Speakers & Presenters

Adam Davis has multiple areas of expertise: research design, questionnaire development, fielding administration, focus group moderating, and in-depth interviewing. He has conducted hundreds of research projects throughout the United States and on location in Europe and Japan.

A representative listing of major projects Adam has helped design and implement include: the Alaska Visitors Statistics Program, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Studies, education reform research for Foundations for A Better Oregon, land use and transportation opinion research for the Southern California Association of Governments, a seven-state study about natural resources for the Tennessee Valley Authority, baseline opinion research for the Northwest Health Foundation, and consumer research for clients including OHSU and PacifiCorp.

A graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, Adam also holds a B.S. in political science from Portland State University. While at the University of Oregon, he was director of the Interviewing Skills Project. One of Adam’s specialties is assisting trial attorneys with pretrial opinion research and communicating more effectively with juries.

Adam has been a guest speaker for many groups including the American Planning Association, Northwest Public Schools Public Relations Association, Council of Foundations, and the American Society of Trial Consultants. He is a recognized national authority on public opinion research design, has published articles in national periodicals, and has served as an expert witness.

Robin Doussard is a journalist with more than 30 years experience as a writer, editor and senior manager. She has been Editor of Oregon Business magazine for the past two and a half years. Oregon Business is a 26-year-old monthly statewide business magazine with a readership of more than 50,000 business, government and opinion leaders.

Before moving to Portland five years ago, Robin was the senior editor for the arts, culture and business at the Orange County Register, a metro daily newspaper in Southern California, for eight years.

Before that, she was the arts and culture editor for the daily San Jose Mercury News and culture and lifestyle editor of the daily South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Her work has received numerous awards, including a Robert F. Kennedy award for coverage of disadvantaged children, a 2007 Society of Professional Journalists first place award for environmental reporting, and a 2007 gold award for column writing from the Alliance of Area Business Publications.

She has a journalism degree from the University of South Florida.

Gail Hand has logged 20 successful years in corporate sales and  management with corporations such as American Express, Southwestern Bell, and Macy’s, where she garnered multiple awards including 10 leadership awards.

Gail, now a corporate speaker, author and sales guru, started her stand-up career in 1989 in San Francisco and has since toured over 1,000 companies, universities and associations in the U.S. and Canada.

Gail is the owner of two prestigious companies — Insightful Women Speakers and The Power of Laughter. She is a member of the National Speakers Association, National Association for Campus Activities, COCA, ACUI, a member of the International Federation of Speakers, and is highlighted in Who's Who in Professional Speaking. She is past president of the Oregon National Speakers Association near her home in Portland, Oregon.

Gail has been featured in numerous media from coast to coast including: ABC, CBS, NBC Honolulu, Gotham TV New York City, KQED TV San Francisco, The Hollywood Star, AM Northwest, Curve Magazine, and Women's Health and Fitness magazine. The media has highlighted her work producing Power of Laughter clubs. Gail has her own YouTube Channel, is an avid blogger, and is author of The Power of Laughter and the forthcoming books The Power of Prospecting and The Power of Leadership.

Lunch Keynote address: THE POWER OF LAUGHTER ON THE JOB

David G. Hosenpud is a shareholder at Lane Powell.  His employment and commercial litigation practices involve suits in both federal and state courts with emphasis in recent years on class action defense.

He has extensive trial experience, with over 85 trials, and has defended through summary judgment and verdict wage and hour class action claims, claims involving Title VII and FMLA, OFLA, ADA and ADEA discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, as well as tort claims that arise in the employment context.

Other recent litigation experience in the commercial context includes multi-million dollar claims involving breach of contract and fiduciary duties; letter of credit litigation, as well as claims involving tortious interference with contract and business relations, non-competition actions, and misappropriation of confidential and trade secret information.

  He received his J.D. degree from the University of Oregon where he served as Editor-In-Chief of the Oregon Law Review and his B.A. degree, with highest honors, from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

HR track workshop:
EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK PROVISIONS FOR BEST COMPANIES

Andrew Insinga has been the president and CEO of Mediamerica for two years. His magazine publishing career spans more than 17 years and a myriad of niches including law, software, telecom, insurance, apparel, satellite, auto and southwest art among others.

His experience as Vice President with Wiesner Publishing included the launch of multiple titles and trade shows, including Senior Market Advisor and Benefits Selling magazines which are now among the leading media in the insurance and financial planning industry.

Andrew's publishing background encompasses time spent with market leaders including Primedia, Cowles, A&M and Trader, and includes six new magazine and two trade show launches along with multiple publishing awards from BPAA, WPA, SBA, IDEA and a coveted ALFIE. Andrew's media work has been featured in the pages of FOLIO and EXPO magazines.

Mediamerica is a Portland-based company that publishes Oregon Business and Oregon Home magazines, along with custom publications such as Travel Oregon.

Karin Kolodziejski specializes in leadership and executive assessment, development planning, and coaching and has coached executives in a broad range of industries and functional areas.

As an internal consultant, manager, and corporate director for two high technology Fortune 500 companies for 15 plus years, she learned how to lead and manage people and functions through that which has no substitute: real life management experience.  During those years, Karin was responsible for the direct management of a variety of staff and line teams of professionals.

In her work with executives as an external consultant for the past 13 years, Karin draws upon her own leadership experience and her knowledge of state-of-the-art “people” technologies.  Karin holds a Masters of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and is a licensed Psychologist in the state of Oregon.  Over the last 20 years, Karin also has received a variety of certifications in management coaching programs.

HR track workshop:
UNLEASHING YOUR EMPLOYEES’ POTENTIAL

David Layzell is a native Englishmen and naturalized American with two native Oregonian children. He has been teaching at PSU as an adjunct professor since 2003 while still working for Intel Corporation from which he retired in February 2007.

In the 26 years with Intel he held a number of Senior Finance roles and more recently headed up their Business Ethics Program. He is currently an Associate Director of PSU’s Center for Professionalism and Accountability and a member of the Accounting Faculty teaching Business Ethics and Accounting. David is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a Masters degree in European Economics from Exeter University in England. He is an alumni of INSEAD‘s extended Management Program in Fontainebleau and has done graduate work at the City University of Dublin in Ireland.

In addition to teaching, David is hoping that the work with the Center for Professionalism Integrity and Accountability will help to bridge the communications gap between the Academy, Corporate thinking and the public perceptions of Corporations.

HR track workshop: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ETHICAL

Leah C. Lively is a Lane Powell shareholder. Her trial experience is extensive, including more than 40 collective cases as a prosecutor for Multnomah County and in her civil employment-defense litigation practice.

She has defended employers in California and Oregon, and has traveled to Philadelphia to successfully defend a national corporation in federal court.

Leah represents diverse clients, from Fortune 100 companies with hundreds of thousands of employees, to non-profit organizations, to small, locally owned businesses.  She exclusively defends employers from claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour violations.

Leah sits on the Board of the Children’s Relief Nursery.

Legal track workshop: BEST COMPANY PRACTICES TO MANAGE THE CHALLENGING EMPLOYEE

Trevor Lockwood, a Senior Consultant with Cascade Centers since 2000, earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work at Portland State University.

Licensed in the state of Oregon, his experience in the Organizational Development and Mental Health field includes consultation with supervisors and managers, Executive Coaching, program development, clinical supervision and direct clinical services to adults, children and families.

Trevor has conducted a wide variety of trainings and workshops including:  “Communication in the Workplace,” “An Innovative Approach to Dealing with Difficult People”, “Collaborative Negotiation; Helping Your Team Through Conflict,” and “The Importance of Managing Stress and Promoting Wellness,” to public and private companies including law firms, manufacturing, higher education, and service industries.

HR track workshop: BALANCING ACT

Su Midghall has over 10 years of experience in all phases of opinion research, including questionnaire design, field administration, focus group research, and presenting research results. She specializes in complex sample design and online survey techniques for the firm.

Su has managed hundreds of projects, including surveys for the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro (Oregon) Regional Government, Nike, and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). She also directs the research for the annual Oregon Business magazine’s 100 Best Survey, including making presentations about best business practices as defined by the employees and Oregon employers who participate in the survey.
 
Su specializes in community needs assessments and research about the values and beliefs of 18-34 year-olds. She has completed surveys for local governments around Oregon and focus group research with young people for the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Business Council, Portland Public Schools, and World Forestry Center. Her presentations include regularly meeting with high school and college students to share what opinion research involves and ways it can assist with planning and communications. She has also assisted Nike with employee training on consumer research.

Su received her undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee. She previously worked for the University of Tennessee implementing a marketing program to first-year MBA students and for GTE Corporation developing a strategic marketing plan.

D. Michael Reilly is the Director of Lane Powell’s Labor and Employment and Employee Benefits Practice Group.  He concentrates his practice representing small and large employers on employment litigation and advice in claims involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, ERISA, race, sex, religion, retaliation, family responsibility discrimination and disability claims.

He has successfully tried over 60 jury trials, arbitrations and bench trials, and successfully handled claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and  state administrative agencies.  Mike has served as lead counsel in an employee raiding/trade secret case as reported in the Wall Street Journal and defended companies in class action claims.  In 2008, Seattle Business Magazine ranked Mike a “Top Lawyer” in Labor and Employment Law.

Also in 2008, Chambers USA, which performs independent reviews of employment attorneys described Reilly as “truly phenomenal” with “superb legal instincts.”  In 2006 Washington CEO magazine named Mike a “Most Amazing” attorney and Washington Law and Politics Magazine routinely designates Reilly a “Super Lawyer.”  His remarks on employment issues have been quoted in Newsweek, Corporate Legal Times, Seattle Times, Employee Relations Law Journal, CFO.com and other professional journals and management publications. 

Legal track workshop: BEST LEGAL PRACTICES TO CREATE BEST COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Brandon Sawyer has been project manager for Oregon Business’ 100 Best Companies since 2004. He’s the primary contact between the magazine and all organizations that participate in the survey. Once the survey is complete, he compiles the list for the magazine and prepares individual research reports for participating companies, both with assistance from research partner Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall.

In addition to the 100 Best, he conducts surveys and research to produce the annual Top Private 150 Companies in Oregon, Oregon’s Public Companies and many other industry lists and that appear in the magazine. He prepares economic indicators, charts and articles appearing in Oregon Business, as well as producing all the magazine’s monthly content at oregonbusiness.com.

Before joining Oregon Business in 2001, he produced interactive quizzes and content at a baby boomer website, MyPrimeTime.com, in San Francisco, and wrote annual reports to shareholders for Franklin-Templeton mutual funds. He originally hails from Northern Colorado and has a degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State.

Susan Sokol Blosser is a co-founder of Sokol Blosser Winery in Dundee, Oregon.  She and Bill Blosser were early pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, clearing the land and planting their first vines in 1971. Susan managed the vineyards from 1980-1990 and was President from 1991-2007, leading Sokol Blosser Winery to become one of the most respected and best-known Oregon wineries, with national and international distribution.

Susan established herself as a leader in environmentally friendly winemaking, driving Sokol Blosser’s organic farming initiative and sustainable practices throughout the business.  Sokol Blosser was the first winery certified “Salmon-Safe” when the program started in 1996, the first winery in the world to receive the U.S Green Building Council’s prestigious LEED certification in 2002, and one of very few vineyard-winery operations in Oregon to have achieved full USDA organic certification.  In 2007, Sunset Magazine awarded Susan and Sokol Blosser their “Green Winery of the Year.”

Susan helped shape the Oregon wine industry for 30 years, as a founder and board member of the International Pinot Noir Celebration; a board member of the Yamhill Country Wineries Association; a founder of the Oregon Chapter of Women for WineSense; a founding winery of Salud; a founder of the Oregon Wine Marketing Coalition; an officer of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board; and a founder and board member of Oregon Pinot Camp.

In 2004, Susan received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Portland, citing her entrepreneurship within the context of sustainability and community service.  In 2006, Susan’s first person history, At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life, was published by the University of California Press. In 2007, the Classic Wines Auction selected Susan as the ORVI (Oregon Vintner) Award winner, the first woman in the Oregon wine industry to receive this award individually. In 2008, Susan received two Lifetime Achievement Awards, one from the Oregon Wine Board and another from Women for WineSense, a national wine organization. In 2008, she published Gracious and Ruthless: Surprising Strategies for Business Success.

Breakfast keynote address: GRACIOUS AND RUTHLESS

Renee Spears, president of Rose City Mortgage Specialists, started started her career in the mortgage industry working as a receptionist for a mom and pop mortgage company in Northern California.  Renee says, “I started as a temp receptionist.  One of my jobs was to file the loan guidelines.  Well, I read everything that I filed and after a couple of months I knew more about loans than the people running the company.”

For over 20 years Renee held every job in the industry from underwriter, to loan officer to operations manager to regional vice president.  And when she learned all that she could she decided to start her own business.

Rose City Mortgage Specialists was founded in the Spears’ family room in 1999.  Currently the company has 24 employees and was named The Better Business Bureau’s 2005 Small Business of the Year for Oregon and SW Washington.  

Rose City Mortgage is one of the nation’s first socially responsible mortgage brokers and donates back to the community for each loan they close. In 2007 and 2008, Rose City Mortgage was named by Oregon Business magazine as one of the top 100 places to work in Oregon.  Renee frequently speaks to the local business community about her business practices and how to keep employees happy and productive.  In 2005, Renee was voted one of the Portland Business Journal’s Business Women of the Year. The Portland Business Journal also named Rose City Mortgage as one of the Top Women Owned Businesses in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Executive track workshop: LEVERAGING A POSITIVE CULTURE

David L. Uyemura is an attorney in Portland whose field of practice is health and welfare benefits. He was a Principal and Senior Attorney with Marsh USA and Mercer Health and Benefits for ten years following ten years with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon as Associate General Counsel and Manager of the Portland Metropolitan Marketing Department.  Prior to Blue Cross, Dave was an Assistant Attorney General with the Oregon Department of Justice and for 13 years before that was in private legal practice.

Dave received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon and his Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Business Administration in Taxation from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  He is a member of the Oregon State Bar and the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association, Past-Chair of the Executive Committee of the OSB Corporate Counsel Section and a past director of Albertina Kerr Centers, Oregon’s largest provider of psychiatric inpatient education and care for developmentally-disabled and abused children.

Dave specializes in employee benefits and has spoken nationally to audiences such as the Oregon State Bar, the DRI Life, Health and Disability Institute, Western Pension and Benefits Conference, International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists, Health Underwriters Associations, the Society for Human Resources Management, compensation associations, Thompson’s Publishing, Austin Software Council, Employee Benefits Planning Association, South Carolina Colleges and Universities and numerous national risk management and human resources conferences.

Executive track workshop: BETTER BENEFITS WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK

Tamsen M. Wassell has helped organizations improve employee relations, develop executive skills and increase operational performance for the past 25 years. Her practice includes coaching executives and physicians to improve their leadership skills and helping them turn around difficult team situations.

Her client list includes: Oregon Anesthesiology Group, Mentor Graphics Corporation, Nike, Standard Insurance, Mitsubishi America, Oregon Department of Corrections, Lane Community College, City of Portland, Chemeketa Community College, North Pacific Group, and others.

She has held staff and leadership positions with Pacific Power & Light, National Association of Letter Carriers, and Northwest Natural Gas and has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the City Club of Portland and a past Chair of the Clubs' Research Board.

Executive track workshop: HOW TO BE A GREAT BOSS