Eighth National Forum

October 28-30, 2024

Baltimore, Maryland


REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!!!!

You may register by clicking this link.


    DRAFT AGENDA

    EIGHTH NATIONAL FORUM

    [Note – These sessions are subject to organizer/speaker availability]




    Monday October 28, 2024


    6:00pm - 8:00pm         Welcome Reception Event

    TopGolf, 1411 Warner Street, Baltimore MD 21230
    Phone: (667) 407-2360

    If you’re in town the night before the forum starts, please join fellow IBCN members to pre-game by golfing, socializing and sharing some fun food and drinks.


    *There is no additional charge for this event.

    Organizers: Maya Crone & Lynne Durbin


    Tuesday, October 29, 2024


    Program and Networking

    Location: Center Club, 100 Light Street, Baltimore MD


    8:15am  8:45am          Continental Breakfast


    8:45am – 9:00am           Opening Remarks  Maya Crone, Freddie Mac


    9:00am – 9:55am          [Election Impact on Benefits]


    Thought leaders from the American Benefits Council will share insights into what the future might hold in the employee benefits space from a policy and political standpoint and help us think about what that might mean for our clients and practices.

     

    Speakers: Katy Johnson and Diann Howland, American Benefits Council
    Organizer: Chris Rylands, Hub International 


    10:00am – 10:55am          ERISA Litigation Update


    It seems like ERISA is one of the most litigated federal statutes in existence and that the pace of litigation is accelerating. It’s crucial for in-house practitioners to understand current case law developments and consider litigation risk when advising clients.   Our speakers will discuss some of the most important recent decisions impacting ERISA plans, including the status of cases about 401(k) plans’ use of forfeitures, pension annuitization cases (challenging the selection of Athene as the insurer), the status of litigation about the DOL investment fiduciary rule, trends in defined contribution plan fee litigation, and provide ideas on how in-house counsel can help clients understand the implications of these decisions for their companies’ plans, and offer thoughts on emerging issues in this space.


    Speakers:  Ben Grosz and Percy Lee, Ivins Phillips & Barker
    Organizer: 
    Suzanne Smith, Philips


    10:55am - 11:10am      Coffee & Networking Break


    11:10am - 12:05pm      Compensation and Benefit Considerations in Mergers and Acquisitions


    In M&A transactions, compensation and benefit issues can impact employee integration, executive compensation and benefit plan compliance post-close. We will dive into topics involving the treatment of acquired equity awards (rolling equity), best practices for acquired plans (e.g., strategies for terminating plans pre-closing) and executive employment agreements.


    Speakers:  Jonathan Zimmerman; Patrick Rehfield and Austin Lilling, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP 

    Organizers:  Frances Adkins, Colgate-Palmolive Company; Mark Burgreen, Abbvie

                                       

    12:10pm -1:30pm         Lunch (presentation to start after 15 minutes)


    [12:25pm-1:30pm]        Half a Century of ERISA - ERISA 50th Panel


    Marking the 50th anniversary of ERISA, our speakers will reflect on the transformative impact of ERISA on the provision, compliance and governance of retirement and health benefit plans.  Our speakers will address the history of ERISA, examined the current state of ERISA, explore how it has adapted to modern challenges and discuss what the future of ERISA looks like.


    Speakers:  Sherrie Boutwell, Boutwell Fay; Anthony Shelley, Miller & Chevalier; James Gelfand, ERIC 

    Organizers:  Chris Thompson, BNSF Railway; Erin Wolters, Deloitte


    1:35pm - 2:30pm         Pharmacy Benefit Managers – Navigating Compliance


    Plan sponsors are constantly balancing plan costs with ERISA compliance and risk mitigation. Understanding pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices is one of the evolving risks for plans sponsors of health plans. During this session, our speakers will discuss the risks for plan sponsors related to PBMs, including the ERISA fiduciary duties implications, contract and RFP implications, cost/price transparency, and compensation/fee disclosure compliance.


    Speakers:  Rujul Desai, Christen Sewell, and Jenna Wallace, Covington & Burling LLP

    Organizers:  Jennifer Ting, Brighthouse Financial; Mark Burgreen, Abbvie 


    2:30pm – 2:45pm        Coffee & Networking Break


    2:45pm  3:40pm          ERISA Fiduciary Best Practices


    Our speakers will discuss a host of practical fiduciary committee issues and best practices, including fee disclosures, vendor monitoring and oversight, membership, meetings, minutes, and more. 


    Speakers:  Kelly Geloneck and Malcolm Slee, Groom
    Organizers:  Elyse Eckart, Hewlett Packard; Cindy Ruback, Home Depot


    3:45pm - 4:40pm         Retirement Plan Hot Topics


    A wide-ranging conversation about recent developments in the retirement plan arena, including vendor contracting issues such as plan data ownership and cybersecurity; the latest trends in the investment space, with a focus on TDFs, managed accounts, and brokerage windows; and other hot topics, such the evolution of the DB plan (will they be given a new lease on life or are more pension risk transfers ahead?).  


    Speakers:  Kimberly Jones and Sarah Bassler Millar, Faegre Drinker
    Organizers:  Anne Sherman, SAS; Cynthia Christie, Mass Mutual


    4:45pm -5:00pm          Day’s Wrap Up  TBD


    Immediately Following the Wrap-Up

                          Members Cocktail & Dinner Event (sponsor firms and all speakers invited)

    Location: Kona Grill, 1 East Pratt Street, Baltimore MD (across street from conference location)


    Wednesday, October 30, 2024


    8:30am - 9:25am           Continental Breakfast

    Health & Welfare Plan Hot Topics 

    Our speakers will discuss recent developments in the health and welfare plan area, including mental health parity, voluntary benefits, infertility benefits and surprise billing. 


    Speakers:  John Hickman and Ashley Gillihan, Alston & Bird 
    Organizer:  Misty Leon, Texas Instruments


    9:30am - 10:25am        Litigation Panel Post-Chevron Impact  


    Following the decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, overturning 40 years of precedent, the regulatory deference practitioners have relied upon has been upended. Our speakers will discuss the possible impact of this major change. 


    Speakers:  Stephen Tackney, KPMG 

    Organizer:  Andrea Gehman, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 


    10:25am - 10:40am     Coffee/Networking Break


    10:40am - 11:35am      Health & Welfare Service Provider Contract Issues

     

    Contracting with vendors to provide services for employee benefit plans has become more complicated over the last decade, from both a substantive standpoint and from the standpoint of the number of internal constituents that participate in the process. Our speakers will discuss some practical ways to organize your approach to benefit plan vendor contracting, such as data warehousing, transparency, and compensation models.  

     

    Speakers:  Lisa Tavares and Juliana Reno, Venable
    Organizer: Jennifer Kobayashi, Aon


    11:40am - 12:35pm     SECURE 2.0 – Ready for Implementation?


    This session will cover the provisions of SECURE 2.0 that plan sponsors are most concerned with, including Roth matching contributions, Roth catch-up contributions, RMD changes and part-time employees. Our speakers will discuss challenges employers and recordkeepers are facing to implement these provisions.


    Speakers:  Brittany Edwards-Franklin and Adam Cohen, Eversheds

    Organizers:  Kenna Conley, Fahreen Kotecha and Erin Wolters, Deloitte


    12:35pm  1:45pm        Lunch (presentation to start after 10 minutes)

     

    12:45pm  1:40pm        Global Benefits


    This session will cover retirement plan provisions in Puerto Rico, including distributions to Puerto Rico residents. In addition, the speakers will address compliance and best practices involving international transfers and global equity compliance, with a focus on United Kingdom, Canada and Germany.


    Speakers:  Carlos Gonzalez, BenefitsPuertoRico.com; Kelly Davis, KPMG

    Organizers:  Frances Adkins, Colgate-Palmolive Company; Mary Jones, Microsoft Corporation


    1:45pm - 2:40pm        AI and Employee Benefits – A New Frontier 


    Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in particular generative AI are increasingly impacting many aspects of our personal and professional lives.  This includes the impact of AI on company benefits and employee benefits law.  And we are only at the beginning of this new AI world.  The panel will discuss a variety of AI issues employee benefit attorneys are facing related to their own use of AI or the implications of AI in employee benefits, including: an overview of AI and generative AI; ethical rules that are implicated using AI; issues of privilege/work product; and the use of AI in company benefits programs.

     

    Speakers:  Mark Bodron, Lumen Technologies; Maureen Dry-Wasson, Allegis Group; Andrew Oringer, The Wagner Law Group; and Vanessa Scott, Albertsons
    Organizers:  Mark Bodron, Lumen Technologies; Maureen Dry-Wasson, Allegis Group; and Misty Leon, Texas Instruments 


    2:45pm-3:00pm           Closing Remarks  Mary Jones, Microsoft Corporation


    General Information


    This year's forum will again take place in Baltimore, Maryland at The Center Club, 100 Light Street, in the heart of downtown Baltimore, across from the Inner Harbor and its many attractions.


    Conference attendees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and hotel accommodations. Please note that there are many great hotel options at all price points near the meeting venue. Our conference venue, 
    The Center Club,  provides a discount at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court. Located one and a half blocks from the Club, room are available at 20% off their best rate.  Some blackout dates apply.  Call the hotel directly at 410-234-0550 and ask for the Center Club rate. 

    Other hotels within several blocks are the Hyatt Regency, Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel by Marriott, Marriott Residence Inn, Baltimore Hilton Convention Center.


    Plan to book your hotel early as the Baltimore Orioles have a chance at the World Series and, if they are in, that will impact hotel availability.


    Registration


    Register Today -- Don't miss this opportunity to join your colleagues for two days of education, inspiration and networking! In addition to an excellent program, your registration fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Monday evening pre-conference welcome reception at Topgolf, and the sponsor reception on Tuesday evening.


    Conference Fee = $100


    Registration is limited to IBCN members in good standing in 2024.


    You may register by clicking this link.


    Cancellation Policy

    All fees are fully refundable until October 11.  Between October 12 and 18, requests for refunds will be granted a 50% credit, which can be applied to next year's membership.  After October 18, no refunds will be available. 



    Questions? ldurbin@inlinellc.net


      In-House Benefits Counsel Network, P.O. Box 45, Riderrwood, MD  21139

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