Speakers

Ben Aberant is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Labour & Employment Group who practices in both their Toronto and Calgary offices and advises clients on Ontario and Alberta law. He also provides nationwide labour and employment advice to employers operating across Canada.
 
Ben represents management in a variety of issues including recruitment, hiring, performance management, employment standards, pay equity, human rights, drug and alcohol testing, disability management, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, dismissals, privacy, collective bargaining, labour board proceedings, grievances, and labour arbitrations.
 
Ben received his Bachelor of Commerce (2005) from the University of Alberta, where he was the Dr. Hu Harries Gold Medallist, and his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School (2008). Prior to his legal studies, he served in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantryman.
 
Ben is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, Law Society of Alberta, Law Society of Ontario, and the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers.
 

Mr. Austin is a labor lawyer who focuses on two things: helping keep unions out of companies and defending unionized companies against labor unions. Labor laws govern all employees of every employer, union and non- union alike. Proactive management of labor relations is critical to maintaining optimum flexibility and increasing corporate profit. Waiting and then reacting to union demands can dramatically impede corporate progress.

Eric understands the regulatory, environmental and economic challenges facing companies today; he spent 18 years serving as general counsel in the transportation industry. As a former general counsel, Eric was involved in determining the strategic direction of companies, managing legal matters, reviewing and drafting employment policies and documents, and reviewing and drafting commercial contracts. His experience includes mergers and acquisitions, international and domestic commercial real estate, corporate compliance and governance, employment law, intellectual property and international licensing and authorized representative agreements.
 
Eric’s focus as a member of FBT’s Distribution, Logistics and Transportation industry team is on mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions and general corporate matters. Eric also assists in defending clients in commercial litigation, employment issues, personal injury matters and liability issues.
 
Law School -Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 1996
Undergraduate School - Indiana University, B.A., 1990

Law School -Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 1996
Undergraduate School - Indiana University, B.A., 1990
 

Mr. Bass is a Managing Director and co-head of Harris Williams' Transportation & Logistics Group. Mr. Bass has more than 20 years of middle market transaction experience including mergers and acquisitions, private placements, initial public offerings, and follow-on offerings. Having played a key role in over 150 transactions during his career, Mr. Bass has worked extensively with transportation services companies. Key niche focuses within the transportation sector have included third-party logistics, niche trucking, contract logistics, rail services and suppliers, supply chain technology, transportation equipment manufacturers and distributors, and marine transportation.
 
Prior to joining Harris Williams, Mr. Bass was a Managing Director and co-head of the Transportation & Logistics Investment Banking Group at BB&T Capital Markets.
 
Mr. Bass earned a B.S. with a concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce. Mr. Bass lives in Richmond with his wife and three children.
 

Paul Berman

Paul has worked in Transportation & Logistics for over 40 years. Paul is currently Vice President of Logistics for East Coast Transport LLC and Managing Director of Cold Logistics, LLC. East Coast Transport is a mid-sized 3pl with corporate office located in S Jersey with satellite offices in Florida and Arkansas.
 
Paul's focus as VP of Logistics includes account management, employee mentorship, carrier procurement, social media management, company technology, SOP's and designing and executing process's within the business.
 
Cold Logistics is a consulting firm that offers expert advice to brokers and others in the trucking and transportation industry, as well as expert witnesses for litigation.
 
Paul's career in transportation includes: driving semi's coast to coast, owning semis, driver management, DOT/FMCSA oversight, spec'ing fleets and brokering; specializing in hauling perishable goods (refrigerated foods).
 
Paul was also was a volunteer and part time paid Firefighter for more than 16 years including appointments to positions including apparatus trainer, Lieutenant, Captain, Scene Safety Officer, and Company Health and Safety Officer and is the recipient of many life-saving awards throughout his firefighting career.
 
Paul is a Certified Truck Broker by Transportation Intermediaries Association and serves on the TIA (Transportation Intermediaries Association) highway safety committee. Paul is also a member of the Florida Trucking Association, and the Transportation & Logistics Council.
 

Mrs. Jennifer D. Bradshaw was selected as the Area Port Director, Area Port of Jacksonville on March 20, 2016. The Area Port of Jacksonville encompasses all inspectional operations at the Ports of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina, Panama City and Pensacola. Mrs. Bradshaw manages a workforce protecting and serving the northern portion of the Florida peninsula.
 
Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Bradshaw served as the Chief of Passenger Operations in the Area Port of Jacksonville. Mrs. Bradshaw also served as the Public Affairs Liaison, Law Enforcement Liaison, Border Community Liaison and the Professionalism Services Manager.
 
In March 2006, Mrs. Bradshaw was promoted to Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer at the Port of Jacksonville. During this time, Mrs. Bradshaw supervised the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team, the Trade Enforcement Team and served as the Chief of Staff.
 
Prior to her promotion into the supervisory ranks, Mrs. Bradshaw was an officer at the Ports of Tampa, Charlotte and Jacksonville.
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has participated in a variety of extended assignments across the US and at CBP headquarters in Washington, DC to include developing new hiring procedures, writing curriculum for the basic officer academy, Public Affairs Officer at HQ, Joint Terrorism Task Force Liaison, as a subject matter expert for career development and incident management, response and recovery.
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has received numerous accolades and awards throughout her career to include The Outstanding Performance Award, a Unit Citation, the Commissioner’s Award and the 2018 Julie Y. Cross award presented by the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE).
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has twenty two (22) years of federal service beginning her career with the legacy US Customs Service in 1997 as a Customs Inspector. On March 1, 2003 Mrs. Bradshaw was transferred from the US Customs Service to the newly formed US Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
 
Mrs. Bradshaw is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She is a native of Tampa and is married with four children.
was selected as the Area Port Director, Area Port of Jacksonville on March 20, 2016. The Area Port of Jacksonville encompasses all inspectional operations at the Ports of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina, Panama City and Pensacola. Mrs. Bradshaw manages a workforce protecting and serving the northern portion of the Florida peninsula.
 
Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Bradshaw served as the Chief of Passenger Operations in the Area Port of Jacksonville. Mrs. Bradshaw also served as the Public Affairs Liaison, Law Enforcement Liaison, Border Community Liaison and the Professionalism Services Manager.
 
In March 2006, Mrs. Bradshaw was promoted to Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer at the Port of Jacksonville. During this time, Mrs. Bradshaw supervised the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team, the Trade Enforcement Team and served as the Chief of Staff.
 
Prior to her promotion into the supervisory ranks, Mrs. Bradshaw was an officer at the Ports of Tampa, Charlotte and Jacksonville.
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has participated in a variety of extended assignments across the US and at CBP headquarters in Washington, DC to include developing new hiring procedures, writing curriculum for the basic officer academy, Public Affairs Officer at HQ, Joint Terrorism Task Force Liaison, as a subject matter expert for career development and incident management, response and recovery.
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has received numerous accolades and awards throughout her career to include The Outstanding Performance Award, a Unit Citation, the Commissioner’s Award and the 2018 Julie Y. Cross award presented by the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE).
 
Mrs. Bradshaw has twenty two (22) years of federal service beginning her career with the legacy US Customs Service in 1997 as a Customs Inspector. On March 1, 2003 Mrs. Bradshaw was transferred from the US Customs Service to the newly formed US Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
 
Mrs. Bradshaw is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She is a native of Tampa and is married with four children.
 

Michael J. Case, Member, Frost Brown Todd, LLC
 
Education: Ball State University, B.S. (1991), Mitchell Hamline School of Law, J.D. (1995), Wharton School University of Pennsylvania (Accounting / Executive Ed. Program 2016), Harvard Business School (Accounting & Finance / Executive Ed. Program 2017)
 
Bar Admission: Indiana Law License (State & Federal) - Good Standing Other professional experience: 18.5 years of executive experience in the financial service/insurance industry, including managing over 400 FTE's and holding titles such as Chief Operating Officer, EVP of Claims, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary.
 

Jeff Cox is a partner of the Virginia based law firm of Seaton & Husk, LP which specializes in representing motor carriers, brokers and other transportation entities. He has been representing clients in the field of transportation law for over thirteen years.

Jeff handles issues such as: freight claims, freight charge collection, contracting issues, citation defense, carrier representation before the FMCSA and bankruptcy issues. He is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., the Federal Courts of each, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. He is a member of the Transportation Lawyers Association, Conference of Freight Counsel and the Maryland Motor Truck Association.

Jeff is a graduate of The American University (B.A. 2003) and the George Mason School of Law (J.D. 2008).

Jim Crocker is the Manager of Liability Claims and Litigation for FedEx Freight, Inc., and is responsible for managing the company’s portfolio of third-party claims and litigation in North America. Prior to joining FedEx Freight, Inc., Jim was a practicing Trial and Appellate Lawyer in Michigan. Jim is a graduate of Grand Valley State University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Heather Devine is one of Canada’s leading Transportation lawyers and Advocates. Her most recent success in the (Ontario) Superior  Court of Justice (Commercial  Court) enabled her client to retain  possession of a private  jet over which her client claimed a lien. Her success in the Federal Court of Canada resulted in a permanent injunction being  granted in one of Canada’s few mechanical patent trials, as well as clarification of the role of experts in the Federal Court and  the successful defence of a spoliation claim. Justice Manson  highlighted Heather’s cross  examination of an expert at trial by noting that the expert  was “shredded on cross-examination”.
 
Having gained a reputation as being  a ‘fixer’ in the field of commercial litigation for businesses and  insurers,  she develops and  implements the strategy, budgeting and case management of complex litigation for private and  public, national and  international clients. Some  of her significant victories, aside from the permanent injunction in the Federal Court of Canada, include  an arbitration judgment of € 6 million against the Government of Libya at the ICC (Paris) and  successful judicial review of an error by the Patent Commissioner, to compel the granting of a mechanical patent on a truck bumper.
 
In her role as a commercial litigator, Heather has  defended product liability claims regarding pipes,  medical devices, lighting fixtures, transformers and aerospace materials, among others.  She has  also  litigated  claims involving property management issues, condominium law and  commercial tenancy, which included removing  directors from a condominium board, damages for breach of commercial lease, reserve fund claims, personal injury, environmental contamination and  construction issues.
 

Matthew DiSogra, M.S., P.E., is the EDR Services Manager at DELTA |v| Forensic Engineering in Charlotte, NC and a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina. Matthew attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Matthew also obtained a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNCC where he focused on the simulation of ballistic impacts to body armor. Matthew is one of a select group of consultants in North America who is certified to harvest data from Mack/Volvo EDRs. He also oversees a dedicated lab for recovery of event data from damaged modules.
 

Bob Farrell has 30+ years of experience and a proven track record of building high-growth software and technology companies. He is currently Executive Chairman at GlobalTranz. GlobalTranz is a technology-driven logistics company specializing in freight management services including LTL, Full Truckload, Supply Chain Management, and Domestic Air/Expedited shipping.
 
Prior to GlobalTranz, Bob served as president and CEO of Kewill. Kewill is a global leader in multimodal transportation management software, providing organizations with a comprehensive end-to-end platform for managing the complexities of transportation, logistics and trade compliance.
 
Prior to Kewill, Bob served as president and CEO of EDGAR Online which was acquired by RR Donnelley & Sons (NASDAQ: RRD) in August of 2012. Prior to EDGAR Online, Bob served as Chairman and CEO of Metastorm that was acquired by Open Text (NASDAQ: OTEX) in February of 2011.
 
Additionally, Bob is a Senior Advisor at Providence Equity focusing on investments in technology-enabled service companies. He is also an experienced non-executive outside Board member currently serving on the Boards of Billtrust, Recycle Track Systems and GAN Integrity.
 

John F. Fatino is a member of the law firm of Whitfield & Eddy, PLC located in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Fatino graduated in 1987 from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota with a B.A. in International Relations. Mr. Fatino received his J.D. in 1991 from Drake University Law School, Des Moines, Iowa. He is licensed to practice law in Iowa, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits, and before the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Fatino presently serves as Chair of Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C.’s Transportation Practice Group. Mr. Fatino is the author and co-author of several articles regarding the transportation industry.

Jeremy R. Handschuh is a founding partner at the Mitchell – Handschuh Law Group located in Atlanta, Georgia. His practice focuses on the transportation and business sectors advising clients in commercial and business litigation as well as corporate, regulatory, administrative, and transactional matters.
 
Core clients in the transportation field include brokers or 3PLs, 4PLs, domestic and international freight forwarders, shippers, receivers; warehouses and consolidators; contract packaging companies; general commodity and refrigerated truckload and less-than-truckload carriers; haz-mat and tank carriers; and a variety of other business involved in handling, arranging, and moving freight.
 
Jeremy handles a broad array of litigation matters in federal and state courts including freight collection matters, advanced collection proceedings such as fraudulent transfer actions and injunctions, cargo damage claims and collections, corporate ownership disputes, restrictive covenant disputes, and insurance coverage disputes. He also drafts, reviews, and revises transportation agreements, commercial law agreements, employment agreements including restrictive covenants, asset sales, and corporate governance agreements and filings.
 
Jeremy has served as Vice Chair of the Transportation Lawyers Association’s Commercial and Business Litigation Committee since 2014. He and his wife, Angela, enjoy running together and, most proudly, raising their two daughters Madelyn and Evelyn.
 

Brian Higgins is a Partner of The Jordan Company, and serves on the Partnership Board, Executive Committee and Investment Committee. Brian leads the Firm’s Transportation and Logistics Industry Vertical. Brian joined TJC in 1999. Prior to TJC, Brian was with the Global Natural Resources Group at Lehman Brothers. He currently serves on the board of directors of Capstone Logistics, LLC (“Capstone”) and OLT Group Holdings LLC (“Odyssey”). Brian holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Williams College. He is CFA® charterholder.
 

Daniel Johnson is a Senior Broker with Aon's Transportation and Logistics National Practice. He provides insurance and risk management services to the U.S. transportation industry with expertise in truckload, less-than-truckload, last mile delivery, courier, and on-demand delivery clients.
 
Daniel's focus is on identifying and analyzing client exposures in order to recommend and design program structures along with risk transfer and risk financing products. These include alternative risk transfer mechanisms such as structured programs, captives, risk retention groups, as well as foreign domiciled insurance programs.
 

Kristen M.J. Johnson is a partner at the transportation law firm of Taylor & Associates and leader of the firm’s litigation group. She is licensed to practice in Florida, California, and DC, and admitted to federal district courts in Florida, DC, and Michigan and to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Fourth, and Eleventh Circuits. Kristen practices a full range of business litigation, arbitration, and mediation, including freight claims, contract and tort disputes, appeals, and government investigations. She advises clients on risk management, case and witness preparation, regulatory response and compliance programs, and critical strategy.
 
Kristen graduated the top of her class at American University Washington College of Law. Prior to law school, Kristen received Fulbright scholarship to Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and graduated from Michigan State University. As a thought leader, Kristen is active in the transportation industry and legal profession. She is a member of Women in Trucking, the Transportation Lawyers Association, and the Conference of Freight Counsel. When she is not practicing law, she advocates for children and those in need. She is on the Board of Directors for Friends of the Children, Tampa Bay, and is the co-founder of Pretrial Rights International.
 

Steve Kennedy is a trial attorney and regional managing partner of the firm’s Mississippi office. He serves as national and regional counsel for several trucking companies. Steve has significant experience defending catastrophic damages claims against motor carriers and product liability suits against automobile, fire extinguisher, smoke alarm and ATV manufacturers. Steve is a member of the firm’s 24-hour Emergency Response Team and its primary contact for incidents that occur throughout Mississippi. He has tried more than 30 cases, handling matters across multiple states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Wyoming, Colorado and California, among others.

Renee Krug

As GlobalTranz’s Chief Executive Officer, Renee brings tremendous leadership skills, domain knowledge and 30+ years of multi-discipline experience that drive the overall strategy and direction of the company. She is an action-oriented executive who drives meaningful initiatives that create success. Prior to becoming the company’s CEO, she served as the company’s CFO where she helped drive GlobalTranz’s record growth and position as a market leading transportation management solutions and technology.

Before joining GlobalTranz, Renee was CFO of Clear Channel Outdoor and VP of finance at Swift Transportation. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of leadership roles at Honeywell in technology, operations, sales and Six Sigma process improvement.
 

Megan Lutes is Senior Corporate Counsel for Convoy, Inc., a technology company that is changing the logistics and transportation industry with the use of modern technology. Convoy was recently named Geekwire’s 2018 Tech Titan of the Year and 2019's Deal of the Year. Convoy recently became Seattle's second Unicorn company, being valued at over a billion dollars and is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the country with offices in Seattle and Atlanta growing in a matter of a few years to 900+ employees. Convoy has been in the news recently with its significant fundraising successes, with impressive investors such as CapitalG (Google's late stage venture arm), Jeff Bezos and venture capital firm Greylock Partners. Megan joins the panel with over a decade of legal experience both at law firms and in-house at large companies in the Puget Sound region. At Convoy she leads its commercial transactions team, handles its employment law matters, and handles its immigration work.
 

Fredric Marcinak is a founding partner at Moseley Marcinak Law Group, LLP. He has over a decade of experience representing transportation companies, including both carriers and intermediaries, regionally and nationwide on casualty/accident and commercial litigation matters, including cargo/freight claims, collections/contract disputes, FMCSA and state regulatory compliance and permitting matters, and insurance coverage cases. In these litigation matters, Fredric has tried multiple cases to verdicts before juries and handled appeals for transportation clients.
 
Having handled complex litigation matters, Fredric has recognized that having a good game plan in advance is the best way to avoid costly lawsuits. Knowing this, he enjoys assisting with general business matters that transportation companies face every day, such as independent contractor leasing issues, complex workers compensation scenarios, regulatory compliance and safety issues, and contracting with customers and vendors. By working with clients on these issues as they manage their companies, Fredric hopes to help lay the groundwork to stay out of litigation or to be well positioned to defend it when it arises.
 
Before starting in private practice, Fredric served as a law clerk to the Honorable Dennis W. Shedd, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Honorable Henry F. Floyd, U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina.
 

Brian Mathis is the principal of Mathis Law Group. He handles business law and civil litigation matters focused primarily within the transportation and logistics industry. Mr. Mathis represents motor carriers, transportation intermediaries and logistics providers, ocean transportation intermediaries, warehousemen, and shippers in a wide range of areas, including risk management, asset protection, commercial litigation, contract negotiations and disputes, federal and state regulatory compliance and permitting, employment matters, and insurance coverage cases. He received his J.D. in 2007 from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and is licensed to practice in Florida and Texas.

Robert H. Mayer
CEO & Founder
MBA - H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship '00
BA - Economics Emory University '96
 

Carole McAfee Wallace is a partner with Fernandes Hearn LLP in Toronto, Ontario. Carole completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
 
Carole represents Canadian and international trucking and bus companies on a wide range of transportation matters including regulatory compliance, defence of provincial offences, contract drafting and commercial litigation. Carole also practises employment law, advising federally and provincially regulated employers on compliance with employment standards, the management of human rights issues, including the duty to accommodate, and on occupational health and safety compliance including responding to workplace harassment complaints. She prepares employment contracts, independent-contractor agreements, restrictive covenant agreements and workplace policies. Carole also prepares termination packages, and represents her clients in wrongful dismissal claims, unjust dismissal complaints, and human rights applications.
 
She appears before the Ontario Court of Justice, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Ontario Highway Transport Board, the Licence Appeal Tribunal, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
 
Carole is recognized by Lexpert as a leading practitioner in Rail and Road, and by Best Lawyers for transportation.
 

Mr. Daniel Melcher serves as the Director of Engineering at the Focus Forensics engineering firm with offices in Florida, Minnesota, and Utah. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, a Master's in Transportation Engineering from Georgia Tech, and is licensed as Professional Engineer by 10 states. For the past 21 years, his engineering practice has focused on the Transportation Safety Engineering investigation and evaluation of collision events involving all modes of travel. Mr. Melcher specializes in connecting leading edge accident reconstruction technology with the fundamental engineering principles involved in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and traffic control of roadway environments and transportation facilities. He has completed over 1000 investigations of commercial vehicle collisions including evaluation of the role of roadway design, traffic control devices, work zone traffic control systems, and roadside barriers. He is active in research, with over 20 peer reviewed journal articles authored in the literature related to vehicle, driver, and roadway safety issues. Because of his specialty in the Transportation Safety Engineering field, he has been qualified to testify as an expert at deposition, mediation, and jury trial levels in state and federal courts in 24 states.

Casey O'Brien's
Focus of Practice:
Admiralty & Maritime Law
Inland Transportation & Third Party Logistics
Large Loss Subrogation
Insurance Defense
Insurance Coverage
Commercial Litigation
Arbitrations
Trials and Appeals
 
Educational Background:
Roger Williams University School of Law
Juris Doctor, 2015, cum laude
 
Salve Regina University
B.A. International Studies, 2009, magna cum laude
 
Admitted to Practice:
New Jersey (2017)
New York (2016)
Massachusetts (2015)
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
United States District Court, District of New Jersey
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts
United States District Court, District of Colorado
 
Professional Affiliations:
Connecticut Maritime Association
Maritime Law Association of the United States
New York State Bar Association
Women's International Shipping & Trading Association
 

Damien Orato is a partner with the law firm of Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell in their Orlando office. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame magna cum laude with a business degree in 2003. Damien graduated from Florida State University, College of Law cum laude in 2006. He was admitted to the Florida bar in 2006 and is admitted to practice throughout all state and federal courts in Florida.
 
Damien represents trucking companies in cases involving significant and catastrophic injuries as well as wrongful death claims. He defends trucking clients in cases involving issues concerning driver qualifications and performance, vehicle maintenance and repair, and conspicuity. He has litigated numerous cases involving issues related to vehicle event data recorders (EDRs) and spoliation of evidence. He defends claims arising from a variety of trucking accidents including rollovers, vehicle/ pedestrian, and multiple vehicle collisions. In his product liability practice, Damien represents manufacturers of trucks, motor vehicles, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, personal watercraft and railroad equipment against claims resulting in catastrophic injury and death.
 

Stephanie S. Penninger is a Senior Director, Transportation Counsel at XPO Logistics, a publicly traded, Fortune 500 transportation logistics services provider with over 1,500 locations in 32 countries, and over 100,000 employees. In her role, Stephanie assists XPO in navigating the ever-changing regulatory landscape in the transportation and logistics industry, developing operational best practices and global customer solutions. Stephanie works close to the business in its performance of freight forwarding, NVOCC, indirect air carrier, and customs brokerage operations. She also tends to day-to-day legal matters that arise on the domestic side of XPO’s operations.
 
Stephanie’s expertise in advising on global supply chain legal matters has also proven valuable to industry associations. For instance, Stephanie is Chair of the American Bar Association’s Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee and a Member-at-Large, serving on the Transportation Lawyers Association’s Executive Committee, and as Co-Chair of the TLA’s Chicago Regional Committee. She is also a proud member of the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s Food Advisory and Carrier Selection Committees, and a past member of the organization’s Educational committee. A former Partner and Maritime Transportation Chair of her prior law firm, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Stephanie has spoken all over the country to various industry groups and their membership and written numerous published articles regarding maritime law matters, avoiding and litigating cargo claims and mitigating risk when transporting or arranging the transportation of food.
 

William Pugh
For over 30 years, Mr. Pugh served, first as General Counsel and ultimately, as Executive Director and General Counsel to the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) – the organization responsible for developing and maintaining the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC).  He is presently a senior advisor to the Plexus Consulting Group, an employee owned firm that provides management Consulting Services including market research, strategic planning, organizational restructuring,  government relations and public affairs to over 300 profit and not for profit organizations and he is an instructor at the Logistics Training Center (LTC) - an industry-supported professional training institute built by a collaboration of logistics faculty, executives, recruiters, media, and the logistics/transportation operating community.
Mr. Pugh is a recognized expert in transportation law, and a member of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and D.C. Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.  He holds a J.D. degree from the Catholic University of America’s School of Law, an M.S. degree from the New York University’s School of Engineering and a B.S. degree (in Physics) from Bucknell University.
 

Peter Quinter is a shareholder and customs attorney in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale law offices of GrayRobinson. He is the chair of the Customs & International Trade Law Group. Peter principally represents individuals and companies involved in international trade and transportation, including litigation in the federal courts located in Florida and the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. Board certified in international law, Peter was appointed by The Florida Bar to the International Law Certification Committee.
 
Peter has been recognized for his experience and leadership in several peer review and other ratings. Florida Trend magazine recognized him among its "Legal Elite" in the area of international law. This designation was based on a poll of Florida attorneys, who selected peers in the top 2 percent of their respective practice areas. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce appointed Peter to the Florida District Export Council because of his knowledge of and experience in international trade, and he was rated "superb" by Avvo Ratings, an online listing that rates and profiles attorneys. The rating is based on a mathematical model that considers the information in a lawyer's profile, including years in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements and industry recognition. Florida Super Lawyers magazine included him in the top 5 percent in Florida, and he was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of FDA law.
 
Peter served as legal counsel at the Southeast Regional Headquarters of the U.S. Customs Service (now known as U.S. Customs and Border Protection) in Miami, Florida. Responsibilities included providing legal advice and representation to management of Customs on all matters involving the administration and enforcement of the customs and international trade laws. He provided legal advice on virtually all activities of Customs undertaken by its enforcement, commercial operations, fines, penalties and forfeitures, and regulatory audit personnel. Peter provided assistance to the U.S. Department of Justice in civil and criminal prosecutions on a variety of customs violations, including commercial fraud, trade embargoes and export controls.
 

J. Christopher Racich, Esq. is President and founder of Vestigant™. Mr. Racich has been a leader in the fields of Computer Forensics and Electronic Discovery since 1997. Mr. Racich has conducted thousands of Computer Forensics investigations, and has been qualified to testify in Federal and State Courts and before arbitration bodies.

Lisa Reeves is the senior partner at Reeves McEwing LLP, a full service transportation law firm, representing logistics providers, brokers, forwarders, vessel owners, terminal operators and NVOCCs in connection with commercial disputes and litigation, including cargo claims, freight claims, personal injury/wrongful death claims, insurance coverage disputes, marine and motor carrier casualties, regulatory issues, and other transportation litigation in the state and federal courts. She is a member of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, Transportation Lawyers Association, Women's International Shipping and Trading Association and the Maritime Law Association of the United States. She has served in many leadership roles, including Past President of both the Ports of Philadelphia Maritime Society and the Women’s International Trade Association, and a former director and committee chair of the MLA. She is currently on the board of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River, and is the Vice President of the local chapter of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Lisa regularly contributes to industry legal columns and speaks on a variety of transportation topics.

Ms. Sarah Routhier practices mainly in the field of Transport Law.
 
She joined the firm Stein Monast LLP, in the province of Quebec, as an associate after completing her articling in 2016. Her practice focuses on regulatory, penal and commercial litigation, as well as on the contractual, administrative, commercial and regulatory aspects of freight and passengers transportation in Canada.
 
In particular, she specializes in the field of regulatory compliance issues related to ownership and operation of heavy-weight vehicles. She is also involved in audits before the Quebec Transport Board, in particular in relation to fatal accidents, critical operational events or failure on a facility audit. She frequently intervenes with the regulatory enforcement authorities, such as Contrôle routier Québec and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec.
 
Sarah is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Transport Lawyers Association and a member of the Young Bar Association of Quebec City.
 
She graduated from Université Laval's law school in 2015 as a student-athlete and was called to the Quebec bar in 2016.
 

Soumit Roy is the Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Daseke, Inc. Daseke, Inc., (NASDAQ: DSKE) is the largest flatbed and specialized transportation and logistics company in North America, (operations in US, Canada, and Mexico), with annual revenues exceeding $1.7B. During his tenure at Daseke, Mr. Roy has shepherded Daseke's growth through acquisitions, ($600MM to $1.4B in revenue), debt refinancing, and management transition. Mr. Roy's 20 years of experience also includes private practice and in-house counsel positions at Fortune 500 publicly traded companies. Prior to joining Daseke, his in-house positions included Global Transaction Counsel at Whole Foods Market and General Counsel at Hotels.com, an Expedia Company. His private practice experience includes mergers and acquisitions, finance, corporate securities, employment law, and intellectual property law. A Texas native, Mr. Roy received a B.S. Molecular Biology (1997), B.S Biochemistry (1997), and his Juris Doctorate (2000) all from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Roy is licensed member of the State Bar of Texas.
 

Mark Savage
Deputy Chief Mark Savage has been with the Colorado State Patrol since 1995. Mark has worked in the State Patrol’s field operations and Executive Security Unit but focused the majority of his career on improving commercial vehicle safety.
 
In 2012 the Colorado Port of Entry was transferred to the Colorado State Patrol and then Major Mark Savage was tasked with successfully integrating the largest ever expansion of personnel in CSP history. In 2013, Major Savage transferred to District One as the district commander and was assigned all Denver Metropolitan field troopers and the Executive Security Unit. Deputy Chief Savage was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on July 1, 2014 and to his current rank of Deputy Chief in November of 2016.
 
Deputy Chief Savage has a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Coe College in Iowa and is a graduate of the 256th Session of the FBI’s National Academy. Deputy Chief Savage also is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command session #304 and the 63rd Session of the Senior Management in Police training at Boston University.
 

Franco Spraggins is a legal and compliance professional whose expertise lies in helping companies to mitigate legal, regulatory, and reputational exposure. He currently works for EVERSANA, a corporation that assists life science companies in commercializing their products. Pertinent to the Transportation Lawyers Association, EVERSANA has a third party logistics business unit with 1 million square feet of warehousing space, including a 200,000 square foot vault which houses controlled substances, and a freight component which ships throughout the United States and Canada. Previously, Franco was the Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel of Dohmen Life Science Services where he rebuilt their corporate compliance program and spearheaded regulatory and legal transactional matters. Franco now holds the role of Chief Legal Officer for EVERSANA. He oversees all legal, compliance, and privacy matters impacting the enterprise globally and provides strategic counsel to the CEO, senior management team and board of directors. Franco received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his juris doctor degree from Northern Illinois University. He serves on several boards related to preventative health and health outcomes including Feeding America and The Lung Association, and holds certifications in healthcare compliance, human resources, privacy, and regulatory affairs.

Lisa Stephenson is General Counsel for CRST.  Lisa is responsible for all legal matters of CRST, including litigation management, business transactions, employment law, regulatory compliance, corporate/governance matters, and high-level risk management.  Prior to joining CRST, Lisa was a member of the Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman law firm in Cedar Rapids where she focused on employment and commercial litigation.  Lisa also served as a law clerk to the Honorable John A. Jarvey  and the Honorable Michael J. Melloy in the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa.  Lisa earned her undergraduate degree from Mount Mercy College, Magna Cum Laude, with Honors, and her JD from the University of Iowa College of Law, with Distinction. 
 

Greg E. Summy, Virginia Beach, VA has recently retired from Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA, where he served as Deputy General Counsel. Previously he served as Associate General Counsel with North American Van Lines and Corporate Counsel with Lee Way Motor Freight. Mr. Summy received a B. A. in History from the University of Oklahoma in 1974 and a J. D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1977, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He is admitted to the Bars of Oklahoma (1977), Indiana (1985 – inactive) and Virginia (1994).
 
Among his professional activities, Mr. Summy is a Past President of the Transportation Lawyers Association, and Past Chair of the Transportation Law Section of the Virginia Bar Association. At TLA, Mr. Summy has been honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the coveted Bullshipper’s Award. Presently Mr. Summy serves as President of the Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Foundation, and is a member of the Board of Directors (Treasurer) of the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia. Mr. Summy has appeared on continuing legal education panels of the Transportation Lawyers Association, Transportation Law Institute, Canadian Transport Lawyers Association, Maritime Law Association, the U. S. Law Firm Association and the Virginia Bar Association.
 

Katherine Vaughn is a partner in the Denver office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, and a member of the firm's general liability and transportation practice groups. She is licensed to practice in Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Montana.
 
In her transportation practice, Katherine has coordinated rapid response accident investigations in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. She recently served as national coordinating counsel for a mock FMCSA compliance audit on behalf of one of the country’s largest private motor carrier fleets. She also reviewed and modified that company’s internal rapid response procedures and guidelines. Katherine handles cargo, property, and casualty claims regionally for transportation clients large and small. Katherine has also handled high profile, media-sensitive wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims.
 
Beyond her transportation practice, Katherine also litigates professional and products liability matters. She defends business owners against a wide variety of tort and contract claims, including premises liability, construction defect, mechanics liens, and commercial disputes. Katherine is also experienced with insurance coverage and bad faith litigation.
 

Jen Velencia is General Counsel and Secretary at A. Duie Pyle. Pyle is a family-owned provider of less-than-truckload, dedicated, warehouse and distribution, and logistics services in the Northeast.
 
Jen has responsibility for Pyle’s legal function and managing legal risk. Jen provides advice on a broad range of legal matters, including corporate governance and family business matters, real estate transactions, labor and employment matters, regulatory matters, and commercial matters. Jen also participates in the management of Pyle as a member of the management committee.
 
Prior to joining Pyle, Jen was a member of the legal department at a publicly-traded regional financial institution, where she managed the team that supported the commercial banking line of business. Jen also spent nine years in private practice at a regional law firm, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate and securities law, real estate, and commercial lending. Jen is a graduate of Grove City College and George Mason University School of Law.
 

Bill Venegoni is a Senior Counsel of Walmart US – Legal for Supply Chain matters based in Bentonville, AR. Mr. Venegoni serves as Wamart’s transportation attorney supporting Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC’s private vehicle fleet including its Class 8 tractor-trailers, medium duty vehicles, and Walmart US’s corporate cars. Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC’s private Class 8 fleet is the nation’s fourth largest private fleet (by 2019 Transport Topics ranking) employing over seven thousand drivers operating over six thousand tractor power units. Among other areas of responsibility, Mr. Venegoni is responsible for maintaining Walmart’s post-accident response program and outside transportation counsel engagement. Additionally, Mr. Venegoni provides advice and support related to Walmart’s fleet operations, risk management, regulatory compliance, carrier and vendor contracting, and company policies and procedures.
 
Prior to joining Walmart, Mr. Venegoni practiced as a litigation trial attorney representing several large carriers and insured carriers as defense counsel throughout Texas.
 

Bill Vitti is a transportation commercialization industry specialist. Vitti has more than 22 years of supply chain and transportation leadership experience. Vitti has held multiple leadership positions in logistics, marketing, intermodal operations and 3PL industries. Including serving as the President of Swift Logistics; where he led Swift from a start-up to a top 15 North American 3PL and a top 35 transportation brokerage.
 
Currently, Bill serves as the Chief Commercialization Officer for Truckstop.com; in which he played a key role in the facilitation of two private equity transactions, Bregal-Sagemount & ICONIQ Capital. As CCO, Vitti leads company sales, marketing, and industry relationship initiatives. Vitti earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Saginaw Valley State University.
 

James A. Wescoe
Partner, Chair of the Commercial Transportation Group
Bachelor of Arts, Temple University 1987
M.A American University, 1989
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, J.D, 1998
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York
 

Ashley Winsky is a trial lawyer and partner in Gentry Locke's Richmond, Virginia office. Ashley has over a decade of experience defending motor carriers, railroads, amusement parks, bus companies, product manufacturers, and business owners against a wide array of personal injury claims. She earned her B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2006) and her J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University (2009). She is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts in both Virginia and West Virginia. Ashley has been consistently recognized in the transportation arena by Chambers USA, named a “Rising Star” in Transportation by Legal 500, selected as a “Virginia Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, and is Peer Review Rated as AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

Eric Zalud is a partner with and Associate Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and co-chair of the Transportation & Logistics Practice Group. He is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Eric is a Past President of the Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA).
 
Eric has litigated or arbitrated matters in 29 states, before state and federal trial and appellate courts in various jurisdictions, and before the Surface Transportation Board, the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals, and the United States Olympic Committee. Eric serves on the TLA’s committees on freight claims, motor carrier transportation, litigation, logistics and e-commerce.
 
Eric has experience in Warsaw Convention litigation matters, Carmack Amendment litigation, COGSA litigation, PUCO dealings, NHTSA matters and DOT and Surface Transportation Board matters. He also has general experience in air and surface freight disputes, freight intermediary issues and litigation, private fleet formation, truck sale and purchase issues, freight undercharge and over length disputes, admiralty litigation, freight loss and damage litigation, motor carrier casualty and personal injury work, regulatory and registration issues, driver leasing issues and general regulatory compliance matters.
 
Eric received his B.A. from Miami University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.