With over ten years of regulatory and legislative strategy experience, Christopher Bao serves as the Vice President - Regulatory and Legislative Strategy in the Employee Benefits division of Brown & Brown. In his role, Christopher is responsible for researching, analyzing, presenting and advising parties on strategies and best practices for group health plans. He also supports internal colleagues and Brown & Brown customers by reviewing and analyzing both federal and state laws that govern Employee Health and Welfare Benefit plans. These areas include HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act, ERISA and COBRA. Christopher has experience in employee health and welfare benefits and seven years of litigation experience. Prior to joining Brown & Brown, he worked at a large international insurance brokerage firm in the areas of compliance and Employee Health and Welfare Benefits. Prior to that role, Christopher worked as a litigator in private practice. He joined Brown & Brown in August of 2022.

Christopher graduated magna cum laude from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree and earned his law degree from Louisiana State University - Paul M. Hebert School of Law, earning a dean's list designation during his time there. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar and recently passed the bar exam in California. Christopher dedicates his free time to use his legal knowledge to assist indigent and underrepresented people and veterans.

Gina Abudi: As President of Abudi Consulting Group, LLC, a woman-owned business, Gina utilizes her 25+ years of consulting, coaching and executive leadership experience to work closely with executives and Boards of Directors of mid- to large global organizations to lead and support strategic, transformational change initiatives. Her work is focused on coaching leaders on change, providing consulting services and offering training programs related to leading and championing/supporting change.

Gina is active with the Northeast Human Resource Association (NEHRA), frequently contributing to programs for developing HR Professionals and at conferences. She’s also adjunct faculty at several college and university undergraduate and graduate programs and is active with the Association of Change Management Professionals.

Daniel Klein is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office. Mr. Klein's practice includes the representation of management in employment and non-competition litigation matters before state and federal courts, at trial and appellate levels, as well as federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities.

Mr. Klein also counsels national, regional and local employers on a wide variety of employment matters, including disability accommodation, family and medical leave, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, commissions disputes, performance assessment and discipline, terminations, reductions-in-force, training, background checks, whistleblower claims, defamation, handbook and policy review, and trade-secrets protection strategies.As a member of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Klein has defended employers in a variety of complex discrimination cases, including multi-plaintiff discrimination lawsuits, EEOC pattern and practice cases, and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Mr. Klein also has defended employers against the full spectrum of cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, defamation, and wage and hour violations, as well as representing employers in non-competition and contract disputes.Mr. Klein regularly assists clients in drafting employment contracts, severance agreements, non-competition, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, personnel policies and company handbooks. He has represented employers in a variety of industries, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, staffing, professional services, transportation, and technology.Mr. Klein lectures frequently on a variety of employment law topics for human resource specialists and in-house counsel, including regular presentations on behalf of the Northeast Human Resources Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Klein served as a legal intern at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. From 2005 through the present, Boston Magazine and Law and Politics have named Mr. Klein one of Massachusetts' and New England's "Super Lawyer Rising Stars." Mr. Klein received his J.D., from Boston College Law School, and his B.A. from Colgate University.

Daniel B. Klein 

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Phone: (617) 946-4840

Email: dklein@seyfarth.com

Online Bio

David is President of the Compensation & HR Group and is responsible for all consulting functions within the organization. He is the Author of the bestselling HR book Pay Matters: The Art and Science of Employee Compensation.

Prior to joining the Compensation & HR Group, David spent 20 years managing a human resources membership and consulting organization. He has also held positions with industry leaders Liberty Mutual, Honeywell and Hewlett-Packard as a corporate human resources professional. During this period, he gained essential hands-on experience in compensation program development, marketing and internal communications.

A graduate of The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, David has also made his mark in academia, having served as adjunct faculty member for both Northeastern University and Newbury College where he taught courses in Compensation Management and Human Resource Management. He also worked as an instructor for the certification courses at the Compensation Analyst Academy, WorldatWork and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Julie Coote, MBA has a thirty-year tenure in financial services, most recently as the Head of Human Resources at Geode Capital Management, LLC (“Geode”). She is a founding employee of Geode, which spun off from Fidelity Investments and after a twenty-four-year tenure at the firm she retired in June of 2024.  Julie was instrumental in helping to cultivate, grow and develop the firm, which has expanded from three employees to over one hundred and eighty employees. 

Julie is currently the Board Advisory Chair for Tomorrow’s Women TODAY. She is very active with volunteer activities in her community and acts as a mentor for working women.  She recently launched a home furnishings and decor business, siena&sill, located in Foxboro, Massachusetts.  

Harika Diaz is a Human Resources Coordinator at Loomis, Sayles & Company, where she helps oversee human resources operations and manages specific human resources-related projects and initiatives. She serves as co-lead of the Loomis Sayles Learning & Development Council, and a co-founder and leader of the firm’s mental health program, LS Healthy Minds and LS Black Community affinity group. She joined Loomis Sayles in 2015, earned a BA from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a certificate from the CFA Institute Investment Foundations Program.

Cheryl Jacobs is Senior Vice President, Executive Coach, Leadership Developer & Facilitator at MCG Partners, a consultancy specializing in leadership and talent optimization. With over 20 years’ experience leading teams and organizations to sustainable success, Cheryl develops and delivers a broad spectrum of customized training and development programs. Her program participants span various organization levels, industries, and cultures, and speak to Cheryl’s ability to create personalized learning experiences and transformative and sustainable changes.

A skilled interactive and collaborative facilitator, Cheryl has extensive expertise in solving the leadership challenges of individuals and organizations. She specializes in employee and leadership effectiveness, succession planning, organizational innovation, change and alignment. Cheryl is a Harvard Business School executive coach providing coaching and advisory services to attending global executives. Previously, Cheryl leveraged her passion for developing people and founded Talent Transformation, a coaching, training and talent management consulting firm.

Cheryl also served as the Executive Director of Sales for The Providence Journal Company, a multimedia organization owned by Belo Corporation. At The Providence Journal Company, she oversaw a sales and marketing staff of 60 and drove strategies, revenue, and multimedia product development with a $50m budget. Prior to the Providence Journal, Cheryl spent 10 years in Sales and Strategic Planning at Boston.com and The Boston Globe.

Cheryl holds a BA from Boston College and a MBA from Suffolk University. In addition, Cheryl is a certified Executive Coach through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and is a certified Analyst in the Predictive Index^® (PI^®) and DiSC^®. She is also certified in several 360 assessments. She is also a faculty member of the Northeast Human Resource Association (NEHRA), a SHRM chapter.

Sharon Lavery is VP of Consulting Services at MCG Partners, a leadership, culture, and talent optimization firm that connects people strategy with business strategy for maximum impact. She has over 20 years of extensive experience as a Human Resources Leader across a wide range of industries and organizations of varying sizes. Sharon serves as a strategic partner to leaders, helping organizations identify tailored solutions. Her expertise in leadership development, employee engagement, and talent optimization ensures that organizations receive the support they need to drive sustainable success. Sharon holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Kiersten Peterson started her career in the staffing industry at Adecco and Randstad, before transitioning to internal HR at State Street Global Advisors.  For two decades, Kiersten headed Human Resources at Winston Flowers, building the HR infrastructure, programs and team, and leading the company’s expansion into new markets.  Kiersten has recently joined RogersGray, a Baldwin Group Partner, in the small and growing HR Consulting team, providing tailored HR solutions to small business clients.

Andrea brings a fresh, personal approach to communications consulting. She is passionate about building strong relationships with clients and prospects alike in order to develop meaningful, cutting-edge strategies, adding a splash of color to their communications approach as a result. Andrea oversees a team of talented communication consultants on HUB’s Communication & Design (C&D) team.

After four years on the account management side in multiple lines of business, Andrea realized her true passion lies in impactful, engaging communications, and began to pursue opportunities in that arena. Her first opportunity included establishing a communications team to support the implementation of her employer’s large-scale employee benefits marketplace.

She proudly joined HUB International in 2015 and hit the ground running with C&D, a trusted partner of hundreds of clients in all market sizes—small to national. Andrea and the team continue to garner national industry recognition in the form of platinum and gold Marcom awards for its work in employee benefits and HR communications.

Andrea holds a degree from AIB College of Business.

Stacy Kuehler oversees the North American Curated Communication & Design (C&D) team. A team comprised of creative professionals that expertly “curate” a strategic, thoughtful and fully customized approach to client's employee communication strategy development and deliverables; therefore helping clients to achieve measurable goals and overcome challenges all while adhering to the client's organizational voice-style and brand. The Curated C&D team supports clients of all sizes and from a wide range of industries.

Stacy has more than 20 years of experience in the communication and design industry, with a particular focus on results-driven strategy and the development of award-winning HR and Benefits employee engagement and communication campaigns. Stacy’s team has been recognized as recipients of multiple Platinum level MarCom Awards, an international creative competition for companies involved in the concept, writing and design of print, visual, audio and web materials and programs.

Creative portfolio: www.hubinternationalcd.com

Stacy holds a degree from Ellsworth College.

Mim Minichiello serves as Chief Performance and Talent Officer for the East Region. In this capacity, her primary focus is on enhancing the performance of the HUB team through the implementation of best practices in talent management and the preservation of the organization's deeply ingrained entrepreneurial culture. Additionally, Mim takes pride in her role as a staunch advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as well as community engagement efforts within the East Region.

Mim is renowned for her unwavering commitment to the HUB team and the broader insurance industry, consistently propelling her colleagues toward their next career milestones and forging new pathways into the sector. Before assuming her current role, Mim served as the President of Employee Benefits at HUB International New England.

With a distinguished career spanning executive roles in both the insurance brokerage and health plan sectors, Mim possesses expertise in designing and executing strategic growth plans, spearheading innovative sales and marketing strategies, and fostering high-performing teams. Beyond her leadership responsibilities, Mim contributes her expertise as a board member for several influential charities, including Facing History, YW Boston, and The Women’s Edge. She also actively participates in board committees for esteemed organizations like the Northeast Human Resources Association, New England Employee Benefits Council, and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council.

Mim's exceptional contributions to her field have earned her multiple accolades, including recognition as a multi-year recipient of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts award and her selection as one of the 2019 Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 winners. Mim is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She has further enriched her skill set by completing a graduate certificate in management from Radcliffe College and obtaining the Certified Health Insurance Executive designation through AHIP's Executive Leaders program.

Michael offers a distinctive and hands-on approach in his role as a  Communications and Design Curated consultant. Joining HUB International in 2021, he hit the ground running with the C&D practice and immediately became passionate about creating detailed communications strategies, tailored specifically to each client.

Partnered with an amazing team of creative professionals, Michael supports C&D’s goal of creating bright and engaging client experiences, that make their employees stand up and take notice.

Prior to his time at HUB, Michael spent close to five years in external communications and public relations for the National Basketball Association, working with the Cleveland Cavalier, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans. During his time in professional sports, Michael grew an immense fondness of implementing communications and marketing strategy both during and outside of games. Working with local and national media outlets to tell compelling stories of the players and front office members, as well as scheduling player appearances in local communities, were just a couple of the aspects of work that he enjoyed and helped bring a unique perspective to increase attendance, engagement and overall fan experience for the organizations he worked with.

Michael graduated from Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communications in 2017.

Christina Duszlak is an associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP where she advises clients on day-to-day personnel matters and employment laws nationwide, and counsels clients on a wide range of employment matters. These include ADA and protected class accommodations, personnel and administrative policies and handbooks, discrimination avoidance, drug testing, FMLA and leave entitlements, retaliation, sexual harassment, termination, unemployment and post-employment benefits, wage-and-hour issues, and workers' compensation. Christina is also part of the subject matter expert team focusing on the paid family and medical leave and sick leave. Christina also has extensive experience in numerous single-plaintiff cases involving discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation. Before becoming an attorney, Christina worked in management and human resources for a national company so she understands the practical challenges that managers face when staying current with the constant changes to local, state, and federal employment law.

Daniel Klein is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office. Mr. Klein's practice includes the representation of management in employment and non-competition litigation matters before state and federal courts, at trial and appellate levels, as well as federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities.

Mr. Klein also counsels national, regional and local employers on a wide variety of employment matters, including disability accommodation, family and medical leave, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, commissions disputes, performance assessment and discipline, terminations, reductions-in-force, training, background checks, whistleblower claims, defamation, handbook and policy review, and trade-secrets protection strategies.As a member of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Klein has defended employers in a variety of complex discrimination cases, including multi-plaintiff discrimination lawsuits, EEOC pattern and practice cases, and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Mr. Klein also has defended employers against the full spectrum of cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, defamation, and wage and hour violations, as well as representing employers in non-competition and contract disputes.Mr. Klein regularly assists clients in drafting employment contracts, severance agreements, non-competition, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, personnel policies and company handbooks. He has represented employers in a variety of industries, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, staffing, professional services, transportation, and technology.Mr. Klein lectures frequently on a variety of employment law topics for human resource specialists and in-house counsel, including regular presentations on behalf of the Northeast Human Resources Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Klein served as a legal intern at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. From 2005 through the present, Boston Magazine and Law and Politics have named Mr. Klein one of Massachusetts' and New England's "Super Lawyer Rising Stars." Mr. Klein received his J.D., from Boston College Law School, and his B.A. from Colgate University.

Daniel B. Klein 

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Phone: (617) 946-4840

Email: dklein@seyfarth.com

Online Bio