Speakers - 2026 National Conference

Meet the Speakers

Welcome to the 2026 National Conference speaker page. National 2026 is the only place where you have access to the industry's most powerful voices: leading in-house practitioners, top-tier law firm experts, and seasoned corporate directors. They aren't just presenting - they're ready to share the specialized, real-world knowledge you won't find anywhere else. Keep checking back as we are adding speakers every day.

Featured Speakers

Paul Atkins

Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission

Derreck Kayongo

Social Entrepreneur, Global Soap Project Founder, Executive Director of Clean Production Action, CNN Hero

From Ugandan refugee to successful entrepreneur, CEO, and renowned human rights activist, Derreck’s journey inspires audiences to dream big. Through personable and articulate storytelling, he shares his visionary ideas for harnessing the power of observation and creative problem solving, applicable to any organization. It’s all about taking responsibility while looking for opportunities to improve.

Derreck is the founder of the Global Soap Project: a humanitarian aid organization that collects discarded and unused soap from thousands of hotels worldwide, and distributes it to in-need populations around the world. The project was born from his simple observation about how much soap is available in hotels, and how much is thrown away when hotel rooms are turned. This simple observation became an innovative idea that is now battling global health issues in 90 countries. Hygiene-related diseases, and the resulting deaths, have dissipated in many at-risk communities, thanks in part to Derreck’s creative problem solving.

His energy and enthusiasm are unmatched as he brings his stories and principles to life. Key factors of his personal and professional success are identified with the memorable acronym S.E.L.F.: Service, Education, Leadership and Faith. He calls upon his dynamic experiences to empower audiences, inspiring an entrepreneur spirit made possible only through creative problem solving. Derreck’s emotionally-packed presentations linger long after his speech, empowering audiences to invent their own self-made motto of success so they can create tangible change in the world.

Derreck’s passion for helping others and commitment to innovative thinking led him to the role of CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. During his time as CEO, he elevated the global visibility of the Center, showcasing stories of victims of civil rights abuse and the heroic actions that changed the course of history. Derreck currently serves on the board of advisors at Sharing Sacred Spaces, an organization devoted to building local, interreligious communities working together for peace and civic change.

Wednesday Keynote Luncheon (Speaker)

Margot Lee Shetterly

Writer, Researcher, and Entrepreneur
Author, Hidden Figures

Paul Washington

President & Chief Executive Officer, Society for Corporate Governance

Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures—the #1 NYT bestseller that inspired the #1 movie—is the true story of the Black women mathematicians who helped NASA land a man on the moon. Growing up, Margot heard these women’s stories from her father, a research scientist at NASA. It was only later in life that she realized how little these women’s contributions were known throughout the rest of the country—and decided she would make a change. In talks, Margot celebrates these unsung heroes, teasing out issues of race, gender, science, and innovation against the backdrop of WWII and the Civil Rights Era.

Margot is also the founder of the Human Computer Project, a digital archive telling the stories all of NASA’s “Human Computers,” women from all backgrounds whose work tipped the balance in favor of the United States in WWII, the Cold War, and the Space Race. Margot’s father was among the early generation of black NASA engineers and scientists, and she had direct access to NASA executives and the women featured in the book. She grew up around the historically black Hampton University, where some of the women in Hidden Figures studied. Her research has been supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. She is currently a scholar-in-residence at the University of Virginia, with joint appointments at the McIntire School of Commerce and the School of Engineering.

Thursday Keynote Luncheon (Speaker)

Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.
Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was most recently chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. Chairman Atkins helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He served as an independent director and non-executive chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.

Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control. From 1990 to 1994, Chairman Atkins served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt, ultimately as chief of staff and counselor, respectively. He received the SEC’s 1992 Law and Policy Award for work regarding corporate governance matters.

Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm's Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France. A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and was Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980.

Thursday Keynote Address (Speaker)

Mr. Washington is the President and CEO of the Society for Corporate Governance (the “Society”). Founded in 1946, the Society is a nonprofit organization with over 3700 members dedicated to enhancing corporate governance through education, collaboration, and advocacy.

Prior to becoming the Society’s President in April 2024, Paul led The Conference Board ESG Center, the premier US-based nonprofit think tank addressing corporate governance, sustainability, and citizenship. During his five-year tenure, the Center significantly increased its membership, programming, publications, prominence, and public impact.

Before joining the ESG Center, Paul served for two decades as an executive at Time Warner Inc., including as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. He was responsible not only for the company’s corporate governance, but also for an array of legal areas including antitrust, intellectual property, and regulatory and international law. Prior to Time Warner, Paul practiced law at Sidley & Austin and served as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of The Dime Savings Bank of New York.

Paul also has had a career in public service, including working at the federal, state, and local levels — and in all three branches — of government. Among other roles, he served as a law clerk for former Supreme Court Associate Justice William Brennan and Associate Justice David Souter, and for Circuit Court Judge David Tatel. Paul also worked on the staff of former Congressman Stanley Lundine and, later, as his principal speechwriter when Lundine served as New York’s Lieutenant Governor.

Paul is a former Chair of the Board of the Society and President of its New York Chapter. He has served on over two dozen other boards of cultural, civic, and professional nonprofit organizations. For more than a decade, he was an adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School where he taught corporate governance and later served as a Resident Fellow.

Paul graduated magna cum laude from both Yale College and Fordham University School of Law.

Thursday Keynote Luncheon (Moderator)

A View from the Corner Office: A CEO’s Perspective on Governance (Moderator)

Governance Principles to Guide Non-Profit Organizations (Lead Participant)

All Speakers

Aaron Briggs

Partner, Gibson Dunn

Aaron Briggs is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s San Francisco, CA office, where he works in the firm’s securities regulation and corporate governance practice group. Mr. Briggs’ practice focuses on advising public companies and their boards of directors, with a focus on technology and life sciences companies, on a wide range of securities and governance matters, including SEC compliance, corporate governance, ESG and sustainability reporting, investor engagement and disclosure effectiveness, proxy solicitation and annual meeting process, shareholder activism and executive compensation matters.

Before rejoining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Briggs served as Executive Counsel - Corporate, Securities & Finance, at General Electric Company. His in-house experience, which included driving GE’s revamp of its full suite of investor communications (proxy statement, 10-K, earnings releases, and integrated report), provides a unique insight and practical perspective on the issues that his clients face every day.

In 2023, Mr. Briggs was elected a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel, an organization of leading corporate governance lawyers from the US and Canada, and inducted into the Governance Intelligence Hall of Fame. In 2016, Corporate Secretary Magazine named Mr. Briggs Governance Professional of the Year. Mr. Briggs’ work has also been recognized by Financial Executives International, ReportWatch, Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and TheCorporateCounsel.net.
Mr. Briggs serves as Co-Chair of the Certified Corporate Governance Professional Oversight Commission and is a frequent speaker on governance, disclosure and ESG topics. Recent presentations include to the Center for Professional Education, Practicing Law Institute, and Society for Corporate Governance. Mr. Briggs also is the author of several governance and securities-related publications, including a chapter on “Proxy Disclosure Effectiveness” in the Practical Guide to SEC Proxy and Compensation Rules treatise.

Mr. Briggs received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School in 2007, where he was a Kosmerl Scholar. He received his Bachelor of Arts with high honors from the University of Notre Dame in 2004.

Workshop: Shareholder Engagement in Today's Environment (Respondent)

Adam Kanzer

Head of Stewardship, Americas, BNP Paribas Asset Management

Alex Shukhman

Associate Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Corporate, Astera Labs, Inc.

He leads our firm’s stewardship activities in the region, including direct corporate engagement and proxy voting, working with policymakers on key issues relating to sustainable finance and investment, and representing BNPP AM in key investor ESG networks. Adam joined us in 2018 and is based in New York.

Prior to joining us, Adam was Managing Director of Corporate Engagement at Domini Impact Investments. During his 20 years at Domini he built a corporate engagement programme focused on improving the ESG performance of major US corporations, as well as developing Domini’s public policy advocacy programme and proxy voting policies.

He has a wealth of experience in a broad range of ESG issues, including climate change, deforestation, labour standards, human rights and supply chain management. He has been an active member of a wide variety of ESG networks and organisations and has been instrumental in helping companies to evolve their corporate practices in key areas.

Adam served on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee, and is a founder of the Global Network Initiative, a multi-stakeholder organization addressing threats to freedom of expression and privacy rights in the ICT sector. He helped to launch Nature Action 100, a new collaborative investor initiative to address nature loss, and served as co-Chair of the initiative’s inaugural Steering Group. He was a member of the Eminent Persons Group that oversaw development of the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework. In 2008, he was named to the Directorship 100, Directorship magazine’s listing of the most influential people on corporate governance and in the boardroom. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on sustainable investing and corporate accountability.

Adam began his career as a Litigation Associate at New York law firm Cahill, Gordon & Reindel. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Investment Forums (Investor)

Roundtable: Annual Meetings & Shareholder Voting (Lead Participant)

Ann Chapman

Anne Chapman

Managing Director, Joele Frank

Anne Chapman is a Managing Director at Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, focusing on corporate governance, investor relations and shareholder communication.

Prior to joining Joele Frank, Anne was a vice president of Capital Research and Management Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital Group. For more than 25 years she provided oversight of the firm’s proxy voting efforts, working extensively with investment analysts and portfolio counselors on corporate governance, compensation, and social and environmental issues, participating in the formation of Capital’s proxy voting policies, as well as the firm’s engagement efforts with portfolio companies. She retired from Capital in November, 2017.

Anne participates in numerous industry working groups and is a frequent speaker on corporate governance topics. She serves on the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region board and is Vice Chair of the Executive Advisory Board for the University of Redlands School of Business.

Workshop: Crisis Management (Respondent)

Mr. Shukhman is an Associate General Counsel of Corporate in Astera Lab's Legal Department, where he oversees the corporate securities and governance responsibilities of the company, which include reviewing and preparing securities and other public company disclosure, handling corporate governance matters, overseeing the company's subsidiary maintenance activities, and providing other corporate level support such as in connection with extraordinary transactions. He was a Director in Intel’s Corporate Legal Group, where he drafted securities and other public company disclosure (including with respect to environmental matters such as CDP, CSR and Climate Transition Action Plan reporting), advised on and oversaw the company’s stockholder engagement efforts, and supported various corporate governance matters. He has over 20 years of securities and governance experience with more than ten years working at large- and mega-cap public companies handling securities, disclosure, stockholder engagement and governance.

Prior to going in-house, Mr. Shukhman worked for over seven years at two international law firms advising private and public companies on emerging securities regulation, disclosure, public and private offerings and governance matters. He started his legal career and developed his expertise in securities regulation from having worked at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in the Division of Corporation Finance, including as a reviewer on the Shareholder Proposal Taskforce. Mr. Shukhman is the President and Advisory Committee Member of the Northern California, Hawaii & Nevada Chapter of the Society for Corporate Governance and was the Co-Chair of the 2025 Western Regional Conference of the Society for Corporate Governance.

Roundtable: Board & Committee Meeting Nuts & Bolts (Moderator)

Austin Vanbastelaer

Managing Director, Semler Brossy

Austin helps boards make critical decisions about executive pay, especially in moments of rapid growth or reinvention. With over a decade at Semler Brossy, he’s built a reputation for crafting incentive designs that are both analytically sound and creative. Austin has a unique talent for identifying and addressing the most pressing strategic questions in his work. Clients appreciate his clarity, composure, and ability to introduce innovative thinking, even in the most complex or sensitive compensation issues.

Austin also leads Semler Brossy’s Say on Pay and governance research, with a particular focus on understanding evolving investor expectations and translating those insights into clear, actionable guidance for boards.

Executive Compensation Trends (Panelist)

Beth Sasfai

Partner, Co-head of Cooley's Corporate Governance & Securities, Chair of ESG & Sustainability, Cooley

Beth is co-head of Cooley’s corporate governance and securities regulation practice and leads the firm’s ESG and sustainability advisory practice. She is a strategic advisor to boards of directors, board committees, and executive leadership at both public and private companies. With more than 20 years of senior-level experience at a Fortune-20 multinational, she brings to her clients a nuanced, board-level perspective on governance, disclosure, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability.

Beth advises on a full range of corporate governance, disclosure and regulatory-compliance matters including governance policy development, board and committee structure, board oversight frameworks, disclosure controls, proxy season preparation, shareholder proposals, stakeholder engagement, and responsible business strategies. She also helps companies integrate sustainability, responsible business, and risk-management practices into corporate strategy and operations, positioning companies to meet evolving stakeholder, regulatory and investor expectations. Boards and management value Beth’s pragmatic, forward-looking counsel, her deep corporate- and board-level experience, and her ability to translate complex governance, sustainability and regulatory issues into implementable governance frameworks that balance risk management with long-term enterprise value.

A noted thought leader and advisor on governance and sustainability, Beth works with companies across market caps and sectors, from early-stage and pre-IPO companies to large multinational public companies, guiding them through complex cross-border regulatory landscapes. She is known for distilling complex governance and sustainability issues into pragmatic, business-focused advice that helps clients build resilient operations, foster stakeholder trust, and deliver long-term value.

Roundtable: Board & Committee Meeting Nuts & Bolts (Lead Participant)

Petrillo

Blair Petrillo

Executive Compensation & Governance Counsel, Ford Motor Company

Bob Herr

SVP/Director of Corporate Governance, Alliance Bernstein

Blair Petrillo currently serves as Senior Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Ford Motor Company where she has primary responsibility for executive compensation, the proxy statement and annual meeting, and general corporate governance matters. Prior to joining Ford, Blair was Senior Managing Counsel at BNY. Blair spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving in various roles in the Division of Corporation Finance, the Office of the Chief
Accountant and as counsel to Commissioners Kara Stein and Elisse Walter. She also has stints in private practice with Reed Smith and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan (now known as Eversheds Sutherland). Blair has a B.A. from the University of Richmond and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Roundtable: Board & Committee Meeting Nuts & Bolts (Lead Participant)

Bob Herr is a Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Governance within the Responsible Investing team. He joined AB in 2023. Herr oversees the firm's proxy voting, corporate governance and engagement functions, and serves as Chair of the Proxy Voting and Governance Committee. His prior experience includes serving as the head of investment stewardship at Lord Abbett, manager of corporate governance and stockholder services at Bristol-Myers Squibb, and corporate governance analyst at Morrow Sodali. Herr has worked in the financial services industry since 2010. He holds a BA in economics from Wake Forest University.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Brad is co-head of Cooley’s corporate governance and securities regulation practice. He has extensive experience advising companies on all aspects of their compliance with US securities laws and the listing requirements of the major US exchanges, particularly in connection with and following their initial public offerings (IPOs). Brad regularly counsels management, boards of directors and board committees on a range of matters, including US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and stock exchange reporting and disclosure requirements, board and executive compensation, corporate governance, shareholder proposals, the impact of proxy advisory services, and responses to formal and informal SEC inquiries. His practice also involves advising companies on matters related to corporate aircraft and private plane use.

SEC Rulemaking and Enforcement: What Companies and Boards Should Expect (Panelist)

Goldberg

Brad Goldberg

Co-head of Corporate Governance & Securities Regulation Practice, Cooley LLP

Gutierrez

Carlos Gutierrez

Former US Secretary of Commerce, Board Member & CEO

Carmen Lu

Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez is a business leader and former Cabinet official whose career has spanned the worlds of global business, public policy, and workforce strategy. He was formerly Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath, a workforce technology company, and Chair Emeritus of Albright Stonebridge Group, where he advised multinational organizations on strategy, growth, and geopolitical risk.

A Cuban immigrant whose family fled Havana in 1960, Secretary Gutierrez began his career at Kellogg Company in Mexico in 1975 as a sales representative. Over the next three decades, he rose through leadership positions across Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Asia before becoming President and CEO of Kellogg in 1999 and later Chairman of the company. At the time, he was the youngest CEO in Kellogg’s history and the only Latino CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

As CEO, Secretary Gutierrez led a major transformation of Kellogg during a period of stagnant growth and changing consumer demand. He introduced the company’s “volume-to-value” strategy, shifting Kellogg away from growth through volume alone and toward stronger brands, innovation, higher-value products, and disciplined investment. The strategy reshaped the company’s portfolio and positioned it for long-term growth.

In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Secretary Gutierrez as the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. During his tenure, he played a central role in advancing U.S. competitiveness, trade, and economic policy, with a particular focus on exports, Latin America, Asia, and global supply chains.

Today, Secretary Gutierrez is especially sought after for his ability to help leaders understand the intersection of business and policy. He speaks on trade and tariffs, U.S.-China competition, workforce strategy, immigration, Latin America, organizational transformation, and the future of North American competitiveness. Drawing on his experience in both the boardroom and the Cabinet Room, he helps executives understand not only what is changing, but how to respond strategically.

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.

Navigating the Unknown: What Does Your Board Need to Know – And Do – About the New World Economic & Political Order? (Panelist)

Caroline Stasium

Carolina Stasium

Legal Analyst, Corporate Governance, Chevron Corporation

Carmen Lu is a partner in the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Activism Defense practice. She counsels boards and management teams of companies across industries on shareholder activism and hostile takeover defense, crisis management, shareholder engagement and corporate governance matters.

Carmen is sought after as a thought leader on shareholder activism and corporate governance issues, and her articles have been featured in publications including the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and Capital Markets, The M&A Lawyer, 13D Monitor and NYU Law School’s Compliance and Enforcement blog. A collection of her recent articles is accessible here.

Carmen currently serves on the Council of Institutional Investors’ Markets Advisory Council and the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society Program’s board of advisors. Carmen is also a frequent speaker on shareholder activism and corporate governance matters, including at the Society for Corporate Governance National Conference, the National Association of Corporate Directors Annual Conference and the Bloomberg Activism Forum, and serves as a guest lecturer on corporate governance at Yale Law School and Harvard Law School.

In 2025 and 2026, Financier Worldwide named Carmen to its “Power Players: Shareholder Activism – Distinguished Advisers” list, which recognizes the ten leading advisers in shareholder activism in the United States. Carmen has also been named among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Dealmakers in America for Activism Defense and Corporate Governance (2026) and Lawdragon’s 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management (2026). Carmen is also recognized by Chambers (2026) for her work in Takeover Defense and The Legal 500 for her work in Shareholder Activism (2026) and M&A Large Deals (2026).

Carmen graduated from Yale Law School, where she served as articles editor of the Yale Law Journal and executive editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation. She received a B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and won the Arthur Twining Hadley Prize as highest-ranking graduate.

Board Oversight of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement (Panelist)

Carolina Stasium is a Legal Analyst in Corporate Governance at Chevron Corporation, supporting the Board of Directors and advancing strong governance, regulatory compliance, and high quality board operations.

With nearly 20 years of experience across the energy and technology sectors, Carolina brings deep expertise in board and committee administration, SEC reporting, insider trading compliance, and complex, end to end governance processes. Her work spans the full governance lifecycle—from board and committee administration and director independence to regulatory compliance, governance processes, and corporate record management—supported by a disciplined, analytical approach and a commitment to precision and consistency.

Carolina is also recognized for driving innovation within governance functions, leading initiatives that enhance processes, strengthen internal controls, and elevate the use of technology, including board portal platforms and knowledge management systems. She is known for her ability to manage highly detailed, multi stakeholder workflows while delivering operational excellence.

An active member of the Society of Corporate Governance’s Non‑JD community, Carolina was named a Governance Pioneer finalist for the 2026 Diligent Elevate Awards and is part of Chevron’s Corporate Governance team, recognized as Governance Team of the Year (Large Cap) at the 2025 Governance Intelligence Awards.

Workshop: Using AI as a Governance Professional (Respondent)

Catherine Winner

Global Head of Stewardship, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Catherine is a managing director within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as global head of Stewardship. She manages the firm's global proxy voting, issuer engagement and collaborative industry activities. Through these programs, she promotes the adoption of best practices in corporate governance and the firm's commitment to accelerating the climate transition and driving inclusive growth.

Catherine is an ambassador for One Million Black Women, Goldman Sachs' $10 billion investing initiative focused on narrowing opportunity gaps for Black women. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2018 as a vice president in Fundamental Equity and was named managing director in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, Catherine worked in Corporate Governance at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM), where she was a member of MSIM’s Proxy Review Committee, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Working Group and the firm's Women in Business Alliance. Before that, she managed the Corporate Governance program at Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC.

Catherine serves on the Investor Advisory Group for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and is a former chair of the Corporate Governance Advisory Council within the Council of Institutional Investors. Catherine earned a BA in Economics from Colgate University in 2002 and an MBA from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University in 2009.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Cathy Conlon

Senior Vice President, Head of Disclosure Solutions, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Cathy is the head of the Disclosure Solutions business at Broadridge, an S&P 500 FinTech company that powers the Capital Markets through technology and shareholder communications services. In her role, Cathy focuses on building and executing the strategy to drive growth, scaling business operations and enhancing the customer experience. Prior to this role, Cathy was VP and head of Product and Strategy for Broadridge’s Corporate Issuer business where she developed the strategy that tripled the revenue and EBITA of the business in five years, oversaw the execution of acquisitions and partnerships, managed the corporate issuer product portfolio, and drove product innovation efforts which expanded Broadridge’s governance suite of services into products such as Virtual Shareholder Meetings, Sustainability, and digital solutions to help public companies connect with their retail shareholders. During her tenure at Broadridge, Cathy gained roles of increasing seniority, with leadership and expertise in Business Development, New Product Development, Strategy Formation and Execution. Cathy sits on the Broadridge Client Success Council and represents the Corporate Issuer business on the Proxy Steering Committee and has represented Broadridge on the SEC End to End Committee. Cathy is on the board of XBRL US, where she is a member of the Nominating Committee.

Roundtable: Annual Meetings & Shareholder Voting (Lead Participant)

Christina Thomas serves as Deputy Director and Chief Advisor on Disclosure, Policy, and Rulemaking in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. Prior to joining the SEC in January 2026, Ms. Thomas was a partner in the capital markets practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. In private practice, Ms. Thomas represented public companies on capital markets transactions, SEC disclosure and compliance, and corporate governance matters. She previously served as counsel to SEC Commissioner Elad L. Roisman and was detailed to the Office of International Affairs and Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Ms. Thomas started her legal career as an attorney-adviser in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. Ms. Thomas received her J.D. from New York Law School and her B.A. from Fordham University.

Discussion with Corporation Finance Staff (Panelist)

Christina Thomas

Deputy Director and Chief Advisor to the Director, SEC

Christine Shaw

Head of Sustainability Policy & Reporting, Franklin Templeton Investments

Christine Shaw serves as Head of Sustainability Policy & Reporting for Franklin Templeton Investments as part of its multi-disciplinary Investment Sustainable Solutions Team, charged with supporting the firm’s stewardship and sustainability initiatives. Shaw joined Franklin Templeton in 2023 after more than 20 years with Connecticut’s Treasury, where she was principally responsible for directing the shareholder engagement, corporate governance and proxy voting activities for its $68 billion pension and trust funds. She holds three degrees from the University of Connecticut (a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science, an MBA and a Juris Doctor), and is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and the District of Columbia. Christine is a member of the Council of Institutional Investors’ Corporate Governance Advisory Council, the Harvard Institutional Investor Forum Advisory Council, and serves as Vice Chair of the Human Capital Management Coalition, a group of institutional investors and asset owners with combined assets under management of roughly $10 trillion. She holds the IFRS Foundation's Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting credential.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Beyond the SEC: Navigating Fragmented US and International Regulation (Panelist)

Mr. Dane Allen currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Lee Health System, Inc., a private non-profit healthcare system serving Southwest Florida with over $3 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Allen was publicly elected as a director in November 2022 prior to the completion of a conversion from a public district entity to a private non-profit in November 2024. He has served as both the Chair of Audit Committee and as well as Vice Chair of the Governance Committee. He has 30+ years of legal experience, primarily in an in-house role, with an increasing focus on corporate governance matters including corporate secretary leadership roles at The Hertz Corporation, QEP Resources and Integrys Energy Group. Mr. Allen served as a member of the Board for the Society of Corporate Governance from 2019 to 2023, where he also served as Chair of the Educational Programming Committee from 2020 to 2023. Mr. Allen is a member of the bar in the state of Wisconsin. Mr. Allen received both his B.B.A. degree with majors in Accounting and Finance and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to earning his law degree, Mr. Allen was a certified public accountant with Ernst and Young.

What Does it Take to Succeed as a Governance Professional Today - and Tomorrow? (Panelist)

Dane Allen

Board Member, Lee Health System, Inc.

Charles Hambly

Drew Hambly

Investment Director, Stewardship, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)

Drew joined CalPERS in 2022, where he is responsible for the pension funds stewardship activities including global proxy voting and engagement. Previously he held similar roles at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, State Street Global Advisors and Moody’s Investor Service. Drew has worked in stewardship for the past 28 years starting at the Investor Responsibility Research Center.

He graduated with a BA in Economics from American University and earned his MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Investor Forums (Investor)

The Investor Perspective: Governance Expectations in a Changing Environment (Panelist)

Ed Lee

Edward J. Lee

Corporate Partner, Kirkland & Ellis

Edward J. Lee is a corporate partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Ed’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and shareholder activism defense. Ed also regularly counsels corporations and boards of directors on securities law, corporate governance and crisis management.

Ed has extensive experience advising major public companies and private equity firms on their most significant domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, as well as on spin-offs and carve-outs, joint ventures, and initial public and other complex securities offerings. During his career, he has advised on announced transactions with an aggregate value of over $850 billion.

Ed has represented clients in some of the most significant and complex M&A transactions in recent years, including United Technologies’ $140 billion merger of equals with Raytheon Company and simultaneous spin-offs of Carrier Global and Otis Worldwide; Celgene Corporation’s $98 billion acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb; Kimberly-Clark’s $49 billion acquisition of Kenvue; Walgreens Boots Alliance’s $24 billion sale to Sycamore Partners (the largest retail M&A transaction on record); Walgreens’ $27 billion two-staged acquisition of Alliance Boots GmbH; NortonLifeLock’s ~$25 billion combination with Avast; Salesforce’s $15.7 billion acquisition of Tableau; and Warner Bros. Discovery in its separation into two publicly traded companies.

Ed has also advised numerous boards of directors and senior management teams in connection with unsolicited takeover proposals, as well as in response to shareholder activism campaigns and other contested situations involving, among others, Elliott Management, Jana Partners, Sachem Head, Third Point, Pershing Square, Relational Investors, and Starboard Value.
Chambers USA recognizes Ed as among the best lawyers in the country for Corporate/M&A. Ed also is recognized as one of the 500 leading lawyers in America (across all practice areas, as well as among dealmakers) by Lawdragon, as a “Notable Diverse Leader in Law” by Crain's, and as an “M&A Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting Group. Ed was recognized by Forbes in its 2025 list of America’s Top Lawyers, which recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves through notable deals and transactions, and by MergerLinks as the top healthcare lawyer in North America by deal value in 2025. In 2022, he was one of six M&A attorneys nationwide chosen as a Law360 MVP. Ed has been named a leading lawyer and as “highly regarded” within the M&A practice by IFLR1000, and as a “Rising Star” in Corporate/M&A by Expert Guides and by Law360. He has also been recognized by The Legal 500 for his work on mergers & acquisitions (large deals - $1bn+), media and entertainment transactions, and shareholder activism. Ed has also been highlighted on Variety’s 2024 and 2025 lists of
“Hollywood’s Top Entertainment Attorneys” and as a “Top Dealmaker of 2023” by The Hollywood Reporter.

The Ascend Foundation recognized Ed among its 2024 A-List Award recipients for his achievements and contributions to the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

Workshop: Crisis Management (Respondent)

Elizabeth Morgan

Partner, King & Spalding LLP

Elizabeth Morgan represents public and private companies, as well as investment banks and investors, in a broad range of capital markets transactions, as well as on corporate governance and disclosure matters. Liz co-leads King & Spalding’s Public Companies group.

Liz has significant experience advising public companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance and securities law matters, including best practices and disclosures. Representative experience includes advising on Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements, proxy disclosures, stakeholder engagement, proxy advisory services, board and committee charters and governance guidelines, and disclosure controls and procedures. Liz also advises public companies on shareholder activism, including on shareholder proposals and preparing for and responding to hedge fund and corporate governance activism.

Liz’s capital markets experience includes investment grade and high yield debt, sustainability-linked and green bonds, convertible notes, preferred stock, initial public offerings, secondary offerings, “shelf” offerings, “at-the-market”offerings and Rule 144A transactions, as well as private placement transactions, tender offers, exchange offers, consent solicitations and other corporate reorganization and liability management transactions.

Liz’s experience also includes a variety of syndicated loan transactions, leveraged acquisition finance, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic corporate transactions. A frequent speaker and author on corporate governance and disclosure,
she is a Legal 500 recommended capital markets practitioner, and has been a member of the Capital Markets Law360 Editorial Board.

Latest in Proxy Statements & Disclosure Practices (Lead Participant)

Emma Butler is the Senior Manager of US Investment Stewardship, a group within Portfolio Management. Based out of the Charlotte office, Emma is responsible for implementing the firm’s proxy voting policies and overseeing voting execution and US issuer engagement efforts.

Prior to joining Dimensional, Emma was a research and operations analyst for proxy voting and corporate governance at the Bank of New York Mellon. Emma attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she earned a bachelor of arts in sociology with minors in political science and international relations.

Investor Forum II (Investor)

Executive Compensation Trends (Panelist)

Emma Butler

Senior Manager of US Investment Stewardship, Dimensional Fund Advisors

Eric Geber

Investment Stewardship Analyst, Northern Trust Asset Management

Eric Geber is an Investment Stewardship Analyst within the Asset Management group at Northern Trust. He joined the Americas Stewardship team in July 2025 where he primarily manage the team’s proxy voting and corporate engagement activities. Prior to Northern Trust Asset Management, he spent 2 years with the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office (ISTO) as Deputy Director of Corporate Governance and Sustainable Investment. In that role, he oversaw the Office’s proxy voting activity, external fund manager due diligence, and corporate engagements. Prior to the ISTO, he spent over 8 years in the United States Army, first as a Field Artillery officer and then as a Civil Affairs officer. He received a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) degree from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Investor Forums (Investor)

The Investor Perspective: Governance Expectations in a Changing Environment (Panelist)

Erica Williams

Former Chair, President, and CEO, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)

Erica Y. Williams is the former Chair, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Under Erica’s leadership, the PCAOB developed and executed an ambitious strategic plan to modernize standards, enhance inspections, strengthen enforcement, and improve the PCAOB’s organizational effectiveness.

Erica joined the PCAOB from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she was a litigation partner. Previously, she was a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama, advising the president and his senior advisors on legal and constitutional issues involving economic policy, financial regulation and reform, financial technology, trade, intellectual property, and data protection and privacy.

Before that, Erica spent 11 years at the SEC serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for three chairs. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of the SEC’s operations and served as a senior legal advisor to the SEC chair on regulatory policy and rulemakings, enforcement, compliance examinations, agency management and strategy. Earlier in her career, Erica served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement Trial Unit, where she investigated and litigated numerous complex, high-profile matters. Erica earned both a J.D. and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Beyond the SEC: Navigating Fragmented US and International Regulation (Panelist)

Farzad Damania

Farzad F. Damania

Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Farzad Damania speaks the language of business. Whether advising clients on securities regulation, corporate governance or capital markets and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), he is steeped in the issues that drive client success.

Seeing issues from all sides

Global public and private companies, their boards and underwriters appreciate the sound business judgment Farzad brings to every matter. His practical approach to legal issues, combined with his detailed knowledge of client businesses, prevents regulatory delays and helps close deals. His fluency with securities laws and cross-border transactions often smooths the path with business partners and opponents.

Farzad has advised several public companies extensively on securities regulations, corporate governance issues, rules of stock exchanges and proxy advisory firms. He has represented companies in a wide range of industries, from telecom to food and beverage, heath care, mining, retail, software and technology. His cross-border experience includes capital markets and M&A transactions with clients in diverse markets from Canada and Europe to China, India and Japan. Farzad also counsels clients on environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance and reporting.

Effectively Engaging Your Board in Strategic Planning (Panelist)

Ferrell Keel

Ferrell M. Keel

Partner, Jones Day

Ferrell Keel represents clients in a broad range of complex capital markets transactions and high-stakes corporate governance matters.

Ferrell's corporate governance practice focuses on the intersection of state corporate law, shareholder activism and environmental, social & governance (ESG). She regularly counsels clients on shareholder proposals and the SEC's proxy rules and regulations and was a leading member of the Jones Day team that represented ExxonMobil in its lawsuit against shareholder activists in 2024. Ferrell has testified to the Texas State Senate Committee on State Affairs and the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on shareholder proposals, proxy advisors, and ideas for reform.

Ferrell also facilitates annual evaluations for public company boards of directors, addressing corporate governance matters such as risk oversight, effective communication between management and the board, and succession planning.
On the transactional side, Ferrell has led the full range of capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on equity offerings; spin-offs; high yield, investment-grade, and convertible debt offerings; commercial paper programs; rights offerings; private placements of equity and convertible securities; and tender and exchange offers.

Choosing a State of Incorporation: Strategic, Legal, and Governance Considerations (Panelist)

Gabriel Eckstein is an Associate Director in the Division of Corporation Finance. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff to Chairman Paul S. Atkins and Acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda.

Gabriel also served as Counsel to Commissioner Uyeda and held various roles in the Division of Corporation Finance, including in the Office of International Corporate Finance and the Disclosure Review Program. Earlier in his career, he worked as an attorney for the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation, the state’s securities regulator.

Gabriel holds degrees from the University of Southern California and the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Discussion with Corporation Finance Staff (Panelist)

Gabriel Eckstein

Associate Director, Disclosure Review Program, SEC

Geoffrey Walter

Partner, Gibson Dunn

Geoffrey E. Walter is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. He advises public companies and their boards of directors on a wide range of corporate law matters, including securities and corporate governance practices and disclosure issues, compliance with SEC regulations and executive compensation, shareholder engagement and activism matters, insider trading, shareholder proposals, and responses to SEC inquiries. Geoff also has experience advising nonprofit organizations on issues related to corporate governance.

Geoff received the Certified Corporate Governance Professional designation, is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance, and is recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2025. He co-authored a chapter in the “Executive Compensation Disclosure Handbook: A Practical Guide to the SEC’s Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules” and is a frequent speaker on securities law and corporate governance issues.

Geoff earned his Juris Doctor in 2013 from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. While at Columbia, Geoff was awarded the Isaac and Jacqueline Weiss Shapiro Fellowship in Japanese Law and received a Certificate in International Law from the Parker School. He graduated in 2004 from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he was an associate in the Executive Compensation Group of another international law firm in New York, where he advised clients on executive compensation, equity-based incentive, severance plans and other executive compensation arrangements.

Workshop: Shareholder Engagement in Today's Environment (Respondent)

Glenn Booraem

Head of Vanguard Capital Management Investment Stewardship, Vanguard.

Glenn Booraem is a principal at Vanguard and serves as the investment stewardship officer for Vanguard Capital Management. He oversees voting policy development, proxy voting, and company engagements for Vanguard’s global range of index strategies. Glenn has served in senior leadership roles supporting investment stewardship activities on behalf of
Vanguard funds for more than 20 years.

Since joining Vanguard in 1989, he has previously served as the controller and treasurer for each of the Vanguard funds. In addition to engaging with Vanguard funds’ portfolio companies and serving as a frequent speaker on corporate governance matters, Glenn has also represented Vanguard and its investors through governance-focused industry working groups. Glenn currently serves on the advisory boards of the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School and the Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, and he is a member of the Vickie & Jack Farber Institute of Neuroscience Campaign Committee at Jefferson Health. He holds a BBA from Temple University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Investor Forums (Investor)

How to Focus Your Board on Risks That Truly Matter (Panelist)

Hasib

Hasib Nasirullah

Managing Director, Global Co-Head of Sustainability, Sodali & Co.

Hope Mehlman

Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Office and Corporate Secretary

Hasib Nasirullah is a managing director at Sodali & Co, where he leads in the Global Sustainability Practice in conjunction with Emily Wei.

In his role, Hasib jointly oversees a team of nearly 40 colleagues across the globe to use Sodali & Co’s proprietary mix of investor intelligence, strategic communications insights, and technical sustainability expertise and deliver timely advice to clients through a full suite of sustainability products and services covering three main challenges:

Regulatory resilience: Balancing evolving regulatory requirements on sustainability with reputational risks to meet compliance needs while keeping key market (i.e., investor and customer) expectations front and center
Digital transformation: Meeting complex sustainability reporting and data demands through efficiently architected data process and controls that foster the data confidence needed to enable real-time insights and decision making.
Climate transition planning: Building credible, data-driven, and pragmatic decarbonization roadmaps that help companies maintain resilience in a shifting economy and secure long-term business value.

Hasib has worked with both private and public companies across a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, technology, automotive, logistics, and financial services. He advises on a wide variety of sustainability and strategic issues, from getting buy-in from Board members and C-suite officers to restructuring sustainability strategy and disclosure in the context of mergers & acquisitions and transforming sustainability programs in the face of ESG regulation, such as the EU’s CSRD, ISSB’s IFRS S1 and S2, and California’s SB-253 and SB-261. He approaches this work by bringing the right stakeholders to the table to help clients integrate sustainability from the top down, with a focus on the sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities that link back to the business’s strategy.

Hasib graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science and from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business with an M.B.A., specializing in Corporate Social Responsibility & Global Business. He is an FSA credential holder. He is based out of New York City.

Voluntary Sustainability Reporting (Panelist)

Hope Mehlman joined Ally as the chief legal and corporate affairs officer in December 2024. She was also named corporate secretary in January 2026. In her role, Mehlman is responsible for all regulatory, governance and legal matters and oversees the organization's legal, compliance, corporate affairs, government relations, environmental sustainability and corporate secretarial teams and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) program. She reports to Ally’s CEO.

Mehlman has more than 20 years of leadership experience in retail and commercial banking. Before joining Ally, she was Discover Financial Services’ chief legal officer, general counsel and corporate secretary. Earlier, she served as general counsel and corporate secretary at Bank of the West, corporate secretary of BNP Paribas USA, and executive vice president, corporate secretary, chief governance officer, and deputy general counsel of Regions Financial, where she also served as senior compliance officer. Prior to Regions, Mehlman practiced law as a partner at Adams and Reese LLP with a focus on various issues affecting financial institutions’ operations.

Governance Intelligence has honored Mehlman multiple times, including the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award; she was also inducted into the Corporate Governance Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2024, Mehlman was named General Counsel of the Year by Women, Influence, and Power in Law. That same year, she was also named to the NACD Directorship 100 list. She was also the recipient of the 2023 "William H. Avery Award for Equal Access to Justice" presented by the Legal Aid Society, Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago.

Mehlman serves on the board of directors of the Council of Institutional Investors, SmartBiz Bancshares, as well as on the board of the Society for Corporate Governance where she is the chair of the policy advisory committee. Mehlman holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a juris doctorate from Seton Hall University Law School, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law. She is a frequent guest lecturer at Stanford University and a contributing author of several whitepapers.

Beyond the Hype: How are Boards Effectively Addressing the Opportunities and Risks of AI? (Moderator)

Ian McConnel

Chief Legal Officer (CLO), Chief Risk Officer (CRO), and Executive Vice President, CSC

Ian McConnel is an accomplished legal and business executive, serving as Chief Legal Officer (CLO), Chief Risk Officer (CRO), and Executive Vice President at CSC®. In this role, he leads the global legal, compliance, and risk management teams, providing strategic legal counsel and overseeing enterprise-wide risk management. With a career spanning private practice, public service, and corporate leadership, McConnel brings a wealth of experience to his work in governance, compliance, and crisis management.

McConnel began his legal career as a commercial transaction associate at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP. He then transitioned to public service at the Delaware Department of Justice, where he held several senior leadership roles, including State Solicitor, Director of the Consumer Protection and Fraud Division, and Chief Deputy Attorney General.
He is a graduate of Middlebury College, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies, concentrating in Japanese. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, he was commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying as Executive Officer of Troops aboard the USS Ashland in the Summer of 2000. McConnel also holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review.

McConnel has a deep commitment to community service and nonprofit leadership. He serves as a trustee of the Delaware Natural History Museum, where he has been instrumental in supporting its mission to inspire a love of nature and discovery. He is a board member of First State Squash, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of underserved youth through education, mentorship, and squash. Additionally, his expertise has been sought on the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC) and the Executive Committee of the Delaware State Bar Association, where he has furthered policies benefiting the state's communities.

An avid traveler and sports enthusiast, McConnel enjoys squash, alpine skiing, and exploring destinations worldwide. He resides in Greenville, Delaware, with his two children.

How to Focus Your Board on Risks That Truly Matter (Panelist)

Jacob is currently the Deputy General Counsel – Public Company Advisory of Ally Financial Inc., a financial services company with the nation's largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business. Before joining Ally Financial in 2026, Jacob was Corporate Secretary of Brighthouse Financial, Inc., a leading life insurance and annuities company, and assistant secretary and senior counsel – general corporate law at MetLife. Jacob earned a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a BA in philosophy from Columbia University.

Jacob has held various Society leadership positions. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors and has served as the chair of the Small and Mid-Cap Companies Committee. He also has served as president and held other officer positions in the New York Chapter and currently serves on its Advisory Board.

Workshop: Using AI in the Boardroom (Moderator)

Jacob Jenkelowitz

Deputy General Counsel – Public Company Advisory, Ally Financial Inc.

Frank Kelley is Head of Proxy and Sustainability at DFIN, a global leader in regulatory compliance and technology. He advises boards and senior executives on corporate governance, executive compensation, IPO readiness, M&A, proxy disclosure and design, shareholder activism, and sustainability.

Frank brings nearly two decades of experience working with corporate issuers. Before joining DFIN, he served as a Senior Advisor at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), where he evaluated corporate transactions, director independence, equity plans, ESG matters, say-on-pay, and shareholder proposals. Earlier in his corporate governance career, Frank held progressively senior roles at Broadridge, MacKenzie Partners, and S&P Global, after beginning his advisory career as a Compensation Consultant at Willis Towers Watson (WTW), working with issuer clients.

Prior to entering the corporate governance world, Frank worked in equity research as a sell-side analyst covering the Electric Utility and Energy sectors. He divides his time between New York City and Tampa, Florida.

Roundtable: Latest in Proxy Statements & Disclosure Practices (Lead Participant)

James Kelly

James "Frank" Kelley

Managing Director, Proxy & Sustainability, DFIN

Maloney

James J. Moloney

Director, Division of Corporation Finance, SEC

James J. Moloney became the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC in October 2025. Jim previously served at the SEC for six years prior to joining Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, where he worked for 25 years, ascending from corporate associate to equity partner. He served as a longstanding Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice. He advised a wide base of clients on corporate governance matters, disclosure rules, mergers & acquisitions, tender offers, proxy contests, and going-private transactions among other areas.

During his tenure at the SEC from 1994 to 2000, Jim was an attorney-advisor and later a Special Counsel in the Office of Mergers & Acquisitions in the Division of Corporation Finance. Notably, Jim was the primary author of the proposing and adopting releases for Regulation M-A, a comprehensive set of rules governing mergers & acquisitions, tender offers and proxy solicitations.

Jim received his LL.M. degree in securities regulation with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received his J.D. degree cum laude from Pepperdine University, where he was an editor of the Pepperdine Law Review. He received his B.S. degree in business administration from Boston University.

Fireside Chat: Discussion with Corporation Finance Staff (Panelist)

James Killerlane

Corporate Secretary & Chief Governance Officer, American Express

Mr. Killerlane is the Corporate Secretary and Chief Governance Officer of American Express. Jim oversees all corporate and board governance at American Express working with the Parent Board and its subsidiaries. He is also a member of the General Counsel’s Office Leadership Team.

Before joining American Express, Jim served as Corporate Secretary, Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of BNY Mellon where he was also the Chief Securities Officer. Before joining BNY Mellon, Jim was an Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel at AIG where he was the Head of Securities and Corporate Governance. Before joining AIG, Jim served as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, where he served as an Assistant Secretary with respect to SEC, corporate governance and other disclosure matters, as well as the Corporate Secretary of the three Morgan Stanley banks. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Jim was a Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary at Lehman Brothers. He began his career at Winston & Strawn and Battle Fowler.

Mr. Killerlane graduated from Princeton University and received a JD from Fordham University Law School. He currently serves as a member of the Education Committee on the National Board of Directors for the Society for Corporate Governance. Jim also serves as an Advisory Council Member of the Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Roundtable, a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Corporate Governance Forum, and a Fellow for The Conference Board. He also serves on the Board of the Red Bull Theater and several non-profit institutions.

Roundtable: Latest Developments in Subsidiary Management (Moderator)

Moser

Jamie Moser

Partner, Joele Frank

For more than two decades, Jamie has worked with small- mid- and large-cap companies across industries to help them identify their communications challenges and develop and implement plans to address their needs.

Investor Relations & Public Relations

To win the hearts and minds of shareholders and other stakeholders, companies must tell a straightforward and compelling story and deliver on the promises they outline. She works closely with her clients to evaluate and refine messages and structure/implement a program to ensure that messages are appropriately leveraged across constituency groups.

Crisis Communications

She has developed and run crisis simulations for Boards of Directors and management teams so that when a crisis occurs it is not the first time the teams are thinking about the important issues and how to respond. She has advised companies in connection with myriad crises, including: SEC/regulatory investigations, workforce reductions and facility closures, earnings surprises and accounting issues, management changes, natural disasters, and litigation.

M&A

She works alongside clients involved in both friendly and unsolicited M&A transactions – often from announcement through integration and beyond. Notable transaction experience includes working with: Waters in its acquisition of BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business; Kimberly-Clark in its pending acquisition of Kenvue and in connection with the formation of a partnership between its International Family Care and Professional business and Suzano; Walgreens in its sale to Sycamore Partners; Twitter in its sale to Elon Musk; Bristol Myers Squibb in its acquisitions of Celgene, MyoKardia and Turning Point Therapeutics. Her notable unsolicited transaction experience includes working with Time Warner in its defense against Twenty-First Century Fox; Tenet Healthcare in its defense against Community Health Systems; PotashCorp in its defense against BHP Billiton; Microsoft in its proposed acquisition of Yahoo!; and the William R. Hewlett Trust in its opposition to the H-P/Compaq merger.

Shareholder Activism

Some of her notable public experience in activism situations and proxy contests includes: DuPont, Mondelez, Tiffany (Trian); Family Dollar, Lionsgate (Carl Icahn); LivePerson (Starboard); Apache, Bristol Myers Squibb (JANA); Sony (Third Point); US Foods (Sachem Head); Anika (Caligan Partners).

Credentials

Jamie joined Joele Frank in 2001. She received a BA in American Studies from Cornell University. She is on the Board of Directors of Mobilization for Justice.

Workshop: Crisis Management Workshop (Moderator)

Jane Sadowsky has served as an independent director on corporate and non-profit boards for more than a decade and currently serves on three global boards: two NYSE-listed mining companies, Allied Gold (AAUC) and Nexa Resources (NEXA) and one PE-backed gaming technology company, Scientific Games, as well as two non-profit boards: NACD NY Chapter and Art Omi. She retired from a career in investment banking as a Senior Managing Director and head of the Power & Utility Group for Evercore Partners and is currently a Senior Advisor at Moelis & Co. Jane also coaches executives both inside Moelis and externally and started a furniture business during the pandemic. She earned her BA from UPenn, her MBA from Wharton and her coaching credentials from Columbia.

Latest in Board Recruitment, Onboarding, & Education (Panelist)

Board Oversight of Management Succession (Panelist)

Jane Sadowsky

Senior Advisor in Human Capital Management, Moelis & Company

Jared Brandman

Chief Legal & Strategy Officer, Corporate Strategy, National Vision

Mr. Brandman is Chief Legal & Strategy Officer and the Corporate Secretary at National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States with over 1,200 retail stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico. In his role, he oversees corporate strategy, legal, compliance, government relations and sustainability functions. Jared joined National Vision in 2017 as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, and following its successful IPO in 2017, was promoted to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 2019, serving in these roles until his appointment as Chief Legal & Strategy Officer in 2025. Prior to joining National Vision, Jared served as Securities Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company from 2010 to 2017. Jared began his legal career practicing at law firms in Atlanta, New York and London.

Mr. Brandman regularly speaks on topics such as leadership, governance, securities law and board service. Jared is one of the leaders of the Society for Corporate Governance, serving on its Nominating Governance Committee, Securities Law Committee, Corporate Practices Committee and Small & Mid-Cap Committee. Jared previously served as the Chair of the Society’s Policy Advisory and Securities Law Committees and recently completed his term as a member of the Board and Executive Steering Committee. Jared is an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, serving on the Board of its Atlanta Chapter. He also serves on the Board of the National Association of Retail Optical Companies and is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Brandman is active in the non-profit community, including serving on the Boards of the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, a non-profit focused on engaging volunteer attorneys to provide nonprofits with business legal services, and 20/20 Quest, Inc., National Vision’s non-profit charitable foundation chartered to provide eye care and eyewear to the optically underserved.

Mr. Brandman received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Emory University School of Law. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, playing soccer and reading.

Board Oversight of Management Succession (Panelist)

Effectively Engaging Your Brand in Strategic Planning (Moderator)

Jeffrey Iredell

Director, Wolters Kluwer/CT

Jeff Iredell is responsible for managing CT’s consulting teams and law firm sales team, which assist clients in developing systems and processes for centralizing subsidiary management, entity compliance, and deal-based best practices. As Director, he is responsible for executing CT’s strategic initiatives while more broadly acting as a resource for CT’s clients.

Roundtable: Latest Developments in Subsidiary Management (Lead Participant)

Herrman

Jennifer Herrmann

Partner & Co-Leader, Board Practice, Spencer Stuart

Jennifer Herrmann is a trusted adviser to general counsel, boards, CEOs and the broader C-suite. Developing rich, long-term relationships with clients, candidates and individual executives more broadly, she is known for providing candid counsel based on a deep understanding of leadership excellence in the legal and governance function, clients’ specific business needs and culture, and what drives individual leaders.

Jennifer’s search and succession work focuses on Fortune 500 general counsel and senior in-house legal roles across multiple industries, especially financial services, insurance, industrial and consumer. She also helps general counsel become more successful leaders, advising on team development and effectiveness, succession, governance best practices, board effectiveness and their critical role as a connector between the leadership team and board.

Board Oversight of Management Succession (Panelist)

Zepralka

Jennifer Zepralka

Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Jennifer Zepralka is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Mayer Brown LLP where she is a member of the Public Companies & Corporate Governance, Capital Markets, and Corporate & Securities practices. Jennifer offers clients years of experience advising public companies on their obligations under the federal securities laws and on related corporate governance requirements. She advises public companies and boards on SEC disclosure documents and reporting obligations, including compliance with SEC executive compensation disclosure requirements, as well as proxy and annual meeting matters, shareholder proposals, director independence, governance structures, compliance policies, and NYSE and Nasdaq requirements. Jennifer also works with growth companies as they seek to raise capital under the federal securities laws and become public companies.

Jennifer spent 10 years in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance, most recently as the Chief of the Office of Small Business Policy, where she was responsible for administering the securities laws and regulations that particularly affect small businesses, including the smaller reporting company requirements, as well as the capital-raising exemptions from Securities Act registration.

The Legal 500 US recommends Jennifer for M&A/Corporate and Commercial: Corporate Governance, Financial Services Regulation: Banking, and Fintech, highlighting her role in “strengthening the team’s capabilities when advising on regulatory issues and securities law.”

SEC Rulemaking and Enforcement: What Companies and Boards Should Expect (Panelist)

Jessica Lange

Member, Bodman PLC

Jessica Lange is a Member of the Michigan-based law firm Bodman PLC, where she advises corporate senior leadership teams and boards of directors on corporate governance, corporate transactions, securities law, and finance matters.

Before joining Bodman, Jessica practiced for more than 20 years as in-house counsel to several Fortune 500 publicly-traded corporations. Most recently, Jessica served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Securities and Finance for Darden Restaurants, Inc., the world’s largest full-service restaurant company. She has previous experience as an Expert Attorney for Securities, Finance, and Governance for DTE Energy Company, a Detroit-based diversified energy company and as Vice President of Corporate Finance & Securities Counsel for Comerica Bank, a major regional bank. She has also served as Counsel & Assistant Secretary for The Boeing Company, a manufacturer of large commercial aircraft and defense systems and as Associate Counsel for of Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc., the financial services division of Harley- Davidson, Inc.

In those roles, she advised on matters related to securities law, financial transactions, corporate governance, subsidiary management, corporate policies, and mergers and acquisitions. Jessica began her legal career as a Finance Associate in the Chicago and London offices of Mayer Brown, a global law firm.

Roundtable: Doing More with Less: Managing the Board and Disclosure at Small & Mid Cap Companies (Lead Participant)

Jody Bilney

Board Member, Alignment Healthcare

Jody Bilney is an accomplished senior executive with a track record of driving brand transformation and business strategy
Ms. Bilney served as a senior executive for a number of public companies, including Humana, Inc. (NYSE: HUM), Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLMN), Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ). At Humana, Inc., she served as the Chief Consumer Officer from 2013 until her retirement in 2020, where she focused on consumer-driven initiatives including marketing, data analytics, digital, consumer experience across the enterprise and was responsible for the company’s Wellness Solutions business.

Prior to Humana, Ms. Bilney served as Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer for Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., an upscale-casual dining restaurant company where she headed various departments including brand and business strategy, marketing, corporate communications, business development and food and beverage R&D across the enterprise. She was a key member of the Management Team who completed a successful IPO in 2012. Prior to Bloomin’ Brands, she held senior executive positions at Charles Schwab and Verizon, including General Management roles leading large lines of business as well as roles at the enterprise level where she led consumer-focused brand-transformation initiatives.

Ms. Bilney is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Alignment Healthcare (Nasdaq: ALHC), a provider of customized health care in the US to seniors through Medicare Advantage plans; Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL), an operator of full-service homestyle food restaurants and unique retail. She was previously on the Boards of Masonite, Inc. (NYSE: DOOR) and Chuy’s Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHUY) until their sales in 2024. She also serves as an advisor and board member of PE sponsored companies in the fitness and healthcare industries. Ms. Bilney graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with a minor in marketing. She earned a full athletic scholarship in women’s tennis.

Workshop: Crisis Management Workshop (Respondent)

John Beckman is a leader in public company advisory and corporate governance matters, with more than 25 years of experience advising public companies and boards of directors. He focuses on SEC disclosure, corporate governance, shareholder activism, strategic transactions, and shareholder engagement. John serves as leader of the U.S. Securities and Public Company Advisory practice at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, co-head of its shareholder activism practice. He is nationally recognized for his work in corporate governance, including being named a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. John was also named a Leading Partner nationwide for corporate governance by Legal 500 and Band 1 nationwide in corporate governance by Chambers and Partners.

Beyond the Hype: How are Boards Effectively Addressing the Opportunities and Risks of AI? (Panelist)

John Beckman

Partner, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader

John Roe

Global Co-Head, Investment Stewardship, BlackRock

John is the Vice President, Governance & Securities and Assistant Corporate Secretary of Emerson Electric Co. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for the Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions business from 2016 to 2018 and as the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for the Emerson Climate Technologies business from 2007 to 2016. Prior to 2007, John held corporate positions with Emerson where he provided legal advice on trade compliance and antitrust. He worked in a St. Louis law firm prior to joining Emerson. Prior to becoming an attorney, he served in the United States Navy for 5 years. John has a BSBA in Finance from St. Louis University, a JD from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Washington University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the Society for Corporate Governance.

Voluntary Sustainability Reporting (Moderator)

John Roe is Global Co-Head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship (BIS). The team engages companies and others in the investment stewardship ecosystem, and votes company proxies, to promote governance and business practices aligned with long-term value creation by the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients. Prior to this role, John served as Head of Americas for BIS.

John has served as a member of the Council of Institutional Investors Corporate Governance Advisory Council, the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the American Boardroom, and is a frequent speaker and commentor in the space.

Previously, John was a Partner and co-leader of the Governance and Corporate Stewardship practice at the corporate communications firm Joele Frank. In this role he advised boards of directors and senior executives on matters including board composition, executive compensation, disclosure and reporting, and shareholder engagement. He has additionally led the Analytics and Corporate Advisory teams at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a proxy advisory firm, and served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of an investment advisor. John served on the White House staff supporting the development of the Office of Homeland Security in 2001-2002, was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, and served as an officer in the United States Coast Guard.

John is also a pilot, a shade tree mechanic, and a recovering electrical engineer.

Investor Forums (Investor)

The Investor Perspective: Governance Expectations in a Changing Environment (Panelist)

Sperino

John Sperino

Vice President, Governance & Securities, Assistant Secretary, Emerson

Joseph Lo, Head of AI Innovation at Broadridge, leads the firm’s AI initiatives across corporate governance, capital markets, and wealth and investment management, helping clients operate, innovate, and grow. A technologist by trade with an extensive background in software engineering and product development, Joseph leads initiatives to strategically, safely, and rapidly scale the use of AI capabilities for the benefit of Broadridge clients and associates. He also holds multiple patents at the intersection of AI and financial services.

Joseph serves as a member of the faculty for the Securities Industry Institute at The Wharton School, with a focus on organizational leadership and AI. In his spare time, you may find him plucking his bass guitar, perfecting his home-made pizza recipe, and traveling the world with his family.

Beyond the Hype: How are Boards Effectively Addressing the Opportunities and Risks of AI? (Panelist)

Joseph Lo

Head of AI Innovation, Broadridge

Julia Lapitskaya

Partner, Gibson Dunn

Julia Lapitskaya is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group and co-chair of the ESG: Risk, Litigation and Reporting Practice Group. Julia’s practice focuses on SEC, NYSE/Nasdaq and Securities Exchange Act of 1934 compliance, securities and corporate governance disclosure issues, board and committee matters, corporate governance best practices, state corporate laws, the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, SEC regulations, investor engagement, proxy and annual meeting matters, sustainability and corporate responsibility matters, and executive compensation disclosure issues, including as part of initial public offerings and spin-off transactions.

Julia is a frequent author and speaker on securities law and state law issues and is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance. She contributed to chapters in the “Executive Compensation Disclosure Handbook: A Practical Guide to the SEC’s Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules”, as well as the PLI Treatise titled “Climate Change, Sustainable Investments, and Social Governance: Law and Compliance.”

Julia earned her Juris Doctor in 2010 from the New York University School of Law, where she served as Developments Editor of the Journal of International Law and Politics. Prior to attending law school, she graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and Political Science and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Workshop: Shareholder Engagement in Today's Environment (Respondent)

June Hu is Special Counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. June advises public and private companies, as well as their boards of directors, on a broad range of corporate governance, crisis management, shareholder and stakeholder activism and engagement, regulatory compliance and disclosure-related matters. She coordinates the firm’s global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Practice, and frequently speaks and publishes on corporate governance and ESG topics.

Beyond the SEC: Navigating Fragmented US and International Regulation (Panelist)

June Hu

Special Counsel, Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP

Justin “J.T.” Ho is a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. His practice is focused on helping public companies and their boards navigate complex and challenging corporate governance, board oversight, securities reporting, and shareholder activism and engagement issues through collaborating on practical, innovative, business-oriented solutions. J.T. has a monthly podcast, J.T.’s Fast Five, where he covers five governance updates that public companies should know about each month. J.T. is also the host of the Understanding Activism podcast, where he interviews both issuer and activist advisors and co-chairs the Practicing Law Institute’s annual activism conference. J.T. is recognized nationally for his work in corporate governance by Chambers and Partners.

How to Focus Your Board on Risks That Truly Matter (Panelist)

Justin Ho

Justin “J.T.” Ho

Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Kaitlin Descovich

Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Kaitlin Descovich is a partner in Weil's Governance, Securities & Reporting Group and is based in Washington, D.C. Kaitlin advises public and private companies, as well as nonprofit organizations, on corporate governance, disclosure, compliance, executive compensation and securities law matters, including in connection with M&A, capital markets, private equity investment and corporate restructuring transactions. Among the topics Kaitlin regularly addresses include fiduciary duties, risk oversight, director independence, governance structures, compliance policies, executive and director compensation, SEC reporting and other public disclosure matters, stock exchange requirements, conflicts of interest and related party transactions, and cybersecurity and AI governance and disclosures.

In her practice, Kaitlin routinely counsels companies and their boards of directors on critical governance matters, including board leadership and committee structures, internal investigations, self-evaluations, and board and executive succession planning, as well as on sensitive matters, including crisis management, internal controls, and shareholder activism related matters such as proxy contests and shareholder proposals and engagement. Kaitlin also regularly guides newly or soon-to-be public companies and their sponsors as they navigate SEC and stock exchange regulations and implement public company processes and procedures.

Kaitlin frequently writes on legal developments affecting governance and securities law topics and is a regular contributor to Weil’s Governance & Securities Watch (blog). She is also active in various bar associations and organizations and speaks and writes on a variety of governance and securities law topics. Kaitlin is recognized for Corporate Governance and Compliance Law by Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2025. Kaitlin has also been recognized for her work in not-for-profit corporate governance. She was a recipient of the Lawyers Alliance for New York’s 2021 Individual Cornerstone Award in recognition of her exceptional pro bono legal services to the nonprofit sector.

At Weil, Kaitlin serves as a Co-Chair of the Not-for-Profit Practice Group, Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee, and is the head of Washington DC’s Women@Weil affinity group. Kaitlin was previously a member of the Weil’s Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions practice in New York and worked on a variety of public and private company transactions, as well as with private equity funds, in connection with acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Weil, Kaitlin was a corporate public and media relations manager at Weber Shandwick where she managed media relations strategies for a broad range of companies and special situations, including leadership transitions and general media visibility for CEOs and other senior leaders.

Roundtable: Governance Principles to Guide Non-Profit Organizations (Co-Moderator)

Kaley Childs Karaffa

AVP, Head of Board Advisory, Americas, Nasdaq

Kaley Childs Karaffa is the Head of Board Advisory for Americas for Nasdaq. In her role, she advises boards and CEOs of public, private, and nonprofit corporations on corporate governance, leadership, strategy, and risk matters utilizing her experience as a director, attorney, and executive. Kaley works with public, private, and nonprofit corporations in a wide range of industries and in countries globally. Prior to Nasdaq’s acquisition of Center for Board Excellence (CBE) in October 2019, Kaley was CBE’s Vice President, Client Services, Business Development & Legal from September 2015 through 2019. Prior to joining CBE, Kaley served as General Counsel of Clarolux. Before beginning an in-house practice, she practiced law in New York City with a focus in real estate, banking law, and litigation. Kaley served as Program Director of Jefferson County Teen Court prior to attending law school.

Kaley has served on governing and advisory boards of various corporations. Her current board and advisory roles include the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence Insights Council, Horizon Education Board of Directors, Northside Charter High School (Brooklyn, NY) Board of Trustees (Chair), Firstboard.IO Advisory Board, privately held biotech company patient advisory board, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s Patient Advisory Board (Co-Chair), Patient Safety Committee, and ImmunOptimize (a clinical trial network) Steering Committee. Kaley volunteers with leading civic and philanthropic organizations with a focus on education, healthcare, and law.

She publishes articles and speaks publicly on corporate governance topics with many leading business organizations, including Corporate Board Member, NACD, Directors & Boards, Society for Corporate Governance, Competent Boards, TechGC, Equilar, Agenda/Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal, among others. Kaley received a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Political Science from Samford University and a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

Workshop: Using AI in the Boardroom (Respondent)

Kate Haynes

Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Ethics Officer, H&R Block

Ms. Haynes has served as Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Ethics Officer of H&R Block since January 2022. Prior to her current role, she was Senior Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary at H&R Block from August 2015 until January 2022. Before moving in-house, Kate was in private practice at a large law firm in Kansas City.

Ms. Haynes has been practicing corporate law for more than 20 years, and has expertise in a variety of areas, including public company corporate governance, subsidiary governance and management, securities law, executive compensation, M&A, corporate finance, ethics and compliance, enterprise risk management, crisis response, and executive protection program management, among others. She has been a member of the Society for Corporate Governance since 2014, and is currently President of the Kansas City Chapter. Ms. Haynes earned her juris doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law, and received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Business Administration, also from the University of Kansas.

The Latest in Board Recruitment, Onboarding & Education (Moderator)

Roundtable: Doing More with Less: Managing the Board and Disclosure at Small & Mid Cap Companies (Lead Participant)

Kate Kelly

Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, Meta Platforms, Inc.

Kate Kelly is Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Meta Platforms, Inc., where she leads the Corporate Legal group. Her teams span M&A; securities and disclosure; international governance; real estate, construction, and energy; technology transactions and inbound sourcing; global equity; and corporate responsibility and non-financial reporting. Prior to joining Meta in October 2021, Kate spent 16 years at Bristol Myers Squibb, most recently serving as their Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from 2015-2021. Before joining Bristol Myers Squibb, she was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Kate is an active member of the Society for Corporate Governance. She served as Chair of the Society’s Securities Law Committee from 2020-2023 and is a former Society Board member and past President of the Society’s New York Chapter.

Board Oversight of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement (Panelist)

Gumbs

Keir Gumbs

Principal, Chief Legal Officer, Edward Jones

Kevin Coleman serves as Associate General Counsel – Corporate Governance and Assistant Secretary in the Legal Department of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY). In this role, he supports the Board of Directors and executive management with all aspects of the company’s corporate governance framework. He monitors and analyzes changes in the voting policies and positions of institutional investors and proxy advisors and regularly engages with them on key governance matters. Mr. Coleman supports the preparation of the company’s proxy statement, including drafting, reviewing, and refining key disclosures. He also assists with other regulatory and non-regulatory disclosures. Further, he provides support to other internal departments, including Investor Relations, Human Resources, Treasury, and Sustainability.

Since 2014, Mr. Coleman has held a range of increasingly senior corporate governance roles within the financial services industry, with a focus on public company board support, shareholder engagement, and disclosure-related matters. He was a finalist in 2017 and 2019 for the Governance Intelligence’s Rising Star award. He has authored or contributed to multiple governance and legal publications, including as a contributing author to the American Bar Association’s ESG: A Guidebook for Directors and Handbook for the Conduct of Shareholders’ Meetings and as a working group member for the Council of Institutional Investors’ Report of the 2020 Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Practices for Virtual Shareholder Meetings. He has also contributed to the drafting and refining of multiple comment letters to various regulatory agencies.

Mr. Coleman earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Cumberland’s Law Review. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar.

Latest in Proxy Statements & Disclosure Practices (Lead Participant)

Edward Jones Principal Keir Gumbs is Chief Legal Officer, responsible for leading all associates who provide legal support to the firm and for compliance. He joined the firm in 2023 with more than 24 years of experience, having most recently spent the last two years as the Chief Legal Officer for Broadridge Financial Solutions. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing the Legal, Compliance and Physical Security teams. In addition, Keir co-led the regulatory and government affairs activities on behalf of Broadridge and served as the primary legal advisor for senior management and the Board of Directors on all legal and regulatory aspects of the Broadridge business strategy. Keir served as an executive member of Broadridge's ESG Committee and its Executive Diversity Council, while he also served as a trustee of Broadridge's charitable foundation, member of the Board of Directors for Broadridge's Political Action Committee and executive sponsor of Broadridge's Women's Leadership Forum.

Prior to his experience at Broadridge, Keir served three years as the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Corporate Secretary at Uber, was a Partner and Co-chair of the Securities Practice for 13 years at Covington & Burling and served six years with the SEC, including serving as Counsel to an SEC Commissioner, Special Counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel and staff attorney in the SEC's division of Corporate Finance.

Keir earned his bachelor's in international relations from Ohio State University and a juris doctorate from University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Keir is married and has a teenage daughter. He is an avid fan of Ohio State, where he ran track as an undergraduate. His hobbies include running, cycling, swimming and, of course, watching college football.

Thursday Keynote Address by SEC Chairman Atkins (Moderator)

Kevin Coleman

Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, Ally Financial Inc.

Krista McAninley

Vice President & Deputy General Counsel – Corporate Ferguson

Ms. McAninley serves as Ferguson’s Vice President & Deputy General Counsel – Corporate. Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:FERG; LSE: FERG) is North America’s largest value-added distributor of essential water and air solutions, serving specialized professionals in the residential and non-residential construction markets.

Since joining Ferguson in 2020, Krista oversees SEC/NYSE compliance, corporate governance, capital market transactions, executive compensation, privacy/cyber/AI, subsidiary governance, and other general legal support for the Finance, HR Total Rewards and IT functions.

Prior to Ferguson, Krista spent 20 years at Norfolk Southern Corporation. As Deputy General Counsel - Corporate, she was responsible for corporate governance and securities law matters. Prior to her corporate role, Krista developed and implemented a corporate-wide compliance and ethics program, including formalizing the process for legal risk assessments.

Krista is a member of the Society’s Board of Directors and former President and current advisory committee member of the Society’s Middle Atlantic Chapter. She received her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was a Law Faculty Scholar, and her undergraduate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is admitted to practice in Virginia.

Choosing a State of Incorporation: Strategic, Legal, and Governance Consideration (Moderator)

Kyle Pinder

Partner, Morris Nichols’ Corporate Counseling Group

Kyle is a partner in Morris Nichols’ Corporate Counseling group where he focuses on Delaware corporate law.

In his practice, he advises on all aspects of corporate governance and corporate transactions, including shareholder activism, contests for control, fiduciary duty compliance, governing document amendments, M&A, initial public offerings and other financing transactions.

Kyle has been recognized consistently by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in corporate governance and compliance, corporate, and mergers & acquisitions law. He also frequently speaks and writes on topics of Delaware corporate law, including serving as a contributor to the Wolters Kluwer treatises Mergers, Acquisitions, and Buyouts and Structuring Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurial Transactions.

Kyle graduated magna cum laude, Order of Coif from the Villanova University School of Law in 2015, where he served as a staff writer and articles editor of the Villanova Law Review.

Choosing a State of Incorporation: Strategic, Legal, and Governance Considerations (Panelist)

Tarrant

LaTisha Owens Tarrant

Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer and Corporate Secretary, PRA Group, Inc.

LaTisha Owens Tarrant serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer and Corporate Secretary for PRA Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRAA). She brings more than 25 years of public company experience to her role leading PRA Group's global legal, human resources and communications teams. During her tenure with PRA Group, LaTisha has advised on corporate legal matters, including SEC reporting, securities transactions and corporate governance, while spearheading PRA Group’s people initiatives. Before joining PRA Group in 2016, LaTisha held roles with increasing responsibility, serving as managing associate general counsel at Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health, Inc.), and as senior counsel and a partner at McGuire Woods, LLP.

LaTisha holds a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in International Relations – Political Economy from William & Mary. She serves on the Sentara Healthcare Board of Directors, where she chairs its Audit and Compliance Committee; on the Advisory Committee for the Society’s Middle Atlantic Chapter, where she was the immediate past President; as a Commissioner for the Society’s Certified Corporate Governance Professionals Commission; and on the Greater Norfolk Corporation Board. LaTisha holds the designation of Certified Corporate Governance Professional® and is a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.

What Does it Take to Succeed as a Governance Professional Today - and Tomorrow? (Panelist)

Laura Sousa is Counsel for Securities and Corporate Governance at International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM). She joined IBM in 2018, working for IBM Global Finance, IBM’s captive finance subsidiary, before transitioning to the Corporate Secretary’s office in 2021. Laura has primary responsibility for the proxy statement and annual meeting, general corporate governance matters, securities filings, and board meetings. She is also counsel for the treasury, ventures and executive compensation teams. Prior to joining IBM, Laura gained broad corporate and transactional experience in private practice at Wiggin & Dana, Alston & Bird and Otterbourg. Laura has a B.S. from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law.

Roundtable: Annual Meetings & Shareholder Voting (Moderator)

Sousa

Laura Sousa

Counsel - Corporate Governance & Securities, IBM

Lillian Brown

Partner & Chair, Corporate Governance and Disclosure Group, WilmerHale.

Lillian Brown is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Lily is a member of the Transactional and Securities Departments and Chair of the Corporate Governance and Disclosure Group. Lily advises public companies and boards across a wide range of industries on federal securities law compliance and corporate governance matters. She has extensive experience in SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, proxy and annual meeting matters, shareholder activism and engagement, shareholder proposals, and sustainability matters. Before joining WilmerHale in 2013, Lily spent nearly 14 years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Division of Corporation Finance. In her time at the SEC, among other roles, Lily served as Senior Special Counsel to the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Special Counsel in the Office of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Lily is a regular speaker on securities and corporate governance matters. She co-chairs PLI’s Corporate Governance Master Class and PLI’s Directors’ Institute on Corporate Governance and serves as an Advisory Board member for the Securities Regulation Institute and as a Fellow in the American College of Governance Counsel. Lily also serves as Co-Chair of the American Bar Association's Federal Regulation of Securities Committee and previously served as Chair of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Proxy Statements and Business Combinations.

Chambers USA has recognized Lily as a nationwide leader in the Securities Regulation category, and she has been recognized as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Dealmakers in America. Lily has also been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and named a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer.

SEC Rulemaking and Enforcement: What Companies and Boards Should Expect (Panelist)

Linea Crouse

Vice President, Corporate Governance, Horace Mann

Mrs. Linea is Vice President, Corporate Governance, and Assistant Corporate Secretary of Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE: HMN), an insurance and financial services company. Her responsibilities include corporate governance, sustainability, law operations and administrative services.

Mrs. Linea has held various positions of increasing responsibility since joining Horace Mann as a Paralegal in 2000. She has 25 years of corporate governance experience including entity management, insider trading compliance, mergers and acquisitions, Proxy Statement production, annual shareholders meetings, sustainability reporting and managing relationships with Proxy advisory firms. She assumed responsibility for the administrative services function in September 2024 including the company’s security operations and executive protection program.

Mrs. Linea received a Master of Business Administration degree from Benedictine University in 2015. She received the Certified Corporate Governance Professional designation through the Society for Corporate Governance in April 2024.

Roundtable: Doing More with Less: Managing the Board and Disclosure at Small & Mid Cap Companies (Lead Participant)

Lisa Atkins

Lisa A. Atkins

Vice President, Managing Associate General Counsel General Counsel, Corporate Governance, The Western Union Company

Lisa A. Atkins serves as Vice President, Managing Associate General Counsel at The Western Union Company, a global financial services company. She leads the Corporate Secretary function, with responsibility for corporate governance, securities disclosure and compliance, executive compensation, and finance law.

In this role, Lisa oversees a wide range of corporate secretarial functions, including public company reporting and securities regulation, corporate governance and board administration, executive compensation and employee benefits, capital markets and corporate finance, corporate contracting, and general corporate matters. She is a trusted, strategic advisor to the C-suite and the Board of Directors and provides direct support to the Board and its committees.

Before joining Western Union, Lisa spent a decade at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, a global biopharmaceutical company. She most recently served as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary in the Corporate Governance, Securities, and Finance Law group. She joined the company as Senior Counsel and assumed roles of increasing responsibility throughout her tenure, advising senior leadership and the Board of Directors on a broad range of governance, securities, and finance matters.

Since 2014, Lisa has been President and a Board Member of Next Move Jamaica International, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to education financing by providing scholarships to students of Caribbean descent. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Homeward NYC, a nonprofit offering housing to formerly homeless elderly individuals, young mothers, and LGBTQ youth, since 2017.

Lisa received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and her B.A. in Political Science from Boston University. She is a former Member of the Moot Court Honor Society, a fellow for the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business (Partial Tuition Academic Scholarship), a Boston Scholar, Boston University Full Tuition Academic Scholarship, and an alum of the Boston University London Internship Program.

Workshop: Professional and Personal Resilience (Respondent)

Lori Zyskowski

Partner, Gibson Dunn

Lori Zyskowski is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. Lori advises public companies, their boards of directors, and committees on corporate governance matters, securities disclosure and compliance issues, shareholder engagement and activism matters, shareholder proposals, environmental, social and governance matters, and executive compensation practices.

Lori’s practice focuses on fiduciary duties, oversight of enterprise risks, director independence, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements, proxy statements, annual shareholders meetings, proxy advisory services, and executive compensation disclosure best practices. Lori also advises on board succession planning, board evaluations, and has considerable experience advising nonprofit organizations on governance matters.

She graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1996 and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Lori received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University.

Workshop: Shareholder Engagement in Today's Environment (Moderator)

Paquin

Lynn Paquin

Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Investment and Stewardship Strategies, CalSTRS

Lynn Paquin is a portfolio manager in the Sustainable Investment and Stewardship Strategies unit of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. She is responsible for working with a dedicated team to further CalSTRS’ mission of securing the financial future and sustaining the trust of California’s educators.

Lynn is part of the team that oversees the Sustainable Investment Portfolio and leads CalSTRS’ stewardship efforts, which includes proxy voting, corporate engagement and working with regulatory authorities on market-wide issues.

Before joining CalSTRS, Lynn was the Deputy Controller for Investments and Financial Management for the California State Controller’s Office. Prior to SCO, she spent 18 years in public finance and was an executive vice president and leader of the California public finance practice for an investment banking and bond underwriting firm and a vice president at a financial advisory firm. Lynn has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Goltser

Lyuba Goltser

Partner, Weil Gotshal and Manges

Lyuba Goltser is Co-Managing Partner of Weil’s Corporate Department, Co-Head of Weil’s Governance, Securities & Reporting Group and founding member of Weil’s Sustainability and ESG Advisory Group. Lyuba has deep expertise in counseling public and private companies and not-for-profit corporations, as well as their boards of directors and independent board committees, in complex governance, disclosure and compliance matters.

Lyuba also has deep expertise in counseling clients on a full range of corporate governance and compliance in M&A, capital markets and corporate restructuring transactions. She regularly advises on SEC regulations and governance issues faced by newly-listed public companies and companies preparing to go public, including internal control issues and Sarbanes-Oxley implementation.

Lyuba represents boards of directors on a breadth of company governance, executive compensation and compliance issues, including fiduciary duties, director independence, board and committee structure, risk oversight, executive compensation and employment matters, ESG and sustainability matters, securities law compliance, board leadership structures, shareholder proposals, shareholder engagement and the impact of evolving stakeholder concerns, and corporate governance “best practices.”

Lyuba is an elected Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. She is ranked Band 1 for Corporate Governance: Nationwide and Band 2 for Securities: Regulation: Advisory Nationwide by Chambers USA, where clients describe her as “an outstanding securities law partner and trusted adviser” who is “practical and pragmatic” in helping companies navigate complex situations. Lyuba is recognized by Lawdragon as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America,” “500 Leading Dealmakers in America,” and “500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management.” She is also recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” for Corporate Governance by Legal 500 US, with clients noting her deep knowledge of public company governance and dedication to client success. She has also been recognized by Crain’s New York Business, Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards, and other leading legal and business publications.

Executive Compensation Trends (Panelist)

Gez

Maia Gez

Partner, Co-Head Governance, Securities and Reporting, White & Case

Maia Gez is Head of the White & Case’s US Public Company Advisory Group (PCAG) and a Partner in the Capital Markets group. Ms. Gez advises companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance, compliance with US federal securities laws and the requirements of the major US stock exchanges, board and executive compensation, proxy advisory firm and investor policies and shareholder engagement. Ms. Gez regularly assists management and boards of directors on management succession issues, director independence, conflicts of interest, proxy statements and periodic reports, SEC and stock exchange reporting and disclosure requirements, disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, auditor independence, insider trading, Regulation FD and other company policies, shareholder proposals and responses to SEC inquiries. Her practice also focuses on new developments and evolving best practices in corporate governance matters. Maia has advised a wide range of clients, from Fortune 100 and S&P 500 clients to mid and small-cap companies, as well as clients in connection with their IPOs and newly public companies on their public company obligations.

Board Oversight of Management Succession (Panelist)

Marc Larkins

Worldwide Vice President, Corporate Governance & Corporate Secretary, Johnson & Johnson

Marc Larkins is Worldwide Vice President Corporate Governance and Corporate Secretary at global healthcare leader Johnson & Johnson. Larkins also serves as the company attorney for the Neurovascular business. Larkins started at Johnson & Johnson as Senior Counsel in the Law Department managing government litigation, investigations and internal compliance reviews.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson in 2015, Larkins served as the Acting State Comptroller for the State of New Jersey. From 2010 to 2013, Larkins served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA), where he was responsible for the management and implementation of the state’s school construction program throughout New Jersey.

Larkins previously served in various capacities as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, where he held positions of Acting First Assistant United States Attorney, Executive Assistant United States Attorney and Acting Counsel to the United States Attorney.

Larkins began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable James H. Coleman, Jr., on the New Jersey Supreme Court. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, while Judge Greenaway sat on the District Court. In 1999, he was accepted into the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

Larkins received his undergraduate degree in accounting from Seton Hall University and his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law.

How to Focus Your Board on Risks That Truly Matter (Moderator)

Marcy McCullaugh

Marcy McCullaugh, Ph.D.

Director, Sustainability and Stewardship, and, Director, Sustainable Research, Parnassus Investments

Marcy McCullaugh is the director of sustainability research and a director on the firm’s sustainability and stewardship team. She is responsible for the integration of sustainability research into the firm’s investment process and for providing strategic support for the firm’s sustainability and stewardship program. She is a member of the firm’s Proxy Committee and sits on the firm’s sector research teams.

Prior to joining Parnassus Investments in 2024, Marcy was the director of investment stewardship at Schwab Asset Management. Before moving into the investment stewardship space, Marcy worked at a small impact investing firm and was a senior advisor on the sustainability and public policy team at Chevron. Marcy previously pursued an academic career with a focus on post-Soviet politics.

Marcy received her bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in Russian from Swarthmore College. She has a master’s degree from Harvard University in Russian and Eurasian Studies. Marcy also holds a doctorate in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Voluntary Sustainability Reporting (Panelist)

Investor Forums (Investor)

Peggy Foran

Margaret M. Foran

Chief Governance Officer, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Prudential Financial, Inc.

Mary Francis

Mary A. Francis

Corporate Secretary and Chief Governance Officer, Chevron Corporation

Mary A. Francis is corporate secretary and chief governance officer for Chevron Corporation, a position she has held since 2015. She provides advice and counsel to the Board of Directors and senior management on corporate governance matters, manages the company’s corporate governance function and serves on the Law Function Executive Committee. She also serves as secretary to the Board, the Executive Committee, and the Board Nominating and Governance Committee.

Previously Francis served as Chevron’s deputy corporate secretary since 2014. Prior positions include: 2012, chief corporate counsel, Corporation Law Department; 2009, general counsel, Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production Company; 2007, managing counsel, Chevron Pipe Line Company and Chevron Shipping Company; 2005, lead senior counsel, Chevron Shipping Company.

Francis is on the board of directors of the Chevron Employees Political Action Committee. She serves on the advisory board of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance and on the Corporate Laws Committee of the American Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. She also serves on the board of directors of the American Heart Association, Western Region, and on the governing board of the San Francisco Symphony.

Francis joined Chevron in 2002 as senior trademark counsel in the Corporation Law Department. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College in 1986, a Juris Doctor degree from the College of William and Mary in 1990, and a master’s degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2006.

The Latest in Board Recruitment, Onboarding & Education (Panelist)

Choosing a State of Incorporation: Strategic, Legal, and Governance Considerations (Panelist)

Margaret “Peggy” Foran is Chief Governance Officer, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Prudential Financial, Inc.

Peggy has been a corporate governance leader throughout her career at Sara Lee Corporation, Pfizer, Inc. and J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc. In addition, Peggy has served as a Director on the Boards of several public companies. From October 2019 through May 2026, she was on the Board of Orion Group Holdings, Inc. During her tenure at Orion, she served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Compensation Committee. From December 2010 through May 2020, she served on the Board of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, where she was Chair of its Sustainability and Shareholder Engagement Committee, Compensation Committee and Governance Committee. Peggy previously served on the Board of The MONY Group and MONY Life Insurance Company.

Peggy currently serves as a member of many influential advisory boards including, a member of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Governance Counsel, a member of the NACD’s Nominating and Governance Committee Chair Advisory Council and a member of the Gupta Governance Institute’s Advisory Board at Drexel University.

Past roles include The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) Standards and Emerging Issues Advisory Group (SEIAG), the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance’s Advisory Board, Catalyst’s Advisory Board and most recently, Peggy was co-chair on the Board of Directors of the Council Institutional Investors.

Peggy received her B.A., magna cum laude, and J. D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where she serves on the law school’s Advisory Committee. She is admitted to the New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey (In-house) Bars. Additionally, Ms. Foran is NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Directorship Certified™, the recipient of the International Corporate Governance’s (ICGN) Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2024 and received a certificate from MIT Sloan School of Management for completing their Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy program.

How to Focus Your Board on Risks That Truly Matter (Panelist)

Mary Catherine Malley serves as a Strategist, Legal Counsel at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) following HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks. She joined HPE on November 1, 2025, after a seven-year tenure at Juniper Networks, most recently as a Director, Assistant General Counsel. Mary Catherine’s responsibilities at HPE and Juniper have included a broad array of corporate and securities legal matters, including corporate governance, securities reporting, public debt, equity, and merger transactions, proxy disclosure, cybersecurity disclosure, stockholder engagement, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, real estate and energy transactions, commercial financing, venture capital financing, and vendor financing. Mary Catherine’s legal practice has continued to evolve to include emerging trends such as AI governance and privacy, achieving a CIPP/E certification in 2023. She has 25 years of experience spanning federal government, law firm, and in-house environments. Mary Catherine began her career with the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, in Washington, DC, followed by private practice with major law firms in New York City and in Buffalo, New York, and in-house roles in California. She is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and the University of Buffalo School of Law.

Workshop: Using AI as a Governance Professional (Respondent)

Beyond the SEC: Navigating Fragmented US and International Regulation (Moderator)

Mary Catherine Malley

Strategist, Legal Counsel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE)

Michael Rhodes

CEO, Ally Financial Inc.

Michael Rhodes is the chief executive officer of Ally Financial Inc., leading Ally’s evolution as the nation's largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business. He also serves on the company’s board of directors.Rhodes has more than 30 years of experience in banking and has a track record of delivering transformative digital, data, and technology strategies.

Prior to joining Ally in April 2024, Rhodes served as the CEO and president of Discover Financial Services and president of Discover Bank, as well as a member of the board of directors of Discover Financial Services and Discover Bank. Before Discover, Rhodes spent over 12 years at TD Bank Group, serving as Group Head of Canadian Personal Banking. During his tenure at TD Bank, Rhodes also led North American Credit Card and Merchant Services and served as head of Innovation, Technology, and Shared Services. In this role, he strengthened operational resilience, security, and efficiency while improving the bank's capability to support emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cloud migration.

Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions at Bank of America and MBNA America Bank. He managed businesses in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland in a variety of roles within payments and banking. He began his career as an engineer working for a leading engineering and scientific consulting firm.

Rhodes is active in community and industry leadership. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Duke University, where he chairs the Governance Committee, and sits on the Board of the Bank Policy Institute. He is also a member of the Business Roundtable and the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council. Prior community boards include the United Way of Delaware, the Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, Christiana Care Health Systems, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and Winterthur Garden Museum and Library. Rhodes earned his Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Duke University.

A View from the Corner Office: A CEO's Perspective on Governance (Speaker)

Mike Brown has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Clearway Energy, Inc. since June 2026. Mike previously served as Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary of the Company from 2018 to 2021 and in senior legal roles supporting NRG Yield, Inc. from 2014 to 2018. Mr. Brown most recently served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at The New York Times Company since March 2023. He also served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Cipher Digital. Mr. Brown began his in-house career at NRG Energy, Inc. and worked at the law firm Mintz in New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College and his law degree from Boston College Law School, where he was a member of the Environmental Affairs Law Review.

Effectively Engaging Your Board in Strategic Planning (Panelist)

Brown

Mike Brown

SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Clearway Energy, Inc.

Mohani Maharaj is a director and a member of the responsible investing (RI) team at Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA. Nuveen’s RI team supports the integration of ESG factors into the investment decision-making process and develops RI-focused products and solutions for clients seeking to pursue ESG objectives alongside their performance objectives and risk-adjusted returns.

Mohani’s responsibilities include supporting the stewardship efforts to influence companies and other members of the investor ecosystem, advocate for increased transparency and accountability to promote risk mitigation and develop standards for proxy voting. Since joining TIAA in 1994, Mohani has held various roles throughout the organization and has been a member of the Responsible Investing team since 2005.

She studied Business Management at Adelphi University.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Mohani Maharaj

Director, Responsible Investing, Nuveen

Barber

Monica Barber

General Counsel, Americares

Monica N. Barber, SVP, General Counsel at Americares Foundation, Inc., is a senior legal executive and trusted advisor to leadership and boards, with more than 20 years of experience leading legal, compliance, enterprise risk, and governance functions across the technology, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Her career spans Fortune 500 enterprises, private equity-backed companies, and mission-driven organizations, giving her a distinctive ability to align legal strategy with business priorities, operational realities, and stakeholder expectations.

At Americares, she leads the organization’s global legal, compliance, enterprise risk management, and internal audit functions, advising on complex governance, regulatory, operational, and strategic matters in support of the organization’s global mission. Prior to joining Americares in 2023, Barber held a series of senior legal and compliance roles, including Associate General Counsel at CARE USA, where she advised on procurement, export controls, economic sanctions, and operations across MENA and West Africa. She previously built the global legal and compliance function as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at AMI US Holdings, Inc., a private equity-backed technology company, and earlier led global trade compliance at NCR Corporation and managed international supply chain, logistics, transportation, and trade matters as a senior attorney at John Deere. She began her career in financial services as a compliance officer at Whitney National Bank.

Barber holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Southern University at New Orleans, a J.D. from Southern University Law Center, and an Executive MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. A respected voice on governance, compliance, and enterprise risk, Barber serves as Co-Chair of the National Non-profit Community and the Education Committee within the Society for Corporate Governance. She brings a practical, strategic perspective to issues shaping today’s organizations and is well positioned to speak on board governance, regulatory and compliance strategy, global risk management, crisis readiness, and the evolving role of legal leadership in advancing institutional resilience and long-term value.

Roundtable: Governance Principles to Guide Non-Profit Organizations (Co-Moderator)

Weaver

Natalia Weaver

Head of Governance and Corporate Stewardship Practice, Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Natalia Weaver is the Head of Governance and Corporate Stewardship Practice at Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher. She has more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of corporate governance, executive compensation, sustainability and reputation management.

Natalia counsels boards and management teams on complex governance and compensation matters, helping companies anticipate and respond to shareholder priorities through strategic engagement, governance enhancements and effective disclosure. She also advises on sustainability strategy and reporting, supporting clients as they navigate evolving stakeholder expectations, manage reputational risk and communicate their corporate stewardship priorities.

Prior to joining Joele Frank, Natalia held sustainability and executive compensation roles at Booz Allen Hamilton and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Her experience spans sustainability reporting, executive and equity compensation, M&A due diligence and post-transaction integration. Earlier in her career, she worked at a strategic communications advisory firm, advising international law firms on cross-border transactions, litigation support, market-entry strategies and commercial dispute resolution.

Workshop: Crisis Management Workshop (Respondent)

Chiu

Ning Chiu

Partner, Davis Polk

Olivia F. Kirtley has served on public and private company boards in North America and Europe since 1997. She is a SEC qualified financial expert and has extensive board leadership experience, including Board Chairman, Lead Independent Director, and Chairman of Audit, Compensation, Governance & Nominations, and Risk committees. Her current and recent boards include U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), Papa Johns International (NASDAQ: PZZA), Randgold Resources Ltd. (LSE: GOLD), BrightSpring Health Services (NASDAQ: BTSG), Vista Credit Strategic Lending Corp. (private, SEC-registered BDC), Bexion Pharmaceuticals (private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical), and Dental Choice (private insurance company).

Since 2000, Olivia has been an advisor on corporate governance and risk oversight best practices, including as a 10-year faculty member with The Conference Board's Directors Institute.

What Does it Take to Succeed as a Governance Professional Today - And Tomorrow? (Panelist)

Olivia Kirtley

President and Co-Founder, KirtleyWood LLC

Ning advises companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance, securities regulation and emerging trends. For over 20 years, she has advised companies of all stages and sizes on a range of matters involving their boards, including on matters of director independence, board and committee composition and structure, board policies and practices, board evaluations and succession planning, securities regulation, proxy disclosure, listing standards, stakeholder relations,
shareholder proposals, shareholder engagement, shareholder activism in all forms, and proxy advisory services.

She counsels clients on emerging trends and developments and responding to evolving best practices. Ning is ranked in Band 1 for Corporate Governance by Chambers USA. She is a frequent speaker and author on governance issues and is active in the
corporate governance community.

Discussion with Corporation Finance Staff (Moderator)

Carter

Pamela Carter

Former President—Cummins Distribution; Former Chief Legal Officer; Corporate Board Member

Pamela Carter has served on multiple corporate boards: Hewlett Packard Enterprise serving as Chair of the Human Resource and Compensation Committee; Enbridge Inc. serving as Chair of the Board of Directors; Broadridge Financial Solutions serving as Chair of the Audit Committee; CSX serving as Chair of Finance and Risk Committee; Spectra Energy serving as Chair of Nominating and Governance Committee.

Carter served as the attorney general of Indiana from 1993 to 1997 and was the first Black woman to be elected state attorney general in the US.

After leaving public office, Carter became Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Cummins Inc. She moved to the business side, first becoming an expatriate living in Belgium and running the Europe, Middle East and African region as VP-General Manager. She then became VP-President of Cummins Filtration a global business located in Nashville, TN and then President of Cummins Distribution a global business located in Columbus, IN.

Carter is a recipient of numerous awards including ones for Board Excellence. She holds four honorary degrees.

Navigating the Unknown: What Does Your Board Need to Know – And Do – About the New World Economic & Political Order? (Panelist)

Paul Rodel is a corporate partner and Co-Chair of Debevoise’s Capital Markets Group. He represents clients across a range of industries in all manner of capital markets transactions and all aspects of corporate governance, including digital assets, cybersecurity and the deployment and impact of AI.

Workshop: Using AI in the Boardroom (Respondent)

Paul Rodel

Corporate Partner and Co-Chair of Debevoise's Capital Markets Group, Debevoise

Peter Gleason has been the CEO of NACD since 2017. He has served in a variety of roles during his tenure at NACD, including President, CFO, COO, Managing Director, and VP of Research and Development. Gleason is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance. He serves as a member of NACD’s national faculty, is regularly quoted in the media, and is a frequent presenter on the subjects of corporate governance, executive and director compensation, risk, strategic planning, and board/shareowner relations. Gleason has served as a commissioner on every NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report since joining NACD in 2000 and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

He currently serves on the NACD board, and the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), based in London. He is the past chair of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI) and the former chair of the Framework Oversight Council of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He has served on a number of other private and non-profit boards. Before joining NACD, Gleason was a management consultant with both Ernst & Young and Pritchett & Associates. He also served as vice president and director of US Research for Institutional Shareholder Services. Gleason is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MBA, with concentrations in both Finance and Marketing, from Virginia Tech.

Effectively Engaging Your Board in Strategic Planning (Panelist)

Gleason

Peter Gleason

President & CEO, National Association of Corporate Directors

Kraus

Peter Kraus

Assistant General Counsel, Corporate and Securities, PayPal Inc.

Phoebe Wood

CEO & Co-Founder of KirtleyWood

Mr. Kraus is Assistant General Counsel, Corporate and Securities at PayPal, Inc., where he advises PayPal’s board of directors and senior executives in finance, investor relations, treasury, and other functions on a variety of securities law, corporate governance, and other compliance issues.

Before joining PayPal in 2023, Peter was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Microsoft Corporation, which he joined in 2005, advising in securities and corporate governance matters. Peter worked in-house at Alaska Airlines in Seattle from 1996 to 2005, practicing in securities law, corporate finance, governance, strategic commercial alliances, antitrust and other regulatory areas. Prior to that, Peter practiced at the law firm of Cairncross & Hempelmann in Seattle, and served for two years as a law clerk for the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

From 2015 to 2018, Peter served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance, where he chaired the Audit Committee. He is vice president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society, having served as president of the chapter from 2010 to 2016. In 2019 Peter was among the first class to earn the designation of Certified Corporate Governance Professional from the Society.

Mr. Kraus received his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1992 and a bachelor’s degree in classics from Princeton University in 1987. In 1992 Peter was awarded a Temple Bar Scholarship in London, England to further the development of strengthened ties between members of the English and American bars.

Workshop: Using AI as a Governance Professional (Moderator)

Phoebe Wood has served as a director on publicly traded company boards since 2003, as well as on several private company boards. She has held significant leadership positions on those boards (Executive Chairman, Chairman, Chair of Audit, Chair of Compensation, Chair of Nominating and Governance) and is a qualified SEC financial expert. Her current boards include: Invesco, Ltd. (Audit Committee Chair), Leggett & Platt (Audit Committee Chair), and PPL Corporation (Governance, Nominating and Sustainability Committee Chair). Prior board service includes Pioneer Natural Resources (sold to ExxonMobil), Coca-Cola Enterprises, and OshKosh B'Gosh (sold to Carters). She is turned to for confidential internal investigations as well as board evaluations.

Ms. Wood spent almost 24 years at Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in roles of increasing responsibility in financial management. She lived in Alaska and England (as Divisional CFO of each) and negotiated large projects internationally, including in Indonesia and Venezuela. [She has the distinction of being the first female Business Manager in an oil and gas production office.] She has a very broad background in capital markets, investor relations, corporate development (M&A), strategic planning, financial and management reporting, accounting, audit and control. She also managed information technology functions in a rapidly changing environment.

BP acquired ARCO in 2000, and in 2001 Ms. Wood became Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer of Brown-Forman Corporation. In that role, she was responsible for all financial functions and information technology. During her tenure, the company implemented Sarbanes Oxley legislation. She led several divestitures, including Hartmann Luggage and Lexon China, but also several acquisitions of [global] brands, and managed their integration into the company. She also set up a financial development program and was very active in the development of financial talent across the global company.

After retiring from Brown-Forman, she created CompaniesWood, a firm that advises and invests in start-up companies, and she has been an active investor and advisor since then. She has made over 40 investments in companies. She serves as a judge at the Rice Business Plan competition and was a three-year judge at the EY's National Entrepreneur of the Year Award. [She was named Investor of the Year by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in 2024.]
She is a member of The Committee of 200, International Women's Forum, National Association of Corporate Directors, Women Corporate Directors, and Extraordinary Women on Boards.

Her recognitions include the NACD Directorship 100 Award in 2018 in "recognition of her exemplary board leadership, oversight, and courage in the Boardroom." She received the prestigious Lettie Pace Whitehead Award from OnBoard in 2013 and was named by Women Inc as one of the Most Influential Corporate Board Directors for 2018 and 2019. UCLA recognized her as one of 100 Inspirational Alumni of the Anderson School of Management. She was named to the Kentuckiana Business Hall of Fame in 2019.

Ms. Wood is chair of The American Printing House for the Blind and is chair of the Gheens Foundation. She is a graduate of Smith College cum laude and has her MBA from UCLA's Graduate School of Management (now known the Anderson School of Management.)

Beyond the Hype: How are Boards Effectively Addressing the Opportunities and Risks of AI? (Panelist)

Rabia de Lande

Rabia de Lande Long

Founder of Rabia de Lande Long LLC

Rabia de Lande Long is a management consultant and executive coach who helps governance leaders and executive teams drive transformation while navigating complexity. A former CHRO, she advises Boards and leaders on strategic planning, board and leadership effectiveness, succession planning, and human capital governance.

As a sitting board member, Rabia launched a human capital committee to strengthen oversight of workforce strategy and currently chairs a revitalized strategic planning committee—bringing operational fluency, governance acumen, and a bias for impact. Clients value her diagnostic precision, business pragmatism, and ability to align people strategy with business outcomes—especially during growth, integrations, and turnarounds.

Rabia earned a master’s in public and private management from Yale and a psychology degree from the University of Virginia. A member of the American Psychological Association, she is a sought-after speaker on organizational design and resilience, senior team effectiveness, and the future of work – especially the evolving role of human capital in creating long-term value.

Workshop: Professional & Personal Resilience (Moderator)

Effectively Engaging Your Board in Strategic Planning (Panelist)

Randi Morrison

Randi Val Morrison

General Counsel & Chief Knowledge Officer, Society for Corporate Governance

Randi Val Morrison is General Counsel & Chief Knowledge Officer of the Society for Corporate Governance, where she has served in a variety of leadership roles since joining the organization in 2013. In her current role, she leads the Society’s content, programming, benchmarking, and member engagement efforts, supports key policy and advocacy initiatives, and serves as legal counsel to the organization.

Before joining the Society, Randi spent more than two decades in-house with publicly traded companies, serving as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and in other senior legal and governance positions. Throughout her career, she has advised boards of directors and executive management on corporate governance, securities law and disclosure matters, compliance, strategic transactions, investigations, and risk oversight, and has overseen legal, investor relations, internal audit, risk management, and compliance functions.

A longtime member of the Society, Randi considers joining the Society staff in 2013 to have been her dream job and remains passionate about supporting governance professionals and advancing the profession.

Roundtable: Governance Principles to Guide Non-Profit Organizations (Lead Participant)

Fox

Raquel Fox

Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Raquel Fox is the head of Skadden’s U.S. ESG practice and co-head of the firm’s SEC Reporting and Compliance practice. She concentrates her practice in the areas of capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and general corporate and securities matters, advising clients on the full range of ESG and SEC reporting and compliance
requirements.

During Ms. Fox’s 10 years of service at the SEC, she held several leadership positions, including serving as the director of the Office of International Affairs, senior adviser to then-Chairman Jay Clayton and senior special counsel to two directors in the Division of Corporation Finance. She also served as a professional attorney fellow in the SEC’s Office of Rulemaking and Office of Capital Markets Trends. While at the SEC, Ms. Fox oversaw the agency’s participation in international disclosure-related projects that focused on ESG, accounting and audits, emerging risks, data privacy and fintech; coordinated with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (two key ESG disclosure frameworks); and led negotiations with senior U.S. and foreign regulatory officials. She also managed enforcement and supervisory assistance programs to support cross-border securities examinations, investigations, trading suspensions and enforcement actions by the SEC and foreign authorities. Additionally, Ms. Fox served as a primary adviser on rulemakings, legal interpretations, the SEC’s disclosure review program, cybersecurity disclosure, shareholder proposals, corporate governance matters, capital formation and enforcement referrals. She also provided substantial assistance on the Disclosure Effectiveness Initiative to help modernize the public company reporting regime, including on the legal and accounting requirements of SEC filings and technological improvements to EDGAR. In recognition of her work, she was selected as the recipient of three SEC Law and Policy awards.

Ms. Fox has been ranked in Band 1 of Chambers USA and recognized as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America and 500 Leading Dealmakers in America. She was selected as a 2022 fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. She also is currently vice chair of the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council, which is responsible for making recommendations to the Nasdaq board on policy and rule changes related to issuer listing standards. She regularly appears on panels to provide her extensive insights on ESG developments, SEC reporting and compliance, and corporate governance matters.

Roundtable: Annual Meetings & Shareholder Voting

Rebecca Kim

Vice President, Stewardship and Sustainable Investing, Neuberger Berman

Rebecca (Becky) Kim, Vice President, joined Neuberger in 2020. Rebecca supports the Stewardship and Sustainable Investing team and contributes to the firm’s work on issuer engagement and corporate governance across the investment platform. She also develops and implements the firm’s proxy voting guidelines, supports the development of thought leadership through research and writing on active ownership, corporate governance, and financially material environmental and social topics, and leads the firm's advanced vote disclosure program, NB Votes. Prior to joining the firm, she was an Associate at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where she led engagements with management and board members, along with the firm’s proxy voting efforts.

Rebecca earned a BA in Applied Psychology and Human Development from Boston College and an MA in Economics and International Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where she received the William C. Foster Leadership Award for demonstrating sound scholarship and a record of leadership and distinguished service. Rebecca holds the SASB FSA credential, and has been a member of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) Corporate Governance Advisory Council (CGAC) since 2025.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Choosing a State of Incorporation: Strategic, Legal, and Governance Considerations (Panelist)

Richard Fields

Head of Board Effectiveness, Russell Reynolds Associates

Rich Fields leads the firm's Board Effectiveness Practice and is a member of the firm's Board and CEO Advisory Partners and Family Enterprise Advisory Practices.

He is a trusted advisor to boards, corporate leaders, and investment professionals who regularly ask him to customize and deliver annual board and director assessments, enhance oversight of CEO succession planning, benchmark boards against both peers and evolving investor standards, avoid or mitigate activist vulnerabilities, and develop more productive relationships with their largest and most influential shareholders.

Rich joined the firm from King & Spalding, where he was a partner who advised companies on complex, high-stakes corporate governance issues. Before that, Rich was a partner at governance boutique Tapestry Networks, where he led the firm's programs with lead directors and the chairs of boards and board committees.

Rich is a recognized authority on corporate governance who regularly writes and speaks on critical governance and board leadership topics. He has been quoted in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, and the Financial Times. He has authored chapters in each edition of The Handbook of Board Governance, including most recently "Evaluations that Enhance Board Effectiveness." Rich was also one of four global winners of the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership's Rising Star of Corporate Governance Award in 2015 and recently was named to the National Association of Corporate Directors' Directorship100 as one of the 100 most influential leaders in corporate governance.

Rich earned his JD with honors from the University of Chicago Law School and a BA in government from Clark University, magna cum laude. Rich serves on the Board of the Society for Corporate Governance and is the past President of the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middlesex County.

The Latest in Board Recruitment, Onboarding & Education (Panelist)

Rick E. Hansen is SVP, Chief Governance Officer, and Global Head of Corporate Secretariat at State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT). At State Street, he and his team are responsible for, among other things, board and committee operations, corporate governance, and global legal entity management. Prior to joining State Street in April 2026, Rick Served as Corporate Secretary and Deputy General Counsel at HP Inc. (2021 – 2025), Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel at General Motors Company (2016 - 2021), Assistant Corporate Secretary and Managing Counsel at Chevron Corporation (2007 - 2016), and Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon.com, Inc. (2006 - 2007). Before moving in-house, Rick was an associate in the Corporate Finance group at Perkins Coie LLP. He holds a Master of Laws (L.L.M, 2012), with distinction, in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center and a Juris Doctor (J.D., 2000), summa cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law. Rick has previously served on the Society’s Board of Directors and as chair of the Society’s Securities Law Committee.

Latest in Proxy Statements & Disclosure Practices (Moderator)

Hansen

Rick E. Hansen

SVP, Chief Governance Officer, and Global Head of Corporate Secretariat, State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT)

A strategist with a human touch, Rupali brings equal parts precision and heart to every conversation. Twenty years in — across in-house legal, Big Four, and legal tech — she's earned her fluency where AI governance, data privacy, and enterprise contracting collide, and she turns that complexity into bold, practical solutions. She delivers them from boardrooms to keynote stages, with the humility and humor that make her a force people actually want to follow.

Board Oversight of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement (Panelist)

Shah

Rupali Patel Shah

Head of Legal Solutions & Alliances, Dilitrust

Sarah has spent her nearly two decades of practice working with organizations, small and large, public and private, in navigating their relationships and communications with key stakeholders, including their investors, regulators, employees and communities. She has regularly worked with boards of directors and senior management on their approaches to corporate governance, oversight and disclosure, crisis management, succession planning and board education.

Sarah is the Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of Ford Motor Company. Prior to joining Ford, Sarah was a Partner and Global Co-Chair of the sustainability practice at Latham & Watkins. Before joining Latham, Sarah was the mind behind the creation of one of the first cross-functional governance and sustainability groups at a U.S.-based global law firm, where she also served as the firm’s dedicated corporate governance
expert.

Sarah is a key thought leader in U.S. corporate governance and on matters regarding environmental and social corporate risks and opportunities, including those relating to governance, corporate culture, climate change and human rights. She has helped clients create consistent, effective and meaningful stakeholder communications (both required and voluntary), and has worked with companies across multiple industries in times of calm and in times of crisis, as well as during key strategic transactions.

What Does it take to Succeed as a Governance Professional Today - And Tomorrow? (Moderator)

Sarah Fortt

Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer, Ford Motor Company

Scott is Senior Vice President & Associate General Counsel – Public Company Compliance, Global Governance and Enterprise Risk Management, as well as Assistant Corporate Secretary, at Salesforce. Scott oversees a broad functional area, including SEC disclosure and reporting, NYSE compliance, the proxy statement and annual stockholder meeting, all issuances of Salesforce securities and related matters (including for mergers, acquisitions and investments), corporate governance for 150+ global subsidiaries, insider trading and equity compensation matters, support of Salesforce's Tax, Treasury, and Accounting teams, and Enterprise Risk Management. As Assistant Secretary, Scott also provides key corporate governance and corporate secretary support to Salesforce's Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Salesforce, Scott was Corporate Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary of The Clorox Company. Prior to working at Clorox, Scott was a Senior Corporate Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP specializing in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions.

Scott is on the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance, and was previously President of the Northern California Chapter.

Executive Compensation Trends (Moderator)

Scott Siamas

Senior Vice President, Office of Board Affairs, Public Company Compliance & Global Governance, Salesforce

Sehrish Siddiqui counsels a wide variety of public companies primarily in the areas of corporate governance, compliance, and finance. She chairs the firm’s ESG Advisory Services group where she regularly advises clients on ESG (environmental, social and governance) matters including disclosures and internal processes. She has served as counsel to underwriters, agents and issuers for hundreds of initial public offerings, follow-on offerings and at-the-market programs of various NYSE- and Nasdaq-traded entities. Her national and international clients include healthcare companies, real estate investment trusts, business development companies, retail and consumer product companies and investment banks.

Voluntary Sustainability Reporting (Panelist)

Siddiqui

Sehrish Siddiqui

Member and Chair of the Sustainability Advisory Services Group, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Shawn Filippi

Legal, Governance, and Compliance Executive, Former NW Natural Holding Company & NW Natural Gas Company

Ms. Filippi is a legal, governance, and compliance executive, with 25+ years of leadership experience in public companies, legal affairs and corporate strategy. She’s a trusted partner in advising Boards of Directors, CEOs, and executive teams through complex legal, regulatory, financial, and strategic landscapes. Most recently she served as Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary of two public companies, including a utility holding company with a presence in six states and the largest natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest. In that role she led all corporate, securities and finance legal work, including in the areas of board governance, SEC/NYSE and public company compliance, business integrity and whistleblower hotline programs, shareholder services, investor relations, ESG, financing in public and private capital markets, enterprise risk management and insurance, state and federal regulatory compliance and proceedings, and other corporate legal functions.

Examples of governance initiatives she has spearheaded include: a corporate governance transformation from a utility operating company to a multi-entity public holding company (47 entities across 6 states); a comprehensive board succession planning initiative of over half of a board within 5 years including leadership rotation and director recruitment and onboarding; and Environmental, Social and Governance reporting and disclosure initiatives. Ms. Filippi also built and led the Business Integrity and Compliance Team, which was awarded the best Small and Mid-Cap Ethics and Compliance program by Governance Intelligence (fka Corporate Secretary) in 2018 and achieved an inaugural designation of World’s Most Ethical Companies® in 2022, and re-earned that designation in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Prior to joining her in-house counsel roles, Ms. Filippi was an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP, focusing her practice in corporate, securities and finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to that, she worked in the Special Litigation Unit of Oregon Department of Justice, was a Policy Researcher at Public Policy Research, and an Instructor for the Communication Studies Department at Portland State University. Ms. Filippi received her Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from Kansas State University. She attended a Master of Arts Program (ABT) in Communication Studies at Portland State University, and received her Doctor of Law (J.D.), magna cum laude, with a Certificate in Business Law, from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.

Ms. Filippi holds a Business Law Certificate and is a Certified Corporate Governance Professional. She is also a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum, has received the American Gas Association Executive Leadership Development certification, and was designated a 2020 Diligent Modern Governance 100 Recipient.

Workshop: Professional & Personal Resilience (Respondent)

Roundtable: Doing More with a Lot Less: Managing the Board and Disclosure at Small & Mid Cap Companies (Moderator)

SEC Rulemaking and Enforcement: What Companies and Boards Should Expect (Moderator)

Sophie Haywood

Analyst, Sustainability and Stewardship, Parnassus Investments

Sophie Haywood is an analyst, responsible for sustainability research and stewardship. Prior to joining Parnassus in 2024, she was a consultant on the corporate sustainability and climate change team at Environmental Resources Management (ERM). Sophie received her bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies from the College of the Holy Cross.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Stacy Ingram is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance, and she previously served as a member of the Society’s Board and of its Policy Advisory Committee. Ms. Ingram currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Inspire Brands, Inc., where she oversees the corporate governance, corporate finance, executive compensation and benefits, real estate, supply chain, technology and commercial contracts legal functions, as well as the corporate lease administration function. From July 2024 to November 2025, she served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. From April 2009 to June 2024, Ms. Ingram served as Associate General Counsel and Deputy Corporate Secretary for The Home Depot, where she was responsible for a broad range of securities, compliance, corporate governance, and corporate finance matters. Ms. Ingram served on the board of The Home Depot Foundation and of The Homer Fund, The Home Depot’s nonprofit charity that provides assistance to associates of the company in times of need, until June 2024. Prior to joining The Home Depot, Ms. Ingram was a partner in the Atlanta office of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, where she represented clients in a full array of securities, corporate governance, and corporate finance matters. Ms. Ingram received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from Harvard Law School.

Navigating the Unknown: What Does Your Board Need to Know – And Do – About the New World Economic & Political Order? (Moderator)

Ingram

Stacy Ingram

Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Inspire Brands, Inc.

Stacey Geer

Stacey K. Geer

Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Governance and Risk Officer and Corporate Secretary, Primerica, Inc.

Ms. Geer is the Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Governance and Risk Officer and Corporate Secretary of Primerica, Inc., where she has worked since February 2010. In 2024, she was promoted to the Leadership Team of the company. In her role, she is responsible for all corporate governance matters at the company, including matters relating to the board of directors, SEC disclosure, financings, company equity, and mergers & acquisitions. She also oversees the Company’s enterprise risk management program, leads an internal working group responsible for sustainability matters, oversees lawyers who work with over 150,000 independent contractor sales representatives and serves as the administrator of the legal department. Ms. Geer previously served as Deputy General Counsel of Mueller Water Products, Inc., as the Chief Securities Counsel of BellSouth Corporation and as a partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ms. Geer, a certified corporate governance professional, has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance, as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee, as Chair of the Small and Mid-Cap Companies Committee and as Co-Chair of the creation of the Society’s new corporate secretary certification program. She currently serves as a member of the Certified Corporate Governance Professional Commission. She was a finalist for Corporate Secretary Magazine’s 2011 Governance Professional of the Year award and has twice been named by Inside Counsel to their annual R-3 100 list. She has served as a member of Broadridge’s Independent Steering Committee since February 2012. Ms. Geer is a frequent speaker on corporate governance matters. She obtained her J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law and was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1992. She received a B.S.E. from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1988.

Ms. Geer can be reached by email at stacey.geer@primerica.com or by phone at 770-367-1425.

Workshop: Using AI in the Boardroom (Respondent)

Stephanie Tillman is chief legal counsel and corporate secretary of Flowers Foods, Inc. Appointed in 2020, she is responsible for the company’s legal, corporate governance, compliance, and governmental affairs. Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Tillman served as vice president, chief compliance officer and deputy general counsel.

Since joining Flowers in 1995 as a corporate attorney, she has held additional leadership roles serving the company’s legal matters, including associate general counsel, vice president of compliance and assistant general counsel and vice president and associate general counsel.

A member of the State Bar of Georgia, Ms. Tillman earned her juris doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law and an MBA from Thomas University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Georgia.

Board Oversight of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement (Panelist)

Stephanie Tillman

Chief Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Flowers Foods, Inc

Sterling Miller is COO, General Counsel, and Senior Counsel at Hilgers PLLC, a nationwide law firm (and the largest female-owned law firm in the US). He has enjoyed a wide and varied 30-year legal career. He is a four-time General Counsel, serving in that role at the firm and having served in that role at Marketo, Inc., Sabre Corporation, and Travelocity.com where he managed international teams handling a myriad of complex legal issues including “bet-the-company” litigation, M&A, IPO, corporate secretarial, data privacy, government affairs, and commercial agreements.

Under his leadership, Inside Counsel magazine named the Travelocity Legal Department one of the “Ten Most Innovative” legal departments in the United States (with the Sabre legal department later winning honorable mention under his tenure). He has been a multi-year finalist for the Dallas Business Journal’s “Best Corporate Counsel” award. Sterling also writes frequently for legal publications, including for Thomson Reuters, on topics like artificial intelligence, the use of data analytics, and issues of interest to in-house lawyers generally. In 2020, he prepared a teaching module for Baylor Law School on the application of artificial intelligence and the practice of law.

Sterling served on the Board of Directors of Terrasoul Superfoods and serves on the advisory boards of Travefy.com and Kyte.com. He publishes a widely-read and award-winning legal blog entitled “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel.” The ABA published four of his seven books, including: “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel: Practical Advice and Successful Strategies” in 2017, “Ten (More) Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel: Practical Advice and Successful Strategies (Vol II)” in 2019, and “Showing the Value of the Legal Department: More Than Just a Cost Center” in 2021. His third book – a cookbook titled “The Slow-Cooker Savant” – came out in late 2018. Sterling’s first book, “The Evolution of Professional Football: 1920 – 2015”, was published by Mill City Press in 2015. His sixth book, and fourth for the ABA, is titled, “The Productive In-House Lawyer: Tips, Hacks, and the Art of Getting Things Done.” Book number seven – “More Slow-Cooker Savant” - came out in December 2025.

Friday Keynote, Ethics on the Front lines: What Governance Professionals Really Need to Know (Now Including AI)(Keynote Speaker)

Sterling Miller

COO, General Counsel, and Senior Counsel, Hilgers PLLC

Stu Dalheim is Associate Director of Corporate Governance and Sustainability Content at NACD. In this role he leads NACD’s content development for private companies and nonprofit organizations. He has two decades of experience in sustainable investment and corporate governance. Stu led shareholder engagement at Calvert Investments, where he built corporate governance knowledge and experience. He has served as a nonprofit board chair.

Roundtable: Governance Principles to Guide Non-Profit Organizations (Co-Moderator)

Dalheim

Stu Dalheim

Associate Director, Corporate Governance and Sustainability, National Association of Corporate Directors

Tana Murphy

Tana E. Murphy, CCGP

Lead Corporate Governance Paralegal, Resideo

Tana is a seasoned corporate governance and securities law professional. Since May 2025, she has worked at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, where she supports the day-to-day operations and functions of the Corporate Secretary’s office and provides guidance on securities reporting and corporate governance compliance.

She previously worked at the former Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL), a seed innovation company, and Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. Prior to that, she was the office administrator for Husch Blackwell’s Nashville, Tennessee law office and worked in the litigation practice groups of Husch Blackwell and Thompson Coburn.

Tana has been an active member of the Society for Corporate Governance since June 2005 and currently serves as President of the St. Louis Chapter and Co-Chair of the Non-JD In-House Members Community.

Tana obtained a BS in Business Management from the University of Phoenix-St. Louis and is a Certified Corporate Governance Professional designee.

Workshop: Professional & Personal Resilience (Respondent)

Thomas Kimball is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He represents public and private company clients in a number of industries, including healthcare, construction, energy, transportation, telecommunications, banking, and hospitality, in matters involving state and federal securities law, general corporate law, corporate governance, capital markets transactions, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Thomas serves as outside corporate and securities counsel for public and private companies in all areas of corporate, securities, and capital markets law, including initial public offerings, registered debt and equity offerings, exempt offerings under Regulation D and Section 4(a)(2) and other exemptions, compliance with the rules of various trading markets and state Blue Sky Laws, and M&A.

He advises domestic and foreign private issuers on their ongoing reporting and filing obligations, including reviewing annual, quarterly, and current reports; proxy statements; press releases; filings related to capital markets and M&A transactions; and compliance with the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 16, and Schedule 13 ownership reporting.

Thomas also advises clients on their dealings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and FINRA, and works with public and private clients on a range of corporate law and corporate governance matters, shareholders meetings, M&A, conversions, consolidations, dispositions, internal reorganizations/restructurings, Chapter 11 reorganizations, finance, and private equity transactions.

Roundtable: Latest Developments in Subsidiary Management

Kimball

Thomas Kimball

Partner, Capital Markets and M&A, Jones Walker

Chapman

Todd Chapman

Assistant Vice President & Counsel Office of the Corporate Secretary, State Farm

Todd Chapman serves as Assistant Vice President & Counsel in the Office of the Corporate Secretary at State Farm. He helps facilitate the governance and board of director activities for several of the State Farm affiliates, and assists with regulatory filings and other requirements for each company to seek and maintain licenses in each state where they operate. He also provides legal counseling on various governance topics including enterprise policies and sustainability. Todd has been with State Farm for 19 years and previously worked in various counseling and claim litigation roles in the Law Department. He earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2014 and his Certified Information Privacy Professional designation in 2015. He is a native of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois and a graduate of the University of Illinois as well as the Southern Illinois University School of Law.

Latest Developments in Subsidiary Management (Lead Participant)

Tonya Smith

Tonya M. Smith

Principal, Corporate Governance Consulting, LLC.

Tonya M. Smith serves as Principal of Corporate Governance Consulting, based in New York City, where she provides corporate governance support services to both public company and pre-IPO clients, including their boards of directors and senior management.

Prior to her current role, Tonya served as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary of Hertz (Nasdaq: HTZ) and previously served as Assistant Corporate Secretary of Chico’s FAS (NYSE: CHS), where she provided counsel through the company’s go-private M&A transaction. In each in-house role, Tonya was responsible for corporate governance, including support of the board of directors, and securities law matters. At Hertz, she also oversaw legal-entity management of all U.S. and select international subsidiaries, as well as sustainability disclosure and reporting.

Tonya has extensive corporate law experience spanning public company corporate governance; board and senior management advisory; securities law, SEC reporting, and NYSE and Nasdaq compliance; shareholder engagement; shareholder proposals; proxy statement production and annual meeting execution; executive compensation; subsidiary management; IPO preparedness; M&A and capital markets transactions; debt financings; and sustainability disclosure and reporting.

Tonya began her legal career as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit before joining the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where she focused on securities law and capital markets. Her prior experience also includes serving as Counsel in the New York office of Davis Polk & Wardwell and as Managing Director and Senior Counsel of The Bank of New York Mellon.

Tonya earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Furman University. She is admitted to practice in New York.

Roundtable: Doing More with Less: Managing the Board and Disclosure at Small & Mid Cap Companies (Lead Participant)

Brady

Tracey Brady

Vice President, Business & Product Strategy, Diligent

Tracey Brady is Vice President, Business & Product Strategy at Diligent and an accomplished governance professional with more than 25 years of experience across governance and compliance. In her role, she brings a practitioner perspective to the development and strategy of products specifically for governance and compliance functions.

Before joining Diligent, Tracey was a Partner at KPMG, where she led the UK company secretarial and global entity management practice. She began her career as a company secretary in the fund management sector, later moving into the listed company arena and building deep expertise in boardroom governance and corporate transactions. She also served as Managing Director of Company Matters, a division of Link Group, where she led a business recognized for excellence in corporate governance services.

Tracey brings extensive insight into the evolving governance landscape and is known for helping organizations translate complexity into stronger governance practice and more effective operating models.

What Does it Take to Succeed as a Governance Professional Today - and Tomorrow? (Panelist)

Trish Moscato-Bell serves as the Director of Legal Operations and Compliance and Assistant Secretary (Governance) for Workiva Inc., a Iowa-based publicly traded SaaS company, where she has been a key architect of the Legal department’s operational strategy, helping drive efficiency and departmental growth. Trish works closely with Workiva’s executive leadership and the Board of Directors, where she supports the preparation of board and committee materials, agendas, and resolutions, while leading key initiatives such as director onboarding and continuing board education. She also has extensive experience preparing SEC filings, and plays an important role in ensuring compliance with continuously evolving securities regulations.

Trish is recognized at Workiva for her strategic problem-solving abilities and a reputation for delivering impactful results across a broad spectrum of responsibilities. She supports an array of diverse matters around operations, compliance and governance, and engages in thought leadership around the use of AI and other technologies solutions to streamline legal workflows.
Trish lives in New Jersey with her husband, cat, and dog, and holds a degree from Rutgers University.

Workshop: Using AI as a Governance Professional (Respondent)

Trish Moscato-Bell

Director of Legal Operations & Compliance, Assistant Secretary (Governance), Workiva, Inc.

Paredes

Troy Paredes

Former Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Founder, Paredes Strategies

From 2008-2013, Paredes was a Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, having been appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Paredes served as an SEC Commissioner during an especially historic time at the SEC and for our economy – namely, throughout the financial crisis and its aftermath, including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act. He played a key role in rulemakings and other regulatory matters concerning all aspects of the SEC’s mission and securities regulation, including, among other things, antifraud and anticorruption, public company disclosures, capital formation, corporate governance, executive compensation, investment management, investment advisors, broker-dealers, exchanges, credit rating agencies, equity market structure, fixed income markets, derivatives, auditing and accounting, and cybersecurity. At the SEC, Paredes was a strong advocate for small business and the JOBS Act, for solving the information overload problem of securities law disclosure, and for rigorous cost-benefit analysis. He also consistently expressed concerns about the overregulation and overreach of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Since leaving government, Paredes has had a wide-ranging consulting practice. Paredes advises on financial regulation, compliance, risk management, corporate governance, and regulatory strategy and change management. He also serves as an expert and advisor in regulatory enforcement investigations and in private litigation involving securities law and corporate law.
Given Paredes’ extensive government, private sector, and academic experience, Paredes Strategies LLC also serves as an independent compliance consultant/corporate monitor.

Before becoming an SEC Commissioner, Paredes was a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and a professor of business (by courtesy) at Washington University’s Olin Business School, joining the faculty after having worked as a corporate lawyer. Currently, he is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. He also was the Distinguished Policy Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has been a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and UCLA School of Law.
Paredes is the author of numerous academic articles on financial regulation, corporate governance, innovation, behavioral economics, and administrative agencies. And he is a co-author (beginning with the 4th edition) of a multi-volume securities regulation treatise with Louis Loss and Joel Seligman entitled Securities Regulation. In addition to his writing, Paredes co-hosts a podcast on fintech called “Appetite for Disruption.”

Paredes is a senior advisor at PJT Camberview, a member of the board of advisors at StreetShares, a member of the board of advisors at Templum, an advisor at Strike Protocols, a member of the advisory board at Beam Solutions, a member of the advisory board at AdvisorAssist, and a member of the compliance advisory council at Balyasny Asset Management. He served on the board of directors at Electronifie from 2015-2017 and at NAVEX Global from 2017-2018.

Paredes holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Berkeley and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School.

SEC Rulemaking and Enforcement: What Companies and Boards Should Expect (Panelist)

William Horton

William Horton, Jr.

SVP, Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Verizon

William L. Horton, Jr. is senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary of Verizon Communications. He is responsible for the corporate secretary function and for providing legal support to Verizon’s strategic transactions and capital markets activities, advising the company on antitrust matters and strategy development, ensuring the company’s compliance with federal and state corporate and securities laws, advising the company on executive compensation and international employment matters, as well as providing corporate governance services to the corporation.

As the chief governance officer of Verizon, Mr. Horton coordinates and facilitates meetings of the Board of Directors, develops governance policy, coordinates stakeholder outreach and relations, and leads the annual meeting of shareholders. As lead disclosure counsel for the corporation, Mr. Horton provides legal counsel with respect Verizon’s investor relations activities, including compliance with Regulation FD, and its external reporting activities, including the drafting of the company’s periodic reports and proxy statement and preparation of its ESG-related disclosures. He counsels the company’s Strategy team on strategy development and provides antitrust advice to the company and its business units. He is also responsible for providing legal support to Verizon’s Business Development and Treasury teams, as they structure, negotiate and execute mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity issuances and repurchases, debt issuances, exchanges and redemptions, asset backed securities transactions and other financing transactions.

Executive Compensation Trends (Panelist)

The Investor Perspective: Governance Expectations in a Changing Environment (Moderator)

Yafit Cohn

Chief Sustainability Officer and Group General Counsel, Travelers Companies Inc.

Yafit Cohn is Chief Sustainability Officer and Group General Counsel at The Travelers Companies, Inc., where she is focused on developing the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) engagement and communications strategies, as well as executing on broader, strategic company initiatives. Since joining Travelers in September 2017, Yafit has helped guide the company through the evolving ESG landscape and has led the company’s effort to produce its first (and subsequent) comprehensive and integrated sustainability reports, including reports aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards for the insurance industry and the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Yafit chairs Travelers’ Sustainability Committee and serves on the company’s Disclosure Committee.

She also served a three-year term as the first Chair of the Society for Corporate Governance’s Sustainability Practices Committee and recently rolled off the board of the Society for Corporate Governance. Yafit has provided testimony on ESG to the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee and to the SEC’s Asset Management Advisory Committee. In 2019, Yafit was named on the list of 2020 Insurance Executives to Watch by Risk & Insurance, and in 2021, she was included in Insurance Business America’s “Hot 100” list. Additionally, in 2022, Yafit received Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence and Power in Law award in the Collaborative Leadership category, and in 2023, she was included on the Insurance Business Global 100 list. Most recently, in both 2025 and 2026, Yafit was named one of the Top 250 Women in Sustainability by Sustainability Magazine.

Before joining Travelers, Yafit was Counsel in Simpson Thacher’s New York office and a member of the Public Company Advisory Practice, where she advised public companies, corporate management and boards of directors on a broad array of issues pertaining to securities law and corporate governance, including SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, shareholder proposals, the impact of proxy advisory firms, and responses to formal and informal SEC inquiries. Prior to that, Yafit spent nine years as a litigator at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, focusing primarily on securities litigation and government investigations. Yafit has been a prolific writer and speaker on disclosure and corporate governance matters, as well as a frequent commenter in the press.

Yafit has a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar, and a Bachelor of Art degree in Political Science, summa cum laude, from Columbia College.

Beyond the SEC: Navigating Fragmented US and International Regulation (Panelist)

Yodit Admassu

Director, Investment Stewardship, Vanguard

Yumi Narita joined the Office of the Comptroller’s Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) as the Executive Director of Corporate Governance in the Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment Unit in December 2019. The Comptroller serves as investment advisor, custodian, and a trustee to the New York City Pension Funds, which hold approximately $320 billion in assets (as of Feb 2026). In her role as Executive Director, Ms. Narita is responsible for developing and implementing active ownership programs for public equities, including overseeing proxy voting, engaging portfolio companies on their ESG policies and practices, and advocating for regulatory reforms to protect investors and strengthen investor rights.

Ms. Narita has over 22 years of experience in the ESG industry. Prior to BAM, Ms. Narita was the Global Head of Corporate Governance at Alliance Bernstein, and Vice President on the BlackRock Investment Stewardship team. She serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Council of Institutional Investors. Additionally, she is part of the Independent Steering Committee of Broadridge and she co-chairs the Human Capital Management Coalition.

Investor Forums (Investor)

Workshop: Shareholder Engagement in Today's Environment (Respondent)

Investor Forums (Investor)

Yumi Narita

Executive Director of Corporate Governance, Office of the Comptroller, New York City Pension Funds

Zachary Kolkin

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

Zach is a managing director in the Office of the Chairman, where he serves as chief of staff to the firm's president and
chief operating officer (COO). Previously, he worked in Investor Relations, serving as head of Fixed Income and
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Engagement, as well as COO of Investor Relations. Before joining Investor
Relations, Zach worked within the Corporate Governance Legal Group, assisting on matters relating to corporate
governance, executive compensation and reputational risk management. He joined the firm as a vice president in the
Legal Department in 2014. Zach was named managing director in 2021.

Prior to joining the firm, Zach was an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York City.

Zach earned a BA in English from Tufts University in 2005 and a JD from New York University School of Law in 2008.

Executive Compensation Trends (Panelist)

Zach Levine

Zachary Levine

First Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel, Metropolitan Commercial Bank

Zachary Levine is First Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel at Metropolitan Commercial Bank, a New York City based full-service commercial bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (NYSE: MCB).

Mr. Levine advises MCB’s board of directors and senior management on corporate governance, securities, public company compliance, and bank regulatory matters. In addition to managing MCB’s corporate governance program and ’34 Act compliance, Zachary leads MCB’s shareholder outreach efforts and has a broad range of expertise in the areas of executive compensation and benefits, capital markets transactions and other capital actions, M&A, insider trading, bank regulation and risk management, and investor relations. He also leads MCB’s corporate insurance program, including strategy, renewals, policy placement, and coverage analysis. Prior to joining MCB, Zachary served as Director and Managing Counsel- Governance at BNY Mellon.

Zachary started his legal career at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP out of the firm’s New York office, focusing primarily on Capital Markets. Zachary serves on the Society for Corporate Governance board of directors and is an officer of the Society’s New York Chapter. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Zachary has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) and a JD from York University's Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, Canada).

Board Oversight of Management Succession (Moderator)