Senior Scholar, Competition Policy, International Center for Law & Economics
Daniel J. Gilman is a senior scholar of competition policy at ICLE. Before joining ICLE, Dan was an attorney advisor in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Office of Policy Planning, where he worked on competition issues in health-care and technology markets and, more broadly, on the competitive impact of regulation, with a focus on privacy regulations, among others.
During the 2014-15 academic year, while on leave from his FTC duties, he visited Harvard Law School as the Victor H. Kramer Foundation Fellow in antitrust law and economics. Prior to the FTC, Dan taught law and economics, as well as health and science law, at the University of Maryland. He has also taught at Penn State University and at Washington University in St. Louis, and has experience in private practice in the District of Columbia.
Dan holds a JD degree from Georgetown University, a PhD from the University of Chicago, and an AB from Dartmouth College.
Partner, Dechert, LLP
Rani A. Habash advises clients on the antitrust aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. He has helped guide industry-leading companies to successful strategic transactions in the face of intense antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Senate and House Judiciary Committees, state attorneys general, and international competition authorities.
Using his expertise in economics and significant experience in dealing with antitrust agencies, Mr. Habash has helped clients secure regulatory clearance in numerous high-profile transactions, including deals between American Airlines/US Airways, Albertsons/Safeway, CVS Health/Aetna, CVS Health/Target Corporation, FMC Corporation/DowDuPont, Medco/Express Scripts, Monster.com/Yahoo! HotJobs, and OfficeMax/Office Depot, among others. In addition, Mr. Habash defends companies in government antitrust investigations and helps them further key corporate strategies by providing antitrust counseling on conduct, distribution, government affairs, and public relations issues.
Mr. Habash was recognized as a "Future Leader" by Who's Who Legal in its 2020, 2021, and 2022 Competition guide. The National Law Journal named Mr. Habash a “D.C. Rising Star” in 2019. This award recognized lawyers for the substantial legal influence they wield within their practice areas and as innovators with strong leadership qualities, superior legal expertise, and a commitment to pro bono, charitable, and professional volunteer work.
Mr. Habash has held leadership positions in the ABA’s Section of Antitrust Law on the Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Counseling, and Membership and Diversity Committees. He also served as the editor of The Antitrust Counselor, an ABA newsletter with practical antitrust guidance for in-house counsel.
Mr. Habash is a frequent author and speaker on cutting-edge antitrust issues. Notably, he has helped develop the Dechert Antitrust Merger Investigation Timing Tracker (DAMITT), which tracks and reports on U.S. antitrust merger investigation trends. Data from DAMITT has been cited by The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Time, TheStreet, and many other leading publications.
Counsel, Rule Garza Howley
Derek Moore brings nearly twenty years of experience inside and outside of government to advise clients on antitrust, regulatory, and consumer protection matters, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and state law enforcers and regulators, as well as civil litigation involving government law enforcers and private parties.
Derek held numerous positions during nearly a decade at the Federal Trade Commission, including Attorney Advisor to a Commissioner, Attorney Advisor in the Office of Policy Planning, and Staff Attorney (on detail) in the Technology Enforcement Division of the Bureau of Competition. Derek worked on law enforcement matters pursued in federal court as well as in the Commission’s Part 3 administrative court. Derek played a leading role in numerous policy initiatives, including as a lead drafter of various antitrust enforcement guidelines.
Derek has worked on matters involving a wide variety of industries, such as software and technology, retail, health care and pharmaceuticals, media and entertainment, consumer goods, energy, financial services, manufacturing, and distribution.
Derek received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.A. in economics from the University of Virginia. He previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for the Honorable Claude M. Hilton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Associate Professor, University of Connecticut
Professor Shor is an associate professor at the University of Connecticut, teaching the subject areas of industrial organization, experimental economics, and game theory. He's been awarded several honors and appointments, including the Grillo Awards for Teaching Excellence and Research Excellence (UConn) and the James A. Webb Award for Excellence in Teaching (Vanderbilt).
His research surrounds such topics as the theory of auctions, decision making and choice overload, antitrust and collusion, and game theory.
Shor recieved his B.A. in Economics and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. in Eceonomics from Rutgers University.
Founder, CGCN Law, PLLC
Solicitor General, Ohio
Mathura Sridharan serves as the 12th Solicitor General of Ohio. She previously served as Deputy Solicitor General and as Director of Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, where she initiated and directed suits to defend Ohioans against unlawful federal policies and to preserve the separation of powers between the federal and state governments. Across these roles, she has briefed and argued numerous appeals before the Ohio Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and other Circuits. In 2024, Mathura argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in Ohio v. EPA, representing several States in a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Good Neighbor Rule regulating the interstate transport of air pollution.
Before joining the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Mathura clerked for Judge Steven J. Menashi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Deborah A. Batts of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Economics and in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Managing Director, Achieve Partners
Ryan is a Managing Director at Achieve Partners and was formerly an MD at University Ventures. Ryan’s commentary on where the puck is going in education and workforce regularly appears in the biweekly Gap Letter, Forbes, and Inside Higher Education. He is the author of the book Apprentice Nation: How the "Earn and Learn" Alternative to Higher Education Will Create a Stronger and Fairer America (2023). He is also author of A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College (2018), which describes the critical importance of last-mile training and the emergence of bootcamps, income share programs, staffing and apprenticeship models as preferred pathways to good first digital jobs and was named in the Wall Street Journal as one the Books of the Year for 2018. Ryan’s first book was College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education (2015), which profiles the coming shift toward competency-based education and hiring. Ryan is a co-founder of Apprenticeships for America, a national nonprofit dedicated to scaling apprenticeships across the U.S. economy and is a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute.
Previously, Ryan led the Education & Training sector at Warburg Pincus. His prior experience in higher education was at Columbia University. Ryan also founded and built Wellspring, a national network of boarding schools and summer camps for overweight and obese children, adolescents, and young adults. He began his career at McKinsey & Co.
Ryan received bachelor's degrees summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University, and his law degree from the Yale Law School.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, The George Washington University Law School
Aram A. Gavoor is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and an internationally recognized scholar in American administrative law, national security, and federal courts. His co-authored work was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Department of Commerce v. New York (2019). His scholarship has earned placement in the Florida Law Review, Indiana Law Journal, Ohio State Law Journal, and other law journals. He has briefed and argued over a dozen high-profile public law cases before a majority of the U.S. Courts of Appeals and numerous cases before almost a third of the 94 U.S. District Courts. Associate Dean Gavoor frequently shares his national security, artificial intelligence policy, and federal courts expertise with international news media, including CNN, BBC World News, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, and ABC (Australia) World News. In 2021, the National Law Journal named Associate Dean Gavoor a Rising Star (top 40 under 40) honoree.
Earlier in his career, Associate Dean Gavoor served as Senior Counsel for National Security in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, as third-in-rank Counselor to the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the White House Office of Management and Budget, and in private practice. He received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in 2019, the Civil Division Special Commendation Award in 2020, 2019, and 2018, and a Commendation from the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Criminal Division in 2018.
Associate Dean Gavoor previously served on the law school’s part-time faculty from 2008-2017 before accepting a term-limited position as Visiting Associate Professor from 2017-2019. He received GW Law’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award from the 2020 and 2017 graduating classes. He currently teaches Constitutional Law II, Administrative Law, National Security Law, and Federal Courts.
Partner at K&L Gates, Former OFCCP Director, and President-Elect of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia
Craig E. Leen is a partner in the Washington, DC office of K&L Gates, where he is a member of the Labor, Employment, and Workplace Safety practice group. Mr. Leen is also the President-Elect of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
Mr. Leen was formerly the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he reported directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Labor.
Mr. Leen serves as a Professorial Lecturer in Law and Professor of Government Lawyering at The George Washington University Law School, as Vice Chair of the District of Columbia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, as Co-Chair of the DC Family Support Council, and as Chair of the Civil and Human Rights Committee of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
Prior to his federal service at OFCCP, Mr. Leen was the City Attorney of the City of Coral Gables, and before that was Chief of the Appeals Section and then Chief of the Federal Litigation Section at the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office. Earlier in his career, Mr. Leen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. Keeton, United States District Judge, District of Massachusetts.
In recognition of his public service, Mr. Leen received the Secretary's Exceptional Achievement Award - Professional while at the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Paul S. Buchman Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Area of Legal Public Service while in local government.
Mr. Leen is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, and is also board certified by The Florida Bar in city, county, and local government law.
Mr. Leen received his Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School, graduating as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and having served as a teaching fellow in both Contracts and Torts. Mr. Leen received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Georgetown University, where he majored in both Government and Economics.
Founder and CEO, One Workforce Solutions
John Pallasch is Founder and CEO of One Workforce Solutions. He was previously the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the U.S. Labor Department.
Assistant Secretary Pallasch’s appointment marked his return to the Department where he previously served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management and the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
Prior to his return to DOL, Pallasch served as the Executive Director of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Office of Employment and Training where he led initiatives to improve outcomes for workforce education programs, increase accountability and performance of the unemployment insurance program, and consolidate job training and workforce development programs in a single cabinet agency.
An Illinois native, Pallasch earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University
Attorney General of Tennessee
Jonathan Skrmetti was sworn in to an eight-year term as Tennessee’s Attorney General and Reporter on September 1, 2022.
Prior to his current role, General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Governor Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General to his predecessor, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery.
Before working for the State of Tennessee, General Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis. His legal career began with nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor. He worked at the Civil Rights Division at Main Justice and then at the Memphis U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecuted sex traffickers, corrupt government officials, and violent white supremacists. In addition, General Skrmetti taught cyberlaw as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis.
General Skrmetti earned honors degrees from George Washington University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Following law school, Jonathan clerked for Judge Steven Colloton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and four children.
Fellow, Manhattan Institute
Tim Rosenberger serves as Senior Counsel at the United States Department of Education. He was previously a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Stanford University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. He was also the founding COO of Verbum Labs and serves as a Chaplain with the Cleveland Division of Police. Before matriculating to law school, he was a legal policy fellow at the Cicero Institute, a parish pastor, and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Tim has contributed to a variety of academic, popular, and professional publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The New York Post, and City Journal. He also regularly provides commentary for various media outlets, testifies before state legislatures, and files dozens of amicus curiae “friend of the court” briefs in the Supreme Court and various circuit courts.
He holds an AB from Georgetown University, a M.Div. from United Lutheran Seminary, a D.Min from the Rawlings School of Divinity, an LL.M. from Universität Wien, and a JD/MBA from Stanford University, where he was Federalist Society Chapter President and served on Law Review. Tim’s research interests lie at the intersection of law, faith, education and entrepreneurship—with a particular focus on leveraging policy to help America’s overlooked populations build lives of dignity.
Supreme Court & Appellate Litigation Chair, Lex Politica; Of Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
Erin Morrow Hawley serves as Chair of Lex Politica's Supreme Court and Appellate Practice overseeing the firm’s strategic appellate litigation and critical motions practice in the trial courts. Erin is an experienced litigator who represents clients in constitutional, regulatory, and appellate matters in federal and state courts throughout the country.
Erin has represented dozens of clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, served as lead counsel in high-profile cases raising novel constitutional and statutory issues, and authored numerous successful petitions for certiorari and briefs in opposition. She has argued in state and federal appellate and trial courts throughout the country, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Erin represents diverse clients in high-stakes litigation from state governments to faith-based nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies. She possesses expertise on a wide range of subject matters including administrative law, the First Amendment, religious liberty, federal jurisdiction, federal preemption, equitable jurisdiction, tax law, the Affordable Care Act, and Title IX.
Erin represents clients in cases where public communications strategy is paramount. She is a sought-after speaker and writer, has testified multiple times before Congress, and is a frequent presenter on constitutional and administrative law issues, including at the Oxford Union, the National Federalist Society Convention, and university campuses across the country. She is a frequent commentator to media outlets, including Fox News, MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal, WORLD, USA Today, the Federalist, and the Hill.
Erin previously oversaw Alliance Defending Freedom’s--where she still serves as Of Counsel--litigation strategies to empower women and protect the dignity of life, defend pregnancy centers’ First Amendment rights from government overreach, and safeguard Americans’ freedoms from the ever-encroaching administrative state.
James Monroe Distinguished Professor of Law and Albert Clark Tate, Jr., Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Professor Saikrishna Prakash’s scholarship focuses on separation of powers, particularly executive powers. He teaches Constitutional Law, Foreign Relations Law and Presidential Powers at the Law School.
Prakash’s most recent book, “The Living Presidency: An Originalist Argument Against Its Ever-Expanding Powers,” was published by Harvard Belknap Press in 2020. He also authored “Imperial from the Beginning: The Constitution of the Original Executive” (Yale University Press, 2015). The former book focuses on the modern presidency while the latter considers the presidency of the Founders.
Prakash has authored over 75 law review articles. Among them are “Of Synchronicity and Supreme Law” in the Harvard Law Review, “The Indefensible Duty to Defend” in the Columbia Law Review, and “50 States, 50 Attorneys General and 50 Approaches to the Duty to Defend” and “The Executive Power Over Foreign Affairs” in the Yale Law Journal.
Prakash has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. At the request of Democrats and Republicans, he has testified before Congress on matters of presidential removal, the Mueller Report and how Congress might better check the presidency. He is currently a Miller Center Senior Fellow. In 2015, he received the Roger Traynor award for faculty scholarship. In the same year, he received an honorable mention from the American Society of Legal Writers for his book “Imperial from the Beginning.” He has given named lectures at William & Mary Law School, Princeton University and Toledo Law School, and keynote addresses at several conferences.
Prakash majored in economics and political science at Stanford University. At Yale Law School, he served as senior editor of the Yale Law Journal and received the John M. Olin Fellowship in Law, Economics and Public Policy. He subsequently clerked for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and for Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. After practicing in New York for two years, he served as a visiting professor at the University of Illinois College of Law and as an associate professor at Boston University School of Law. He then spent several years at the University of San Diego School of Law as the Herzog Research Professor of Law. Prakash has been a visiting professor at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. He also has served as a James Madison Fellow at Princeton University and Visiting Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution of War & Peace at Stanford University.
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
Svetlana S. Gans is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP where she helps clients navigate complex consumer protection, privacy, and competition related regulatory proceedings before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), , U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, State Attorneys General and other enforcement bodies. Ms. Gans also assists on litigation matters and provides strategic counseling and advice related to public policy issues.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, she served as the Vice President & Associate General Counsel at NCTA, the Internet & Television Association, where she helped lead the association’s consumer protection and competition policy work. Prior to joining NCTA, Ms. Gans served with distinction as Chief of Staff to Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen at the FTC. As the agency chief of staff, Ms. Gans managed and oversaw agency operations, including bureau and office heads reporting to the Chairman, a seven-member office staff, and an agency budget of over $300 million. She also served as the Acting Chairman’s key advisor on consumer protection and competition investigations and litigation, working with a diverse team of attorneys and economists to preserve competition and protect U.S. consumers. She created, executed, and oversaw several strategic initiatives for the agency, including the agency process reform, regulatory reform, and data security transparency initiatives. Previously, Ms. Gans had the unique experience of serving in both litigating bureaus of the FTC: the Bureau of Competition and the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Prior to her time in government, Ms. Gans worked as an antitrust associate at major law firms. Her practice focused on defending consumer product, financial services, and trade association clients in regulatory and private investigations alleging conspiracy and violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws.
Ms. Gans has been an active leader in the ABA Antitrust Law Section (“Section”) for two decades, and currently serves as the Section’s Marketing Officer. Ms. Gans helped create the Section’s Young Lawyer Representative Program, now in its 10th year, and the Section’s Law Ambassador Program, each aimed at developing and promoting the next generation of consumer protection and competition attorneys. Ms. Gans is also active in the Federal Communications Bar Association, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Diversity Pipeline Initiative and the Women’s Leadership Committee.
Ms. Gans received her law degree with high honors from the University of Denver College of Law. During law school, Ms. Gans served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr. and as an Honors Program Paralegal for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Merger Taskforce. Ms. Gans earned her undergraduate degree cum laude from Boston University.
U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah
Melissa Holyoak was nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah on January 29, 2026. Holyoak was appointed on November 17, 2025 by Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah.
Prior to that, Holyoak served as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission from March 25, 2024 until her appointment as U.S. Attorney. During her FTC tenure, Commissioner Holyoak strove to vigorously enforce the antitrust and consumer protection laws while acting within the agency’s constitutional and statutory remit. She spoke widely about a range of FTC priorities, including improving competition enforcement, effectively applying existing laws to emerging trends in technology, and protecting children and teens online. She also published numerous statements about FTC matters.
Holyoak brings extensive experience as a litigator and leader. She served as Solicitor General with the Utah Attorney General’s Office where she oversaw the civil appeals, criminal appeals, constitutional defense and special litigation, and antitrust and data privacy divisions. She also managed multistate matters including those involving consumer protection and antitrust claims.
Before taking on that role, she served as president and general counsel of Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest law firm and in other public interest attorney positions with the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Center for Class Action Fairness. Holyoak represented class members challenging unfair class actions and consumers fighting regulatory abuse in federal district courts and appellate courts across the country.
Holyoak has argued in the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and D.C. Circuits. She is a former prosecutor and attorney with O’Melveny & Myers LLP. She graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2003 as a member of the Order of the Coif and the Law Review. Holyoak is a member of the bars of Utah, D.C., and Missouri (inactive). Her husband Dr. Joshua Holyoak is a urologist and together they have four beautiful children.
Attorney, Institute for Justice
Anya Bidwell (née Cherkasova) leads IJ’s Project on Immunity and Accountability (“PIA”). Through this project, Anya works to promote judicial engagement and ensure that government officials are held to account when they violate individuals’ constitutional rights. Anya also serves as an adviser on the American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law, Constitutional Torts project.
One of Anya’s PIA cases—Gonzalez v. Trevino—was heard by the United States Supreme Court on March 20, 2024. She argued the case for the petitioner, with the goal of convincing the Justices that retaliatory arrests not involving on-the-spot decisions by police officers should be actionable under the First Amendment regardless of probable cause. The decision is expected in June.
This was Anya’s third appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court. She second-chaired Brownback v. King (an excessive force case) and Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas (a commerce clause case) in November 2020 and January 2019 respectfully.
Before joining IJ, Anya worked for a top national law firm, handling cases in trial and appellate courts. She earned her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas. Two years prior to entering law school, Anya received a master’s degree in Global Policy Studies, also from the University of Texas, and wrote a thesis on asymmetric warfare.
Anya spent her childhood in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. At 16, she left her family behind and came to America on a university scholarship. Her upbringing motivated her to study law and become an advocate for a strong, independent judiciary.
Anya’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, and the Guardian. She is also the host of live recordings of our Short Circuit podcast and a co-producer of our documentary-style podcast Bound by Oath.
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.
Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was most recently chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. Chairman Atkins helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He served as an independent director and non-executive chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.
Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control.
From 1990 to 1994, Chairman Atkins served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt, ultimately as chief of staff and counselor, respectively. He received the SEC’s 1992 Law and Policy Award for work regarding corporate governance matters.
Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm's Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France.
A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and was Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980.
Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Chairman Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife Sarah have three sons.
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
T. Elliot Gaiser is the Office of Legal Counsel’s 27th Assistant Attorney General. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on April 29, 2025, confirmed by the United States Senate on July 30, 2025, and sworn in as AAG by Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 4, 2025.
Prior to joining the Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Gaiser served as the 11th Solicitor General of Ohio. In that role, he represented his home state and its agencies before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Ohio, and other state and federal courts. He also advised Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on significant legal and constitutional matters important to the people of Ohio.
Mr. Gaiser clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Neomi Rao of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the private sector, Mr. Gaiser worked at the law firms Jones Day, Boyden Gray, and Gibson Dunn. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and Hillsdale College. He is also a husband and father.
Partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Gregory Jacob is a partner in O’Melveny’s Washington, D.C. office. Greg Jacob represents financial services companies including banks, investment managers, health care payors, and insurers, as well as other employers, in class action and other litigation concerning ERISA and other labor and employment matters. A former Solicitor of Labor, Greg has extensive knowledge on a wide variety of labor and employment issues including ERISA, FLSA, OFCCP, and whistleblower law. He regularly litigates in federal courts throughout the country, defends clients against Department of Labor investigations, and provides counseling to plans and plan sponsors.
Prior to rejoining O’Melveny in 2021, Greg served as Counsel to Vice President Pence and Deputy Assistant to the President. He directly advised the Vice President on all legal issues relating to the Office of the Vice President, and advised the White House Coronavirus Task Force concerning the Defense Production Act and other legal issues related to bolstering the domestic supply chain.
Managing Partner, Rose Legal Advisory PLLC
Sharon is an experienced regulatory counsel and advocate in enforcement and litigation matters. She regularly represents corporations and individuals in investigations and proceedings before federal and state regulatory agencies and in related litigation, including the Department of Labor, Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She has extensive experience advising clients on issues related to compliance with the federal securities and commodities laws and other laws and regulations that impact corporate entities, including federal contractor obligations, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the False Claims Act (FCA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and federal and state employment laws. She has represented clients worldwide in matters involving alleged fraud, market manipulation, disruptive trading practices, insider trading, accounting and internal controls irregularities, and other financial and trading issues. In addition to matters before the federal government, she represents clients in enforcement proceedings and other inquiries by state regulatory agencies, regulated exchanges, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and foreign government agencies.
Sharon previously served as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of Labor, where she advised the Office of the Secretary and Department agencies on a variety of regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters. She was integrally involved in several key rulemakings and litigation actions within the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), including those concerning fiduciary investment advice, ESG investing, proxy voting, QPAM exemptions, health and welfare benefit plans, and important reforms to OFCCP’s procedures for non-discrimination enforcement actions. She routinely liaised with DOJ and other executive branch departments on joint litigation matters and amicus briefs requested by the Supreme Court addressing first amendment and ERISA issues.
Prior to entering government service, Sharon practiced in the Washington, D.C. and Singapore offices of an international law firm. She subsequently co-founded a litigation boutique firm representing plaintiffs and defendants in government enforcement and litigation matters and merged the practice into Berliner Corcoran & Rowe in 2022. Sharon is a summa cum laude graduate of Westmont College, earned her M.B.A. at the Claremont Graduate University—Drucker School of Management, and earned her law degree from the University of California, Davis, where she was an editor of the U.C. Davis Law Review and the U.C. Davis Business Law Journal. In her personal time, Sharon devotes time to several nonprofit organizations, including serving on the Board of Trustees of a private liberal arts college.
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, North American Meat Institute
Mark Dopp is the chief operating officer and general counsel for the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), previously serving as its senior vice president of regulatory affairs and general counsel. In his role, Dopp oversees policy development and represents industry views on significant regulatory, scientific, legislative, and communications matters. He also provides legal counsel to NAMI and oversees its administration and financial matters.
Dopp became the Meat Institute’s outside general counsel in May 1995 and in 1999 he formally joined the Institute and assumed responsibility for its legal and regulatory affairs. Before joining NAMI, Dopp worked at Hogan and Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), where he was active in areas of food and agricultural law on behalf of many clients, including domestic and foreign corporations. He joined Hogan and Hartson in 1989 as an associate and in January 1993 became a partner. Dopp began his career in USDA's Office of the General Counsel in 1984 and entered private practice in 1985.
Dopp received his Bachelor of Science-Agriculture degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin and his Master of Science from Michigan State University in 1981, also in agricultural economics. He received his law degree in 1984 from the University of Missouri.
U.S. Congressman, (MN-01)
Congressman Brad Finstad was elected to Congress in a special election on August 9, 2022, and was sworn in three days later with his family by his side as he took the Oath of Office to proudly represent Minnesota’s First District.
Brad is a fourth-generation farmer and resident of the New Ulm area. He and his wife, Jackie, met on the school bus in second grade and they are now the proud parents of seven children. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Agriculture Education and an emphasis in Rural Leadership Development, Brad and Jackie now operate an agriculture business in New Ulm while working alongside extended family to run their generational family farm.
Brad is proud to have served as State Director for USDA Rural Development in Minnesota where he worked to support infrastructure improvements, business development, homeownership, community services such as schools, public safety, health care, and high-speed internet access in rural areas. He previously served three terms in the Minnesota Legislature. He also held executive positions with the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and the Center for Rural Policy and Development.
President, Board of Directors, Farm Action
Joe Maxwell is a co-founder of Farm Action. He focuses his work on a vision of an inclusive U.S. economy that works for all people, providing them an equitable opportunity to share in the prosperity they help build, rather than an economy that works for just a handful of individuals and multi-national corporations.
Joe has held key positions in both political and initiative petition campaigns. During the last election cycle, he assisted Presidential, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives candidates in developing their antitrust, agriculture, and food policy positions.
Joe holds degrees in agriculture economics and law from the University of Missouri. He served as a Missouri state legislator, as Missouri’s Lieutenant Governor, and is retired from the Army National Guard, where he served as a First Sergeant in the Field Artillery. Joe and his brother, Steve, are Missouri family farmers. Joe’s work has been profiled by The Hill, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, Politico, and The Nation. He has been cited by CNN, The New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post, and more.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 7, 2025. Alongside Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, Deputy Secretary Vaden leads the Department’s operations and implements policies that support America’s food and farm systems. A native of Union City, Tennessee, Deputy Secretary Vaden brings expertise in agricultural policy, law, and rural development. Previously, he served as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and as General Counsel of USDA. Throughout Deputy Secretary Vaden’s time as General Counsel, he led successful Supreme Court litigation, advanced regulatory reform, and supported the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Vanderbilt University. A public servant with strong agricultural roots, Deputy Secretary Vaden is committed to revitalizing rural America and ensuring an abundant, affordable, and safe U.S. food supply.
FTC’s Interim Pharmacy Benefit Manager Report - Assessing Vigor
Daniel J. Gilman, Rani A. Habash, Derek W. Moore, Mike Shor
On July 9th, the Federal Trade Commission released a Staff Interim Report on the Pharmacy...
Courthouse Steps Decision: Ohio v. EPA
Justin Schwab, Mathura Sridharan
In October of 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new standards for air quality,...
What’s Happening with Apprenticeship? – Recent Regulatory and Subregulatory Actions
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Apprenticeship has been a significant focus of the Biden administration, and previously the Trump administration,...
Litigation Update: Hile v. Michigan
Tim Rosenberger
Join us for a webinar featuring Manhattan Institute fellow Tim Rosenberger, who will delve into...
Courthouse Steps Decision: Moyle v. United States
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Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Biden administration...
Courthouse Steps Decision: Trump v. United States
Saikrishna Prakash
In Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court addressed the issue of presidential immunity from...
Fireside Chat with FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak
Svetlana Gans, Melissa Holyoak
Join us on Wednesday, July 10th at 12:00 PM ET for a special lunch panel...
Courthouse Steps Decision: Gonzalez v. Trevino
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In Gonzalez v. Trevino, the plaintiff, Sylvia Gonzalez, argued that her arrest was a retaliatory...
Utah v. Su: Are DOL (and SEC) regulations that encourage ESG investing lawful?
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The panelists will discuss Biden Administration policies and regulations at the DOL and SEC addressing...
Antitrust Law Down on the Farm: Farmers, Food Inflation, and a Fair Deal
Mark Dopp, Brad Finstad, Joe Maxwell, Stephen Alexander Vaden
The marked inflation of food pricing is apparent upon any trip to the grocery store....