Barbara Baksa has over fifteen years experience in equity compensation and currently serves as Executive Director for the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. She is a frequent speaker on equity compensation related topics, has contributed chapters to four books on equity compensation, and authored “Accounting for Equity Compensation,” published by the National Center for Employee Ownership. Barbara also serves as editor of The NASPP Advisor and contributing editor of The Corporate Executive and is a member of the CEP Advisory Board.
Scott Barrall is a Senior Tax Manager in the Global Rewards practice of Deloitte Tax LLP in San Jose, California. He has more than 10 years of planning and practical tax management experience in multinational executive and stock-based compensation, He was in a pivotal issuer company role for the introduction of stock compensation plans in more than 40 countries for Accenture's $1.8B IPO in July 2001, in which he supervised Plan, qualified subplan and grant agreement drafting and was a key contributer to the financial and share allocation forecasting and process execution and employee communications. He has designed innovative tax withholding systems, implemented and adapted tax-advantaged stock plans and cost recharges in response to changing regulatory environments, and developed mobile employee tracking and income sourcing processes for equity compensation. He is a licensed attorney in California and a graduate of U.C. Davis School of Law and U.C. Berkeley in Asian (Chinese) Studies and Economics.
Danielle Benderly, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP. Danielle specializes in assisting public companies with their corporate governance and securities regulation, reporting and compliance needs, including insider trading issues under Section 16, Rule 144 and Rule 10b-5. Danielle's practice also focuses on advising public and emerging growth companies, as well as individual executives, with respect to stock-based executive compensation design and interpretation issues, including for securities offerings, M&A transactions, and ongoing securities compliance and disclosure obligations. Danielle is a frequent speaker and author on these issues, including as co-author of the updated edition of the Executive Compensation Disclosure Handbook: A Practical Guide to the SEC's Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules. Danielle also serves as Editor for Perkins Coie's Corporate Finance Update publications and as president of the Portland, Oregon chapter of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP).
Lora Blum, Corporate Counsel, LinkedIn
Lora has served as Corporate Counsel for LinkedIn Corporate since June 2010 where she manages the corporate function for the legal team, including governance and securities matters, mergers and acquisitions and international issues. She recently helped to spearhead the team that took LinkedIn public. Lora's background is as a corporate securities attorney with broad experience representing issuers, underwriters, and agents in public and private offerings and advising on corporate and securities law issues. Prior to LinkedIn, Lora was a partner in the capital markets group at Jones Day, and before that, she was a shareholder at Heller Ehrman after beginning her career as an associate at Brobeck Phleger & Harrison and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati. Lora has a history of representing both issuers and investment banks on initial public offerings, follow-on and secondary offerings, private investments in public equity, 144A offerings, and registered direct offerings.
Jon Burg is vice president and West Coast Practice Leader of Radford Valuation Services, the equity valuation group of Radford, an Aon Hewitt Company. He has thirteen years of benefits and compensation consulting experience, including all forms of equity compensation. Jon collaborates directly with management and compensation committees to design sound equity compensation plans, practices and procedures. He also works with companies on the valuation and financial management of their retirement and equity compensation programs, leveraging an extensive actuarial background to provide rigorous analysis of historical plan experience. Since joining Radford, Jon has worked with numerous companies in the Bay Area ranging from small private companies to large Fortune 100s. Prior to joining Radford, Jon served as a pension actuary for JPMorgan Compensation and Benefit Strategies and as National Practice Leader of its FAS 123R consulting practice. He earned a bachelor of science in mathematics and economics from the University of Washington. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary. Jon frequently speaks on a variety of equity compensation topics at industry events, including national and local NASPP conferences. He has also written numerous articles on topics such as performance award design, underwater exchange programs and IFRS2 accounting. Jon is based in San Francisco.
Ed Burmeister, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
Recognized by Legal 500-United States 2011 as "the world’s leading expert on all law that affects equity compensation”, listed in the Best Lawyers in America, Northern California Super Lawyers and Chambers America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (#1 ranking), named as Best Lawyers' San Francisco Employee Benefits Lawyer of the Year (2011) and winner of the 2008 Pioneer Award from the Global Equity Organization and 2010 Achievement Award from the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, Mr. Burmeister is a globally recognized leader in advising multinational companies on the full array of global equity, tax, regulatory and design issues, with 37 years of consulting experience.
He is a member of the Advisory Board of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, as well as a past Board member of the Global Equity Organization and the Certified Equity Professionals Institute, and the past Chairman of the State Bar of California, Section of Taxation.
Joanne Burns For the past eleven+ years in her role as Manager, Treasury Operations at Financial Engines, Inc. in Palo Alto, Joanne Burns has focused on corporate equity management and shareholder services, 401(k) administration, and payroll - and working through the successful FNGN IPO in March 2010. With more than 25 years devoted to corporate equity, she has previously spoken at various NASPP and E*TRADE conferences, and has completed Level 2 of the CEP program.
Janet Calix is responsible for the continuing development of the CapMx® product and ancillary eProsper suite of products, and leads financial industry outreach. She has more than 25 years of corporate legal and stock administration experience, working with law firms in northern and southern California as well as public companies. Prior to joining eProsper, Jannet served as a corporate paralegal at various law firms, securities administrator at Adobe Incorporated and Alta Vista, Inc., and as a compensation analyst at TIBCO, Inc. In these positions, she was responsible for corporate maintenance for numerous private companies, working on the IPO for companies going public, securities filings with the SEC, and private and public company stock administration. Jannet is an active member and former Vice President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals.
Emily Cervino CEP, Director, Certified Equity Professional Institute, Santa Clara University
As Director of the Certified Equity Professional Institute (CEPI) at Santa Clara University, Emily leverages her 12 years of experience in the equity compensation field to develop and promote the rigorous standards of the CEPI. Emily coordinates program marketing and development to grow the CEP program and the professional recognition. She also coordinates an extensive volunteer base in defining course curriculum, test development, and standard setting to comply with the rigorous certification standards. Under Emily's leadership, the CEPI launched a research agenda focusing on risks and controls for equity compensation. Emily is a frequent speaker at equity compensation events, including the NASPP, Global Equity Organization, the NCEO, and, of course, the CEPI. Emily holds a BS from Santa Clara University and obtained her CEP designation in 1998.
Wendy Davis is a partner in the Compensation & Benefits practice group and a member of the Cooley Business department. She joined the Firm in 2006 and works in the Palo Alto office. Wendy specializes in equity and executive compensation. Her practice addresses not only the practical design considerations of compensation programs but also the often complicated intersection of tax, employment, corporate and securities laws as well as the shareholder relations issues that arise in connection with compensation matters. Wendy works regularly with clients to develop and maintain their equity compensation plans, cash bonus plans, deferred compensation arrangements, and change of control agreements. She is actively involved in the preparation of public company disclosures, including drafting and reviewing CD&As and the compensation sections of S-1s. Wendy regularly negotiates executive severance, retention and employment agreements on behalf of executives and employers at all stages of the corporate lifecycle. Wendy is an expert in Section 409A compliance of executive and equity arrangements. She frequently assists with the compensation, benefits and executive-related issues arising in mergers and acquisitions. Wendy received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1999 where she served as the Editor of Interdisciplinary Programs of the Law School Roundtable. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Wendy is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of California. Wendy is also on the Board of Advisors for the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Renee Deming is a partner in the Compensation & Benefits practice group at Cooley LLP with extensive experience with both private and public companies in the areas of tax and securities law related to employee benefit and equity compensation programs, including stock option plans, stock purchase plans, restricted stock plans, and executive compensation planning. Active speaker on equity compensation topics. Member of Advisory Board of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. Further information available at www.cooley.com
Valerie Diamond is chair of the Global Equity Services Group at Baker & McKenzie’s San Francisco office. She has over 14 years of experience counseling multinationals on tax, securities, exchange controls and compliance issues arising from the offer of equity compensation programs to employees around the globe. Valerie is a member of the steering committee of Baker & McKenzie’s Compensation, Employment and Employee Benefits Group.
Valerie was named one of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal’s “Top 75 Women Corporate and Transactional Lawyers” for 2011. She is ranked in Chambers 2010 which noted that clients “praise her for her knowledge and ability to balance the technical aspects with risk analysis.” Valerie is the 2008 recipient of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals’ Individual Achievement Award, and is a member of the Certified Equity Professionals Institute’s Advisory Board and its Technical Oversight Board.
Valerie assists multinational companies in the design and implementation of employee stock plans. She also advises clients on the tax, securities law and exchange control compliance issues that arise when options, restricted stock or purchase rights are granted to employees, directors and consultants. Ms. Diamond’s clients include companies in the high tech, energy, medical technology, pharmaceutical industries — most of which are located in the Silicon Valley.
Elizabeth Dodge is the Vice President of Product Management for Stock & Option Solutions, Inc. (SOS). Her responsibilities include monitoring new developments in the equity compensation arena, performing market research, speaking at industry events, helping to define the product roadmap for SOS, and helping clients solve their equity compensation challenges. Elizabeth joined SOS in 2008, and has been designing solutions and software specific to equity compensation challenges since 1998.
Chris Dohrmann is a seasoned professional and subject matter expert in the Equity Compensation practice. Chris has over 30 years of management experience in many different areas of the equity business from systems and product development to sales and client management. Chris has been at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) for the last 15 years and is currently responsible for Client Management solutions, and Sales Support. Prior to this role, Chris worked in Product Management, in particular building out the platform to handle FAS reporting (under the 123R regs). Chris was also responsible for the development of software to build the platforms which support the administration of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s 550 corporate clients. Prior to MSSB, Chris spent 10 years at AST. In addition to systems development, Chris was responsible for managing the Call Center, the Shareholder Services Group and was part of the Client Management team. Prior to AST, Chris spent 5 years at an independent brokerage firm, Integrated Resources, where he was responsible for the Transfer Agent functions and Limited Partnership businesses.
Jon Doyle advises multinational companies and financial institutions on legal issues related to doing business overseas, among them, outsourcing, offshoring, joint ventures, and other means of international expansion. Jon also advises multinational companies on global equity compensation programs. He has extensive experience advising businesses on the tax, securities, foreign exchange, labor, data privacy, and e-commerce issues they may encounter in each country where they offer stock option, stock purchase, restricted stock, phantom stock, stock appreciation right, cash bonus, venture capital, and directed share plans to their employees, directors, and consultants.
Jon also represents clients on a wide range of global human resources issues, such as cross-border employment, data privacy, and global pensions. He has advised numerous employers on the nuances of local laws in the context of human resources.
Jon has been recognized as one of the top lawyers in the Bay Area by Bay Area Lawyers magazine. He has been a regular speaker for a variety of trade organizations, speaking on topics such as international securities, global equity compensation, data privacy, and outsourcing.
Prior to receiving his law degree, Jon worked as a Certified Public Accountant for Ernst & Young in Chicago.
Pam Ellis oversees the delivery of account administration and management services for U.S.-based Shareworks Premier clients. She has more than 15 years of experience in the equity compensation industry, including administrative management of global stock plans for corporate issuers, process analysis and documentation, administrator training and organizational development, employee education, and strategic equity planning. Pam is a member of the Certification Council for the Certified Equity Professional Institute and the Western Region representative for the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. She also co-authored a book on stock plan administration for WorldatWork and has spoken on the subject at a national level.
Geir Fjugstad Director, Private Banking USA Geir joined Credit Suisse in 2008. Before moving his team to E*TRADE in 2005, he was the Director of Corporate Services of the west coast for Wachovia Securities. Geir’s team specialized in working with executives nationally, specifically 10b5-1 trading plans as well as comprehensive wealth management, his team managed over 1 billion in 10b5-1 plan assets with 60 corporate clients. Geir received a BA in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton in 1983. Geir has a deep interest in wine making and has recently become one of the partners of the country’s most award winning wineries, Ventana Vineyards.
Michael Guerra, Senior Vice President of Business Development.
Michael Guerra is the Senior Vice President of Business Development and one of the original founders at EASi. He helped launch EASi after serving as VP of Business Development with BenefitStreet and as a registered investment advisor, with more than $250 million in assets under management, with Morgan Stanley. Michael has Series, 7, 6, 66, 3 and 33 SEC registrations. While Michael was at Morgan Stanley he began searching for a solution for clients with stock options plans. His research and relationships gave him the idea of creating the web-based solution that led to the formation of EASi. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Michael spent more than 15 years in sales and marketing and was involved in mergers and acquisitions throughout the state of California.
John Hammond, CFP CEP AST Equity Plan Solutions, Inc. Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives John joined American Stock Transfer in 2010 to provide strategic direction for its partnerships, product and industry relations. John has 12 years in the stock plan industry. Prior to joining AST, John served in a variety of positions with Transcentive – Computershare for seven years in sales management, strategy, industry relations and product functions. Prior to his work with stock plan services and software, John spent 10 years in financial services within the financial planning and retirement plan sectors working as a personal financial planner and with ERISA and non-ERISA group plans. John has been a long-term member of NASPP and is a former President of the Carolinas Chapter of the NASPP and current Vice President of the Philadelphia Chapter. John currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Certified Equity Professional Institute and has worked in a variety of volunteer and committee roles with the CEP Institute for the last 9 years. John also is serving as a chapter coordinator for the NY Global Equity Organization(GEO) chapter and has been a long time member. John has been a speaker at a variety of stock plan meetings and conferences on a wide range of issues surrounding equity compensation, administration and reporting requirements. John earned his CFP designation in 1999 and his CEP designation in 2000. He received his B.A. from The University of Michigan.
Brett Harsen is the Vice President Radford, an Aon Hewitt Company Brett Harsen has more than 14 years of compensation consulting experience on a range of issues, including broad-based employee pay, short- and long-term incentive design, executive and Board of Directors compensation. He specializes in equity compensation design and delivery. Brett consults organizations in a variety of industries, with a focus on high technology and life sciences. In addition to his consulting, Brett provides strategic guidance to Radford Surveys in the development of new analytic reports and the Pre-IPO/Venture-Backed products. Brett is also a leader in Radford’s underwater option practice and co-creator of Radford’s web portal www.UnderwaterExchange.com. He is an active contributor to Radford’s Relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) performance equity practice and the corresponding web portal www.RelativeTSR.com. Prior to joining Radford, he held consulting positions at Buck Consulting, iQuantic and Deloitte. Brett earned a bachelor of science from University of Illinois and holds designations from WorldatWork as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), and the Society for HR Management as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). He is a frequent writer and speaker on equity and long-term incentive topics and has been cited by The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Financial Week, Agenda, The San Jose Mercury News, Corporate Board Member and others. He is based in San Jose.
James Humza is the Director of Business Development for Equity Award Services at Merrill Lynch. He oversees business development for all equity award programs that utilize the Merrill Lynch AwardChoice Platform as well as the firm's Non Qualified Deferred Compensation and Friends and Family business.
Prior to joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch, James spent 19 years at UBS Wealth Management USA in various marketing and management roles, including head of national sales for UBS's Corporate Employee Financial Services department. James spent 4 years as a Managing Partner and Senior Vice President in the firm's Hartford, Connecticut office, where he focused in providing administration services to equity award programs and specialized services to executives, for several Fortune 100 companies.
James is an active member of the NASPP and one of the founding members of GEO. James is a frequent speaker on the topic of employee stock options.
Kimberly Kovacs is co-founder and CEO of OptionEase, the leading network connector for complex equity compliance applications delivered via software-as-a-service (SaaS), in the US and worldwide. As CEO, she has been recognized as a technology leader by Red Herring Magazine in 2009 and 2010, and nominated for Inc. 500/5000 for 2010, the Orange County Business Journal for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, and E&Y’s 2011 Women in Business Award. Kim has a distinguished career in executive leadership and finance. She was on the board of Alpha Project in the 1990’s, securing over $50 million in funding from HUD to preserve low income housing. As CFO and board member of ORXYE Energy, she raised over $35 million in venture capital and testified in Congress with the EPA on clean energy regulations, resulting in the final adoption of the Clean Energy standards in the US. She is an active member of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and E2, an advisor to the Association of Women in Technology, and on the board of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). She has also served as CFO at a number of companies, including Greenland New Media Corporation, Croce’s Restaurant, and RosettaNet; as well as an executive consultant for Deloitte and Touche. Kim has decades of board, collaborative and regulatory expertise and has a voice of both private and public company CFOs and their requirements for equity compliance.
Takis Makridis is the head of the Equity Methods Consulting Group, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch company. In his role, he oversees client delivery, operations, sales, marketing, and R&D. Takis has worked closely with finance and HR executives to address their equity compensation accounting, valuation, and financial reporting needs, and remains critically engaged with thought-leaders from consulting firms, public accounting, and academia in addressing emerging issues. The Equity Methods Consulting Group assists over 400 companies in properly valuing and accounting for their equity compensation instruments, with a particular focus on large and generally complex programs.
Takis is a nationally recognized speaker at industry conferences across the country and frequently leads executive briefing sessions and firm webinars to enhance knowledge sharing among client firms and disseminate best practices throughout the industry. Takis is the author of Advanced Topics in Equity Compensation Accounting and coauthor (with Barbara Baksa) of Accounting for Equity Compensation (third – fifth edition), both published by the National Center for Employee Ownership, which have been required texts for the Certified Equity Professional (CEP) designation. Takis is also an advisory board member of the Certified Equity Professional Institute. Takis has published articles in various technical and business publications, and has also been cited in media publications such as the New York Times and Compliance Week. Takis holds a B.S. in Economics and Finance from Arizona State University and an M.B.A. from Oxford University.
Josh McGinn is a Senior Relationship Manager and Vice President at BNY Mellon Shareowner Services with more than 24 years of industry experience. In his current role, Josh manages shareholder services for premier corporate issuers and IPOs out of the San Francisco office. Prior to joining the BNY Mellon organization in July of 2007, Josh was with EquiServe, based in Boston. There he was involved with planning, developing and administering a wide range of services, including forward and reverse stock splits, acquisitions involving both stock and cash exchanges, corporate spin-offs, implementing and administering Direct Stock Purchase Plans, assisting clients with DRS and full dematerialization programs and while working at Bank of Boston, helped develop the company’s first book-entry ESPP Program. Josh received both his Bachelors and MBA degrees from Boston University, has earned his Series 7 License and his CEP designation. He is a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, Shareholder Notice and Access Forum, has lectured at San Francisco University, has written for the NCEO and is a frequent attendee and occasional speaker at NIRI and NASPP meetings.
Mark Miller is a senior manager with Deloitte Tax and he leads the Northern Pacific region of the Global Rewards practice, specializing in global compensation and benefits consulting for internationally mobile and non-mobile employees. Mark has over 9 years of experience consulting in the field of employee equity compensation, advising multinational clients on all aspects of equity remuneration including core plan design and administration, communications strategies, investor relations, tax and regulatory compliance and tax minimization strategies. In his role within the Global Rewards practice of Deloitte Tax Mark supports a number of high profile Pacific Northwest and Bay Area clients design, implement and maintain compliant and strategic equity programs for internationally mobile employee populations. Mark has been an active speaker at various US and international conferences and events for over 6 years. Mark began his career in the UK, specializing in UK and global equity based remuneration and compensation planning and has been working within the West Coast practice of Deloitte Tax for the past 6 years. Mark is a Certified Equity Professional (CEP) in the US and a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA, ATT) in the United Kingdom.
Jennifer Namazi is a Director in the Strategic Solutions division of Stock & Option Solutions. Prior to joining SOS, Jennifer was the Manager of Stock Administration for Adaptec, Inc., where she has full responsibility for the management and administration of Adaptec's Equity Plans and related functions. Prior to joining Adaptec, Jennifer held various stock plan positions in for companies such as Oakley, Inc., Sicor Pharmaceuticals, and Broadcom Corporation. Jennifer obtained her CEP designation in 1997.
Laura Reis is the Director of the Data Solutions team for Stock & Option Solutions. Her focus at SOS is in providing hands-on projects services for clients in a variety of equity compensation related areas, ranging from M&A, to Data Implementations, to communications and general infrastructure needs. Prior to joining SOS, Laura worked in a variety of corporate roles, where she had responsibility for the management and administration of several Equity Programs. During her time in the corporate world and since arriving at SOS in 2006, she has been responsible for the successful integration of many acquisitions, data conversions and spin offs. She earned her Certified Equity Professional in 1997, and is an active participant in the equity compensation industry, speaking often at industry events on a variety of topics.
Andrew Schwartz of BNY Mellon has over 10 years of experience with the taxation of employee plans, and is dually employed by BNY Mellon’s transfer agency business and its brokerage subsidiary BNY Mellon Capital Markets LLC (Member FINRA/SIPC). Since 2008, Andrew has been serving as BNY Mellon’s lead representative to the Securities Transfer Association’s cost basis subcommittee, and provided critical assistance to the transfer agency and employee plan administration groups on the developing rules and their implications. He has spoken at several industry events on the new cost basis reporting rules, and authored detailed articles on tax topics for the STA, NASPP, and NCEO. He also oversees the Executive Services team, delivering specialized products and services to SEC Section 16 executive officers and executing Rule 144 stock sales across all Shareowner Services’ business lines. Before joining one of BNY Mellon’s predecessor companies in 1997, Andrew was employed at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he specialized in investment product and individual taxation issues. Andrew earned an M.B.A. in Taxation from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and a B.A. from the University of California at Davis. He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1992, earned the CEP designation in 2002, and holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 66 licenses. He is a member of the AICPA, NCEO, and NASPP.
Marianne Snook, Founder and Principal of Stock & Option Solutions Marianne's key responsibility is to set the overall strategy for the effective growth of SOS. She has accomplished this through guaranteeing customer service, strong external relationships, and continuous employee involvement and education. With experience in human resources, payroll, and stock administration, Marianne offers a unique background that has given her the tools to implement creative solutions for SOS clients. In her almost 20 years as a stock administrator, she has held positions as a director of a major outsourcing provider, an independent consultant, and an internal stock administrator. These experiences allow her to view all the advantages and disadvantages of various stock administration solutions. Marianne speaks on both a local and national level on various facets of stock program administration. A Certified Equity Professional involved in the standards-setting process, she is also an active member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals and the National Center of Employee Ownership.
Craig Tanner is a Partner at Reed Smith LLP, an international law firm with offices in the US, Asia and Europe. He represents multinational companies on equity compensation, employment, and data privacy programs. In his equity compensation practice, Craig advises companies on the tax, securities, employment, currency exchange, data privacy, and communications issues that the companies encounter when offering the programs to employees, directors, and consultants throughout the world.
Mike Taylor, Vice President of Finance, Tesla Motors
Mike joined Tesla as Vice President of Finance in September 2007. Mike brings 17 years of financial expertise to the company. Mike began his career at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he helped clients worldwide raise over $2 billion in structured debt financing. He then worked for McKinsey and Company and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he helped several companies through IPOs and acquisitions. In 1994, Mike caught the technology bug and has since helped game-changing companies raise more than $250 million in public and private financings. His first foray into high tech was with Scopus Technology, for which he managed the public offering process prior to that company's acquisition by Siebel Systems. Mike also served as Vice President of Finance for network management software pioneer Micromuse, where he coordinated the IPO and several financing rounds and managed all financial planning and investor relations activities. Mike then served as Chief Financial Officer for Benchmark Capital and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Tropos Networks, where he helped raise more than $80 million in venture financing.
Along the way, Mike found time to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and JD/MBA from Stanford University. Mike is married and has two children. He serves on the board for the Center for the Early Intervention on Deafness.
Winny Van Veeren is a CPA and CEP with over 20 years of experience in accounting and financial management who regularly speaks at NASPP conferences. She has her own consulting practice which focuses on SEC reporting and equity compensation projects. Her recent projects included equity disclosure preparation and EPS calculation for an IPO, SEC disclosure preparation, ASC 718 calculations, option exchange management, SOX process documentation, and proxy preparation.
Prior to becoming a consultant, Winny held a Finance Director position at Symantec Corporation responsible for SEC Reporting and Equity Compensation. Winny’s other experience include several finance positions, including Senior Audit Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Dan Walter, CEP, is the President and CEO of Performensation. Dan has assisted companies for more than 15 years with both executive and broad-based compensation programs. He provides a unique perspective on end-to-end solutions for private and public companies in both the United States and abroad. Dan’s expertise includes equity compensation, executive programs, performance-based pay and talent management issues. His experience with these programs includes: diagnosis, design, communication, administration and reporting. Dan has experience with all forms of equity including stock options, restricted shares and units, stock purchase and performance-based programs. Dan has been the architect of software solutions and has significant experience in the administrative and technological best practices for these programs. A popular and frequently-requested speaker, Dan does dozens of presentations a year, combining humor and technical expertise into accessible and practical information. Performensation can be found on the web at www.performensation.com. Visit www.linkedin.com/in/danwalter for Dan’s public profile.
Fred Whittlesey
Managing Principal - Compensation Venture Group
Fred is the Managing Principal of Compensation Venture Group, a consulting firm specializing in compensation strategy, director and executive compensation, equity-based compensation, and incentive design with a primary focus on entrepreneurial growth companies. Fred is a co-founder and current member of the Board of Directors of Global Equity Organization, past Chair of the Advisory Board for the Certified Equity Professional Institute, Founding Member of NASPP, past President of the NASPP Orange County Chapter, and current member of the Executive Compensation Task Force of CompensationStandards.com. Fred was a top-rated faculty member and certification course developer for 13 years for WorldatWork's "Accounting and Finance for HR Professionals" as well as their basic and advanced executive compensation courses, delivering instruction both in the classroom and online.
Fred has authored dozens of articles in major compensation periodicals and has presented his ideas at compensation conferences around the world. Fred received his MBA from UCLA and a BA in industrial/organizational psychology from San Diego State University. He earned the Certified Equity Professional (CEP) designation from Santa Clara University, and the Certified Executive Compensation Professional (CECP) and Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designations from WorldatWork.
Alison Wright practices in the area of executive compensation and employee benefits law. She is the chair of the membership committee of the San Francisco Chapter’s Western Pension & Benefits Conference. Alison is also a frequent speaker and author on topics related to her practice.
Alison’s practice focuses on the tax, securities and ERISA aspects of executive and equity compensation. These include nonqualified deferred compensation plans, stock compensation plans, employee stock purchase plans, change in control plans, as well as perquisite programs, executive employment and severance agreements. For nearly 15 years, she has been advising clients regarding their traditional employee benefit plans — including 401(k) and other retirement plans — health and welfare plans and cafeteria plans. In addition, Alison has significant experience in assisting clients with compensation and benefits issues raised in mergers and acquisitions, including golden parachute payments, COBRA responsibilities and due diligence review.
Jeremy Wright is Chief Operating Officer for Two Step Software. He joined Two Step Software in 2000. He oversees all product enhancements to Corporate Focus. Jeremy is responsible for the outstanding reputation of Two Step’s customer support team. He works to ensure that Two Step is delivering the right products by serving as the crtical liaison between customers and the development team. Jeremy speaks at industry events and contributes to the Corporate Focus Insight Blog. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Wyoming.
Marlene Zobayan is a partner at Rutlen Associates LLC. She has over eighteen years of international tax and benefits experience including global equity plans, mobile employee taxation, global compensation and benefits. She provides a full scope of services to her clients including global equity plan design, tax and legal reviews and tax optimization, assistance with local approvals and filings, communications, and designing administrative processes. She is a regular speaker and author on global stock plan and rewards issues. Prior to joining Rutlen Associates, Marlene was the practice leader on the west coast for Deloitte Tax’s Global Rewards group. In November 2009, Marlene was awarded the Individual Achievement Award by the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. Marlene has a Physics degree from Oxford University; she is a member of the U.K. Association of Tax Technicians, a US Enrolled Agent and Certified Equity Professional. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Certified Equity Professional Institute.
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