Employment Law & Regulations

As Director of Government Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, Deriece K. Harrington represents PepsiCo before state and local governments in the Mid-Atlantic and key national organizations. In her role, she engages with community and government officials on key regulatory and legislative issues impacting the company. While developing and maintaining key relationships with stakeholders in her region and around the country. Prior to her role at PepsiCo, she served as the Deputy Executive Director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, where she managed the day-to-day operations of the Caucus and critical relationships with corporate and nonprofit partners and legislative members from around the country. As a political science graduate of Morgan State University, she began her career as the Executive Director for the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (LBCM). She was instrumental in implementing the Caucus’ agenda while operating as an intermediary between its constituents and community partners. Her tenure at the LBCM led her to gain her Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy and Management and her work with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. As the Chamber’s Vice President of Government Affairs, she advocated on behalf of their members in the areas of employment law, energy, environment, transportation, and tax. Over the years, Deriece has participated in several leadership fellowship programs, including the American Young Professional Leadership Exchange Program (2022 Canada Exchange), and the Council of State Governments Robert J. Thompson Eastern Leadership Academy to name a few. She has also won numerous awards like the Daily Record’s Leading Women in Maryland, Top 40 under 40 in Prince George’s County by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund and a 2018 Rising Star by the Living Classrooms Foundation. In 2021, she was named one of the Top 40 under 40 Very Important Professionals by The Daily Record. Deriece currently serves on several community and national boards and committees, including A Wider Circle, the Women and Girls Foundation, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, and the Missing Pink Breast Cancer Alliance. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In her “free time,” Deriece enjoys listening to audiobooks, watching home improvement shows, and traveling with her family. Deriece is a native of Jamaica, New York, and currently resides in Southern Maryland with her husband and daughters.

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.

Lynne is Senior Leave Management Legal and Compliance Counsel at Voya Financial. In this role she advises on regulatory and compliance matters applicable to leave management and accommodations. As an employment attorney, Lynne has many years of experience counseling management and Human Resources professionals on all aspects of workplace issues including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Paid Family and Medical Leave laws and general employment policies and procedures. Prior to her current role, Lynne held roles as senior counsel for a software company advising on compliance for the absence and accommodations products and as a labor and employment attorney for a major corporation. Lynne frequently speaks at industry conferences about legal and compliance issues related to absence management. She has also written extensively on FMLA, ADA, PFML and related areas of leave management. Lynne received her undergraduate degree from American University and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Alex Hastings advises companies of all sizes that interact with US federal, state, and local government agencies. He focuses his practice on counseling government contractors in the defense, technology, life sciences, and commercial sectors. Alex has a deep background advising clients in complex government contract M&A deals and routinely guides his clients in regulatory matters facing companies that provide goods or services to government agencies, accept government funding, or otherwise collaborate with government entities.

Craig Leen is a partner at K&L Gates in Washington, DC, in the firm's Labor, Employment, and Workplace Safety practice, and he co-leads the firm’s OFCCP and Affirmative Action Compliance area of focus. His depth of experience spans across federal, state, and local government, as well as the private sector.

Craig previously served as the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), a federal civil rights enforcement agency at the U.S. Department of Labor. In this role, Craig reported directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Labor; overseeing approximately 450 employees and a budget of over $105 million, with a mission to ensure compliance by federal contractors with equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination obligations.

During his tenure, OFCCP experienced record years in both enforcement recoveries and compliance assistance, with Craig overseeing three rulemakings and issuance of several technical assistance guides to help employers comply with the law. Likewise, as an agency head at the U.S. DOL, Craig worked directly with numerous other federal agencies, including the Wage & Hour Division (WHD), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Civil Rights and Federal Programs Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Craig is also a Professor of Government Lawyering and Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School, and he serves on numerous boards and committees, including as Chair of the Civil & Human Rights Committee of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Co-Chair of the DC Family Support Council, and Vice Chair of the DC Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights. He also serves on the Advisory Board and AI Ethics Council of Eightfold, the Board and Executive Committee of Disability Belongs, and the Advisory Committee of Disability:IN DC Metro.

Craig was previously City Attorney of the City of Coral Gables, and earlier in his career served as Chief of the Appeals Section and then Chief of the Federal Litigation Section at the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office. Craig also was a federal law clerk for the Honorable Robert E. Keeton, District Judge of the District of Massachusetts. Craig is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York. 

Carena Lemons, is an attorney with over 21 years of experience practicing law. Carena served on the Board of Directors for Durham Orange Women Attorneys (DOWA) and the Greater Raleigh Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She is a former member of the 14th Judicial District Bar Grievance Committee where she investigated bar grievances in her district. Carena currently serves on the Sports and Entertainment Law Council for the North Carolina Bar Association. She focuses her law practice, The Lemons Law Firm, PLLC, on employment law and entertainment law as a litigator and legal advisor. Carena enjoys serving as a volunteer for the North Carolina Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) which she teaches CLEs on mental health and assists lawyers that are dealing with mental health issues. She is also creator and host of a television talk show, an actress, a minister and sings on the praise team at her church. She is married and has two amazing daughters. 

Elizabeth B. Bradley has over fifteen years of experience representing employers and federal contractors in litigation and mediation matters before state and federal agencies and courts, as well as counseling and training private, public, and non-profit employers in all aspects of employment law.

In addition, Ms. Bradley has extensive knowledge and experience in counseling federal contractors in matters relating to OFCCP. She has represented U.S. corporations in successfully defending against OFCCP’s review of the contractor’s utilization rates and compensation practices. Ms. Bradley also has experience in advising employers on wage and hour compliance under federal and state laws; litigating discrimination and retaliation claims advanced under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and comparable state and local statutes; conducting internal investigations involving discrimination complaints; performing wage and hour compliance reviews; and drafting and negotiating employment agreements including non-compete and non-solicitation provisions.

Ms. Bradley has a broad-based practice counseling and representing employers on compliance with federal and state workplace laws and regulations and designing and implementing sound employment practices and policies. Ms. Bradley has broad experience in conducting effective investigations of workplace claims and grievances, including misconduct, discrimination, retaliation, harassment and other claims employers typically face. She has been called upon by clients to conduct corporate internal investigations on sensitive employment matters, including allegations of serious misconduct and sexual harassment charges involving executive personnel. In addition to conducting workplace investigations, Ms. Bradley provides guidance and legal advice to clients handling their investigations in-house. Ms. Bradley has drafted investigation policies and procedures, and sexual harassment and other EEO policies for employers and has counseled employers about their responsibilities under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other EEO laws.

Prior to joining FortneyScott, Ms. Bradley represented and counseled employers in labor and employment law matters in private practice. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald L. Buckwalter on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Ms. Bradley is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, as well as in various federal courts.

Michael E. Kenneally is co-leader of the firm’s appellate litigation practice. He helps clients tackle complex legal issues on appeal and throughout all stages of a case, drawing on deep experience across many federal and state courts. Clients often turn to Michael when they face high-stakes litigation or novel questions of constitutional, statutory, and administrative law. Before joining Morgan Lewis, Michael clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. at the Supreme Court of the United States and for then-Judge Neil M. Gorsuch at the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Michael regularly defends clients in class action litigation, especially in employment and securities disputes. He has particular experience with lawsuits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), frequently giving presentations on the US Supreme Court’s ERISA docket, and with litigation over the enforceability of arbitration agreements and arbitration awards under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Michael also represents companies in litigation connected to administrative agency proceedings, including appeals from rulings by such agencies as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the US Department of Labor (DOL), and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). And he helps businesses develop creative strategies to challenge unlawful agency regulations and administrative procedures. A seasoned oral advocate, Michael is trusted by Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and others to argue critical motions and appeals. Michael is equally dedicated to the craft of legal writing and regularly authors amicus curiae briefs on issues of concern to the business community as well as pro bono clients. Beyond his legal practice, Michael co-teaches a course on statutory interpretation at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and has published articles on topics in copyright law. Intellectual property issues have been a fixture of Michael’s academic writing, including in his Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard University.

As co-chair of the Appeals and Issues Team, Jonathan helps clients design winning legal strategies in appeals and high-stakes litigation. Jonathan has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and filed more than 150 briefs at the merits and certiorari stages before the Court. He has handled appeals and dispositive motions in other federal courts and state courts across the country. He has significant experience nationally in assisting clients in formulating appellate strategy, both in pending appeals and at the trial court level before judgment. And he has challenged and defended federal agency actions at every level of the federal judiciary.

Before joining McGuireWoods, Jonathan served in the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice. As an Assistant to the Solicitor General, Jonathan represented the federal government before the Supreme Court and helped oversee the government’s appellate litigation in lower courts throughout the country. He briefed and argued cases involving patent and copyright law, constitutional law, administrative law, ERISA, international arbitration, securities regulation, and other areas of federal law.

Jonathan graduated first in his class from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has served as a lecturer at the school. After graduation, Jonathan served as a law clerk to John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, and to Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also previously served as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from North Carolina State University.

Hon. Toby Moffett is a Partner at Mercury based in Washington, DC, joining the firm with an extensive career in government service as well as the private sector, including six years as the leading Democratic government affairs professional at the global law firm Mayer Brown, as well as serving as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources and as the top government affairs executive at The Monsanto Company.

Nathan blends data with industry trend analysis to share Indeed’s story and bring the value of the company’s programs and solutions to life. In his role, he focuses on crafting holistic, strategic solutions for clients to aid in solving their hiring challenges. With nearly ten years of experience within the HR and Staffing industry, Nathan still looks to challenge himself and learn from others every chance he gets. Prior to entering the private sector, Nathan worked for the Fire Department in Southern California for ten years. Nathan’s experience in public service is evident in his passion to deliver Indeed’s mission to “Help People Get Jobs.”

Carrie has practiced in the employment law field for over 20 years including as an HR professional, an employment law defense attorney, and in-house counsel for a national PEO. Carrie has devoted a significant portion of her career to providing training and education to business leaders, HR professionals, and Plan Administrators. Carrie also provides employment law and employee benefits compliance consulting and guidance to HUB clients in the South region of the U.S.

Carrie works closely with clients to identify compliance risks across the organization and develop responsive strategies and solutions that further the organization’s goals while mitigating risks. Carrie partners with HUB clients in various industries such as hospitality/restaurant, medical/hospitals, manufacturing, and white-collar businesses to identify various organizational risks and develop responsive strategic solutions.

Carrie provides customized training and education programs including one-on-one programs, manager and leadership employee relations programs, and community-based seminars. Carrie has also developed a wide array of educational tools and materials to help facilitate job-related compliance skills.

Previously, Carrie B. Cherveny, Esq. served as the Chief Compliance Officer for the Southeast Region of HUB International, supporting the organization’s Employee Benefits Division. Prior to her time at HUB, Carrie was General Counsel and Vice President for a national PEO designing and developing client compliance strategies and solutions

While working previously as a Partner in a West Palm Beach Employment Law firm, Carrie focused her practice on employment litigation and employee relations in both state and federal courts. She has represented private sector employers in litigation under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FLSA, the FMLA, the Florida Civil Rights Act, and  the Florida Whistleblowers’ Acts.

Alex Murzaku leads the Genius Institute’s Research and Development team at Gap International. His ideas have been implemented in various consulting practices and digital products as well as data analysis and the adaptation towards a world expanded by artificial intelligence. 

After his doctorate at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy, Alex worked in leadership positions at several startups—in the areas of information retrieval, machine translation, and knowledge discovery. Following a decade in industry, he returned to academia as a university professor of both Linguistics and Data Science.

Since joining Gap International in 2014, Alex’s research has focused on the role of language in mindset transformation and in the creation of mental tools that allow performance to reach breakthrough, genius levels.