California Workers' Comp Forum:
Receive vital legislative and case law updates and proven cost-containment solutions from leading industry experts.  Some of the session topics include:  Workers’ Comp Case Law Updates; Innovative Cost-Control Strategies; New Workers’ Comp Legislation; Combating Fraud; Return-to-Work Programs; Claims Management Tactics; Untangling the FMLA, ADA and Workers' Comp Web; Health & Wellness Programs; Risk Management Best Practices; and Workplace Accident Investigations.  This is an event every Workers’ Compensation, Risk Management, Health, Safety, Insurance, and Human Resource professional should attend.

Mr. Adelson is the Co-Senior Managing Partner, Adelson, Testan, Brundo & Jimenez Santa Ana Office. He has practiced in the field of workers' compensation for over 30 years.

 Prior to joining Adelson, Testan, Brundo & Jimenez, Mr. Adelson spent sixteen years at Zonni, Ginocchio & Taylor where he was the Managing Partner of the Santa Ana office, as well as the firm's civil department. In addition, Mr. Adelson's legal career includes experience in the areas of civil, family and criminal law.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1976, and received his Juris Doctor from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California in 1973. Mr. Adelson has also completed numerous courses in Advanced Legal Education at the University of Southern California Law Center. In addition, he has completed multiple courses in orthopedic medicine, psychiatric medicine, and human anatomy.

Mr. Adelson has served as a Judge Pro Tem. Additionally, he has been a workers' compensation instructor at several colleges in Southern California. He has also lectured extensively regarding workers' compensation, employment, and subrogation issues to physician, employer, insurer, and labor groups. Some of his lectures may be heard through an audio series entitled, "Legal Management Resources," and the video lecture entitled, "Meeting at the Crossroads."

He has also authored articles in the Orange County Business Journal, and Workers' Compensation Enquirer. Mr. Adelson has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal on issues of workers' compensation and employment law.

Mr. Adelson has been a member of various professional organizations including, the Joint Orange County Workers' Compensation Carriers and Defense Association, the Workers' Compensation Defense Association, the Southern California Fraud Investigators Association, and the Southern California Defense Counsel Association.

Christine Baker
Executive Officer
Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation

Christine Baker is the Executive Officer of the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) in San Francisco since its inception in 1994. She has served in several management capacities in the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) since 1984, including Chief of the Division of Labor Statistics and Research and Deputy Director for the Division of Workers' Compensation. Previously, Ms. Baker worked at various research organizations and taught college courses on US military bases in Japan and Korea and at the Confucian and Catholic Universities in Seoul, Korea. Under her leadership, CHSWC has grown into its role of overseeing the health, safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative and legislative changes for improvement. CHSWC from the start has based its recommendations on findings from studies conducted by independent researchers, with the involvement of the entire community. Ms. Baker currently is a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC), a member of the advisory board for John Burton's Workers' Compensation Policy and Review. She is also a member of the steering committee for the Workers' Compensation Research Group. She is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Ms. Baker earned a Masters Degree and achieved Ph.D. candidacy at the School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.

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.

Doug Benner, MD, is the Coordinator of Occupational Health for Northern California Kaiser Permanente and has led its occupational health services since 1982. Doug envisioned, designed, and implemented Kaiser Permanente’s development of an integrated, multi-disciplinary Occupational Health program with 31 centers built in Northern California since 1993. Doug also serves as Medical Director of KP NCAL’s Employee Health Services; and Medical Director of KP NCAL MPN networks for employers and carriers. He was Medical Director of KP’s Health Care Organization from 2003 to 2009.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, in Occupational Medicine. He has been a certified Independent Medical Examiner as well as a certified Medical Review Officer. 

Doug served as Chair of the California Medical Association Committees and Task Forces on Workers’ Compensation during the reform years of 1986 to 1995, and is still a consultant for them. He has been a Consultant to the Medical Committee of the International Association of Industrial Accidents Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) since 1982. 

Doug has been a member of the House of Delegates of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and as a Fellow, serves on several of its committees. He is a Past Chairman of the Board and a Past President of ACOEM’s Western component, the Western Occupational and Environmental Medical Association and received their outstanding leadership award in 2005.

Doug serves on the Medical Advisory Board of The Medical Disability Advisor and the Editorial Advisory Board of the ODG Treatment guidelines.

He has been a Director of the Integrated Benefit Institute (IBI) since 2006 and was elected Vice President in 2007.

Dean S. Brown, Esq.
Partner
Law Offices of Pearlman, Borska & Wax

Dean Brown is a partner in the Law Offices of Pearlman, Borska & Wax. Mr. Brown specializes in the defense of workers' compensation claims, serious and willful misconduct claims, and claimed violations of Labor Code §132a. He is an experienced litigator and has successfully tried various and complex issues before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board on behalf of both the insurance carriers and self-insured employers.

He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1985 where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Law and Society. He achieved his Juris Doctorate degree in 1989 from Whittier College School of Law in Los Angeles, California.

He has extensive experience in the workers' compensation arena and is also presently specializing in employment law/labor law in and outside of the workers' compensation arena.

Mr. Brown has a wide array of clients comprised of school districts throughout Southern California, the aerospace industry, large manufacturers, the freight industry and many other employers and insurance carriers.

Mr. Brown regularly presents seminars to insurance companies, self-administrators, and self-insured employers on a wide range of topics in connection with the handling of workers' compensation matters.

Mr. Brown is a member of the State Bar of California and the Century City County Bar Association, and is a member of the Workers' Compensation Defense Attorneys' Association.

Harvey S. Brown received his Bachelor’s Degree from California State University of Northridge in 1969, and obtained his law degree from San Fernando Valley College of Law in 1979. Mr. Brown has been working as a workers’ compensation specialist after passing the exam with the State Bar of California in 1993.

Mr. Brown was admitted to practice in 1979, and worked as an attorney at the State Compensation Insurance Fund from approximately 1979 to 1991. Until 1986, Mr. Brown was an associate attorney, handling complex legal matters including defense, 132(a) and S&W’s. During that time, Mr. Brown also trained in and handled the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation claims for the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

In 1986, Mr. Brown was appointed Managing Partner of the Cerritos office of State Compensation Insurance Fund. In that capacity, he managed 15 attorneys as well as a support staff of 20. During that period, Mr. Brown dealt with various claims departments, providing direction, control and training. From 1986 to 1991, Mr. Brown also provided legal training, conducted seminars, and created teaching materials for the seminars for 300 attorneys with State Compensation Insurance Fund. During that time Mr. Brown also advised school districts and self-insured employers such as the State of California which would often involve meetings with state agencies and state personnel.

In 1991, Mr. Brown became an associate with Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown and in 1994; he became a partner with the firm. Since 1998, Mr. Brown has been a member of the Board of Directors of the firm and currently serves as the managing partner of the Irvine, Glendale, San Diego and Sacramento offices. 

Prior to opening the Orange County office, Mr. Brown was in charge of training all new attorneys with the firm. This included integrating them into the workers’ compensation environment, giving them complete training as well as monitoring their daily activities. As a managing partner, Mr. Brown handles all complex litigation including 132(a)‘s and S&W’s. 

Mr. Brown has been the Secretary, Vice President and President of the Long Beach Workers’ Compensation section of the Long Beach Bar Association. In that regard, he has also conducted seminars in the past several years on Workers’ Compensation issues for the Long Beach Bar Association, together with Mr. Allan Bass, the former presiding judge from Santa Ana. 

Mr. Brown has also prepared a newsletter for the past several years, providing clients with the latest updates, and giving them legal and advisory opinions on the latest workers’ compensation laws. Mr. Brown also performs workers’ compensation seminars for his clients, and provides legal advice by telephone and/or e-mail on cases that he may not be representing clients on.

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.

As Specialty Risk Services' Senior Vice President of Business Development, Mike Cirillo oversees the company's team of business development directors and is responsible for generating new business, managing the various distribution channels for the organization, and the implementation and integration for SRS' largest new business acquisitions.

Mr. Cirillo has 19 years of insurance industry experience and has been part of the SRS management team since the formation of the company in 1990. He has held a variety of positions at SRS, including Chief Financial Officer and Director of Automation. Before joining SRS, Mr. Cirillo worked in the Audit Department of The Hartford Financial Services Group and prior to that for Westvaco, a national paper company, where he worked in both Finance and Automation.

A graduate of Western New England College, Mr. Cirillo has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and received his M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute.

Raymond F. Correio, Esq.
Judge
Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, Santa Monica

Raymond F. Correio is presently a Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge (WCJ) at the DWC Marina Del Rey District Office. Before becoming a WCJ he spent many years in private practice as a workers’ compensation defense attorney. He was a partner with the firm of Correio, Wai & Connor (now, Wai & Connor) and most recently a senior associate at the law firm of Pearlman, Borska & Wax until he returned to the bench in December 2007. He is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. He has been an invited speaker on a variety of topics by CAAA, the California Defense Attorneys’ Association, the DWC Educational Conference, the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar, and many other organizations.

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.

Jill Dulich received her B.S. and M.A. from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. She also received her J.D. from Western State University College of Law. 

Prior to Marriott International, Jill was a Continuing Unit Supervisor for Allstate Insurance Co., a Unit Supervisor in workers' compensation at Alpha Beta Co. and Vice President of Claims at R. L. Kautz & Company.

She was a former Commissioner and 2003 Chair of the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation having been appointed in 1998 by Governor Pete Wilson to be the private employer representative.

Jill is active in workers’ compensation in a number of states and was the former Chair of the Board and Executive Committee Chair of the California Self Insurers Association.   She currently serves as the Treasurer and participates on the Nominating Committee, Board of Managers and Executive Committee.

She is also the Chief Financial Officer and Trustee for the Self Insurers Security Fund and acts as Program Chair and Board Member for the Self Insurance Guaranty Funds of America. Jill is also a member of the Legislative Committee of the Oregon Self Insurers Association and the Washington Self Insurers Association.

Jill serves as Chair of the Board, Board of Directors, Easter Seals Southern California.

Throughout her career Jill has participated in a number of various organizations committees including the Office of Self Insurance Plans Advisory Committee; Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi's Workers' Compensation Task Force; Joint Technical Advisory Committee for 1993 Workers' Compensation Reform; Division of Workers' Compensation Information System Steering Committee.

Jill is a frequent speaker and has presented at various organizations including the Orange County Business Council (formerly Industrial League of Orange County), Council on Education in Management, California Hotel & Motel Association, Rotary Club, Skypark Medical Groups, RIMS, PIRA (Association of Human Resource Professionals), California Chamber of Commerce, UCLA Institute for Industrial Relations, California Manufacturers and Technology Association, Council of Self Insured Public Agencies, National Council of Self Insurers, International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC), California Self Insurers Association and the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference.

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.

Michael David Duvall
Assembly Member
California State Assembly

Michael D. Duvall was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2006 to represent the Seventy-Second Assembly District which includes the cities of Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, Orange, Brea, Yorba Linda, and La Habra.

Within a month of his arrival in Sacramento, Duvall was appointed to the Vice-Chairmanship of the powerful Assembly Transportation Committee tasked with overseeing the many roadway, rail, air and port operations of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). In subsequent weeks, he was assigned to the Assembly Insurance Committee, the Education Finance Subcommittee (Budget Sub 2), and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee overseeing the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

Since his first election to the Yorba Linda City Council in 2000, Duvall has developed a reputation as a strong leader advocating for fiscal responsibility and economic development. While on the council, his colleagues elected him Mayor twice, appointed him Council Liaison to the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce and appointed him to the City Audit Committee. Recognizing his hard work on their behalf, twice as many of the city's voters decided in 2004 to elect him to another term on the council.

In addition to his service on the Yorba Linda City Council, Assemblyman Duvall has also served the county on numerous boards and committees.

In December 2000, Duvall was appointed to the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) where he served four years on the Finance, Administration, and Human Resources Committee. From 2005 to 2006, he was Vice Chairman of the committee. Also, in November 2005, he was appointed to the District's Capital Improvement Projects Oversight Committee.

In January 2005, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), serving as the Vice Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee, Vice Chair of the Operations Committee, and an active participant on the State Route 91 Advisory Committee. On the board, Duvall contributed to the discussion and solution of transportation challenges facing Orange County and the surrounding region, especially on transportation policy discussions regarding the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) corridor, and the delivery of projects promised to Orange County voters, such as the completion of the Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22) Improvement Project. As a staunch supporter of Measure M and road projects in Orange County cities, he worked tirelessly to improve mobility and plan for the future transportation needs of Orange County. His efforts have resulted in significant savings for local taxpayers.

Beside his work on the city council, OCSD, and OCTA, Duvall served on the Foothill/Eastern Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Ground Water Replenishment System, and the Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency.

Assemblyman Duvall continues to own and operate a local insurance agency and understands what it takes to operate a small business in California's strict regulatory environment. As the two-time President of the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Yorba Linda General Plan Steering Committee, he was a passionate defender of local businesses. Chapman University awarded Duvall the Ethics in America Award for his "demonstration of the highest standards of ethical integrity" while a member of the Chamber team.

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. Fishman earned his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and received his orthopedic residency training at Henry Ford Hospital Medical Center. He earned his masters of public health degree with specialization in occupational medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He also received a law degree from Whittier College School of Law.

Dr. Fishman is a fellow of the International College of Surgeons, a fellow of the College of Legal Medicine, and a fellow of the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians. He is board certified and in private practice in the fields of general orthopedics and occupational medicine. He is a state appointed Qualified Medical Evaluator for the state of California.

Andrew S. Flor joined Real Mex Restaurants in 2001 and is currently the corporate Director of Risk Management. Real Mex Restaurants is the largest full service, casual dining Mexican restaurant company in the United States with nearly 200 restaurants operating in more than a dozen states with sales in excess of half a billion dollars. Mr. Flor is responsible for all insurance-related matters for the company, as well as overseeing the administration of workers’ compensation claims, general liability claims, litigation, safety initiatives and safety incentive programs. Mr. Flor has over 14 years of experience in the field of Risk Management. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of La Verne and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. Prior to coming to Real Mex Restaurants, he worked for the Walt Disney Company where he administrated claims.

David Brian Freeman, Ph.D., Q.M.E.
Clinical Director
Cal Psych, FMT

Dr. Freeman is a UCLA trained Neuropsychologist. He is a Qualified Medical Examiner for the Industrial Medical Council and has conducted over 500 AME/QME medical-legal psychiatric examinations and neuropsychological assessments.

Dr. Freeman is joined at Comprehensive Psychological Services, Inc. (CPS) by a talented team of clinicians which includes QME's, neuropsychologists, bilingual psychologists and treating psychiatrists.

CPS offers considerable expertise in the areas of Malingering, Toxic Exposure, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Neurocognitive Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as Competency in Older Adults.

Mark H. Hyman, MD, FACP, FAADEP
Associate Professor of Medicine
UCLA

Dr. Hyman is an Associate Professor on the clinical faculty at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). He was born in Detroit and attended The University of Michigan for undergraduate studies. He pursued medical school, internship and residency at UCLA. Now an Associate Professor, his internal medicine research and interests have expanded to include headaches, smoking cessation, spinal disorders, police arrest techniques, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, impairment and workers’ compensation issues. He is currently studying worker compensation patient’s for sleep disorders, addictions and digital retinal examinations. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians. He has published many articles and is a chapter author for the American Medical Association book, A Physician’s Guide to Return to Work, Guides to Disease and Injury Causation, as well as the Contributing Editor for the AMA Guides 6th Edition. Dr. Hyman also served as the chair for the Internal Medicine section of the Medical Disability Advisor Fifth Edition. He has lectured extensively for legal groups, Insurance Industry and at National Disability meetings. Dr. Hyman has testified before the United States Congress as a national expert on disability issues.

2003-present: Area Manager, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service, Santa Fe springs, CA: Manages and supervises Cal/OSHA’s on-site consultation safety and health services for Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

1999-2003: Area Manager, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service, Sacramento, CA: Managed and supervised Cal/OSHA’s on-site consultation safety and health services for Northern California.

1993-1999: Area Manager, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service, Los Angeles, CA: Managed and supervised Cal/OSHA’s on-site consultation safety and health services for the San Fernando Valley area.

1989-1993: Safety Engineer, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service, San Francisco, CA: Conducted on‑site occupational safety and health consultative surveys for a ten county area surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area.

1986-1989: Safety Engineer, Federal OSHA Enforcement, Sacramento, CA: Conducted Federal OSHA’s enforcement inspections and job related accident investigations, as a safety engineer I also conduction employee complaint investigations.

1983-1986: Safety & Health Coordinator, Department of Defense, Sacramento, CA: Enforced safety and health standards and regulations for a U.S. Air Force maintenance division at McClellan Air Force Base and conducted safety and health compliance inspections.

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.

Robert Lewis is Chief Legal Counsel for Crowe Paradis Services Corporation (CPSC) a national Medicare compliance company. He has been at the forefront of this emerging area of the law and for his accomplishments was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the “Top 40 lawyers under the age of 40” in 2004. He is a founding member and current President of the National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals. 

Mr. Lewis has published a number of articles addressing Medicare compliance including articles found in The New Jersey Law Journal, Medley’s Managed Care Liability Report, Andrews Health Law, New Jersey Lawyer, Mealey’s Litigation Report: Employer Liability Insurance, and Geaney’s New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Manual.

Mr. Lewis is also a nationally recognized speaker and has presented before such prestigious organizations as: The American Insurance Association (AIA), The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), The American Inn of Court, The National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA), The National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP), The New York Claims Association, The University of Mississippi, The University of Florida, The Judges of the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation, and MediPro Seminars, LLC. In addition to educational programs, Mr. Lewis has assisted in training and protocol development for a number of the top insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insureds nationwide. He was also recently featured on the television program “Legal Line” discussing the impact of Medicare in both Liability and Workers’ Compensation Settlements.

Mr. Malmquist attended college at Glendale Junior College and California State University at Northridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961. He obtained his law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and joined the legal staff of the State Compensation Insurance Fund in 1965. In 1966, he joined Zonni, Ginocchio & Taylor, becoming a partner in 1968 and managing partner in 1991. He is a frequent lecturer in matters related to workers’ compensation and is past President of the California Workers' Compensation Defense Attorney's Association, a state wide organization of attorneys specializing in representation of employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators. He is also a Certified Specialist, Workers' Compensation of the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Malmquist is listed in Southern California Super Lawyers 2005.

Donald C. Marshall is Vice President and National Director of the Anti-Fraud Program for Zenith Insurance Company. A police officer for 12 years, Don worked as a patrolman and, later, became a Detective assigned to the White Collar Crime Unit. Due to an injury, in 1988 Don retired and worked as a Private Investigator specializing in insurance fraud investigations before going to work for Citibank as a credit card investigator. He later worked for Progressive Insurance as a field Fraud Investigator; California Casualty Insurance as Corporate SIU, Zenith Insurance Company as Manager of Investigations and was Vice President of Investigations for CalFarm Property and Casualty and Health prior to its purchase by Nationwide Insurance. There, he assisted in the development of an internal anti-fraud program for their third-party administrator program.

Don has also been qualified and has testified as an expert witness in insurance fraud in both Municipal and Superior court. Don has received his Certified Fraud Examiner and Fraud Claim Law Specialist designations, is a former member of the Executive Board of the National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association and of the Board of Directors of NHCAA’s Institute for Health Care Fraud Prevention of Washington, DC. Most recently, he has been awarded the Accredited Health Care Fraud Investigator designation by NHCAA. He has his BS degree in Criminal Justice Administration from California State University, East Bay and is a Licensed Private Investigator.

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.

Philip Millhollon
Executive Director, California Self-Insurers Association
Former Director of Claims, Chevron

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.

Born in San Francisco, Assemblyman Roger Niello has lived in Sacramento nearly all of his life. After graduating from Sacramento's Encina High School, Roger attended the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate studies, then completed his graduate studies at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Roger worked as a Certified Public accountant until he joined his family’s business at Niello Auto Group in 1974 and spent the next 25 years running retail automobile dealerships with his family partners.

In 1995, Roger served as the President of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the Capital Area Political Action Committee. As a member of the community, he was an active volunteer.

Roger was elected to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in a special election in February of 1999. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, he served Sacramento County on numerous boards and commissions. 

In 2004, Roger was elected to the California State Assembly and was immediately appointed Vice Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee and also served in positions on the Assembly Budget, and Transportation Committees. In addition, he served for a brief time on the Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. In late 2006, Roger was named vice-chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, and serves as the key negotiator on budget issues for the Assembly Republican Caucus.

Since being reelected to a third and final term in the Assembly, Niello continues to serve on the Budget, Transportation, Insurance, and Business and Professions Committees as well as the Joint Committee on Emergency Services and Homeland Security and the Select Committee on Foster Care. 

Among Assemblyman Niello’s legislative accomplishments include legislation to allow individuals to remove racially charged language from a homeowner’s CC&Rs, a measure to assist local governments in cracking down on illegal dumping, and a bill to ban the unscrupulous practice of “triple-dipping” by county retired annuitants who are collecting unemployment in addition to retirement pension benefits. In addition, Assemblyman Niello’s legislation to authorize the state to participate in Public Private Partnerships for infrastructure projects provided a template for the language in the most recent budget agreement.

Additionally, Assemblyman Niello has introduced legislation to bring about innovative reforms to our method of contracting public infrastructure, as well as measures intended to alleviate the burden of unfunded mandates the state places on local government. Other notable legislative efforts include an overhaul of the state’s unclaimed property program, which would return unclaimed property to its rightful owners in a timely manner and provide interest payments on property held by the state, as well as legislation transferring the responsibility for writing initiative ballot titles from the partisan Attorney General’s office to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Assemblyman Niello represents the 5th district in the California State Assembly, which includes the Sacramento County communities of Arden Arcade, Carmichael, the City of Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, the City of Folsom, North Highlands, McClellan Park, Orangevale, Natomas, Sacramento and the Placer County community of Granite Bay.

Teryl Nuckols, MD, MSHS
Assistant Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
Health Services Researcher, RAND Corporation

Teryl Nuckols is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Health Services Researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her clinical and teaching activities at UCLA focus on the care of hospitalized patients. Her research interests involve evaluating the quality and safety of medical care and assessing the cost implications of strategies to improve quality and safety. Her work in patient safety has included investigating the quality of incident reporting in hospitals, estimating the costs and cost-offsets of reducing the work-hours of trainee (“resident”) physicians, examining the clinical effectiveness of infusion pumps with embedded decision-support software, assessing the costs of adverse drug events among intensive care unit patients, and participating in an evaluation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s patient safety program. Her work on quality of care issues has included evaluating medical treatment guidelines for work-related injuries, developing quality-of-care measures for carpal tunnel syndrome, and estimating the costs of improving adherence to basic care processes for diabetes mellitus and hypertension. She is currently receiving a K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Career Development Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She received her M.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego.

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 regulations implementing utilization review penalties, Labor Code section 5814.6 penalties, medical provider networks, pre-designation of personal physician and return to work requirements. She has also led regulatory teams implementing supplemental job displacement benefits, audit rules, official medical fee schedules and overhauling the injured employee claim form and poster.

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

Mr. Fred Pachón brought to Select staffing “Enterprise Risk Management in 2001.” As a result, his program has saved the company close to $200 million of what could have been a costly liability. That’s how important Risk Management is to Select’s bottom line. It is the company’s second-greatest expense after payroll. Along with sales, Risk Management plays a major role in driving the company forward.

Fred originally joined Select in 2001 on a short-term assignment as a Workers’ Compensation Consultant. Soon after delivering his initial risk assessment report, the company offered him a full-time position as Corporate Risk-Insurance Manager. Fred now leads a Risk Management department with over 60 safety, claims, and underwriting professionals. His program is considered the most sophisticated and successful risk program in the staffing industry and among the best in the nation.

Under Fred’s direction, Select has implemented an innovative Risk Management program that encompasses the very essence and principals of this doctrine; risk avoidance, risk detouring, risk transferring and risk reduction. Some of his most innovative initiatives include the development of a risk dashboard, attorney performance benchmark, investigators performance reports, TPA quarterbacks, etc. This program touches almost every part of the company and it includes key activities, such as comprehensive review and purchase of insurance policies, review of contracts, safety training, safety incentives, and in-depth claims management. The programs have been extraordinarily successful, reducing injuries and dramatically decreasing the number of workers’ compensation claims filed by the employees. In addition, the program has had exceptional results in the area of general liability, EPLI, Crime and other insurance lines.

In 2008, Select's Risk Management program was awarded 2 prestigious awards: Risk Innovator of the year by Risk & Insurance magazine and National Underwriter-NCCI award for Excellence in Workers’ Comp/Risk Management. Lastly in April of 2009, Fred Pachon was named Risk Manager of the year. This is the highest award in risk management. This was sponsored by Business Insurance & RIMS (Risk & Insurance Management Society)

Today, Fred is responsible for managing all of Select’s insurance matters, including 14 lines of coverage, from workers’ compensation to general insurance. He is also the General Manager of Select’s TradeForce construction-focused division, where he is involved in everything from pricing to selling. In addition, he was recently asked to head a heath-wellness program for his company.

Fred has over 20 years of experience in the insurance field. He has worked as a Claims Adjuster for Republic Indemnity (Great American), an SIU Investigator for Industrial Indemnity, a special investigator for the department of insurance, and a Unit Claims Supervisor for Crum & Foster. He was also employed as a Disability Manager for Western General, a Regional Safety-Claims Manager for Monarch Life, and a Consultant for Heritage Life & Disability. Additionally, Fred has worked on a contract basis for several insurance carriers, including Hartford-ITT Insurance, Royal Macabees, Pen-Mutual, Lumberman Insurance Company, and Monarch Life Insurance, successfully negotiating hundreds of claims for each carrier.

In 1997, Fred served as the Risk/Claims Manager for OneSource, a service company with more than 45,000 employees nationwide. He was instrumental in reducing the company’s losses from $33 million to $17 million over a period of 24 months.

In addition to Fred’s extensive work experience, he has acquired key professional designations. These include CPDM (Certified Professional in Disability Management), WCCP (Workers’ Compensation Claims Professional), and ARM (Associate in Risk Management), OSHA-Certified and licensed by the State of California to run a Self-Insured Program.

Mr. Pachón’s educational background includes a degree in Business Administration. He was involved in the California Workers’ reform and has given numerous lectures and presentations to peers and other professionals at different venues and forums. He is an active member of RIMS (Risk & Insurance Management Society) and serves in 2 advisory boards for 2 large insurance companies. 

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.

Manolo Platin was appointed in January 2007 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as Special Assistant to the Director for the Office of the Insurance Advisor, within the State and Consumer Services Agency. He has served as the Acting Director since July 2008.

As a member of the State and Consumer Services Agency (SCSA) executive team, Mr. Platin serves as the Information Security Officer, Business Continuity Coordinator and as SCSA Secretary Rosario Marin’s risk management advisor for the largest and most diverse Agency in state government. In addition, Mr. Platin participates on the following: California Emergency Council, Governor's Emergency Operations Executive Council (GEOEC), the State Emergency Management (SEMs) Advisory Board, and the Governor's Emergency Partnership Advisory Workgroup (EPAW). 

Prior to this appointment, he had served as an assistant to the Governor since 2006. Mr. Platin previously was an Executive Fellow in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Office of Cabinet Affairs from 2005 to 2006 and a policy consultant for the Sen. Vasconcellos Legacy Project in 2005. He also served as Chairman of the Cal State Student Association, representing the 409,000 California State University students from 2004 to 2005. 

Born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, Mr. Platin immigrated to Eureka, California in 1982, where he lived until he graduated from Humboldt State University in 2005.

Dr. Vincent Portera has extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries and is Vice President of Technical Services for Santa Barbara based Future Industrial Technologies, Inc. As the company’s top operations executive since 1999, Dr. Portera trains, coaches and manages the delivery team of over 1200 trainers throughout the United States and Canada, and is ultimately responsible for all Backsafe^® and Sittingsafe^® injury prevention training services delivered.

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.

Nicholas P. Roxborough, Esq.
Partner
Roxborough, Pomerance & Nye

Nicholas P. Roxborough is a leading expert in the areas of workers' compensation and insurance bad faith. He has represented businesses in California as well as other states including Utah, Nevada, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York in all aspects of insurance and employers' rights issues through litigation, legislation and public policy. In addition to his past appointment as chairman to the California Workers' Compensation Task Force, Mr. Roxborough is regularly invited to present at insurance, legal and risk management conferences. A well-known and nationally respected trial attorney, he is also quoted as an expert in areas of insurance and privacy matters in numerous employer and insurance trade journals, legal and business publications, and newspapers throughout California.

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 Companies, (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 all 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 is 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 CA Insurance Commissioner). In addition, he is 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. He currently serves as a member of the Workers’ Compensation Law Advisory commission for the State Bar of 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.

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.

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.

William M. Zachry
VP, Risk Management, Safeway Inc.
Chair, California Fraud Assessment Commission

Mr. Zachry has held the position of Vice President, Corporate Workers' Compensation with Safeway Inc. since 2001. Prior to joining Safeway, he held positions as Senior Vice President, Chief Operations Officer for eStellarNet (2000-1001), Vice President, Zenith Insurance Company (1998-2000), Senior Vice President, C.E. Heath Insurance/HeathCal/CareAmerica Comp/HIH Insurance (1987-1998), Claims Manager/Settlement Specialist, Western Employer Insurance (1985-1987) and Supervisor, Workers' Compensation, Self-Insurance Program (1983-1985).

He obtained his BS in Business Administration, Personnel & Industrial Relations, Wage & Salary Administration at the San Francisco State University. He has completed Financial Management program at Stanford University, Process Mapping and Operational Analysis at Pepperdine University, and Risk Management Concepts at Marsh.

Mr. Zachry's professional appointments include State of California Fraud Assessment Commission, Self-Insurance Security Fund, California Grocers Association, California Chamber of Commerce, California Retailers Association and California Applicants' Attorneys Association.