IAIABC, CWCL, and NAWCJ 2024 Judicial Program

Agenda

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 Speakers

Jennifer Nicaud, Mississippi

Jenny Nicaud is certified in mediation by Harvard Law School and the University of Mississippi. She is a member of the state and federal bar associations of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She currently acts as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi College School of Law, teaching Negotiations and Workers’ Compensation. From 2022 to 2024, she acts as the Chairman of the Professional Responsibility Committee of the Mississippi Bar. The Mississippi Supreme Court recently appointed her to the Bar Complaint Tribunal. She is a frequent lecturer at various continuing legal education seminars.

Marc Grodsky, Supervising Law Judge, New York State Workers' Compensation Board

Marc Grodsky is the Supervising Law Judge of the Conciliation Bureau and the Senior Law Judge of the Queens District at the NYS Workers' Compensation Board (Board). Marc works to ensure that the Workers' Compensation Law and the Board's policies and procedures are uniformly and correctly applied throughout the state by the Board's judges, and that stakeholders are treated in a fair and unbiased manner in the hearing process.
Judge Grodsky has been with the Board for more than 13 years, with experience as Judge in the Manhattan district and then as the Senior Judge in the Brooklyn, White Plains, and Queens districts. He previously worked in private practice for over 15 years representing claimants as well as defending insurance carriers and self-insured employers.

Suzette Carlisle-Flowers, Administrative Law Judge, Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation

Judge Suzette Carlisle Flowers, Ph.D., has served the citizens of Missouri for 38 years. 
For the past 25 years, she has served as a Legal Advisor and Administrative Law Judge for the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation. 
Judge Carlisle Flowers is a certified mediator through the National Judicial College. 
In 2022, she received a doctorate degree in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada – Reno. 

Stephanie Kinney, Administrative Law Judge, Kentucky Department of Workers' Claims

Stephanie L. Kinney is an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) with the Department of Workers’ Claims. Prior to her appointment in 2015, she represented injured workers and employers in workers’ compensation claims.  
ALJ Kinney grew up in Pikeville, Kentucky and graduated from Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) in 2003.  She went on to attend the Appalachian School of Law and graduated in 2007.

James Gallen, Evans & Dixson

James M. Gallen is a Member of Evans & Dixon in its St. Louis office where he has concentrated his practice in the defense of Illinois Workers’ Compensation cases since 1979.  A 1976 graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, he is a member of the ABA and its TIPS Workers’ Compensation Committee, the Missouri and Illinois State Bar Associations, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, DRI and a Fellow and Member of the Board of Governors of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.  Most significantly to this meeting he is Chair of the 50th Anniversary of the Report of the National Commission Of State Workmen's Compensation Laws Planning Committee.

Joy Dougherty, Chair, Oregon Workers' Compensation Board

Joy Dougherty graduated from University of Arizona and holds a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.  She is licensed in California, Oregon and Colorado.  She began her law practice doing workers’ compensation in Oregon.  She joined the Workers’ Compensation Board in 2003 as a Staff Attorney, and in 2010 she became an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). In 2013, she was appointed to be the Presiding ALJ.  In October of last year, she was nominated by Governor Kotek and confirmed by the senate, to be the Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Board.  In March 2024, she was inducted into the National College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.  She                                                    also serves as a member of the Dispute Resolution Committee with the International                                                              Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.

Wayne Schiess, Senior Lecturer, Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy, University of Texas School of Law

Wayne Schiess is a Senior Lecturer in the Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy at the University of Texas School of Law, where he teaches legal writing and advocacy. He is also a frequent seminar speaker on those subjects. He has published more than a dozen articles on practical legal-writing skills, plus five books. His legal-writing blog,LEGIBLE, has been named to the Texas Bar Today weekly top ten blog posts 56 times. He graduated from Cornell Law School, practiced law at the Texas law firm of Baker Botts, and in 1992 joined the faculty at Texas.

Deborah Blevins, Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission

Deborah Wood Blevins is the Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Department.  Deputy Commissioner Blevins is previous Chair of the Joint ADR Committee of the Virginia State Bar/Virginia Bar Association, Chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards & Commissions (IAIABC), and a Fellow of the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers.  Prior to joining the Commission in 2004, she was a partner with Gilmer, Sadler, Ingram, Sutherland and Hutton in Pulaski, Virginia.  She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University Of Virginia School Of                                                    Law.

Shannon Bruno Bishop, District Judge, Louisiana Office of Workers' Compensation

As District Judge, Judge Bishop conducts judicial hearings and trials by presiding over workers’ compensation claims and rendering final judgments that are appealable to the state appellate courts.   
Judge Bishop is a native of New Orleans who graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in Sociology and The University of Mississippi School of Law with a J.D.  She is admitted in all state and federal courts in Mississippi and Louisiana.  She began her legal career representing plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, and workers’ compensation cases in Mississippi.  She later returned to                                                             Louisiana where she worked as an insurance defense attorney prior to joining the Office of                                                   Workers’ Compensation as a staff attorney and mediator.  After serving as a mediator for                                                       nine years, she was appointed District Judge.  During this time, she also served as Chief                                                         Judge for two years. 

Jim Brinson, Deputy Director, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security

James Brinson is employed as the Deputy Director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security Prior to Homeland Security, Mr. Brinson worked for the U.S. Air Force where he responded to terrorist incidents and conducted countering terrorism operations worldwide. 

He has been employed with the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security since 2004. Responsibilities include overseeing the states intelligence and response assets for potential or actual terrorism incidents or threats of violence, oversees active shooter preparedness and training program for Mississippi, along with State Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, as well as being a sworn law enforcement officer that also works cases. He oversees the protection of the State of Mississippi’s Citizens, Critical Infrastructure, and governmental institutions.  conducts training for major sporting events on security measures and trains law enforcement agencies across the country in various counterterrorism areas. Mr. Brinson presents at many local, state, national and international audiences on terrorism and targeted violence.

Baxter Kruger, Executive Director, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security

As the Executive Director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security Director Kruger is responsible for the execution of the offices “All-Hazards” mission and oversees the Homeland Security Operations Division, the Mississippi Analysis and Information Center, the Mississippi Cyber Unit, the Digital Forensics Lab, and the Homeland Security Grants Division.
Director Kruger was appointed by Commissioner Sean Tindell to lead the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security in November 2021. Prior to joining the Office, Kruger served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Southern District of Mississippi,                                                              Criminal Division.
                                                  Kruger has served in the Mississippi Army National Guard since 2007 where he continues                                                      to serve as a Judge Advocate. His service includes deployments to the Middle East with                                                        the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team and domestically as part of the COVID- 19 Task                                                      Force.

Sean Tindell, Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Public Safety

As the Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Tindell oversees the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy, the Driver Service Bureau, the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, the State Medical Examiner’s Office, Crime Stoppers, Public Safety Planning, Capitol Police, and MDOT Enforcement. Commissioner Tindell currently manages over 1,400 employees throughout the state.

Josh Baker, Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

Joshua Davis Baker joined the bench of the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims in June 2014 as a member of the inaugural class of workers’ compensation judges. He was reappointed to a six-year term in 2016 and to a second six-year term in 2022. Judge Baker graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science concentrated in finance. He graduated cum laude from the Appalachian School of Law in 2005. Judge Baker then served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter for approximately seven years, where he represented the Bureau in many legal matters before he joined the Bureau in 2012. At the Bureau, Judge Baker served as                                                        Administrative Attorney and Legislative Liaison before his appointment to the Court.

Michelle Sisk, Manager of Policy and Compensation Compliance, Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation

Michelle S. Sisk, Esq., is the Manager of Policy and Compensation Compliance for the Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation, which involves oversight of the rules and legislative process and the carrier practices unit. She also serves as a Prehearing Administrative Law Judge. Michelle previously served as a Senior Assistant City Attorney with the City and County of Denver in their Workers' Compensation Unit, and also worked in private practice, primarily representing respondents. Before moving to Colorado, Michelle worked in Washington, D.C., with a focus in the areas of election law, federal and                                                    state legislative processes, and judicial ethics. Prior to law school, Michelle worked in                                                              campaign politics for national and local campaigns. Michelle is a graduate of The Johns                                                          Hopkins University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science, and a J.D. from The                                                                  American University, Washington College of Law.

Michael Sprain, Sprain Law Firm

Michael L. Sprain was accepted to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas on November 4, 1994. Mr. Sprain began career as an attorney in Houston, Texas participating in all aspects of commercial, personal injury, and tort cases from pre-suit to trial.  In February, 1999, he formed the Sprain Law Firm, P.C. to represent individuals involved in Personal Injury and Texas Workers’ Compensation cases.  In 2004, Mr. Sprain became Board Certified by the Texas Legal Board of Legal Specialization in Workers’ Compensation.  Michael L. Sprain has earned a reputation representing injured workers in all aspects of workers’ state and federal compensation claims.  He has a proven record of                                                        handling complex disputed cases from inception through completion.  

Judge Sharon Hurt Reeves, Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge, Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation

Judge Sharon Reeves is the Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation.  Before her appointment in 2017, she spent more than 20 years in private practice specializing in workers’ compensation and general litigation.  She is a Board Member of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ) and a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.  She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia School of Law.