Plenary Session

Gad Levanon is Chief Economist of The Burning Glass Institute.

Previously, Gad was with The Conference Board where he was founder of the Labor Market Institute and led the Help Wanted OnLine© program. His research focuses on trends in US and global labor markets, the US economy, and their impact on employers.

He is a regular contributor to Forbes and also often contributes opinion pieces to other national media outlets. In 2016, he won the Consensus Economics forecast accuracy award for the US economy for his work at The Conference Board. Levanon is also an adjunct professor in the economics department at NYU.

Prior to The Conference Board, he worked at the Israeli Central Bank. He received his PhD in economics from Princeton University and holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Michael Mandel is Vice President and Chief Economist at the Progressive Policy Institute in Washington DC and senior fellow at the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School (UPenn). He was chief economist at BusinessWeek prior to its purchase by Bloomberg.

With experience spanning policy, academics, and business, Dr. Mandel has helped lead the public conversation about the economic and business impact of technology for the past two decades. Mandel’s seminal analysis showing how ecommerce creates jobs and reduces inequality was featured by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Financial Times, among others.

Mandel argues that Americans suffer from too little innovation, rather than too much. More innovation, especially in “physical” industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare, will raise wages and create more good jobs. His current work focuses on the economic benefits of digital manufacturing; job creation by ecommerce and 5G; pharmaceutical pricing and innovation; and regulation of cross-border data flows. He spearheads PPI’s “Investment Heroes” annual report, and tracks App Economy jobs around the world.

Mandel has written four books, including the optimistic Rational Exuberance. His economics textbook, Economics: The Basics, is in its fourth edition. He received a PhD in economics from Harvard University, and taught at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Jocelyn Samuels is Vice Chair of the Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), appointed by President Biden in 2021 and confirmed for a second term ending in 2026. Prior to joining the Commission, she served as the Executive Director of the Williams Institute, the leading research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. During the Obama administration, she served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice where she supervised enforcement of civil rights laws through litigation, rulemaking, policy development, and public education across a range of civil rights issues and was an architect of numerous government policies applying federal law to remedy discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She previously served as a Vice President of the National Women’s Law Center, Labor Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and a senior attorney at the EEOC in the Office of Legal Counsel. She received a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. from Middlebury College.

Jocelyn Samuels is Vice Chair of the Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), appointed by President Biden in 2021 and confirmed for a second term ending in 2026. Prior to joining the Commission, she served as the Executive Director of the Williams Institute, the leading research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. During the Obama administration, she served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice where she supervised enforcement of civil rights laws through litigation, rulemaking, policy development, and public education across a range of civil rights issues and was an architect of numerous government policies applying federal law to remedy discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She previously served as a Vice President of the National Women’s Law Center, Labor Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and a senior attorney at the EEOC in the Office of Legal Counsel. She received a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. from Middlebury College.

Taryn Mackenzie Williams is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy. In this position, she advises the Secretary of Labor on how the Department’s policies and programs impact the employment of people with disabilities and leads the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which works with employers and all levels of government to promote evidence-based policy that improves employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.

Previously, Williams was the managing director for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at American Progress, which works on progressive policies focused on a broad range of anti-poverty strategies. Before joining American Progress, she worked at ODEP on a variety of issues related to education, workforce policy, Social Security, Medicaid and civil rights. In her role as director of youth policy, Williams led agency efforts to coordinate education and employment policy in support of improved labor force outcomes for disabled youth. From 2014 through 2016, Williams served as ODEP’s chief of staff. She also undertook detail assignments as associate director for public engagement and liaison to the disability community at the White House from 2014 through 2015 and as a policy adviser on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from 2012 through 2013.

Prior to joining the federal government, Williams worked as the research coordinator for leadership programs at the Institute for Educational Leadership and as the director of programs at the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues headquartered in Chicago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Brown University and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University. She resides in Washington, DC.

Ms. Wilcox was nominated by President Biden on May 27, 2021 and confirmed by the Senate on July 28, 2021. Her term will last until August 2023.

Most recently, Ms. Wilcox worked as a senior partner at Levy Ratner, P.C., a New York City labor and employment law firm. There, she served as Associate General Counsel of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and as a labor representative to the NYC Office of Collective Bargaining. Prior to joining Levy Ratner, Wilcox worked as a Field Attorney at Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board in New York City. Wilcox has a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark and a B.A. from Syracuse University.

John F. Ring was sworn in as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board on April 16, 2018 for a term ending on December 16, 2022. Mr.Ring was confirmed by the Senate on April 11, 2018, and he was named Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board on April 12, 2018 by President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Ring served as Board Chairman until January 20, 2021 and currently serves as a Board Member.

Prior to his appointment to the NLRB, Mr. Ring was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the Morgan, Lewis & Bockius law firm. He was with Morgan Lewis for almost 30 years, where he served as co-chair of the firm’s Labor / Management Relations practice and Practice Group Leader for the Washington Office Labor and Employment Law Practice. He represented client interests in all aspects of labor law, including collective bargaining, workforce restructuring, employee benefits, labor‐management related counseling, litigation and litigation avoidance strategies. Mr. Ring has an extensive background negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements most notably in the multi‐employer bargaining context, as well as experience with multi‐employer pension plans. Mr. Ring received his J.D. and B.A. from Catholic University of America.

Board Member Ring is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Tim Storey is the Executive Director of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) with offices in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. NCSL's mission is to serve America's state legislatures and the legislatures of the U.S. territories. NCSL is dedicated to strengthening the legislative institution, helping legislators and legislative staff make connections with each other to exchange ideas and best practices and representing the states with the federal government.

Tim has spent the past 30 years working for and studying legislatures--specializing in the areas of elections, redistricting, legislative organization and leadership. During his tenure at NCSL, he has participated in, and led, more than two dozen, in-depth studies of legislative operations. And, he has consulted with, and conducting training for parliaments around the world. Tim staffed NCSL's Redistricting and Elections Committee for twenty years authoring numerous articles and papers on the topics of redistricting and elections.

For two decades, he led NCSL's effort, StateVote, to collect and analyze state election results. He led NCSL's State Services Division prior to being hired as NCSL's third Executive Director in June of 2019. During that time, he overhauled NCSL's services to legislative leaders and professional development portfolio. Born and raised in western North Carolina, Tim attended Mars Hill College and received his MA from the University of Colorado. Tim lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado with his amazing wife Amy, and their three pretty-darn-good kids: Caroline, Will and Erin.

Meredith Martino is the Executive Director of Women in Government, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization that convenes state legislators and stakeholder experts with broad perspectives and experiences to amplify the work of female lawmakers. In her role as Executive Director, Meredith oversees the strategic direction, budget and staff of the foundation. Under her leadership, the organization approved its first strategic plan in October 2021 and is expanding the content and programming it brings to legislators to cover three broad topics: Access to Healthcare, Resilient Communities and Strong Economies.

Prior to joining Women in Government, Meredith spent 17+ years at the American Association of Port Authorities, most recently as its Vice President of Membership and Sponsorship. In her role at AAPA, the industry trade association for public port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, she created and refined revenue streams for the Association, including the Premier Partner sponsorship program. She was responsible for the overall planning and execution of AAPA's Annual Convention, a $1M event that attracts 500-600 maritime industry executives and solution providers. She led a major revision of the Association’s governance structure in 2020 and created a new dues structure for U.S. corporate members that was adopted in 2021. Her previous roles at AAPA included Chief Engagement Officer; Director of Publications, Digital Media and Technology; and Director of Environmental Policy.

Before joining AAPA, Meredith led grassroots efforts for the U.S. Travel Association (then-U.S. Travel Industry Association), helping U.S. travel and tourism suppliers strengthen federal support for increasing travel to and within the United States.

Meredith began her career in the United States Senate, working initially for Senator John Glenn’s (D-OH) Government Affairs Committee staff. During the final two years of the Senator’s political career, she was responsible for sending the Senator’s relevant Committee files and work products to the National Archives. She then worked for Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), assisting senior legislative staff on transportation, energy, forestry and environmental issues.

While working in the Senate, Meredith completed her master’s degree in political management at The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, with a focus in lobbying. Meredith earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, in conjunction with the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

Originally a native of northern Kentucky, Meredith currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her two children – Claudia and Louis – and her rescue dog Bailey. She is a Washington Nationals baseball season plan holder and plays weekly recreational volleyball. She loves to read and listen to audiobooks, and she plays handbells in her church handbell choir.

Maya Raghu is the Deputy Director of Policy at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the U.S. Department of Labor. As a member of the agency’s senior leadership team, she advises the Director on the development and implementation of strategies, regulations, policies and programs to further the agency’s mission, and represents the interests of OFCCP with other agencies within the Department, the federal government, and with stakeholders.

Prior to joining the Department of Labor, Ms. Raghu served as the Director of Workplace Equality and Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, where she developed and coordinated priorities and strategies for NWLC’s workplace gender equality efforts, with a focus on low paid workers. She led federal legislative and regulatory initiatives and advocacy, stakeholder engagement, engaged in narrative shift and culture change efforts, and impact litigation and amicus briefs on a range of workplace gender equality and economic security issues including pay equity, harassment, and civil rights enforcement. Prior to joining NWLC, Ms. Raghu was a senior attorney at Futures Without Violence and at Legal Momentum. She was also previously an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and a law clerk to the Hon. Vanessa D. Gilmore of the Southern District of Texas. Ms. Raghu is a graduate of Trinity University and Georgetown University Law Center. She has appeared in a number of media outlets, including PBS Newshour, NPR, CNN, and The New York Times.

Nathan Stiefel currently serves as the Deputy Ombudsman for the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. Prior to joining the Ombudsman’s Office, Nathan served as deputy chief of the Office of Policy and Strategy within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In this position, he was responsible for leading more than 130 full-time federal employees carrying out the agency’s policy, regulatory, research and evaluation, and strategic planning functions.  Previously, Nathan served as deputy chief of the USCIS Office of Citizenship. In this role, he managed the day-to-day operations of the office and coordinated its citizenship education, outreach, and capacity-building initiatives. He joined the USCIS Office of Citizenship in 2006 and served in a variety of roles, including chief of staff and division chief for policy and programs. A native of Virginia Beach, VA, Nathan earned a B.S. in Mass Media Communication from Oral Roberts University, an M.A. in Communication from Regent University, and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership from the University of Virginia.

Bo Cooper, Partner, Fragomen Bo Cooper is a Partner in Fragomen’s Washington, DC office, leading the Government Strategies and Compliance Group. He serves on the firm’s Executive Committee, where he works to set Fragomen’s strategic vision and philosophy, manage its worldwide operations, and ensure it remains progressive, agile, efficient, innovative, and consistent across all its jurisdictions. He provides strategic immigration advice to a diverse clientele, including corporations, nonprofits, hospitals, universities, and media outlets. Bo has extensive experience in navigating complex immigration challenges, interacting with Congress, executive agencies, and consulates, and representing clients in federal audits and investigations.  

 Previously, Bo was General Counsel of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1999 to 2003, directing a legal program of 700 attorneys. He advised top U.S. officials on immigration law and has significant federal litigation experience as a former trial attorney in the Department of Justice. Bo has frequently testified before Congress and appeared in various media outlets such as PBS Newshour, Sixty Minutes, and CNN. He participated in negotiating international immigration agreements and served as a U.S. delegate to international organizations.  

Bo has taught immigration, national security and related courses at the University of Michigan, Georgetown and American University law schools, and he currently teaches asylum law as a member of the adjunct faculty at Tulane Law School. He has an extensive pro bono practice and has contributed as amicus in key Supreme Court cases, served as an expert witness in federal litigation, and advised the Department of Homeland Security. He is also on the Advisory Board of the Migration Policy Institute. Bo received his J.D. from Tulane Law School and his B.A. from Tulane University. 

Dr. Everett is the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services. In this role, she provides executive leadership for federal efforts to improve the nation’s mental health service systems.

Prior to her arrival at SAMHSA, she served as the Section Chief of The Johns Hopkins Bayview Community and General Psychiatry in Baltimore, Maryland. She was on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. At Hopkins, she directed 22 community psychiatry programs that provide a range of services to individuals from preschool age to older adults and through a range of programs that include intensive acute services as well as recovery support services for persons with Serious Mental Illnesses. More recently at Hopkins, she has been involved with the leadership of health system behavioral health integration into accountable care structures. Earlier in her career, Dr. Everett served as the Senior Medical Advisor to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. There she worked on the promotion of access to quality services and access to medications in the Medicare prescription drug benefit. From 1999 to 2003 she served as the Inspector General to the Office of the Governor in the Department of Mental Health in Virginia. During this time she completed over 80 inspections of Institutions operated and licensed to provide mental health services in Virginia. She received the Patrick Henry award for outspoken advocacy.

Dr. Everett has served on the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Advisory Council. She is active in several professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association where she has received a commendation for her work in healthcare reform. She is a past president of the Maryland Psychiatric Society and the American Association of Community Psychiatrists. She has been engaged in a number of international projects which have included consultation with the Ministries of Health, Department of Mental Health in Iraq and Afghanistan on the implementation of mental health services in these countries.