Our Speakers

Meet the experts leading this year's sessions

Jeffrey

Adelson

Partner

Bober, Peterson and Koby LLP

Sessions:

Felicia

Amenta

Sr. Manager, Workers’ Comp Program

SD/Imperial Schools Risk Mgmt. JPA

Sessions:

Dan

Anders

Chief Compliance Officer

Tower MSA Partners

Sessions:

Jesus

Arredondo

Director of Safety West coast Region

StaffmarkGroup

Sessions:

Thomas

Ash

Principal

Consortium Solutions Consulting Group

Sessions:

Sandy

Avina

JPA Claims Services Manager

California Schools JPA

Sessions:

Dalene

Bartholomew

CEO

Dayta Group

Sessions:

William

Beattie

National Sales Executive

CCMSI

Sessions:

Barry

Bloom

Managing Principal

The bdb Group

Sessions:

Leslie

Cadet

Founder/CEO

ASCEND Occupational Medicine Consulting

Sessions:

Heechin

Chae, MD

Senior Medical Director, VP Medical Ops

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

David

Chmiel

SVP, North America Director of Claims

HUB International

Sessions:

Frank

Christine III

Senior Partner

Tobin Lucks, LLP

Sessions:

Doug

Clark

Assistant Vice President Client Relations

Sedgwick

Sessions:

Stuart

Colburn

Co-author, TX Workers” Comp Handbook

Downs & Stanford, PC

Sessions:

Zack

Craft

VP of Complex Claims

MTI America

Sessions:

Annie

Davidson

SVP of Legal Affairs & Compliance

Sanderson Firm, PLLC

Sessions:

John

Don

Applicant Attorney

Law Office of John A Don

Sessions:

Bridgette

Ferraro

CEO

iCopy Legal

Sessions:

Roxana

Figueroa

Claims Manager

TCI Transportation Services

Sessions:

Heywood

Friedman

Founding Partner

Friedman Bartoumian

Sessions:

Rafael

Gonzalez

Attorney

Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC

Sessions:

Yvonne

Guibert

VP, Education Strategy

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

Alan

Gurvey

Managing Partner

Law Firm of Rowen, Gurvey & Win

Sessions:

Eric

Guzman

Human Resources/Risk Analyst

City of Beaumont

Sessions:

Brenna

Hampton

CEO

Work Comp By Design

Sessions:

Kenneth

Hernandez

Chief Risk, Safety, Asset Mgmt. Officer

LA Metro

Sessions:

Matthew

Howard

Workers’ Comp Supervisor

City of Pasadena

Sessions:

Duane

Johnson

VP, Marketing / Partner Relations

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

Angie

Jung

Co-Founder & Chief Education Liaison

ISYS Solutions Inc.

Sessions:

Les

Kertay

Chief Medical Officer

Ascellus

Sessions:

Mario

Latona

Injured Worker Panelist

City of San Diego

Sessions:

Kurt

Leisure

VP, Risk Services

The Cheesecake Factory

Sessions:

Adam

Lopez

Senior Loss Control & Risk Consultant

Sedgwick

Sessions:

Carlos

Luna

Founder

LUNA LNQ

Sessions:

Gene

Ma, MD

Occupational Health Physician

Healthcare Executive

Sessions:

Negar

Matian

President Managing Attorney

Matian Law Group Inc.

Sessions:

Keith

More

Managing Partner Bentley & More

Bentley & More LLP

Sessions:

Shelby

Moreira, PsyD

Forensic Psychologist

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

Sara

Mulick

SVP, Sales & Marketing

The IMA Group

Sessions:

Dr. Minh

Nguyen

Chief Medical Officer

Agile Occupational Medicine

Sessions:

Robert

Nickell

CEO

Pharmco

Sessions:

Joe

Paduda

Principal

Health Strategy Associates LLC

Sessions:

Tanya

Parker

AVP, Client Engagement

Safety National Casualty Corporation

Sessions:

Lisa

Paroly

CEO

RehabWest

Sessions:

Yolanta

Petrofsky, MD

Medical Director

NorthBay Healthcare

Sessions:

Louis

Porrazzo

VP, National Accounts

ExamWorks

Sessions:

Hon. Robert

Rassp

Presiding Judge WCAB

LA District Office

Sessions:

Phillip

Remaker

Sr. Director, CX Innovation & Tech

Pure Storage, Inc.

Sessions:

Justin

Romine

Vice President, Global Claims

Marriott International

Sessions:

Amalia

Sanchez

Insurance Manager

Los Angeles Unified School District

Sessions:

Amalia

Sanchez

Insurance Manager

Los Angeles Unified School District

Sessions:

Gia

Sawko

EVP, Chief Claims Officer

Signal Mutual

Sessions:

Josh

Schuette

Director, National Work Comp Sales

Brooks Rehabilitation

Sessions:

Michelle

Sebring

Partner

Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi, LLP

Sessions:

Melissa

Shute

President / Nurse Case Manager

Infinity Nurse Case Management

Sessions:

Les

Shute

President

Kairos Labs

Sessions:

Joshua

Shutts

Neuro COTA/L

Brooks Rehabilitation

Sessions:

Jeffrey

Sickles

Chief Claims Officer

Broadspire

Sessions:

Bridget

Smith

SVP, National Accounts & Settlement

IMPAXX

Sessions:

Joseph

Sousa

Workers' Compensation Program Manager

City of San Diego

Sessions:

Dr. Tyrone

Spears

Division Chief

City of Los Angeles

Sessions:

Scott

Stettler

Founding Partner

Siegel, Moreno & Stettler

Sessions:

Raja

Sundaram

CEO

Plethy

Sessions:

Alex

Swedlow

Past-President

California Workers’ Compensation Institute

Sessions:

Scynthia

Syfrett

Workers' Compensation Risk Manager

Sharp HealthCare

Sessions:

Garland

Tang, MD

Board Certified Neurologist

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

Eric

Taylor

Claims Supervisor

Corvel Corporation

Sessions:

Kimberely

Tilley, PsyD

SVP, Clinical Administration

Institutes of Health

Sessions:

Elizabeth

Trimm

Partner

Hanna Brophy

Sessions:

Neetu

Trivedi

Regional Manager

Select Medical

Sessions:

Dawn

Watkins

Chief Risk Officer (Retired)

Los Angeles Unified School District

Sessions:

Hon. Douglas

Webster

Workers' Compensation Judge WCAB

WCAB San Diego District Office

Sessions:

Dr. Kayvon

Yadidi

Chief Medical Officer

Akeso Occupational Health

Sessions:

William

Zachry

Strategic Advisor

Plethy

Sessions:

Sessions

ELEVATE® sessions provide a unique opportunity to learn, get inspired, and discover the most important challenges facing Workers’ Compensation professionals today. Get ready for something new! This year, we are introducing New!
Short Sessions: quick, bite-sized sessions that pack a powerful punch of knowledge in less time.

EMBARK | Opening Keynote

California: State of the State

Top experts present a town hall discussion and a 30-thousand-foot view of trends and issues currently shaping the insurance and Workers’ Compensation landscape in The Golden State.

William Zachry
Executive Director
CompSense
George Parisotto
Administrative Director
Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC)
Rafael Gonzalez, Esq.
Partner
Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC
Annie M. Davidson Esq., MSCC
Vice President of Client Success
ExamWorks Compliance Solutions
Bridget Smith, JD, MSCC, CMSP
Senior Vice President, National Accounts and Settlement Consulting
IMPAXX

EXCURSION | ELEVATE® Short 1

MSP Compliance Issues: 20 Tips in 20 Minutes!

Get ready for the most energizing (and shortest) session you will ever attend on the topic of Medicare Secondary Compliance (MSP)! This expert panel will share 20 important tips about MSP issues focused on Section 111, conditional payments, and Medicare Set Asides. Complete with amazing sound effects, this session is designed to entertain as well as educate you!

EXCURSION | ELEVATE® Short 2

Prescribing Solutions: Addressing the Physician Shortage

The entire healthcare system is experiencing significant provider shortages. According to a recent survey of Workers’ Compensation stakeholders by Risk and Insurance and Healthesystems, health care provider shortages ranked #1 as a major concern among Workers’ Compensation professionals. Projections indicate a deficit of 124,000 physicians and 200,000 nurses by 2030. Panelists will discuss the causes of this shortage and explore comprehensive solutions.

Leslie Cadet, MD, MPH
Founder
ASCEND Occupational Medicine Consulting
Kimberly Kinney
WC Risk Management
Loma Linda University
Doug Clark, FCLA
AVP Client Services
Sedgwick
Ruth Aguilera Esq.
Director, Risk Management
Los Angeles Angels
Michelle Darringer
Senior Director, Risk Management
Los Angeles Dodgers
Marla Perez
Risk Manager
Oakland Athletics
Joanne Bautista
Director, Benefits & Risk Management
San Diego Padres
Joelle Hicks
Director of Risk Management & Compliance
San Francisco Giants

PORT OF CALL 1

Trends in Professional Sports: Insights from MLB Risk Managers

♬ Take me out to the ball game! ♬ This stellar panel brings risk professionals from all five California MLB teams to the ELEVATE® stage! Panelists will share their innovative approaches to injury prevention from the perspective of professional baseball. We’ll get a real glimpse of the MLB risk manager perspectives including the importance of collaboration and building effective partnerships between players, medical staff and risk management and also the future of risk management in professional sports with emerging trends and technologies.

PORT OF CALL 2

Divergent Perspectives: Lively Discussions About Comp Claims

This session highlights the many different nuances and perspectives of Workers’ Compensation by exploring several hypothetical case studies, or scenarios, likely to occur within the Workers’ Compensation system. Panelists will discuss their varied perspectives on important topics like mental health/psyche claims, workplace violence and marijuana. The injured workers, employers and insurance companies are fictitious, and the discussions will focus on the general handling of Workers’ Compensation claims from intake to the appellate process and all the conversations in between. This session is an interesting journey through different stakeholder perspectives common in the Workers’ Compensation claim handling process.

Stuart Colburn
Board Certified in Workers’ Compensation Law
Downs & Stanford, P.C.
Hon. Robert Rassp
Presiding Judge WCAB
Los Angeles District Office
Dr. Gene Ma
Chief Medical Officer
Akeso Occupational Health
Joseph Sousa
WC Program Manager
City of San Diego
Dawn Watkins, ARM-P, AIC, SHRM-CP, PHR
Chief Risk Officer
LAUSD
Michelle Sebring
Partner
Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi, LLP
Les Shute
Chief Innovation Officer
Infinity Nurse Case Management
Raja Sundaram
CEO
Plethy
Gia Sawko
Chief Claims Officer
Signal Mutual
David Chmiel
SVP, National Director Claims North America
HUB International

PORT OF CALL 3

AI's Role in Reducing Friction with Injured Workers

This panel will discuss AI strategies that are already breaking down silos and creating a more seamless journey for injured workers. Discover how workers’ compensation stakeholders are using cutting-edge technology to revolutionize worker support, minimize friction, and enhance overall well-being. You’ll want to attend this session to get on the train toward AI innovation that is already drastically changing systems as we know it.

PORT OF CALL 4

Rx Trends: The Math Isn't Mathing!

What do you get when claims frequency is decreasing, drug prices outpace inflation, the quantity of new drugs explodes, and social media influencers are peddling on every corner? Dysfunction and the next big drug trend, that’s what. This session will explore the latest pharma trends and issues in Workers’ Compensation.

A few highlights:

  • New drugs approved faster than 20 years ago
  • Off-label used drugs approved faster than 20 years ago
  • Weight loss drugs: Ozempic and Wegovy, aka semaglutide, and Mounjaro, aka tirzepatide
  • Considering Impact on WC settlements and MSAs
  • Impact of advertising and social media vs. clinical evidence and doctors
  • Drug tsunami vs. adjuster workloads
Ron Carter
CEO
RxBridge
William Zachry
Executive Director
CompSense
Dr. Clark Smith, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Institutes of Health
Dr. Katherine Turner, PhD
Director IOH Academy | Behavioral Medicine | Neuropsychology
Institutes of Health
Negar Matian, Esq.
Founder
Matian Law Group
Yvonne Guibert
VP, Education Strategy
Institutes of Health
Josh Schuette DPT, MBA, M.E.S.S., CFCE, WRPM
Executive Director of National Workers’ Compensation Sales & Account Management
Brooks Rehabilitation
Josh Shutts
Injured Worker
Brooks Rehabilitation
Declan Graham
Injured Worker
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
Brook Feerick, RN, CCM, CLCP
Nurse Case Manager
Feerick Medical Planning

PORT of CALL 5

Voices of Resilience: The Injured Worker Journey

This engaging discussion includes clinical providers side-by-side with injured workers as we hear amazing stories of resilience, grit, faith, bravery, and courage. Walk in their shoes and discover the injured worker’s journey. This session is sure to inspire and renew your passion for why you do what you do every day, regardless of your role.

Attendee Cancellation Policy

All cancellation requests from attendees must be submitted in writing to the Elevate Conference team. The following refund schedule applies:

90 Days or More Prior to the Conference

(On or before June 23, 2026)

A cancellation made 90 days or more prior to the event is eligible for a 50% refund (minus admin fees) of the total attendee fee. Alternatively, the attendee may choose to roll over 75% of the paid fees as a credit toward Elevate 2027.

Between 89 and 60 Days Prior to the Conference

(June 24 – July 23, 2026)

Cancellations received between 60–89 days prior to the event are not eligible for a refund. However, 50% of the paid amount may be applied as a one-time credit toward Elevate 2027.

Less Than 60 Days Prior to the Conference

(July 24, 2026 and after)

Cancellations received less than 60 days prior to the event are non-refundable. No credit or rollover will be offered due to the proximity to the event and expenses already incurred.

Substitutions

Attendees may transfer their registration to another representative within their organization or to another company at no cost. Substitutions must be submitted.

Event Cancellation by Organizer

If the organizer or Hotel Del Coronado cancels due to unforeseen issues (fire, pandemic, etc.), exhibitors and sponsors will receive a full refund (minus admin fees) or full rollover credit toward a future Elevate event.

Elevate logo

Thank you for your interest in Exhibiting or Sponsoring the Elevate Conference!

We are thrilled you are here. Elevate has grown into one of California’s most dynamic, relationship-driven conferences in the Workers’ Compensation and Risk Management community, and 2026 will be our biggest, most innovative year yet.

By completing the form below, you will be among the first to receive details on exhibit opportunities, sponsorship tiers, early-bird pricing, private event options, and all the new features coming to the 2026 Elevate Conference at the iconic Hotel del Coronado.

We look forward to learning more about your organization and exploring how we can create meaningful visibility, connection, and ROI for your brand at Elevate. Let’s build something unforgettable together!

Elevate 2025 wasn’t just a conference, it was a MOVEMENT. For three unforgettable days at the legendary Hotel del Coronado, leaders, innovators, and change-makers from across the workers’ compensation world came together with one mission: to redefine what this industry’s gatherings can be. And wow – we delivered. When preparation meets opportunity, magic happens.

Wednesday Night: The 3rd Annual Karaoke for a Cause roared back, benefiting Hazel’s Hands, founded by Dr. Tyrone Spears. Industry icons became rock stars. Together, we raised thousands for foster care and at-risk youth and had the time of our lives doing it!

Thursday Morning: Enter Coach Tyler Gillum, Head Coach of the world-famous Savannah Bananas. His keynote hit like lightning, daring us to embrace creativity, seize opportunities, and bet on ourselves. Just hours later, he and the Bananas brought that same energy to a SOLD-OUT Petco Park, proving that when you seize the moment, you can ignite not just a stadium, but an entire industry.

Thursday Afternoon: We made history with the very first Changemaker© Award Ceremony, presented by the Deconstructing Comp Podcast. This beautiful new tradition celebrates the leaders breaking barriers, driving progress, and inspiring true change in our industry.

Thank You, Sponsors & Exhibitors! Special appreciation to our Visionary Sponsor HUB International our Trailblazer Sponsor Agile Occupational Medicine. Your support is the heartbeat of this event, and this conference thrives because of you.

Cheers to the Education Committee! Led by Yvonne Guibert, with members Carlos Luna, Felicia Amenta, Sandy Avina, Stuart Colburn, Rafael Gonzalez, Hon Robert Rassp, Michelle SebringJoseph Sousa, Dawn Watkins, Scynthia Syfrett, and William Zachry – you created one of the most powerful lineups we have ever seen.

This past year proved that when opportunity knocks, we answer with energy, heart, and impact. This isn’t just about conferences. This is about championing the future of Work Comp, empowering leaders, and showing the NEXT GENERATION that our industry isn’t just IMPORTANT, it’s COOL!

Keep supporting one another, keep pushing boundaries, and keep Elevating! 

Why the Hotel Del Coronado is Worth It

We’re excited to welcome you to this year’s conference at the legendary Hotel Del Coronado—a significant step up in setting, style, and seaside charm. While the nightly rate is a bit higher than in years past, we want to share why this year’s experience is something truly special—and why the value is well worth it. We negotiated a fantastic rate for our attendees, including waiving the resort fee of $35 and reducing overnight self-parking to $30 per night.

Let's Compare:
Hotel Del Coronado 2025
Marriott Marquis 2024
Room Rate
$409
$279
Historic Fee
$15
N/A
Resort/Destination Fee
WAIVED ($35 savings) ✓
$25
Parking
$30
$45
Total Before Tax
$454
$349

What value do you receive for an additional $105 per night?

Location, location, location

Just steps from the magnificent Pacific Ocean, the Hotel Del Coronado offers breathtaking beach views, iconic sunsets, and historic architecture all in one place. Think beach walks with colleagues before and after sessions, morning coffee with an ocean breeze, and evenings under the stars with industry friends.

An iconic destination

Be among the first to experience the Del after a stunning $550M restoration spanning six years, including full revitalization of the hotel’s famed Victorian building and upgraded resort amenities.

A destination in itself

The Del offers a one-of-a-kind, resort-style experience where every detail—from the rooms to the grounds—feels like a retreat. Come early or stay late to unwind at the Del Spa and Salon, play a round of golf, or enjoy boating and other water activities in beautiful Glorietta Bay. New dining options on the property include Nobu Del Coronado and Veranda, along with several other fantastic spots: Serea, ENO Market & Pizzeria, Babcock & Story Bar, the Taco Shack, and Sundaes—home to gourmet gelato and hand-crafted paleta popsicles!

More than a conference—it's a memory

Just steps from the magnificent Pacific Ocean, the Hotel Del Coronado offers breathtaking beach views, iconic sunsets, and historic architecture all in one place. Think beach walks with colleagues before and after sessions, morning coffee with an ocean breeze, and evenings under the stars with industry friends.

Consider Sharing A Room

If the room price exceeds your company’s budget, consider sharing a room with a friend to make the experience more affordable and even more memorable.

It has been our dream to bring the ELEVATE® conference to this historic hotel, and we believe the Del’s iconic coastal setting reflects the quality of the program we’ve built—and expanded to two full days. We can’t wait for you to experience it with us.

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Stay Informed About Elevate 2026

Complete the form below to stay connected with event developments, early-bird registration opportunities, and program announcements.

Interested in Presenting at ELEVATE 2025?