Kurt Ahlich, PE is a Senior Engineer at ARCCA, and his forensic investigation expertise includes cause and origin failure analysis, civil and geotechnical analysis, and condition. He is also experienced in construction methodologies and defects, as well as cost estimation. His representative forensic engagements include construction defects, foundation movement, structural failures, wind damage, impact damage, water intrusion, plumbing failures, soil heave and settlement, post-fire structural issues, hazardous waste site remediation, and vibration effects resulting from construction and earthquakes. Kurt's specific design and construction experience includes foundations and subsurface structures, shoring and underpinning systems, retaining walls, subsurface waterproofing systems, piping, water collection systems, erosion control, hazardous waste site remediation, landslide repair, mass excavation, residential framing and remodeling.

Joshua A. Bennett is a shareholder at Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC in Columbia, South Carolina and focuses his practice on complex litigation and insurance defense matters, with an emphasis on construction, environmental, products liability, toxic tort/personal injury, commercial explosives, professional negligence, and other related areas. Josh is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he received his J.D.

Hakim Bouadi, PhD, PE, is a Principal and Senior Project Manager with more than twenty years of experience in structural and forensic engineering. His expertise includes new design, as well as assessment and repair design for structures experiencing distress related to structural elements, façades, foundations, and construction materials. Hakim develops work scopes, repair details and procedures, and technical specifications for new project and for restoration/rehabilitation projects. In addition, he performs review of existing facilities and provides litigation support services to structural engineering. Hakim is active in the development of codes and standards for concrete buildings.

John P. Cahill, Jr. is a Partner at Lanza Law Firm. He graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 and from Baylor University School of Law in 1984. He focuses his practice on the representation of architects, engineers, other design professionals and real estate agents and brokers. Mr. Cahill is a member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute, where he serves on the Construction Law Committee and is Chair of the Design Professional Special Law Group. He is also a member of the Construction Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and Houston Bar Association.

Rinaldo J. Cartaya III, is a partner in the Orlando office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. Mr. Cartaya focuses his practice on construction defect litigation and general civil defense. Mr. Cartaya has represented a myriad of construction trades in court and Arbitration proceedings. Mr. Cartaya attended the University of Florida and earned his Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law Mr. Cartaya serves as a committee member of the Orange County Bar Construction Law Committee.

Thomas J. (TJ) Cate, PE, SE is the Western Region Construction Division Manager, and is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah office. Mr. Cate's professional experience encompasses design, engineering and construction. He is a licensed general contractor with experience in structural engineering related to tract housing, large estates, custom homes, hotels, resorts, schools, and churches. His areas of expertise include the investigation of design deficiencies, construction defects, and property damage claims related to fire-damaged structures, structural collapses, retaining wall failures, construction vibration, foundation and roof failures, and swimming pool deficiencies. Mr. Cate is skilled in the structural design of wood, light gage steel, structural steel, reinforced masonry, reinforced concrete, and fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). He has particular skill in structural design in high seismic risk zones and has experience performing seismic evaluations and seismic rehabilitations and upgrades to structures. He also specializes in swimming pool and waterpark defects, accidents, and fatalities. Mr. Cate is a licensed Swimming Pool Contractor and a Certified Aquatic Facility Operator Instructor. Mr. Cate has provided deposition and trial testimony. He is a graduate of the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, and is a licensed Structural Engineer in five states, as well as a licensed Civil Engineer in fourteen states.

Ryan T. Chancey, PhD, PE is the President of Nelson Forensics, LLC, and a practicing structural engineer licensed in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Dr. Chancey holds graduate degrees in the field of civil/structural engineering with an emphasis on concrete structures and concrete materials science. Dr. Chancey is a United States Fulbright Fellow and a National Science Foundation Research Fellow. Dr. Chancey has evaluated structural system and material failures for hundreds of residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, educational, healthcare, and agricultural facilities which have been subject to perils including construction defects, design defects, collapses, fires, explosions, windstorms, tornados, hurricanes, expansive and settling soils, and vibrations. He has provided investigative solutions to an array of client types, including property owners, insurance carriers, attorneys, and contractors. He has also designed measures to remediate observed deficiencies in affected facilities. Dr. Chancey has delivered dozens of presentations pertaining to concrete materials science and structural failures to a wide range of audiences; including university faculty, engineering undergraduate and graduate students, insurance industry representatives, attorneys, and engineering peers. Additionally, Dr. Chancey has authored 10 peer-reviewed publications, including a chapter in a respected textbook of nanophysics. Dr. Chancey has provided expert testimony in deposition, mediation, arbitration, and trial.

Dean Cola has been the Claim Director for Turner Construction since 2005 handing Litigation Management , Claim Management , Contract Review, Risk Management, and Staff Development. Turner is a North America-based and international construction services company. Prior to Turner Construction, Dean worked at AIG in Litigation Management and Claim Management.

Kathy R. Davis is a shareholder with Carr Allison and is a resident in the firm's Birmingham, Alabama, office. She serves as Chair of the firm's Construction Law Group, focusing her practice on handling construction law cases, general litigation cases, product liability cases, and insurance coverage matters. Ms. Davis is recognized as "approved construction counsel" for several major liability insurance carriers. Ms. Davis is a Past Chair of the DRI's Construction Law Committee and the former Chairperson of the USLAW Network's Construction Litigation Group. She is a frequent author and lecturer on topics involving construction law and insurance coverage. In addition she was chosen as one of Birmingham's Top Women Attorneys in 2015. Ms. Davis' practice includes a significant amount of construction related litigation and she has represented general contractors, subcontractors, developers, owners, architects, engineers, and suppliers in litigation, mediation and other proceedings in connection with construction contracts and projects.

Thomas C. Easley, PhD, is a Materials Engineer in the Columbus, Ohio office of SEA, Ltd. Mr. Easley is a Materials Engineer in the Columbus, Ohio office. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to joining S-E-A, Tom led technology development programs to introduce diamond composite products to new application areas, mostly focused in mining and construction markets. His work has included developing brazing techniques for joining thermally stable diamond composites to tungsten carbide and high pressure sintering of diamond composites. He has extensive experience in materials testing and characterization as well as manufacturing quality improvement (Six Sigma).

Stephanie U. Eaton is a Member at Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC and co-chair of the firm's Litigation Department. Named 2019 "Lawyer of the Year" in Product Liability Litigation - Defendants for Greensboro, North Carolina by The Best Lawyers in America, she regularly defends construction product manufacturers in various states in state, federal, MDL and class action litigation. In addition, Stephanie represents commercial owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors and construction material suppliers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. She currently serves as the chair of the DRI Construction Specialized Litigation Groups, held the distinction of serving as past chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Construction Law Section, and is among America's Best Lawyers in Construction for North Carolina.

Andrew R. Ferguson is a partner at Coughlin Betke LLP in Boston, Massachusetts. Andy has over 20 years of trial practice and litigation experience and concentrates in the defense of matters involving professional liability, construction defect, construction work site accidents, products liability, premises liability, personal injury, employment and contract disputes. Andy currently serves as President of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association. Andy is a trained mediator, having completed forty hours of mediation training in accordance with M.G.L. c.233 Section 23C. Andy also holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) designation from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). He is admitted to practice before the State and Federal Courts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.

Robert V. (Bob) Fitzsimmons is an experienced trial lawyer specializing in complex civil litigation. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in the field of Construction Law and Peer Review Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell. Bob's principal practice involves the defense of general contractors, builders and developers in construction defect litigation involving high rise condominiums, low rise condominium projects, single family developments and commercial projects throughout the State of Florida. His experience includes construction product class action and federal multidistrict litigation, most recently serving as lead national counsel for all contractors in the Chinese Drywall multi-district litigation. Bob's practice also includes significant products liability and general liability cases.

Aron J. Frakes, a Shareholder with Fredrikson & Byron, P.A, is an experienced construction dispute and product liability litigator with a nationwide litigation practice. Aron has substantial experience in defending companies against putative nationwide class actions and complex product liability claims. He has successfully defended purported class actions and individual cases relating to allegedly defective products, alleged breaches of warranties, allegedly deceptive online displays, alleged negligent misrepresentations, and alleged violation of various consumer fraud statutes. Aron has represented companies in virtually all facets of litigation and alternative dispute resolution, including before federal and state trial courts throughout the United States, arbitration tribunals, and various appellate courts.

Eileen R. Fullerton is a founding member of Fullerton Beck, LLP. a boutique insurance defense firm located in Westchester County, New York. Eileen has 17 years of experience in general liability and insurance defense, specializing in construction accident and New York Labor Law litigation, negligent security claims, premises liability, municipal liability and long-term care litigation. Some of Eileen's clients include well-known property owners, contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, design professionals and private security companies. Eileen routinely handles high profile and significant exposure actions from pre-suit investigation through trial. She defends clients through New York City's five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess Counties. She has her OSHA-10 certification, and has lectured on the implication of OSHA training and Labor Laws. Eileen is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut State Courts and New York Eastern, Southern and Northern district Federal Courts of New York.

Diana M. Gerstberger is a Senior Claims specialist at Axis Insurance located in Alpharetta, GA where she currently handles a variety of complex litigated claims including New York Labor Law, Products Liability, and Premise Liability and Construction Defect matters. Ms. Gerstberger has over 17 years' experience in the insurance industry as a claims adjuster and insurance defense counsel. She is the current Chair for the DRI Construction Law Section. Ms. Gerstberger is licensed to practice in California.

Jon A. Hammerbeck has been a member of the firm Ford, Walker, Haggerty & Behar, in Long Beach, California, since October of 2000, and has been a partner since 2006. He is a member of the State Bar of California, along with having Federal Bar memberships with the United States Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Eastern, Central and Southern District Courts of California. He is a certified mediator. He is a member of the mediation panel for San Diego Superior Court. His practice includes construction, tort, real property and mediation matters.He is an active member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Construction Law committee. He is a member of the DRI Construction Law Steering Committee, and is a past chair of the 2016 Construction Law Conference and Construction Community Group as well. He has published multiple articles in DRI publications, including articles on expert witness practice, trends in construction law, green building litigation and elder abuse arbitration issues, as well as the California supplement to the DRI Construction Law Desk Reference. He has been a presenter at conferences and seminars on a variety of topics held by Associated Defense Counsel of Southern California, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Associated Claims Conference, Community College Facilities Conference and DRI.

Ryan L. Harrison is a partner in Paine|Bickers LLP's Austin office. Licensed in California and Texas, Ryan's practice is focused on construction disputes and other complex tort litigation. He has represented general contractors and subcontractors in matters involving a wide variety of structures, including commercial and residential buildings. Ryan is rated "AV Preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell in Litigation and Construction Law. Ryan was selected to the Texas Super Lawyers Magazine – Rising Stars list for Construction Litigation in 2016. He is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, an honorary society chartered by the Supreme Court of Texas. Ryan is also a member of the Austin Bar Association Construction Law Section, Construction Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and International Association of Defense Counsel. As a member of DRI's Construction Law Committee, Ryan currently serves as the Vice-Chair of Publications and as the Editor of the Committee's newsletter, The Critical Path. Ryan is also the Vice-Chair of Publications for IADC's Construction Law and Litigation Committee.

Stephen J. Henning is a co-founder of Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP, an AmLaw 200 law firm with 22 offices throughout the United States. Steve is a skilled litigator, nationally recognized for results in complex construction, real estate, business and toxic tort litigation. He regularly represents Fortune 500 companies and preeminent members of the business community, including some of the nation's largest residential and commercial public and private owners, homebuilders, developers, investors, contractors and lenders. A thought leader in the construction arena, he is frequently speaker and publisher of cutting edge topics. He has co-chaired the CLM National Construction Conference since inception, and is the first defense lawyer awarded the Jerold S. Oliver Award for contribution to the construction-defect community. An AV-rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, for the past ten years he has been selected for inclusion as either a "Rising Star" or "Super Lawyer."

David S. Jaffe is Vice President, Legal Advocacy for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. He specializes in industry advocacy in the areas of construction law and risk management. Mr. Jaffe focuses on identifying legal issues of concern to the building industry and proactively developing effective legal strategies to help builders minimize their liability and improve their business performance. He is the co-author of Contracts and Liability (5th edition) and is the author of Warranties and Disclaimers for Builders and Warranties and Disclaimers for Remodelers and co-author of Warranties for Builders and Remodelers (2nd edition).

David L. Jones is a partner in the law firm of Wright Lindsey Jennings in Little Rock, Arkansas. His practice focus is construction defect and related contract litigation, including representation of owners, contractors, design professionals, sureties, and suppliers. He is a contributing author to several construction law publications. He also presents on construction topics and is an active member of the Defense Research Institute's (DRI) Construction Committee, currently serving as Vice Chair. He previously served as board chair of a not-for-profit residential builder and as a board member for ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentor Program of Indiana.

Alicia R. Kennon is a partner at Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP where she specializes in the litigation of claims involving employment practices, professional liability, and construction-both defect and catastrophic personal injury. She is a fierce advocate for individual, public, and private clients facing allegations of unfair employment practices, negligence, and products liability. Alicia is regarded by peers, clients, mediators, and judges as being a creative pragmatist that is adept at assessing risk and formulating legal strategies that yield positive results for her clients. Alicia is an active member of the DRI Construction Law Committee and CLM. After successfully completing CLM's Litigation Management Institute at Columbia Law School, Alicia received the designation of Certified Litigation Management Professional. She is also an Associate Member of the National Association for Professional Employer Organization (NAPEO).

Justin T. Kestner, PE is the President and CEO of Haag Engineering Co. He has performed numerous structural and building envelope evaluations of residential and commercial buildings for damage from wind, flood, storm surge, foundation movement, fire, collapse, and of course, construction defects. Mr. Kestner has performed expert witness and consulting services including for cases involving product liability and construction defects. He is a licensed professional engineer in seventeen states, and has presented at PLRB and Windstorm conferences. Mr. Kestner has a BS degree in civil engineering from Villanova University, an MSCE degree from Lehigh University, and an MBA from Villanova.

Jeffrey (Jeff) Koonankeil is a Senior Claims Specialist for Capital Specialty Insurance Company ("CapSpecialty"), a subsidiary of Allegheny Corporation. Mr. Koonankeil graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2003. Mr. Koonankeil joined CapSpecialty in May 2016 to lead the Management Lines claims team. Prior to joining CapSpecialty, Mr. Koonankeil worked for a Lloyd's of London Syndicate handling EPL claims. Prior to that, he worked for a large domestic insurer handling Management Lines, Miscellaneous E&O and Fiduciary claims. Mr. Koonankeil practiced insurance coverage law for a Washington, DC based law firm.

Ashley Kramer is Senior Counsel, Litigation and Employment and Assistant Vice President of Safety and Risk Management at Comfort Systems USA. Comfort Systems is a national heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) company, with $1.79 billion in revenue and 37 subsidiaries. Ashley joined Comfort in July 2013. Prior to joining Comfort, Ashley worked for a boutique litigation firm in Houston, Texas where her practice focused primarily on construction defect, employment, and personal injury litigation.

Steven E. Lokus is Vice President – Head of Construction Claims and responsible for overseeing construction casualty claims nationwide. In addition, he is the Western Regional Vice President of the U.S. for Navigators' Primary Casualty/Excess Claims division. Before joining us, Steve served in various management positions at Fireman's Fund and West Coast Casualty Service. With more than 20 years of experience, he has handled and overseen large commercial primary and excess general claims, including claims within large self-insured retentions (SIRs) and wrap policies with a focus on coverage, liability, risk transfer and litigation management. Steve is the current secretary of the Construction Defect Claim Managers Association. He is a member of the Perrin Conferences Advisory Board, the Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance Construction Claims Advisory Board and the CLM Construction Executive Committee. Additionally, he is Co-Dean for the CLM Claims College School of Construction. Steve holds 14 separate state adjuster licenses. He often speaks at industry seminars, including the largest construction defect conference on the West Coast.

Laura Mahr is the founder of Conscious Legal Minds LLC, providing mindfulness-based coaching, training, and consulting for attorneys and law offices nationwide. Laura's cutting-edge work to build resilience to stress and burnout is informed by 11 years of practice as a civil sexual assault attorney, two decades of experience as a professional trainer, and 25 years as a student and teacher of mindfulness and yoga, and a love of neuroscience. Laura authors the Pathways to Wellbeing column in the North Carolina State Bar Journal and the Mindful Moment column in the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program's Sidebar publication. consciouslegalminds.com

John L. McCants is a member of Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina. Mr. McCants concentrates his practice in construction litigation, insurance coverage and bankruptcy law. He appears in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America© and the 2018 edition of South Carolina Super Lawyers® for construction litigation. He is a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America. He is the Publications Chair for the DRI Construction Law Committee.

James J. (Jim) McGuire is a Senior Claims Manager at Great American Risk Solutions. He is a 25 year claims veteran with 20 years of construction defect experience. His involvement with the latter includes everything from single family home to mass tort litigation involving tract homes and condominiums. Over the course of his career, Jim has been on the frontlines of many of the major construction defect challenges including EIFS, Mold and Chinese Drywall.

Traci A. McGuire is a Vice President of Claims at AmeriTrust Group, Inc. (formerly Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc.) Traci oversees litigated claims handled by AmeriTrust's General Liability and Specialty teams. She manages claims professionals that handle commercial general liability claims, as well as specialty claims including medical malpractice, education, construction accident, construction defect, excess, public entity, and professional liability. Prior to joining AmeriTrust in 2012, Traci was a litigator in private practice at a Columbus based law firm for 13 years and specialized in business litigation and medical malpractice defense.

Mary E. McPherson is a partner at Tressler LLP and handles complex coverage matters exclusively on behalf of the insurance industry. She is highly experienced in counseling and representing insurers in construction defect, complex bad faith, asbestos, SIR, allocation, additional insured, rescission, personal injury, environmental and primary/excess coverage issues on a nationwide basis. Mary is a frequent lecturer on insurance coverage issues and has authored numerous articles on legal issues for handling coverage matters. She is a frequent contributor to Tressler's Commercial General Liability Dispatch as well as Tressler's insurance bad faith publication.

Phyllis A. Modlin is a Claims Manager with Markel in Woodland Hills, California. Ms. Modlin received her B.A. degree from University of California at Santa Barbara and her J.D. degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She manages a unit handling construction defect claims in Texas and the western states. She also serves as a claims advocate to underwriting for risk assessment, program and business development. Ms. Modlin is proficient in all aspects of claims handling and management, including damage, liability and coverage issues, reserving, risk transfer, auditing, litigation management and expense control measures.

Joseph F. Moore, PE is with the San Francisco office of Hanson Bridgett trained and qualified as both a lawyer and a civil engineer. He assists clients with technically challenging transactions and disputes, domestically and internationally. He has a particular focus upon construction related arbitration and the implementation of technology in the construction industry. . His experiences include the arbitration of matters administered by the American Arbitration Association, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the DIAC, as well as ad hoc proceedings. His experiences also include the negotiation and drafting of construction procurement documents and the implementation of computer aided building modeling. He currently serves as an officer on the International Construction Projects Committee of the International Bar Association and he is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He routinely lectures on construction-related technology and has been invited to present at numerous universities including the University of the Pacific in Lima, Peru; the University of the Andes in Santiago, Chile; and Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge, England.

Michael Steven (Mike) Moore, PE, is a Senior Manager at CCIS Construction Consultants, Inc. where he has provided engineering and construction expert services to the legal and insurance industry for the past 10 years. As both a licensed professional engineer and general contractor, Mike brings a unique perspective of more than 40 years of continuous construction experience to a wide range of construction claims and disputes. Mike holds civil engineering and general contractor licenses in several states and remains active in general contracting in Charlotte, North Carolina where he resides.

Sean M. Piccola is in-house Division Counsel for D.R. Horton, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia where he heads the Division's legal department and oversees land and lot acquisition, land entitlement and litigation. Mr. Piccola has years of experience as a real estate litigator and transactional attorney, and as in-house counsel for residential homebuilding entities. Mr. Piccola has both acted as and managed outside counsel in a multitude of legal contexts for over a decade.

Kenya Thacker Pierre is Vice-President and General Counsel for Arauco North America, a leader in composite panel manufacturing, and oversees the legal operations and overall compliance and regulations of 10 mills throughout the US & Canada. She is a cum laude Chemistry/pre-med graduate of Spelman College and a Law Review graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Kenya first started her law career as a patent attorney with the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio supporting the Beauty Care Division. She then moved to Atlanta to support global juice and nutritional research science with The Coca-Cola Company. Subsequently, at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Roswell, Georgia, Kenya served in a variety of roles supporting patent prosecution and transactions in corporate research and innovation, corporate litigation, global compliance and as assistant general counsel for Global Nonwovens.

Jayne Ann Skrzysowski-Pittman is a partner at Conroy Simberg and Chairs its Construction Practice Group in Orlando, Florida. Her practice involves the defense of general contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers, suppliers and design professionals in complex construction defect litigation, and products liability cases in civil, federal and arbitration venues. She also represents carriers at mediation on insurance coverage issues relating to construction litigation to include additional insured recovery and indemnification demands. She has been the primary lead counsel in numerous multimillion-dollar construction defect cases including residential, multi-family, single family custom homes, condominiums and commercial buildings with values in excess of $20 million. She consistently represents all types of construction relating to building products and components ranging from siding, windows, roofs to exterior stucco and paint. Jayne is Board certified in Construction Law, has completed more than 100 construction meditations and defended more than 75 expert depositions of engineers, architects and industry executives. In addition, she has presented seminars throughout Florida and at national venues on construction topics that include additional insured recovery to adjusters and construction professionals. Jayne currently serves as the 2018-2019 Chair of The Florida Bar's Construction Law Certification Committee.

Robert Plichta, AIA, NCARB, CPP, is a Senior Consultant/Forensic Architect with ESI, and has over 30 years' experience in the architectural field. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of premises liability, construction defects, and code compliance. His work includes the investigation, analysis, code compliance, installation methods, maintenance and repair solutions of buildings and sites, building envelope failures, slip/trip/fall incidents, loading dock accidents, ADA compliance, construction site accidents, and issues relating to design professionals' standards of care.

Linda Pretzel of RiverStone Claims Managment has over 30 years claims and risk management experience. In addition to her extensive involvement in Construction Defect litigation (emphasis on Wraps and Developers), Linda has expertise in handling E & O (Architects, Engineers, Legal, Real-estate, Accounting, and Insurance agents), D & O, and EPLI claims. Linda's educational background includes a Juris Doctorate and a Masters in Finance.

Mark A. Rhodes, MS, PE, RRC, LEED AP is the Eastern Region Senior Construction Division Manager, based in the Atlanta, Georgia office. He has more than 30 years of experience in civil and geotechnical engineering, construction materials consulting and testing, and construction management involving all types of residential and commercial buildings and structures, as well as heavy civil and transportation facilities. Mr. Rhodes specializes in the evaluation of claims and disputes related to civil and structural engineering design errors, structural failures, building envelope deficiencies, and construction defects. He also examines the cause of property damage claims that arise from construction blasting, storm winds, and moisture intrusion related to roofing systems, building foundations, superstructures, and exterior cladding systems. With extensive dispute resolution experience related to contracts, design, engineering, and construction management, Mr. Rhodes has provided engineering consultations and testified in numerous depositions and arbitrations. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in Construction Management from Southern Polytechnic State University. Mr. Rhodes has published four papers that have been presented at large national transportation and engineering conferences. He holds engineering licenses in 23 states and is a Registered Roof Consultant.

Karen B. Rice is the Head of Construction Claims, North America, for AXA XL out of Los Angeles, CA. She supports several business units, including Construction, Excess Casualty, and Surplus Lines. Prior to joining XL in 2011 she was the National Construction Defect Claim Manager for OneBeacon Insurance (OBI), and the AVP of National Construction Defect claims and Western States ACE Risk Management claims with ACE USA. Ms. Rice has sat on the DRI Construction Law Steering Committee for the past several years, and is on the Construction Advisory Board for CLM. She is also on the advisory board for ALFA International Construction Committee and has been a frequent lecturer at various Construction and Insurance Law seminars throughout the country, including Defense Research Institute, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, West Coast Casualty Annual Construction Defect Seminar, HB Litigation Construction Law, and the American Bar Association. Ms. Rice earned her Bachelors degree from University of California at Santa Barbara and her Masters in Business Administration from the University of LaVerne.

Mark D. Shifton is a Senior Partner in the Princeton, New Jersey and New York City offices of Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP. Mark focuses his practice in the areas of complex civil and commercial litigation in the state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York, and has extensive experience representing clients in catastrophic property loss and injury claims and litigation, as well as representing design professionals and contractors in construction disputes. Mark serves as the Co-Vice Chair for the DRI's 2019 Construction Law Seminar, and recently completed a two-year term as the Product Liability Committee's Building Products Specialized Litigation Group.

Duane E. Shinnick is a partner at Shinnick and Ryan NV, P.C. From 1974 to 1986, Duane was a Deputy District Attorney in San Diego, prosecuting a full range of criminal and civil cases, trying over 100 jury trials. He had a 100% felony trial conviction rate, became the youngest Deputy DA assigned to the Major Violator Unit to prosecute career criminals, and was elected by his fellow prosecutors as President of the Deputy District Attorneys Association. In 1986, Duane left the District Attorneys Office and ever since then has exclusively handled construction defect cases on behalf of more than 10,000 homeowners and more than 100 homeowner associations in California and Nevada. He holds a bachelors of science in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, J.D., and an M.B.A. from University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Jennifer Stancil joined Beazley Group in 2014 in the Group Claims – Specialty Lines Division as an Employment Practices Liability Claim Manager. Beazley Group is a Lloyd's of London syndicate and a global insurer with an expertise in specialist products. In this capacity, Jennifer manages employment practices liability claims for both U.S. and London markets. Prior to joining Beazley, Jennifer was an attorney in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, focusing in the areas of insurance, general liability, and employment defense litigation. Jennifer earned her B.A. from Wake Forest University and J.D from the University of Georgia School of Law.

William C. Turner has served as arbitrator and mediator in complex civil cases in a full-time compacity since 2005. Prior to that, in addition to his busy civil practice, Bill was serving as a mediator and arbitrator since 1988. He has been involved in mediating and arbitraing construction and contract disputes, including payment disputes for $2 Billion concerning the MGM City Center Project in Las Vegas; and a $60 Million contractual and construction arbitration over the collapse of four 100 foot towers holding cable used to construct a new replacement bridge at the Hoover Dam. He has mediated, arbitrated and/or litigated over 400 commercial and other construction and contract disputes involving business contracts, work performance issues, timely completion of work, failure to pay by the developer or contractors, and lien issues. He has also served as a Special Master for certain construction issues for the Eighth Judicial District. Bill holds a B.A. and J.D. from Emory University.

Benjamin S. Wilner, PhD economist and statistician who regularly serves as a consultant and testifying expert witness on financial damages, economic, and statistical issues. Dr. Wilner's disputes experience encompasses many industries and a broad range of single plaintiff, class action and criminal disputes. Dr. Wilner also advises corporations and governments on economic and statistical issues. For example, in addition to redesigning statistical aspects of an automobile manufacturer's warranty process, Dr. Wilner received a special commendation from the Commissioner of US Customs & Border Protection for building an economic model to restructure a $2.5 billion tariff. Dr. Wilner was a professor at the University of Michigan, University of Iowa, Northwestern University, and the Helsinki School of Economics. Dr. Wilner was a research assistant for a Nobel Prize–winning economist and studied under two other Nobel Laureates.

David V. Wilson II practices in the area of construction and business litigation in both Texas and Nevada. He has tried well over 100 cases as first chair lawyer in a variety of cases. He has also served as lead counsel in over 70 appellate cases, including at the Texas Supreme Court. His practice includes extensive trial and appellate representation as lead counsel, primarily on behalf of the construction, manufacturing, insurance and oil and gas industries. He is a past chair of the DRI Construction Law Committee and current editor of the Construction Law Newsletter of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel.

Diana L. Winfrey is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Tressler LLP. Diana represents insurance companies in coverage and related matters, with an emphasis on construction defect cases involving multiple primary and excess policies, as well as OCIP (Wrap Up) policies. Diana's practice also includes coverage analysis for first- and third-party general liability, aviation and products liability claims. In addition to addressing insurance coverage issues she counsels clients regarding underwriting and issues related to the drafting of policy language and endorsements, as well as claims handling and other business practices. Diana has over 20 years of experience in construction, both from a defense and insurance coverage standpoint, that provide her a unique ability to evaluate coverage claims from a global perspective. She works closely with claim representatives to assist in overall strategy for claims investigations, with a goal for early resolution.

Andrew (Drew) Youpel, STSC, CRIS is a loss control consultant at Lockton. Drew is a dedicated Safety Professional with 13 years of relevant work experience in private and public sector. Drew demonstrates commitment in delivering comprehensive safety and health services to his clients. Drew's safety consulting services and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, developing client-specific service plans; generating recommendations to assist clients with the reduction of losses; interpreting compliance with mandated state, federal, and local safety and health regulations. Drew is a former Federal OSHA Compliance Officer and Investigator, and since leaving OSHA, he has been hired as an Expert witness in litigated worker injury cases, and has conducted in depth investigations of large scale accidents and fatalities. As a Corporate Safety Director for the largest Steel Erection company in Chicago, Drew oversaw large scale projects from the ground up, and is an expert in crane use in the field.

Glenn M. Zakaib is a partner with BLG's Toronto office as National Co-chair of the Class Actions Group, providing strategic direction and coordination of the group across Canada. He has an extensive background in precedent-setting class actions matters, bringing astute insights forward to defend public and private sector clients against all manner of claims. Mr. Zakaib's expertise extends across industry sectors. He has a strong track record of successfully defending class action proceedings and product liability claims related to medical, consumer, industrial, pharmaceutical, automotive, aviation, and electrical products, as well as life insurance, misrepresentation, and Competition Act claims.