DRI Faculty List
Fire Science and Litigation Seminar Seminar
Grand Hyatt Washington | Washington, DC | September 10 - 11, 2020
Eric M. Benstock, PE, IEng, CFEI McDowell Owens Engineering
Eric M. Benstock, PE, IEng, CFEI is a Principal at McDowell Owens Engineering and serves as the Director of Operations. He received his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston and his B.Sc. in Business Administration from Framingham State University in Massachusetts. He is a licensed professional engineer in nine states, an Incorporated Engineer in the UK and a member in the Institute of Fire Engineers. Mr. Benstock is a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator and has over 25 years of experience in Forensic Engineering and Origin & Cause Investigations. |
Kristine K. Campbell Assistant General Counsel
U-Haul International Inc
Kristine K. Campbell is Assistant General Counsel at U-Haul International, Inc. Kristine focuses her practice on defending class actions, products liability and real estate litigation. Prior to joining U-Haul, Kristine was at Greenberg Traurig, LLP focusing on class action defense and was an active member in DRI. |
Chelsea M. Croy Smith Associate
Tucker Ellis LLP
Chelsea M. Croy Smith defends product manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in product liability litigation across the country, focusing on fire-related claims. As a CFEI, Chelsea plays an active role in each phase of a fire-related claim, including attending scene inspections and laboratory examinations. She works closely with origin and cause experts to determine defense strategies that best suit clients' interests. She also prepares pleadings, coordinates discovery, takes and defends expert depositions, drafts dispositive and evidentiary motions, and sets strategy for trial. |
Scott E. Dillon, PE P.E., CFEI
ESi
Scott E. Dillon, PE is a licensed professional engineer with over 20 years of experience in fire protection engineering, fire science and fire investigation. He provides clients with expert consultation regarding fire protection systems, fire dynamics, fire testing and compliance with codes and standards. He has experience performing origin and cause investigations involving residences as well as commercial, industrial, chemical and agricultural facilities. He also has experience managing large fire and explosion scenes as well as investigations involving fuel-gas systems and equipment. |
Nathan Dwyer, PE, CFI Fire Findings
Nathan Dwyer, PE, CFI is an IAAI-certified fire investigator (CFI), NAFI-certified fire and explosion investigator (CFEI) and licensed professional engineer (PE) in multiple states who has been investigating fires and explosions since 2003. He graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Nathan is the owner of Fire Findings, a uniquely combined training facility and independent forensic laboratory. Fire Findings specializes in investigations involving appliance failures and fires, as well as gas and electrical systems. |
Stuart J. (Stu) Goldberg Eastman & Smith Ltd.
Stuart J. (Stu) Goldberg is an owner at Eastman & Smith Ltd. His practice includes fire, product liability, general casualty, fraud investigations and professional negligence. Stu is a member of DRI's Product Liability Committee, and has spoken previously at its Product Liability Conferences and Fire Science and Litigation Seminars. Stu is a past president of the Toledo Bar Assn., and continues to volunteer on several of its committees, and fundraises for the American Heart Assn, and the United Way of Greater Toledo. |
Adam Goodman S-E-A
Adam Goodman is a Fire Protection Engineer/Fire Investigator with S-E-A. In addition to fire/explosion origin and cause, he analyzes incidents involving fire-related deaths/injuries, fire suppression and detection system failures (water-based, commercial kitchen, special hazard, smoke/fire alarms), fire department responses/operations, confined spaces and carbon monoxide exposures. Analysis can include fire testing and research, fire dynamics, flame spread, computer fire modeling and code analysis. He is also an active firefighter and has served as a Chief Officer. |
Amy E. Gray, PhD, PE Senior Consultant
ESi
Amy E. Gray, PhD, PE is a licensed mechanical engineer with expertise in thermal-fluid sciences. She applies this specialized knowledge to provide clients with consultation regarding fires, explosions, and mechanical product liability. Failure investigations conducted by Dr. Gray have included fuel gas explosions, aircraft accidents involving fires, tank and boiler ruptures, natural gas pipeline and utility incidents, fuel spread and dispersion, gas-fueled appliances, and chemical processing plant incidents. Additionally, she has experience in Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Computed Tomography (CT) data analysis, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). |
Sean C. Griffin Member
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Sean C. Griffin is a member in the Washington, D.C. office of Dykema. He litigates breach of contract and fraud cases before courts, arbitrators, and mediators around the country. He also responds to subpoenas investigating violations of federal or state laws, including the False Claims Act, anti-bribery laws, and securities laws and regulations. Additionally, he assists clients with data security and responding to data breaches. |
Stephen M. Hill, PE Jensen Hughes
Stephen M. Hill, PE is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer with Jensen Hughes. He has 21 years of experience and provides litigation support services involving fire and explosion investigations and fire protection system performance. He conducts fire testing, fire and egress modeling, analyses involving fire dynamics, spread and heat transfer, code compliance assessments, and performs structural fire protection and building materials evaluations. Mr. Hill also has experience in building, fire and life safety code consulting. |
Lynne O. Ingram Member
Campbell Conroy & O'Neil PC
Lynne O. Ingram is a seasoned trial lawyer who defends civil matters across the country, through all stages of litigation. Lynne works with clients in a broad range of industries, including construction, hospitality, insurance, medical, and product design and manufacturing. Prior to entering private practice, Lynne spent more than 5 years as an ADA in Philadelphia, where she tried over 40 felony jury trials. Lynne is the co-chair of her firm's Diversity Committee, active in DRI and the FDCC, and volunteers at her local hospital's NICU. |
Zachary J. Jason, PE CFI, CFEI Senior Project Engineer
AEI Corporation
Zachary J. Jason, PE CFI, CFEI is a forensic engineer that specializes in post-incident investigative work, including fire origin and cause determination, explosion investigations, engineering analysis of thermal and mechanical incidents, and full-scale testing. With over 15 years of experience, Zach is a Principal Engineer with AEI Corporation, a licensed professional mechanical engineer in multiple states, and a certified fire and explosion investigator (CFI/CFEI). He is also nationally recognized as a Board-Certified Forensic Engineer through the National Academy of Forensic Engineers. |
Benjamin Knox, PhD, PE Colwell Consulting LLC
Benjamin Knox, PhD, PE is a Senior Engineer at Colwell Consulting where he specializes in the area of fire and explosion investigation. He conducts fire origin and cause investigations involving recreational and passenger vehicles, marine vessels, lawn mowers, commercial and residential structures, electrical appliances, as well as industrial equipment. Dr. Knox also has experience in the analysis of eyewitness testimony and fire related injuries, such as burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke inhalation. |
Melanie C. Lockett Partner
Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver LLP
Melanie C. Lockett is a Partner at Lowe, Stein, Hoffman, Allweiss & Hauver LLP, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She enjoys a diverse trial and appellate practice with an emphasis on insurance coverage and defense in the areas of commercial general liability, professional liability, extra-contractual liability, and bad faith. Melanie is a Steering Committee Member for the DRI Insurance Law Committee, Diversity Committee, and is on the DRI Law Institute. |
Stefan A. Mallen Associate General Counsel
Emerson Electric Company
Stefan A. Mallen is Associate General Counsel for Litigation and Arbitration at Emerson Electric Co., where he manages the company's global litigation strategy and portfolio. Prior to joining Emerson in January 2019, Stefan was a product liability and commercial litigation Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Stefan received his J.D. from the University of Missouri, and his B.B.A. from the University of Michigan. |
Jamie McAllister, PhD, PE, CFI FireTox LLC
Jamie McAllister, PhD, PE, CFI is the Technical Director of FireTox, LLC. She is a fire protection engineer, a forensic toxicologist, and a certified fire investigator. She has investigated hundreds of fires and offered expert opinions on issues such as contributory causes in fire deaths the impact of code violations on fire growth and spread, product failures and defects, fire dynamics, and carbon monoxide poisonings. Additionally, Dr. McAllister served as a code official for the federal government and was responsible for the enforcement of fire and life safety provisions set forth in OSHA regulations, the International Building and Fire Codes, and NFPA standards. |
Gretchen N. Miller Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Gretchen N. Miller is a Shareholder in the Litigation Practice of Greenberg Traurig's Chicago office. She concentrates her practice in product liability and toxic tort litigation in state and federal courts. As trial counsel, Gretchen has tried cases on behalf of manufacturers of consumer, industrial and automotive products. As national counsel, Gretchen oversees litigation nationwide and counsels clients on risk management strategies and compliance with regulatory authorities, including the CPSC, NHTSA and EPA. Gretchen is the Product Liability Committee Vice Chair, is a member of IADC and is recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer. |
Delmar R. (Trey) Morrison III, PhD, PE, CFEI Principal Engineer
Exponent
Delmar R. (Trey) Morrison III, PhD, PE, CFEI is a chemical engineer who specializes in investigating and analyzing products equipment, systems and processes to aid owners, manufacturers, and insurers in incident investigation, root cause analysis, and evaluation and mitigation of risks. He has been presented as an expert and advised clients in various adjudicatory venues such as federal court, various state courts, mediations, and international arbitration tribunals. He investigates origin, cause, and engineering issues related to complex incidents involving fires, explosions, chemical processes and industrial operations. |
Nicholas A. Nava, PE, CFEI Exponent
Nicholas A. Nava, PE, CFEI is a professional fire protection engineer that applies fire science and fire protection engineering principles to the analysis of fire protection systems, consumer product performance, material fire performance, and origin and cause investigation of residential, commercial, and industrial fires and explosions. Mr. Nava's project work experience includes fire modeling as it relates to origin and cause fire and explosion investigations, modeling fire protection system (sprinklers, smoke alarms, heat detectors) response to fires, and building and fire code compliance. |
William A. Posey Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
William A. Posey is a partner with Keating Muething & Klekamp, PLL in Cincinnati, Ohio with over 40 years of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in significant product liability and personal injury actions in over 30 states. He began his career in fire and explosion litigation in the Beverly Hills Supper Club litigation. He recently was lead trial counsel for U-Hail International in the Philadelphia food truck propane explosion litigation. As plaintiff's counsel he has obtained numerous multimillion verdicts and settlements. |
Kathryn A. (Katy) Regier Shareholder
Sandberg Phoenix
Kathryn A. (Katy) Regier is an attorney with Sandberg Phoenix in its Kansas City, Missouri office. Ms. Regier is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Kansas and California. She has a wide range of civil litigation experience including product liability matters involving fires, explosions and carbon monoxide exposure in fatality, serious injury and high-dollar property damages cases across the country. Ms. Regier is a DRI member. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the DRI Fire Science & Litigation Group and is also Chair of the DRI Women in the Law Publications Committee. Ms. Regier authors legal issues articles for the propane industry; provides risk management presentations and consults with companies on warning, training and safety measures. She received a Kansas City Business Journal Best of the Bar award in 2012 and was recognized by DRI in 2014 as an Outstanding Committee Leader for her work as co-editor of the Women in the Law publication: Women Rainmakers: Roadmap to Success. Ms. Regier is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. While in law school, she was Articles Editor for the Kansas Law Review and participated in the Judicial Clerkship Clinic at the Kansas Court of Appeals. |
Bradley D. (Brad) Remick Shareholder
Marshall Dennehey
Bradley D. (Brad) Remick is the Co-Chair of Marshall, Dennehey's Product Liability Practice Group and concentrates his practice on the defense of complex product liability and fire cases for small, medium and large (Fortune 500) manufacturing companies and their distributors. He defends the manufacturers of tools, electrical components, scaffolding and lifts, tires, paint, automatic doors, machinery, backhoes and other heavy industrial equipment. He also defends manufacturers of complex heat exchangers, chemical pumping systems and other industrial systems. Brad is national counsel to a company that designs and manufactures thermal fluid heaters and boilers. His background in fire fighting has given him additional insight into the defense of cases on behalf of manufacturers of electrical components, electricians and others alleged to have started fires. |
Amy E. Richardson Partner
Harris Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
Amy E. Richardson is a partner with the law firm of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP. Ms. Richardson practices in Washington D.C. and Raleigh, North Carolina. She focuses on complex civil litigation and legal ethics and malpractice. Ms. Richardson works closely with retailers and mobile marketers in cases involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. She also has extensive experience with multidistrict litigations. Ms. Richardson has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and ranked among Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite." She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Law and Duke University School of Law. |
Kathryn C. Rivet O'Connell Attmore & Morris LLC
Kathryn C. Rivet brings a practical perspective to her commercial clients, as she worked for international manufacturing and distribution companies for years before becoming an attorney. She has spent more than a decade practicing civil litigation, defending national clients from fire claims and product defect claims involving the loss of life and property. Based in Hartford, Connecticut, Attorney Rivet regularly attends fire scene and fire artifact investigations throughout the United States while staying current with industry developments. |
Melissa K. Roeder Of Counsel
Foley & Mansfield PLLP
Melissa K. Roeder Of Counsel in Foley & Mansfield's Seattle office, and is a nationwide leader in developing educational programs to prepare cannabis businesses for the various legal issues and litigation facing this nascent industry, including product and premises liability for both recreational and medical marijuana growers, suppliers and vendors. Career achievements include being selected as one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in Washington State, a "Super Lawyer" from 2012-present, riding her Harley and climbing Mt. Rainier which she vows she will never do again. |
Andrew E. Stead Partner
McMillan LLP
Andrew E. Stead is a litigation partner in McMillan's Calgary office. Andrew has extensive experience in both litigation and arbitrations, including defending product liability claims, energy (oil and gas), class actions and construction disputes. Andrew has successfully acted for numerous automobile, recreational vehicle, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle manufacturers. Andrew has often spoken and published on issues relating to these disputes. Andrew also has broad experience defending all manner of product liability claims, including those arising from alarm system manufacturing and installation, fire suppression, plumbing products and pharmaceuticals.He has appeared before all levels of court in Alberta as well as administrative and regulatory tribunals. He also represents clients before all levels of court in Ontario as well as the Saskatchewan Court of Queens's Bench. |
Steve Taub Assistant General Counsel
U-Haul International Inc
Steve Taub Bio Requested |
C. Tripp Wagner III, IAAI-CFI Jensen Hughes
C. Tripp Wagner III, IAAI-CFI is a Senior Mechanical Engineer and Certified Fire Investigator with 16 years' experience in fire and explosion forensic investigations. Mr. Wagner is an alternate member on the Technical Committee on Fire Investigations, NFPA 921. He has instructed fire science at the collegiate level and prior to joining Jensen Hughes spent 12 years with The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office conducting forensic investigations. Prior to that Mr. Wagner was employed as a firefighter/EMT with Arlington County, VA. |
Randy Watson, IAAI-CFI S-E-A
Randy Watson, IAAI-CFI is the Director of Technical Training and a Senior Fire Investigator with SEA, Ltd. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining S-E-A in 1992, he spent 15 years investigating fires and explosions incidents for the fire service, law enforcement, and private sector. Mr. Watson has been a member of the NFPA 921 Technical Committee since 1992 and Chairman since 2008. |
James E. Weatherholtz Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
James E. Weatherholtz is a Partner in the Charleston, South Carolina office of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from The Citadel in 1996, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1999. His primary areas of practice are product liability - including building products and class actions - and construction law. Mr. Weatherholtz is a Past Chair of the South Carolina Bar Construction Law Section. He is also an active member of the DRI (The Voice of the Defense Bar) Product Liability Committee, having served as program chair, chair of the building products specialized litigation group, and currently as Vice Chair of the Committee. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Construction Law. He is the Chair of the Construction Practice Team at Womble and is a frequent lecturer on construction and product liability topics. |