View List of Speakers

Speakers

Below is a list of confirmed speakers. Please check in frequently to see updates to this page as new speakers join us.

Matthew Beddingfield

Matthew Beddingfield

Matthew Beddingfield is a Senior Associate in Zerbe, Miller, Fingeret, Frank & Jadav LP’s Washington, D.C. office who specializes in representing whistleblowers from their initial filing through any necessary appeals process. He has experience representing clients before several government entities, including the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as the U.S. Tax Court.

Speaking
DAY 3: Building on Their Legacy
July 30 at 3:30PM EST

Ugo Bernalicis

Ugo Bernalicis

Ugo Bernalicis to give opening remarks on Day 2 of the National Whistleblower Day event.

Speaking
DAY 2: Opening Remarks
July 29 at 2:00PM EST

Alfred Brownell

Alfred Brownell

Alfred Brownell is an internationally recognized environmental rights activist and lawyer from Liberia. Brownell has advocated for more than two decades to protect the environment and human rights in West Africa and to empower Liberians and West Africans victimized by resource exploitation. He co-founded and headed the public interest law nongovernmental environmental rights organization Green Advocates International. With Green Advocates, Brownell pioneered a framework for environmental law within Liberia’s legal system. His efforts have led to significant successes, including the temporary protection of six million acres of forest from development by palm oil companies.

Speaking
DAY 2: Fireside Chat
July 29 at 5:00PM EST

John Cochran

John Cochran

John Cochran was appointed Commissioner of the Indiana Securities Division in 2021. The Indiana Securities Division is responsible for regulating the securities industry, loan brokers, collection agencies, franchises, and continuing care retirement communities. Prior to his appointment, he served as Parliamentarian to the Indiana House of Representatives. Mr. Cochran has professional experience in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Cochran is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.

Speaking
DAY 1: Discussion Panel with NASAA
July 28 at 3:30PM EST

Ari Danikas

Ari Danikas was police reserve officer in the Cato Manor unit of the South African police, an elite unit of the South African Police. Through the publication of a series of videos and public revelations, Danikas revealed that the unit was allegedly engaged in extrajudicial killing, tampering with crime scenes, and the torture of subjects. This case is an excellent demonstration of a whistleblower and journalists working together to get information from secretive places into the public domain. Danikas is now an Honorary Research Fellow East Europe and African region, Blueprint for Free Speech.

Speaking
DAY 2: International Whistleblower Experiences Panel
July 29 at 3:30PM EST

Shanna Devine

Shanna Devine

Shanna Devine serves as the inaugural Director of the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds. In that capacity, she is responsible for advising the House community on best practices for working with whistleblowers from the public and private sectors.

Speaking
DAY 1: Fireside Chat with House of the Whistleblower Ombuds
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Aiyesha Dey

Aiyesha Dey

Aiyesha Dey is an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School. She started her academic career at University of Chicago, and moved to University of Minnesota in 2010. In 2017, just prior to joining Harvard University, she visited the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission where she was involved in several policy initiatives. Aiyesha’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, for which she received the National Scholar Award from the government of India. She continued her graduate studies by pursuing an MBA specializing in Accounting and Finance, followed by a PhD in Accounting from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Aiyesha conducts research in the areas of corporate governance, behavioral finance, and financial reporting and disclosures. Her research has been published in several leading academic journals, and recognized for their significant contributions to the accounting literature.

Speaking
DAY 2: Understanding Whistleblower Rewards
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Khalil Abboud

Khalil Abboud

Khalil Abboud is the deputy staff director for the Committee on House Administration’s majority staff. Khalil began his Capitol Hill career in 2007 as a professional staff member for former House Administration Chairman Robert A. Brady. Since then, Khalil has used his extensive experience with House procedure and the legislative process to guide and implement the Committee’s legislative and oversight agenda for current House Administration Chairperson Zoe Lofgren. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Khalil holds a B.A. from Fordham University and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He lives in D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with his wife, two children and dog.

Speaking
DAY 1: Fireside Chat with House of the Whistleblower Ombuds
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Jacqueline Garrick - Portrait

Jacqueline Garrick

Jacqueline Garrick founded Whistleblowers of America as a nonprofit in 2017, which provides voluntary peer support to employees suffering the impacts of Workplace Traumatic Stress. She developed the Whistleblower Retaliation Checklist© to identify negative psychosocial impacts on victimized employees as a tool for forensic testimony and has published on her research. Ms. Garrick is on several Advisory Boards and the Board of Directors for Brighton Marine. Captain Garrick was an Army Social Work Officer who later held senior positions at the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and Congress. Professor Garrick has taught for the University of Southern California, School of Social Work and has supervised interns from the University of West Florida. She is also founder of the Workplace Promise Institute opened in Pensacola, FL in 2021.

Speaking
DAY 3: Live After Whistleblowing
July 30 at 2:30PM EST

Allison Gill - National Whistleblower Day Speaker

Allison Gill

Allison Gill (aka, “AG”) is an award-winning political podcast journalist, She is known to many as a whistleblower, Ph.D., U.S. Navy veteran, standup comedian, writer, musician, and one of the hottest voices in today’s liberal political media. She also is the founder and CEO of MSW Media, a podcast network. Gill serves up social justice and political news, speaking what she believes is the truth, no matter the odds. Her original podcast, Mueller, She Wrote, won her a Webby Award.

Speaking
DAY 1: Keynote
July 30 at 5:00PM EST

Senator Charles Grassley Speaking at National Whistleblower Day 2021

Senator Charles Grassley

Senator Grassley is the longest serving Senator in Iowa history and is the Chairman of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus. Heralded as a champion of whistleblower rights, Grassley has been behind many key pieces of whistleblower legislation over the past several decades, including the historic 1986 amendments to the False Claims Act, the Tax Relief and Health Care Act which modernized the IRS Whistleblower Program in 2006, and the CFTC Fund Management Act of 2021 which saved the CFTC Whistleblower Program from financial collapse. Grassley was first elected to the Iowa state legislature in 1958 and served there until Iowans sent him to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. In 1980, Grassley was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he’s developed a reputation for bipartisanship and pragmatism. This approach to legislating consistently earns Grassley high marks as one of the Senate’s most effective and collaborative lawmakers. In each post, serving Iowans has always been Grassley’s guiding light and primary objective.

Speaking
DAY 1: Keynote
July 28 at 5:00PM EST

Francswai Grayson

Francswai Grayson

Francswai Grayson currently serves as the Director of Communication and Outreach for the Division of Securities at the Utah Department of Commerce. In her role, she oversees the Division’s written correspondences and public presentations, as well as the management of the Division’s investor education program. She previously served within the Division of Securities as a Securities Compliance Examiner and the Securities Enforcement Legal Analyst, where she was responsible for drafting the Division’s Orders to Show Cause and reviewing public records access requests. Mrs. Grayson earned bachelor’s degrees (B.S.) in Finance and Political Science, as well as a master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) and Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the University of North Carolina Law School.

Speaking
DAY 1: Discussion Panel with NASAA
July 28 at 3:30PM EST

Andrew Hartnett

Andrew Hartnett

Andrew Hartnett is the Deputy Administrator for Securities in the Iowa Insurance Division and President-elect of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA). He brings to these roles experience as a state securities regulator in two jurisdictions, as an Assistant Attorney General, and several years in private practice representing investment advisers and broker-dealers.

Speaking
DAY 1: Discussion Panel with NASAA
July 28 at 3:30PM EST

Jonas Heese

Jonas Heese

Jonas Heese is the Marvin Bower Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Accounting & Management Unit at Harvard Business School. In his research, Professor Heese focuses on corporate misconduct, with a special focus on the role of regulators, whistleblowers, the media, and organizations’ compliance systems to prevent such misconduct. His award-winning research has been published in leading academic journals and he is regularly invited to present his research to academics, practitioners, and regulators.

Speaking
DAY 2: Understanding Whistleblower Rewards
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones serves as the Deputy Director of the House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds. There, she works with the Director to assist House offices in establishing best practice whistleblower intake systems, to provide trainings to House offices on how to safely work with whistleblowers, and to analyze and provide legal overview of relevant whistleblower laws.

Speaking
DAY 1: Fireside Chat with House of the Whistleblower Ombuds
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Emily Kisicki

Emily Kisicki

Emily Kisicki is the Director of Policy for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, which regulates the banking, securities, insurance, and captive insurance industries in the state. Previously, she served as the Director of Examinations and Enforcement for the Securities Division within the Department. In that role, she provided oversight of the investment adviser registration, examination, investigation, and enforcement functions of the Division. Ms. Kisicki is a member of the Enforcement Publications, State Legislation, and Investment Adviser Regulatory Policy project groups of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (NASAA). Ms. Kisicki graduated from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. She earned her Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School, and an LL.M. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Speaking
DAY 1: Discussion Panel with NASAA
July 28 at 3:30PM EST

Stephen M. Kohn

Stephen Kohn

Stephen M. Kohn is one of the nation’s leading whistleblower attorneys. A founding director of the National Whistleblower Center, he is the author of eight books on whistleblower law, including The New Whistleblower’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What’s Right and Protecting Yourself. He is a practicing whistleblower attorney and serves pro bono as the Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center. Stephen is a partner in the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. His primary litigation focus includes representing international whistleblowers under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, tax fraud whistleblowers, qui tam reward laws, the False Claims Act, SEC whistleblowers and IRS whistleblowers. In 2012, the firm obtained the largest qui tam whistleblower reward given to a single individual in history ($104 million to UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld) and he represents Danske Bank Whistleblower Howard Wilkinson.

Speaking

DAY 2: Understanding Whistleblower Rewards
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

DAY 3: The Story of National Whistleblower Day
July 30 at 2:00PM EST

David Lieberman

David Liberman

David Liberman is an experienced litigator of complex fraud claims, with a focus on those involving the False Claims Act. A former environmental crime prosecutor with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, Mr. Liberman has represented whistleblowers and governments in major false claims act cases. Previously, Mr. Liberman served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC, Mr. Liberman practiced law at Ropes & Gray and Day & Pitney in Boston.

Speaking
DAY 3: Building on Their Legacy
July 30 at 3:30PM EST

Tim Monahan

Tim Monahan

Since joining the House in 2009, Tim has held various positions involving House operations. Starting his career with the chief administrative officer, Tim was deputy chief logistics officer and director of immediate office operations. In that role Tim assisted with planning for major events including Presidential inaugurations and state of the unions. Starting in the 114th Congress, Tim joined the House Appropriations Committee as professional staff. His portfolio includes all agencies within the Legislative Branch. Beginning in the 116th Congress Tim became deputy staff director for the Committee on House Administration. In that role he focuses on oversight of all House operations. In April of 2021, Tim became staff director and currently manages all aspects of the Committee.

Speaking
DAY 1: Fireside Chat with House of the Whistleblower Ombuds
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

Yasmine Motarjemi

Yasmine Motarjemi

Yasmine Motarjemi holds a MSc degree in Food Science and Technology from the University of Languedoc, Montpellier, France (1978) and a Doctoral degree in Food Engineering from the University of Lund, Sweden (1988). After her academic career, in 1990 she joined the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva as senior scientist. From 2000 to 2011, she held the position of Assistant Vice President in Nestlé and worked as the Corporate Food Safety Manager. She challenged the Management of Nestlé for their failures in management of food safety. Subsequently, she experienced severe retaliation and was dismissed in 2010. Her dismissal was motived for her opinions on food safety management. In January 2020, the Swiss court of the Canton de Vaud condemned the Nestlé top management for psychological harassment and mobbing as retaliation for her position on food safety. The company still refuses to compensate her for her losses.

Speaking
DAY 2: International Whistleblower Experiences Panel
July 29 at 3:30PM EST

Siri Nelson

Siri Nelson

Executive Director of NWC

Siri Nelson is the Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center. Nelson served as an Associate Attorney and Policy Counsel at Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto, the nation’s leading whistleblower law firm, where she worked closely with anonymous whistleblowers, legislators, and regulators. Nelson was the recipient of the highly prestigious and competitive Estelle S. Kohn Memorial Fellowship awarded by Northeastern University School of Law and was elected to be the Commencement Speaker for her Class at Northeastern University School. She graduated summa cum laude from the College of New Rochelle, School of New Resources, with a B.A. in Liberal Arts focused on the Social Sciences. Nelson has been published in Columbia’s Blue Sky Blog and The National Law Review. She also serves as an Editor & Legislative Correspondent at Whistleblower Network News.

Speaking

DAY 1: Opening Remarks
July 28 at 2:00PM EST

DAY 2: Fireside Chat
July 29 at 5:00PM EST

DAY 3: Reading of Whistleblower Names
July 30 at 4:30PM EST

Johannes Steffanson

Jóhannes Stefánsson

Jóhannes Stefánsson is the former Director of Operations in Namibia for Icelandic fishing company Samherji. He worked with anti-corruption authorities and the media to expose a fishing rights bribery scheme in Namibia. Samherji’s CEO was investigated for allegedly approving bribes, estimated at $10 million, to Namibian politicians and companies to illegally obtain offshore fishing rights. In November 2019, several of Namibia’s justice and fisheries ministers resigned and were arrested on corruption charges, along with other prominent Namibian figures. As of February 2021, multiple investigations were underway in several countries with new criminal charges being brought.

Speaking
DAY 2: International Whistleblower Experiences Panel
July 29 at 3:30PM EST

Kayla Svihovic

Kayla Svihovec

Kayla is the 2021-2022 Public Interest Law Fellow at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, where she provides direct representation to whistleblowers and contributes to the firm’s policy projects. Kayla graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2020 and clerked for the District of Columbia Superior Court prior to joining the firm. While in law school, Kayla wrote a brief defending the rights of married women in Botswana for the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic, and interned with the Department of Justice Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

Speaking
DAY 3: Building on Their Legacy
July 30 at 3:30PM EST

Sara Thompson

Sara Thompson

Sara T. Thompson is a Ph.D student at the School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University. She has an extensive background in criminology and implementation of non-traditional criminal justice programs in developing countries. Her professional history includes coordinating an over $20 million police peacekeeping program at the State Department.

Speaking
DAY 3: Life After Whistleblowing
July 30 at 2:30PM EST

Jane Turner

Jane Turner

FBI Whistleblower, Whistleblower Network News Reporter, and Host of the Whistleblower of the Week Podcast

Jane Turner was a highly decorated, 25-year veteran Special Agent with the FBI. She served in the most difficult investigatory positions and was the first woman named as the head of an FBI resident agency.

She led the FBI’s highly successful programs combating crimes against women and child sex crime victims on North Dakota Indian Reservations. In retaliation for exposing FBI failures within its child crime program, Turner was removed from senior resident agent position. Turner successfully fought her removal and won a historic victory for all FBI whistleblowers before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She challenged her retaliation in federal court, and won a unanimous jury verdict in her favor, obtaining the largest compensatory damage award permitted under the law for federal employees.

Jane also exposed criminal theft of property at the 9/11 crime scene by a handful of FBI agents. She was harshly retaliated against for reporting these violations to the Department of Justice, Inspector General. After a ten-year battle, she prevailed, becoming only one of a small handful of FBI agents to win her cases under the FBI Whistleblower Protection Act.

Speaking

DAY 3: The Story of National Whistleblower Day
July 30 at 2:00PM EST

DAY 3: Life After Whistleblowing
July 30 at 2:30PM EST

Dr. Frederic Whitehurst – FBI Crime Lab Whistleblower

Dr. Frederic Whitehurst

Frederic Whitehurst, J.D., Ph.D. acquired his B.S. in Chemistry from East Carolina University in 1974, his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Duke University in 1980 and his J.D. from Georgetown University in 1996. He is presently practicing law in North Carolina and also works as a forensic consultant throughout the U.S.. Dr. Whitehurst is best known for his exposure of flawed forensic science at the Crime Laboratory of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the 1990’s and his continued efforts to address issues in forensic science with the National Whistleblowers Center in Washington, D.C. where he is project leader of the Forensic Justice Center. Dr. Whitehurst lectures nationally and internationally concerning issues in forensic science and has authored or coauthored a number of legal and scientific papers concerning flawed logic in forensic science.

Speaking
DAY 3: Life After Whistleblowing
July 30 at 2:30PM EST

Sherron Watkins

Sherron Watkins

Sherron Watkins exposed corporate misconduct in the infamous Enron scandal paving the way for the enactment of the SOX corporate reform law. Sherron Watkins is the Enron vice president who wrote a letter to chairman Kenneth Lay in the summer of 2001 warning him that the company’s methods of accounting were improper. In recognition of her whistleblowing, Watkins (along with Coleen Rowley and Cynthia Cooper) was named Time Persons of the Year in 2002.

Speaking
DAY 3: Life After Whistleblowing
July 30 at 2:30PM EST

John Whitty

John Whitty

John Whitty serves as the Deputy Director of Operations of the House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds. There, he works with the Director to assist House offices in establishing best practices for working with whistleblowers, as well as managing the office’s financial and administrative responsibilities.

Speaking
DAY 1: Fireside Chat with House of the Whistleblower Ombuds
July 28 at 2:30PM EST

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