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Biologist Maine DEP’s Division of Environmental Assessment
Mr. Dennis is a biologist in the Maine DEP’s Division of Environmental Assessment where he heads the Division’s Watershed Management Unit. He has worked since the early 1970s on lake and stream assessment, restoration and protection. Over most of that period, he has been a strong proponent of stormwater BMPs that rely, either intentionally or incidentally, on infiltration. In the past two decades much of his time has been spent on the restoration of healthy biological communities in impaired urban streams, with a recent focus on avoidance of toxic chloride contamination in stream base flow.

Mr. Gorneau is responsible for offering innovative green infrastructure/low impact stormwater solutions that enable new applications and raise the bar on performance, cost effectiveness, and verification. He previously served as national manager of ACF Environmental/Ferguson Waterworks and as regional vice president for FABCO Industries where he was responsible for engineering design, specification, and installation of manufactured stormwater management systems. Mr. Gorneau earned a BS degree in Biological Systems Engineering and an MS degree in Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which provided the necessary knowledge for him to launch his career into the technical sales and specified engineered products industry. He spent the subsequent time since graduation gaining experience and expanding his knowledge of the industry on a wide variety of civil and environmental engineering design projects for private and public sector clients. Mr. Gorneau is a registered professional engineer in Maine and New Hampshire, and he is a Maine certified stormwater inspector. He has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), serving as section president in 2014.

Project Manager at CES, Inc.
Mr. Haskell received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maine in 2008. Since then, he has worked as an engineer on a variety of projects including road and site design and layout, stormwater treatment designs, storm drain and sanitary sewer systems, permitting, and pre-and post-hydrology studies. In 2013 Mr. Haskell became a licensed professional engineer in the State of Maine. His stormwater treatment projects have included design and permitting for underdrained soil filters, wetponds, gravel wetlands, bio-retention cells, rain gardens, porous pavement and concrete and infiltration basins, as well as proprietary systems. As a consulting engineer his goal is to provide sensible solutions that balance the requirements of the regulatory authorities, with the needs of the client considering suitability on the site, budget, and long term maintenance obligations.

Senior Project Engineer at CES, Inc.
Mr. Kuchinski has a bachelor of science degree In Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and is licensed in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts as a professional engineer. He has over 30 years’ experience in the design of large-scale commercial, industrial, and residential land development projects. Mr. Kuchinski’s experience includes the layout of roads, parking lots, site circulation and pedestrian ways in an integrated design. He has worked with site design and the permitting for site development on projects including grading, stormwater drainage, spill control, utilities, and erosion control.

Senior Project Scientist at CES, Inc.
Ms. Szillery has 20 years of experience in the natural resource and regulatory permitting field, which includes positions in academic research, Federal government, and as an environmental consultant. She is a wetland scientist and a Maine certified soil scientist (ME CSS 494). Ms. Szillery has a master’s degree in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Science from the University of Maine, and completed research on the watershed-scale of climate change and acid rain on biogeochemistry in eastern Maine. As a consulting soil scientist, she has performed soil surveys throughout Maine, from general planning level soil surveys for USDA county soil surveys to high-intensity soil surveys specific to proposed development. Ms. Szillery has completed soil suitability assessments for a variety of uses, including spray irrigation, composting, and land application of wastes. She is a member of the State of Maine Board of Certification for Soil Scientists and Geologists. Ms. Szillery also serves as a wetland and natural resource scientist, completing project strategy and planning at the inception of a project, agency consultation and negotiation, natural resource delineation, and site permitting.

Landscape Architect/Land Planner
Mr. Kvarfordt is a landscape architect and land planner with over fifteen years of experience working on a broad range of projects throughout Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and California. His experience includes large scale planning, trail and open space master planning, campus master planning and detailed site design and construction management for commercial and institutional projects.
He has had direct responsibility for management and construction observation for several rainwater harvesting, green infrastructure and low impact development projects throughout Cache County and on the Utah State University campus.
Mr. Kvarfordt works closely with civil engineers and other project specialists to create plans that are well integrated into all the various components of a project. His expertise is on developing site solutions that meet the needs of the user, while integrating innovative storm water collection, water sensitivity, treatment and re-use solutions.
Mr. Kvarfordt also serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Utah State University. He is a licensed landscape architect in the State of Utah. Mr. Kvarfordt received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees from Utah State University.
 

Shareholder concentrating in healthcare, taxation, and corporate law with Polsinelli PCMr. Anning has substantial experience in mergers and acquisitions, transactional matters and structuring joint ventures. A frequent lecturer and author, Mr. Anning served as co-chair of the American Health Lawyers Association Sarbanes-Oxley Task Force and as chair of AHLA’s Tax-Exempt Practice Group. Admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas, he is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar, the American Bar Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association. Mr. Anning received his BA degree, with distinction, and his JD degree, with honors (Order of the Coif; editor, Kansas Law Review) from the University of Kansas. He is the co-author of The New Form 990: Law, Policy & Preparation, as well as Corporate Governance Implications of Nonprofit Executive Compensation. Mr. Anning is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and was voted a Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer.

Associate with Polsinelli PCMs. Beck utilizes her tax law background and experience to advise nonprofit clients with issues surrounding the formation and operation of their organizations and operational matters including qualification for tax exemption, governance issues, compensation issues, unrelated business income planning, and political campaign activity and lobbying issues. Ms. Beck also has experience with various tax restructuring issues relating to international entities. Her publications include The Law of Fundraising. She received a B.A. degree in Supply and Value Chain Management from Texas Christian University, a J.D. degree from the University of Kansas School of Law, and an LL.M.degree in Taxation from Northwestern University School of Law, where she was awarded Top Oral Advocate at the 2010 European Tax Law Moot Court Competition. Ms. Beck was selected a 2015 Kansas and Missouri Rising Star for Tax Law.

Counsel with Polsinelli PCJonathan Blum understands the nonprofit sector from a unique vantage point. He gained a wealth of experience while serving as the in-house general counsel for a major international charity and a private foundation. Through this in-depth knowledge, Mr. Blum assisted nonprofit leaders with managing their legal matters and building capacity for the future. He recognizes the importance of concentrating on the key issues affecting clients and moving quickly to identify practical legal options in order for clients to stay mission-focused and make informed decisions. Mr. Blum counsels his nonprofit clients on a broad array of legal issues affecting charities, foundations, trade and professional associations, advocacy groups and other nonprofit organizations. Mr. Blum also serves as an adjunct professor at the SMU Dedman School of Law. He received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, both with honors.

BKD, LLPMr. Engle is the North Region tax leader for BKD National Not-for-Profit Group, BKD NationalGovernmental Group and BKD National Health Care Group. He has more than 21 years of experience providing tax services to health care entities, colleges, universities and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Engle performs comprehensive reviews of not-for-profit activities to identify and help mitigate exposure areas related to private inurement, intermediate sanctions, worker classifications and unrelated business taxable income issues. He also has extensive experience with IRS examinations. Mr. Engle is a member of the AICPA and the Missouri and Kansas Society of CPAs. He was recently appointed to the AICPA Exempt Organizations Taxation Technical Resource Panel.

Shareholder specializing in the representation of tax-exempt organizations with Polsinelli PCVirginia C. Gross is a shareholder with Polsinelli PC concentrating her practice on providing advice and counsel to tax-exempt organizations. She counsels exempt organizations on all aspects of tax-exempt and nonprofit organizations law and has worked with numerous nonprofit boards of directors and trustees regarding their nonprofit governance and best practices. Ms. Gross is a frequent writer and speaker on nonprofit law topics and is a former member of the Exempt Organizations subcommittee of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Nonprofit Organizations/Charities Law for 2008-2017 and was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2017 Lawyer of the Year in Kansas City. She is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia and the States of Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

Senior Policy AdvisorJulius Hobson concentrates on assisting clients with legislative and regulatory advocacy concerning health care, appropriations, budget, various other public policy issues. With more than 40 years’ experience working with the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch, he has served as director of the Division of Congressional Affairs, American Medical Association (AMA) where he managed the AMA’s interaction with the Congress. Mr. Hobson previously served on the staff of Senator Charles Robb [D-VA], where he was responsible for financial and economic issues. He previously served in the Executive Office of the District of Columbia Mayor where he was responsible for coordinating the city’s relations with the Congress and the Federal Executive Branch. Mr. Hobson served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a subcommittee Staff Director and as Chief of Staff to a Member of the House. He also handled Congressional Affairs for Howard University. Mr. Hobson served a four-year term as an elected member of the D.C. Board of Education. Currently, Mr. Hobson is an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University, where, since 1994, he has taught Lobbying. He also teaches Legislative Writing and Research.

Principal in Bruce R. Hopkins Law Firm, LLC, in Kansas City, MissouriBruce R. Hopkins concentrates on the representation of tax-exempt organizations, practicing with the Bruce R. Hopkins Law Firm, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri. He practiced with Polsinelli PC for over 20 years. He is the Professor from Practice at the University of Kansas School of Law. He has authored or coauthored over 35 books on nonprofit law subjects, including The Law of Tax-Exempt Organizations, Eleventh Edition; The Tax Law of Charitable Giving, Fifth Edition; The Law of Fundraising, Fifth Edition; Bruce R. Hopkins’ Nonprofit Law Dictionary; Nonprofit Governance: Law, Practices, and Trends; Tax-Exempt Organizations and Constitutional Law: Nonprofit Law as Shaped by the U.S. Supreme Court; and Beware the Commerciality Doctrine and Other Nonprofit Law Poetry. He writes a monthly newsletter, the Bruce R. Hopkins’ Nonprofit Counsel. He is listed in the The Best Lawyers in America,for Nonprofit Organizations/Charities Law, 2007-2017. He earned his JD and LLM degrees atthe George Washington University, his SJD degree at the University of Kansas, and his BA degree at the University of Michigan. He is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia and the stateof Missouri.

Shareholder with Polsinelli PCEd Novak chairs the Polsinelli Government Investigations and White Collar Crime Practice Group and the office managing partner of the Polsinelli Phoenix office. The government investigations work spans many fields including health care, securities, banking, tax, contracting, and education. He also represents government officials in state and federal investigations. He is a former president of the state Bar of Arizona and currently serves as Chair of the Arizona Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. Ed also serves as the chair of the Arizona chapter of US Vets, Inc. and the president of the board of directors of the Arizona School for the Arts.

Chair of the Polsinelli PC Nonprofit Organizations Practice GroupDrawing on his experience as both an attorney and a certified public accountant, Mr. Schenkelberg’s practice specializes in the areas of tax, nonprofit, and healthcare law. Clients turn to Mr. Schenkelberg for structuring mergers and acquisitions, guiding corporatere organizations, joint ventures of nonprofit and for-profit entities, governance issues, unrelated business income planning, and use of for-profit subsidiaries and other related entity planning. He has served as the vice chair of the American Health Lawyers Association Tax and Finance Committee and is a frequent writer and speaker on nonprofit law topics. His publications include Nonprofit Law for Colleges and Universities; The New Form 990: Law, Policy, and Preparation and the Tax Management Portfolio’s Private Foundations – Distributions (Sec. 4942) published by the Bureau of National Affairs. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Nonprofit Organizations for 2010-2017 and was named 2016 Lawyer of the Year in Kansas City.

Shareholder with Polsinelli PCWilliam P. Sweeney is a shareholder with Polsinelli PC, practicing in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. Mr. Sweeney has a broad-based, comprehensive practice which involves all areas of employee benefits law. He advises public, private, and tax-exempt employers on the design, implementation, and administration of all types of welfare plans and tax-qualified retirement plans (including defined benefit, 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b)). Mr. Sweeney has substantial experience working with multiemployer benefit funds, representing clients before the IRS and U.S. Department of Labor with respect to employee benefit plan audits and voluntary correction procedure filings, and drafting and negotiating terms of merger and acquisition agreements. Mr. Sweeney also has extensive experience counseling clients and conducting training on ERISA fiduciary compliance, COBRA, and HIPAA.

Principal of Baltazar Global LLC, Chicago, Illinois
Ms. Baltazar practices exclusively in the area of immigration and nationality law, with a primary focus on business immigration. She has served on various AILA committees at the local and national level, most recently at AILA National’s Annual Conference Planning Committee and Fundamentals Online Course Committee, as well as AILA Chicago’s Midwest Regional Conference Planning Committee. In addition, Ms. Baltazar routinely provides pro bono legal services to individuals seeking immigration benefits and currently serves on the Junior Leadership Board of the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Attorney, Principal and Managing Director, Immigration Law Associates, P.C. Skokie, IL
Ms. Burek has 15 years of experience providing the highest quality of legal services to individuals, families and employers in need of immigration assistance. She concentrates her practice in family and employment-based sponsorship, including temporary work visas, perm-based sponsorship, national interest waivers and EB-1 petitions. Ms. Burek relies on her depth of experience and dedication to the immigrant community, to ensure that the firm competently represents the interests of its clients, with professionalism and skill necessary to achieve their immigration goals. A native Polish speaker and an immigrant herself, she enjoys assisting the many immigrant communities throughout the United States to realize their dreams of living and working in this country. Ms. Burek is a weekly guest on Chicago’s Polish radio (Polski FM 92.7) and a frequent presenter at various immigration-related seminars at educational institutions, churches and professional and community organizations.

Partner with Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan, P.C., Chicago, IL
Ms. Leja’s practice includes both employment-based and family-based immigration law. She is also an adjunct professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, teaching Business Aspects of Immigration Laws and she serves as a Board Member for the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, a national organization that advocates for the rights and best interests of immigrant children in removal proceedings. Ms. Leja was inspired to practice immigration law based on her own personal immigration story. She was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old. Ms. Leja’s personal journey was featured in Super Lawyers Magazine. In 2018, she was recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the top 40 Under 40 attorneys in Chicago, the only immigration attorney to be listed that year, and was also named a Leading Lawyer and one of Leading Women Lawyers in Illinois by Leading Lawyers, a distinction given to only 15 women practicing immigration law in Illinois.

Barnes and Thornburg, Chicago, IL
Mr. Shah is a partner in the firm’s immigration and labor and employment practice group. He is committed to helping employers and individuals comply with the complex requirements of U.S. immigration law. Mr. Shah services employers of all sizes who seek assistance with audits by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure compliance with I-9 recordkeeping requirements and employers’ responsibility to verify their employees’ work authorization, preventative counseling and internal audits and guidance to ensure compliance with evolving immigration rules, executive actions and legislation. He also works with individual immigrants. As a child of immigrants from India, Mr. Shah understands the deeply personal nature of the immigration process. He was recognized as the Young Lawyer of the Year in Cook County by the Illinois State Bar Association in 2014-15 and received the South Asian Bar Association of North America’s Cornerstone Award in 2015 for his contributions to the legal profession. Most recently, Mr. Shah was a fellow with the Emerging Leaders Program of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Attorney, Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, LTD, Schaumburg, IL
Ms. Vaid is co-chair of the firm’s Immigration practice. She assists multinational corporations and business professionals with temporary and permanent residence matters, including a full range of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas, including PERM applications and I-140 petitions. Ms. Vaid provides strategic advice to employers on a wide range of immigration issues, including I-9 compliance and audits, corporate restructuring and mergers and acquisitions, complex requests for evidence, physician J-1 waivers, nonimmigrant visa waivers and short and long-term immigration options for corporations and individuals. She has been practicing immigration law exclusively for nearly two decades, and she represents clients from a wide variety of industries.

Adjunct Assistant Professor and Research Fellow, University of Minnesota School of Architecture, College of DesignArchitect, author, educator and researcher. Loren Abraham has 40 years’ experience in the building and construction industry. Registered since 1990 and Voted in the Top 25 Most Innovative Architects by Glass Magazine, 2003. Mr. Abraham has been acknowledged as a leader in the design and construction of ecologically sound, livable, high performance and net-zero energy buildings. He has contributed significantly to education about energy and environmental issues as well as the creation of new methods and software for optimizing building design and performance. Mr. Abraham has worked actively with the White House, the AIA, the US Green Building Council, The Sustainable Buildings Industries Council, ASTM, the Department of Energy and other federal agencies as well as numerous product manufacturers and leading design firms. His work has received numerous awards and has been featured in many publications including American Libraries, Architecture, Architectural Record, Business Week, Corporate Report, Glass Magazine, Interiors, Library Journal, Metropolis, and the Wall Street Journal.