Employment Law & Regulations

Based in Spartanburg, S.C.

Toni Pilzner is an attorney with more than 15 years' experience in advising employers on creating and administering employee welfare and retirement benefit plans. Having worked as a certified public accountant and as an in-house corporate tax analyst dealing with employee benefit plan matters before becoming an attorney, she also understands the financial and practical aspects of employee benefit plan administration. Toni has shared her expertise with SHRM members by presenting concurrent sessions on employee benefits topics at a number of SHRM conferences in addition to writing SHRM Legal Alerts and contributing to SHRM Online articles on employee benefit matters. She also served on the SHRM Total Rewards Special Expertise Panel and its predecessor, the SHRM Compensation and Benefits Committee, as well as serving a three-year term on the U.S. Department of Labor's ERISA Advisory Council.

Cathy Carothers is Co-Director of Every Mother, Inc., an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the national project coordinator for the U.S. Health and Human Services initiative, "The Business Case for Breastfeeding." She has coordinated numerous national breastfeeding initiatives for various branches of the federal government, and has provided more than 350 workshops in the field of lactation in every U.S. State and several foreign countries. As the author and lead trainer for the national "Business Case for Breastfeeding" project, she assists businesses with complying with the new federal legislation requiring lactation support for breastfeeding employees.

David Lusk joined the SHRM Government Affairs Team as the Senior Associate for Member Advocacy in 2010.  Lusk oversees SHRM’s traditional member advocacy efforts.   He is also responsible for the development of the Advocacy Team, a SHRM initiative that will elevate the visibility of the HR profession by establishing a strong member presence in each of the 435 congressional districts.

With over 15 years of policy experience, Lusk most recently specialized in grassroots and grasstops internet engagement with Capitol Advantage -- now a part of the CQ-Roll Call Group. He also focused on health policy as a staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and in the state affairs department of the Health Insurance Association of America. He is based in Alexandria, Va.

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

 

 

Paul Salvatore, co-Chair of Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Law Department, is widely recognized as one of the leading U.S. labor and employment lawyers. In addition to being highlighted in many publications and rankings, such as Chambers and US Legal 500, in 2010 The National Law Journal selected Paul as one of “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers” – one of only three in the labor and employment law field.  Salvatore negotiates major collective bargaining agreements in several industries.  He also handles all types of employment litigation, arbitration and mediation.  In its 2009 term, Salvatore argued and won before the U.S. Supreme Court 14 Penn Plaza LLC v. Pyett.  In a landmark 5-4 decision of importance to employers, the Court held that a collective bargaining agreement that explicitly requires union members to arbitrate employment discrimination claims is enforceable, modifying 35 years of labor law.  Salvatore also provides advice and guidance to clients, counseling employers on how to avoid litigation and achieve their employee relations objectives through such techniques as proactive human resources policies and alternative dispute resolution. Salvatore is based in New York, N.Y.

As Director of Audit & HR Services for Berkshire Associates Inc., Lynn A. Clements oversees Berkshire’s audit defense, pay equity and advanced people analytics practice. Throughout her career, Lynn has provided clients with strategic insight and practical compliance and risk management advice in hundreds of government investigations, including OFCCP compliance reviews and EEOC investigations. 

With over 20 years of experience, including serving in high level policy positions at both the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Lynn is a regular presenter of management and employee training at all levels of organizations and has testified before Congress regarding EEO and pay equity issues. Lynn is a frequent presenter at national events, including the 2021 NILG, where she spoke about focused reviews, promotional practices, and was featured on a panel. She has also spoken at several local ILG meetings in 2021, including Charlotte, Ohio, Philadelphia, Orange County, and more.   

Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer who also closely tracks the most important developments at the U.S. Supreme Court impacting the business community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing management in a wide variety of employment and labor matters in perhaps the most challenging state in the nation for employers – California.  Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics.  He is a member of SHRM and has been an annual presenter at both the SHRM Annual Conference and the Employment Law and Compliance Conference for two decades.  Mr. Beachboard is frequently quoted in such leading publications as HR Magazine, National Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, HR Executive and Workforce, and has been published in dozens of legal and business journals. Throughout his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Beachboard has represented dozens of studios and entertainment properties.  He cites his most interesting project as working with the cast and crew of the television show The Office, from its pilot through the final season.

 

 

Mike Aitken has worked at SHRM since 2003 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining SHRM, he served for 14 years as associate director for Governmental and External Relations at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Previously, Aitken worked on state public policy issues at Bonner & Associates, a public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Currently, he is based in Alexandria, VA.

 

David Lusk joined the SHRM Government Affairs Team as the Senior Associate for Member Advocacy in 2010.  Lusk oversees SHRM’s traditional member advocacy efforts.   He is also responsible for the development of the Advocacy Team, a SHRM initiative that will elevate the visibility of the HR profession by establishing a strong member presence in each of the 435 congressional districts.

With over 15 years of policy experience, Lusk most recently specialized in grassroots and grasstops internet engagement with Capitol Advantage -- now a part of the CQ-Roll Call Group. He also focused on health policy as a staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and in the state affairs department of the Health Insurance Association of America. He is based in Alexandria, Va.