Melissa Bartlett is the Senior Vice President, Health Policy for ERIC, leading the development of ERIC’s health policy and advocacy for its legislative and regulatory priorities at the federal, state, and local levels. Specifically, she supports ERIC member companies in advancing policies impacting all aspects of employer-sponsored health coverage, including the taxation of benefits, health care costs, quality, safety, and access, as well as laws and regulations affecting how health care benefits are administered on a nationwide basis. Prior to joining ERIC, Melissa was a Principal at Chamber Hill Strategies, providing a broad range of health care stakeholders with strategic counsel, policy development, and congressional and agency engagement on health care legislative and regulatory matters. A long-time health policy and government relations professional, Melissa brought to the firm her previous experience working within government, corporations, and associations to help drive success for her clients. She previously served as Associate Vice President for Government Relations for Sanofi. Additionally, Melissa served as Vice President for Government Relations and Representation for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) and represented health insurers through her regulatory work for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Her first health policy experience was working with large, multi-specialty group practices as legislative counsel for the American Medical Group Association (AMGA).   Melissa’s government experience includes serving as Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce for Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) as the lead Medicare counsel in addition to working on a wide range of health policy issues within the Committee’s jurisdiction, including: Medicaid/CHIP, health reform, health insurance, mental health parity, health information technology, health privacy, patient safety, quality initiatives and measurement, FDA, and Ryan White HIV/AIDS funding. She also managed oversight and investigation issues before the Committee, including oversight of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).   Prior to her work for Congress, Melissa developed Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) strategies, policies, and program improvements as a HIPAA Privacy Program Specialist for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and assisted with investigations to secure HIPAA compliance.   Melissa earned her J.D. at the University of Kentucky College of Law, and her B.A. in Journalism from Franklin College. 

Rachel See is a Senior Counsel in Seyfarth Shaw’s Labor & Employment Department, based in its Washington, DC office. She focuses her practice on AI risk management, regulatory compliance, and governance issues.  

Rachel returned to private practice after spending more than a dozen years in public service in the federal government. She previously served as an EEOC Commissioner’s Senior Counsel for AI and Algorithmic Bias, leading initiatives emphasizing the applicability of employment discrimination laws to the use of artificial intelligence and working to educate lawyers and human resources professionals regarding the applicability of civil rights laws to AI and other technologies. Her previous roles at the EEOC included being the EEOC's Acting Executive Officer, a Special Assistant to the EEOC Chair, and the EEOC's Assistant General Counsel for Technology. 

Rachel received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her law degree from the Duke University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Ohio. An accomplished classical musician, she regularly performs with the Symphony of the Potomac in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles in the Washington DC metropolitan area. 

Jason Kanter is the HR and Labor Policy Executive on IBM’s Government and Regulatory Affairs team, focusing on issues related to the use of AI in employment, labor and employment rules, and employee benefits such as paid leave, health care, and retirement programs. Prior to joining IBM, Jason worked on Capitol Hill for 15 years. Most recently, he worked as a professional staff member on the Democratic staff of the Ways and Means Committee’s Worker and Family Support Subcommittee, where he played a key role in the effort to create a national paid leave program and the enactment of the historic expansion and enhancement of unemployment insurance due to COVID-19. He has also worked as a policy advisor on the Joint Economic Committee, at the Congressional Affairs Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, and in the offices of U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). In these positions, Jason worked on a range of economic and workforce policy and legislative issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, where he was an Irving B. Harris fellow. A proud native of Swampscott, MA, Jason currently resides in Alexandria, VA, with his wife and two young children.

As co-leader of Seyfarth’s People Analytics group, Annette leads a multidisciplinary team of attorneys, labor economists, data analysts, and other professionals to develop data-driven solutions that solve complex workforce issues. Annette collaborates with employers to design and implement metrics for tracking, assessment, and achievement of workforce objectives including effective talent acquisition and management, pay equity, diversity and inclusion, and workforce restructuring with an eye toward minimizing litigation risk.

Annette uses her substantive experience to defend employers in complex litigation matters that implicate the cross-section of data and the law. Such issues include defeating class certification, developing merits-based analyses, and evaluating damages assessments that impact litigation defense and settlement options.

In her practice, Annette is on the cutting edge of providing legal advice related to the technological advances that are driving data-driven decision-making in the employment context. These technologies include the use of artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and machine learning algorithms to address key processes including sourcing, hiring, retention, workforce planning, employee engagement, and diversity and inclusion efforts.

Annette also represents federal contractors on their obligations under Executive Order 11246 and related statutes and regulations. She assists contractors in affirmative action compliance matters involving OFCCP proceedings, including compliance evaluations, and pre-audit review and analysis of general compliance obligations.

Annette has also provided written and oral testimony on proposed labor and employment legislation and regulations pending before the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Annette is a member of the Chicago Diversity Action Team, supports the firm’s national Diversity leadership, and actively participates in pro bono and other community charitable activities.

Stephen Malone is Head of Global Employment Law at Peloton, leading the company's US & UK employment law team from its NYC headquarters. His remit includes advice & counsel, litigation, labor strategy, employee compensation and benefits, and talent negotiations and contracts. Stephen is also a current member of the Thomson Reuters Practical Law Employment Law Advisory Board. He completed undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and law school at the University of Virginia. 

Scott Woods is a Vice President of Policy & Research at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), where he manages a broad portfolio that focuses on improving patient access and affordability for medicines across public programs and the commercial market, driving down costs in the supply chain, and health equity issues. He is the founding executive sponsor of the PRIDE Umbrella, PhRMA’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group.

Prior to joining PhRMA in 2020, Scott was an Assistant Vice President of State Affairs at the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), where provided strategic legislative and regulatory advocacy for PCMA and its member companies in states across the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southeast and before various state-based intergovernmental groups, including the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and various attorneys general organizations. Earlier in his career, he held policy positions at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Avalere Health.

Scott holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and is currently pursuing an M.S.Ed. in School and Mental Health Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. He and his husband, Ryan, live in Washington, D.C.

O'Kelly E. McWilliams III is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office, where he advises clients on the human capital aspects of corporate transactional matters. Mr. McWilliams is experienced in providing legal counsel that impacts enterprise strategy/operations, corporate transactions, cost reduction, risk mitigation and corporate culture.

Mr. McWilliams' diverse experience working with CEOs, C-suite, boards and leadership teams across companies in the financial services, technology, food service, healthcare, private equity and startup sectors enables him to leverage a broad perspective and provide counsel that strengthens an organization's legal structure and promotes enterprise efficiencies and growth potential.

Adding to his value, Mr. McWilliams has held a number of key leadership roles, including overseeing a $120 million information technology (IT) project as board chair and trustee for a $110 billion public pension plan, starting up and running a new multimillion-dollar law firm office, and investing in high-return on investment (ROI) technology applications to facilitate enterprise efficiencies/growth.

In addition, Mr. McWilliams advises on high-level executive compensation negotiations, conducts compensation audits related to pay disparity issues, and collaborates with senior executives and boards to develop compensation metrics to align management with organizational environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. McWilliams was a partner at a large U.S. firm in its Washington, D.C., office.

Janet Dhillon was sworn in as the 16th Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in May 2019. She served as Chair until January 20, 2021, and continued to serve as a Commissioner until November 2022.

Ms. Dhillon has served as General Counsel of several Fortune 500 companies, including Burlington Stores, Inc., JC Penney Company, Inc. and US Airways Group, Inc.

Ms. Dhillon began her legal career at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She is a graduate of Occidental College, magna cum laude, and the UCLA School of Law, where she graduated first in her class.