2023 Employment Law Summit
The Employers Association of the Northeast (EANE) and Rhode Island SHRM are pleased to present our second annual Employment Law Summit on November 1, 2023 at the Kirkbrae Country Club located at 197 Old River Rd, Lincoln, RI.
Eric B. Mack, Esq., Shareholder at Littler Mendelson, P.C., will kick off the conference with an overview of the 2023 legislative session at the Rhode Island General Assembly and key developments for employers and HR professionals.
Next, we will be joined by Mark R. Adams, IOM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, of EANE for an in-depth overview of legislative developments at the federal level.
After lunch and a brief awards presentation, Sharon Rennert, Esq., Senior Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will deliver a hands-on and interactive training on handling requests for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Finally, Stacie B. Collier, a Partner with Nixon Peabody, LLP, and the firm’s Chief Talent Officer, and Aaron F. Nadich, an Associate with Nixon Peabody, will present on the potential effects that the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on affirmative action in higher education could have on employers, including on their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
PROGRAM AGENDA:
9:30 – 10:00 am: Registration
10:00 – 10:15 am: Welcome/Opening Remarks [Lynn Corwin, Chapter Director, RI SHRM & Allison Ebner, President, EANE]
10:15 – 11:15 am: State Legislative Update [Eric B. Mack, Esq., Shareholder, Littler Mendelson]
11:15 – 11:30 am: Break
11:30 – 12:15 pm: Federal Legislative Update [Mark R. Adams, IOM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director of Compliance, EANE]
12:15 – 12:30 pm: 2023 Outstanding HR Advocate Award [Lynn Corwin, Chapter Director, RI SHRM & Francesco DeLuca, Director of Legislative Affairs, RI SHRM]
12:30 – 1:30 pm: Lunch, Sponsorship Spotlight
1:30 – 2:45 pm: The ADA: Understanding and Using the Interactive Process to Make Informed Decisions About Requests for Reasonable Accommodation [Sharon Rennert, Esq., U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]
2:45 - 3:00 pm: Break
3:00 – 4:00 pm: What Employers Need to Know About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion After Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College [Stacie B. Collier, Partner and Chief Talent Officer, Nixon Peabody & Aaron F. Nadich, Associate, Nixon Peabody]
4:00 - 4:05 pm: Thank You & Closing Remarks [Francesco DeLuca, Director of Legislative Affairs, RI SHRM]
4:05 – 5:00 pm: Cocktail reception
Registration Fee: $129
Click Here to Register
Program will be submitted for HRCI and SHRM CE credits
FEATURED PRESENTERS:
Sharon Rennert, Senior Attorney Advisor
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Sharon Rennert is the senior member of the EEOC’s ADA/GINA Division, having joined the Division in January 1992. Ms. Rennert develops the Commission’s policy interpretations of the ADA and has played a key role in the drafting of many of the EEOC’s most significant publications. She took a leading role in developing the Commission’s technical assistance materials on COVID-19. Ms. Rennert wrote the EEOC’s guidance on reasonable accommodation and offers expertise on this central requirement of the ADA. In addition, she drafted the Commission’s publication on ADA issues involving employee performance and conduct. She specializes in providing private and public sector employers with practical approaches to ADA compliance. Her expertise also includes helping individuals with disabilities understand their rights and obligations.
Stacie B. Collier, Partner & Chief Talent Officer
Nixon Peabody
Stacie Collier is partner in Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment group. She previously served as the firm’s Professional Personnel partner and is its first-ever Chief Talent Officer. In this role, Stacie focuses on growing and enhancing the firm’s legal talent, driving diversity and inclusion, and developing and cultivating its people and distinctive culture.
In her law practice, she is a co-chair of the firm’s cross-disciplinary Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategies group, assisting clients in assessing their DEI strategies and navigating their challenges and priorities in this space. She also exclusively represents management in the resolution of employment-related disputes before state and federal courts and administrative agencies.
Stacie is admitted to practice in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. She serves on a number of boards in her home state of Rhode Island including Crossroads of Rhode Island and Temple University Fox School of Business’ Center for Ethics, Diversity and Workplace Culture. Stacie received her JD from the University of Connecticut, School of Law.
Aaron F. Nadich, Associate
Nixon Peabody
Aaron Nadich is an associate in Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment practice group. His practice focuses on representing companies of all sizes in state and federal court proceedings as well as before administrative agencies, and advising companies in all industries on a wide variety of employment and other matters. He also advises employers with respect to various state and federal laws and regulations concerning Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and diversity initiatives. Aaron serves on the board of Saint Mary’s Home for Children. He has been named to the list of “Ones to Watch” by The Best Lawyers in America® for Labor and Employment Law—Management in Providence, RI—since 2021. Aaron received his JD from Roger Williams University School of Law.
Eric B. Mack, Shareholder
Littler Mendelson
Eric B. Mack defends private employers, especially financial institutions and hospitals, in a variety of employment disputes, including claims of wrongful termination, misappropriation of trade secrets, violations of non-compete agreements, tortious interference, and wage and hour disputes. Some of Eric’s notable experience includes obtaining early dismissals in harassment, discrimination, and retaliation cases and securing a multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a financial institution client and a multi-year injunction against former employee and his new employer which prohibited employee or his current employer from contacting a number of the financial institution’s clients. Additionally, Eric regularly counsel’s employers on day-to-day personnel matters, practices and compliance. He has spoken extensively on various issues, including drug-testing laws, transgender employees in the workplace, FMLA/ADA issues, and wage and hour issues in the digital age.
Mark Adams, Director of Compliance
Employers Association of the NorthEast (EANE)
Mark leads EANE’s HR compliance operations, providing services to member companies and directing programs for affirmative action, background checking, and data surveys. A frequent writer and speaker throughout the region, Mark guides management-level and C-suite professionals on topical issues ranging from drug testing to FMLA to employee vs. independent contractor laws.
He is the primary editor and author of EANE’s e-alerts, keeping members in-the-know about pending legal and regulatory developments critical to the workplace. Mark is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and the Western New England College School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1992.
