more than 4,000 employees.

A graduate of California State University Bakersfield, Joel has more than twenty-five years experience in the safety and workers’ compensation field. He has served in a variety of capacities including claims adjuster, loss control consultant, policy services representative, and as the workers’ compensation liaison for a large industrial medicine practice. A certified self-insurance administrator, Joel presently teaches Introduction to Workers’ Compensation at CSUB, and has also been certified by the state as a continuing education provider for Qualified Medical Evaluators. He has been a presenter, or acted as a panel moderator, at numerous business and educational seminars. Most recently, he participated in Governor Schwarzenegger’s Workers’ Compensation Reform Initiative and in the drafting of SB899.

Mr. Simmons is an 18-year veteran of the insurance and risk management industry. He began his career working for such notable insurance companies as The Automobile Club of Southern California, Mercury Insurance Group, and State Farm Insurance Company. He quickly became an expert in the claim handling aspect of the business, with specific expertise in the art of claims litigation, training of claims professionals, and the direction of several high profile third party administrators. His knowledge of the business includes prior experience with many lines of coverage to include automobile, property, general liability, professional liability, homeowner's losses, D & O, and workers' compensation.  Mr. Simmons has personally overseen the investigation and resolution of thousands of losses on behalf of insured and self-insured entities.

His expertise and knowledge of insurance, claims, risk management, and safety earned him the opportunity to manage the loss control programs for two Fortune 1000 companies, Albertsons and Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse. In these roles, he developed and implemented safety and loss control programs that allowed these highly respected companies to reduce employee and customer accidents, increase loss control performance at the operations level, and contribute to the positive cash flow back to the bottom line. In his current role as the Director of Risk Management for El Pollo Loco, Inc. he successfully implemented a system of loss control programs that reduced the number of worker's injuries by 30% in the first year with more than a 40% reduction in severity for the same period.

Mr. Simmons holds a B.S. and Master's degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. He is a member of the Orange County chapter of the Risk Insurance Management Society (R.I.M.S.) and co-chaired the Risk Manager's Group of the National Restaurant Association. Mr. Simmons has authored several articles on loss control philosophy and lectured for several respected organizations such as the International Mass Retailer's Association (IMRA), National Restaurant Association, and the California Restaurant Association.

Dr. Sones has maintained a full-time general and forensic psychiatric practice in Los Angeles since 1990. Over the years, he has conducted thousands of medical-legal evaluations. In the workers' compensation arena, he works almost exclusively as an agreed medical examiner.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, Dr. Sones attended UCLA School of Medicine. His first year of psychiatric residency was at New York University Medical School and he then completed his training at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He subsequently graduated from the psychoanalytic training program at the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.

Dr. Sones is board certified in psychiatry by the American College of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has also received certification as a Qualified Medical Examiner in the State of California. He currently has an academic appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA as an Assistant Clinical Professor. He remains actively involved in teaching both psychiatry residents and medical students.

David Stills currently serves as Vice President of Risk Management, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He is responsible for management of the following company programs:  global property insurance; casualty and professional insurance, including self-insurance; captive insurance company; placement of policies of insurance and management of property insurance claims. Additionally, Stills is responsible for management of the company's wholly owned subsidiary and third-party administrator, Claims Management, Inc., which manages the company's domestic workers' compensation, general liability and auto liability claims.

Since joining Wal-Mart in 2002, Stills has also served as Assistant General Counsel, Legal Department Tort Litigation Section, which manages the company’s general liability litigation in the United States. 

Prior to his employment at Wal-Mart, he served as partner, Kutak Rock, LLP, Attorneys, a position he held from 2001 - 2002. Prior to that, he served for two years as general counsel, Arkansas State Police. He joined the Arkansas State Police after serving as partner at Everett & Mars, Attorneys.

Stills is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas. In addition, he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Tony Su is founder of TCS Risk Management Services, LLC, a risk consulting firm focused on assisting employers with improving the management of their workers’ compensation programs.  This approach leverages the clients’ workers’ compensation data to objectively identify problem areas, loss trends and program cost drivers.  This enables clients to identify developing loss patterns, formulate effective solutions, focus resources to address cost drivers and quantify results in monetary terms.  The results are superior workers’ compensation program solutions that enable clients to realize overall program costs savings and, at the same time, dramatically improve their ability to track, analyze, manage and report to senior management.

Mr. Su has a BA in Economics, an MBA, an ARM, and has been a certified self-insurance plan administrator since 1988.  Mr. Su has more than 25 years of workers’ compensation program management experience in both the public and private sectors.

As Director of Insurance and Safety for Dollar General, Mr. Sumner is responsible for 9,000 retail locations, 9 distribution centers and over 85,000 employees in 35 states.

Mr. Sumner has more than 20 years’ safety experience in the retail, manufacturing, and transportation industries. He worked for Best Foods Baking Company in So. California for 7 years as Director of Safety, and relocated to the Bay Area for a position with Cost Plus World Market in 2004.  He moved to Nashville 2 years ago for his current employer, Dollar General.

Mr. Sumner was in the United States Military as a Medical Corpsman from 1974 to 1978 and is a licensed nurse in California.

Steven C. Testan, Esq., is the Founder of the Law Offices of Adelson, Testan, Brundo & Jimenez. He founded the firm in 1996, and over the course of those thirteen years the firm has grown from two offices in Southern California to 18 offices nationwide. Mr. Testan is certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in Workers' Compensation Law. He has practiced in the field for more than 25 years.

Mr. Testan earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctor from Glendale University in Glendale, California. During his years in the workers' compensation industry he has lectured on a wide range of topics. Notably, he presented as a guest faculty member at the Harvard School of Public Health as part of their symposium "The Impact of Mold on Human Health."

He was a guest presentor at the California Transit Association's 39th Annual Fall Conference & Expo in Los Angeles. The topic of his panel discussion was "Innovative Approaches for Significantly Decreasing Workers' Compensation Fraud & Abuse in the Workplace." Other panelist included members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Mr. Testan has additionally presented on the issues of "Mold in Workers' Compensation Cases" at the Annual Meeting of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) in Chicago.

Throughout his career, Mr. Testan has lectured to numerous Workers' Compensation insurance carriers, third-party administrators, self-insured employers, and the employer community in general on numerous topics including but not limited to:

• Violence In The Workplace
• Understanding & Handling The Cumulative Injury Claim
• Substantial Evidence From A Judicial Perspective
• Legal Strategies (Cross-Examination Of An Agreed Medical Examiner)
• Claims Strategies - Post Minnear
• Medical Fee Schedule
• Subrogation
• An Aggressive Approach To Managing Workers' Compensation Claims

On June 14, 2007 California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) appointed Mr. Testan to the 13-member California Insurance Guarantee Association, Board of Governors. The Speaker's press release noted: "Steven Testan's firm legal background in workers' compensation law will make him a useful addition to the California Insurance Guarantee Association, Board of Governors. His commitment to justice and the rule of law will be of valuable service to the Board that oversees many of the state's largest insurers." Currently, Mr. Testan, in addition to actively managing the growth of Adelson, Testan, Brundo & Jimenez practices before the workers compensation appeals board handling high exposure cases presenting complex medical and scientific issues as well as issues of fraud.

Mr. Testan was admitted to the Supreme Court of the State of California, December 1980; United States Court of Appeals for the 9^th circuit, June 1981; United States District Court of Central District of California, June 1981. He has served as Judge pro-tem - Los Angeles and Santa Monica Workers' Compensation Appeals Boards. 

Education: Glendale University College of Law Evening Division, Glendale, CA Juris Doctor, 1980; Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 1976.

Mr. Tilley received his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, in 1996, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of California Los Angeles, in 1999.  He was admitted to the California State Bar in 2000.  He is a member of the American Bar Association, San Bernardino County Bar Association, and the California Workers’ Compensation Defense Attorneys’ Association.  He is a Certified Specialist, Workers’ Compensation Law, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and is a frequent speaker on workers’ compensation issues.

Steve has been with Nordstrom for 10 years. He currently has responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the self-administered claims program in the southwest. In addition to California, the southwest office for Nordstrom also administers claims for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Georgia and Florida. Steve has been active in the workers’ compensation industry for 20 years working as a claims examiner, supervisor and manager of claims.

Judie Tsanopoulos
Director, Workers' Compensation & Loss Control
St. Joseph Health System

Judie Tsanopoulos is responsible for the Workers' Compensation & Loss Control Program for St. Joseph Health Systems operating in California & Texas through 16 hospitals and 100 non-hospital systems. These duties include over-seeing the TPA administration, carrier relationships and developing Best Practices in Workers' Compensation & Loss Control to reduce frequency of incidents and ensure an effective post-incident management system. Judie has worked in the broker field, medical delivery systems, Instructor for the Insurance Education Association & Workers' Compensation claims for the past 23 years. Judie is a graduate in Public Health from UCLA, California Self- Insured Administrator, Certified Professional in Disability Management (CPDM ) and an Associate in Risk Management (ARM). In 2003, Judie served on The Workers' Compensation Task Force for the Insurance Commissioner, John Garamendi.

James A. Ware is the Chief of the Office of Self Insurance, a program within the office of the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations.  He has been with the Office of Self Insurance since April 1, 2007.  Immediately prior to this he was a Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge having spent a total of 15 years working in the Pomona and Santa Ana offices and as a traveling judge in Eureka.  He worked as a private defense counsel in workers’ compensation for most of his 15 years in the legal profession.  Graduating from American College of Law in 1976 Ware was admitted to the California State Bar in 1977.

Ware currently serves as an ex-Officio member of the Board of Trustees of the California Self Insurers’ Security Fund as the designee of John C. Duncan, Director of the Department of Industrial Relations.

Mark E. Webb
Vice President Governmental Relations
Employers Direct Insurance Company

Mark Webb joined Employers Direct in February, 2006. Mark works closely with workers' compensation regulators, policymakers, and advocates in the business community and organized labor to maintain the efficient operation of California's multi-billion dollar worker benefit system. He also provides current and prospective policyholders with the latest news on workers' compensation issues.

Previously, Mark was Assistant General Counsel for American International Companies (AIG) for four years, where he coordinated all lobbying activity on legislative and regulatory issues involving property and casualty, life and annuity, and consumer finance lines of business. Mark also served as Vice President, State Affairs, for the American Insurance Association (AIA), where he led the advocacy and analysis of legislative and regulatory activities affecting the property and casualty insurance industry throughout the Western United States. In addition to being a member of the Arizona State Bar, Mark has been a lobbyist for insurance organizations and also a Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance.

Mark serves on numerous advisory and legal committees for the California Division of Workers' Compensation, CWCI, CHSWC, WCRI, and the several state business associations. Mark holds a BA Degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona and a JD Degree from the University of Arizona, College of Law.

Len Welsh received a B.A. from Rugers University in Sociology and Spanish in 1977, a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1983, and an M.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from U.C. Berkeley in 1984.  He came to Cal/OSHA in for the first time in 1986 to serve as counsel to the agency. Before that he practiced as an attorney in toxic substance litigation and as an industrial hygiene consultant.

In 1987, Len resigned from Cal/OSHA shortly after funding for most of the agency’s activities was eliminated and federal OSHA was obligated to assume responsibility for workplace safety and health oversight in California. This allowed him to participate in litigation directed toward restoring Cal/OSHA. During the three years that followed, he returned to private practice in toxic substance litigation. In 1990, following the restoration of Cal/OSHA by Proposition 97, he was invited to come back to work for Cal/OSHA as counsel and accepted the offer.

In 1993, Len was appointed as Special Counsel. In that role he managed the agency’s toxics and other health-related litigation as well as its development new occupational safety and health standards. Len was responsible for developing many of the agency's enforcement procedures, particularly in health-related areas such as ergonomics, tuberculosis, and bloodborne pathogens, and for drafting some of the regulatory and statutory language that governs Cal/OSHA’s activities today.

From September, 1999 through 20 April 2003, Len served as Acting Deputy Chief for Health and Technical Services and as Special Counsel for Regulatory Development. He was named Acting Chief on 21 April 2003, and was appointed as Chief in October 2007.

During the past 15 years, Len have taught classes in environmental regulation for the Chabot Community College District, and have lectured on regulatory topics at U.C. San Francisco’s Schools of Nursing and Medicine and at the extension programs of U.C. Davis and U.C. Berkeley.

Ms. Wong received her B.S. from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2004 in Social Science, Organizational Management. She began her 15 year career with the County in the Department of Social Services and after obtaining her degree, became a Personnel Analyst for Human Resources. Most recently she became a Risk Management Analyst in the Human Resources department overseeing the Workers’ Compensation program.

Over the last five years, Ms. Wong and her team have helped reduce total workers’ compensation future liabilities by 46%, cut annual workers’ compensation payments by 39%, reduced claim frequency by 27% and cut their open workers’ compensation claim counts by 37%.