2024 Employment Law Conference

Stephanie Dorning, JD
Employment Law Counsel
HR Source

Stephanie’s interest in employment law began when she joined the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. In more than nine years with the department, she acted as lead investigator in over 120 investigations and helped employers across northern Illinois come into compliance with laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Davis Bacon Act, and more. Stephanie uses her first-hand agency experience to help employers navigate complicated legal issues and avoid potential violations.

Kelly Hayden, JD
Chief Legal Counsel
HR Source

Kelly Hayden is Chief Legal Counsel for HR Source, a professional organization providing human resource solutions for member organizations for more than 100 years. In her role, Kelly provides representation to employers before the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Labor, the US Department of Labor and other state and federal agencies. She also assists employers with hiring, discipline, and termination procedures; preparation of employment agreements; and the drafting and reviewing of employment policies and handbooks. She provides employment law compliance training for managers, supervisors, and HR professionals covering many topics including harassment, discipline and discharge, the FMLA, ADA, social media, employee handbooks, interviewing and hiring and drug and alcohol testing. As a representative of HR Source, Kelly frequently lectures to professional organizations on numerous employment law topics and contributes to the association’s website and has authored articles in numerous trade journals.

Kelly has a J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a B.A. in English and psychology, also from Indiana University. Kelly is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois and before the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.  Kelly came to the Association from a large Chicago law firm where she practiced for nine years defending employers in employment discrimination trials. Kelly is a member of the American Bar Association and its Section on Labor and Employment Law. Kelly has also served as a fire commissioner for the Village of Frankfort Fire Protection District for more than 10 years.

Ryan Jacobson
Partner, Amundsen Davis
Outside General Counsel, Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois

For more than two decades, Amundsen Davis attorney, Ryan Jacobson, has been an invaluable resource to HR and PR professionals across the Midwest. He also serves as outside General Counsel to the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois.  

No business organization or member of its leadership team are immune to public ridicule. Harassment and discrimination claims, class actions and data breaches, and even disgruntled employees, can frustrate operations when false accusations and rumors invade the workforce.  

Ryan is called upon when a traumatic event, accusation, or industry snafu leads to reputational heartburn. He brings a calming voice and has a pragmatic way of delivering privileged, on-the-spot crisis management advice through a lawyer’s lens. Ryan is adept at fielding press inquiries and crafting internal and external statements to correct misinformation spread to employees, investors, clients, and consumers. If necessary, Ryan will seek court intervention to silence those who cross ethical or legal boundaries to his client’s detriment. His team consists of seasoned litigators with a proven track record handling defamation, consumer fraud, and tortious interference claims. 

Learn more about Ryan.

Samyuktha Neeraja, MPH, CAE
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, State Association Relations Manager
Co-Author: A Little Perspective: Real Stories of Little Ladies
Co-Host: A Little Perspective Podcast

Samyuktha Neeraja (Sum-yook-thuh Nee-ra-ja), MPH, CAE, lives in the Chicago area and has been working in the association management industry for over 8.5 years. Her current position is the State Association Relations Manager at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. In this role, Samyuktha provides consulting services to state associations and assists them with their governance, leadership, and infrastructure-related needs. 

Samyuktha is a disability advocate and steward of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has given various speaking engagements sharing her experiences as a South Asian woman with dwarfism and how organizations can better support people with disabilities. In addition, Samyuktha co-hosts the “A Little Perspective” podcast, which is a platform for lifting up voices from marginalized groups, co-authored the best-selling anthology, “A Little Perspective: Real Stories of Little Ladies,” and is a member of Association Forum’s Welcoming Environment Committee. Samyuktha also currently serves as Immediate Past President of Benedictine University's Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a senior advisory group member for L.E.A.D.S, the University’s leadership program for undergraduate students. 

Outside of her leadership and advocacy efforts, Samyuktha is a recipient of the 2023 Rising Star Alumni Award from Benedictine University, the Association Forum Forty Under 40 Award in 2021, and is an ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) Scholar for the Class of 2023-2025. 

Michelle T. Olson
Shareholder, Vedder Price

Ms. Olson regularly advises employers on a wide variety of employment law and human resources matters, including federal and state anti-discrimination laws, medical and pregnancy leaves of absence and accommodation requests, employee discipline and discharge, workforce reductions, whistleblower and retaliation claims and wage and hour violations. Ms. Olson also assists employers in navigating the changing legal landscape of remote work, paid leave and the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. Ms. Olson is focused on providing practical legal advice that allows clients to mitigate their legal risks while achieving their business objectives.

Ms. Olson works with employers to manage sensitive internal investigations, guiding companies as they navigate challenging workplace complaints, including allegations of harassment, discrimination, bullying and retaliation. She provides thoughtful, business-focused advice in the development of employment agreements, separation and settlement agreements, employee handbooks, training programs and related policies and procedures. Ms. Olson also represents clients in employment-related litigation in federal court, arbitral forums and administrative agencies, and she regularly counsels clients regarding litigation avoidance. Ms. Olson works closely with the firm’s corporate team, conducting comprehensive due diligence reviews and identifying employment-related risks in mergers and acquisitions.

Ms. Olson co-chairs the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and has worked diligently to expand the firm’s pro bono offerings. During the first three years of her leadership, she helped to increase the number of pro bono hours worked by firm attorneys by nearly 40%. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Sister House, a residential recovery home for women in Oak Park. Ms. Olson has served on the Board for nine years, currently holds the Secretary position and previously chaired the Board’s fundraising and development efforts.

Ms. Olson was recognized in Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2024 Notable Women in Law list for her work and leadership in the legal field. In 2023, Ms. Olson was recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the Labor and Employment Law – Management category. From 2016 to 2020, Ms. Olson was selected as an Illinois Rising Star in Employment Litigation: Defense by Super Lawyers.

From 2011 to 2013, Ms. Olson clerked for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where she worked on a wide variety of civil and criminal matters. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a legislative aide for the Illinois House of Representatives.

Cara J. Ottenweller
Shareholder, Vedder Price

Cara J. Ottenweller is a Shareholder at Vedder Price and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment group in the Chicago office.

Ms. Ottenweller regularly counsels and partners with clients on a broad range of complex human resources and employment law issues, and offers creative, strategic, and practical solutions that align with her clients’ needs and goals. For example, she advises on topics including complicated employee onboarding, discipline, and termination issues; FMLA, ADA and other leave and accommodation scenarios; minimizing costly wage and hour mishaps and claims; sophisticated workforce restructuring efforts and reductions in force; developing and implementing enforceable restrictive covenant agreements; managing privacy and data risks related to the use of Artificial Intelligence; workplace violence prevention and response; and medical and recreational marijuana in the workplace. As part of her counseling practice, Ms. Ottenweller also regularly develops workplace policies, conducts sensitive workplace investigations, and leads engaging and interactive employment training courses for employers and employees alike. More recently, she has helped companies navigate the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, including remote work issues, ensuring a safe and compliant workplace, and strategizing ways to minimize liability risks.

While Ms. Ottenweller’s primary goal is to keep her clients out of the courtroom, she has also successfully represented and defended employers against a variety of traditional labor and employment law claims when they do arise, including federal and state litigation, administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal, state and local agencies, and various arbitral forums.

Paul Reiman
Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Analyst, Novo Insights

Paul Reiman in the Founder and managing Partner of Novo Insights, a boutique compensation advisory firm. Novo Insights was founded in 2022 to bring new insights to compensation management, based on Paul’s 25 years of consulting and in-house compensation operating experience. After spending 12 years in compensation consulting in large consulting firms, Paul chose to make an impact in HR and compensation leadership roles at Morningstar, Commvault Systems, and CDK Global. In that tenure, he found that organizations needed a different approach to help them build better compensation strategies, operate their compensation team more efficiently, and deploy compensation technology more effectively. Paul is the primary analyst and author of Novo Insights CompTech Market Insight report, and is a sought-after speaker at compensation industry events like WorldatWork and local compensation associations. He lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and is known to make appearances on stage as a musician in the Salary History Ban(d).

Sonal Shah, JD
Assistant Director, Employment Law Services
HR Source

Sonal Shah is Assistant Director of Employment Law Services for HR Source, a professional organization providing human resource solutions for member organizations for more than 100 years. As part of her practice, Sonal has represented employers against wrongful discharge and discrimination claims in front of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Sonal also has significant experience counseling employers on properly complying with the law and managing their workforce; preparing employment and severance agreements; drafting/revising disciplinary and termination notices; and crafting employment policies and handbooks. In addition, she provides employment law compliance training for managers, supervisors and HR professionals. Sonal also contributes to the Association’s monthly newsletter and website.

Sonal came to HR Source from a large Chicago law firm where she represented public and private employers, from the smallest private companies to corporations exceeding 10,000 employees, on a broad range of labor and employment law matters arising under federal and state law.

Sonal has a B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Allison Sues, JD
Senior Employment Law Counsel
HR Source

Allison works with employers to proactively ensure compliance with the law, including revising employee handbooks and policies and counseling employers on legal or management questions. She is a member of the HR Source Hotline. As part of her practice, she also represents employers against charges of discrimination at the EEOC, IDHR, and other administrative agencies. She also conducts in-depth investigations into claims of workplace discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Prior to coming to HR Source, she was in private practice and litigated employment matters in state and federal court, giving her great insight into important ways that employers can best navigate complex personnel matters and protect themselves against legal liability.