Rosemary Becchi
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Small Producers Council

Rosemary advocates before Congress and administration officials at the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Labor Department and the Federal Reserve to affect policy and regulatory outcomes. Her practice is grounded in traditional analytic and advocacy skills, combined with her broad experience in workforce, executive compensation, employee benefits and tax issues. She takes pride in her ability to craft legal arguments and advocate for her clients.

Rosemary’s goal is to maximize the potential benefit – or minimize the potential adverse impact – of governmental action on a business’ interests. She utilizes her expertise on a variety of tactical policy strategies, her experience in building and managing grassroots capabilities, her firsthand knowledge of relevant processes and her personal relationships with key members and staff of governmental entities to ensure tangible results for stakeholders. Her approach blends traditional lawyering, business skills and lobbying.

Rosemary began her government career at the IRS as an attorney advisor before serving as tax counsel to the majority staff of the Senate Finance Committee. She also held in-house executive positions: Rosemary served as vice president of federal government relations at Citigroup and established the government relations office at Fidelity Investments.

Gail Conenello
K&L Gates
Breakout: Environmental Justice

Gail Conenello’s environmental practice is focused in the areas of CERCLA and Spill Act remediations and liability actions, private cost recovery actions, environmental justice actions, RCRA, environmental insurance coverage actions, due diligence for corporate and real estate transactions, and various environmental remediation, permitting, compliance, regulatory and enforcement matters.

Notably, Gail has been on the cutting edge of issues involving site remediation and environmental justice. She has spoken before various professional and trade associations, such as the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Chemistry Council of New Jersey and the New York State Business Council, on these topics.

At K&L Gates, Gail has also counseled clients on environmental issues in order to facilitate corporate and real estate transactions. She has worked on numerous multi-million dollar transactions for a wide range of clients, from pharmaceutical companies to manufacturers, and has extensive experience assisting clients with compliance and remediation issues associated with New Jersey’s Industrial Site Recovery Act.

As a complement to her work in the environmental arena, Gail has also been involved in developing community outreach programs for major industrial clients. These outreach programs develop and maintain ongoing forums for positive working relationships and effective communication between manufacturers and key stakeholders in the local and regional communities on key issues related to the daily operations of industrial facilities and legacy site remediation issues associated with former industrial operations.

Gail is a graduate of NYU and Rutgers University. Prior to entering private practice, Gail served a one year judicial clerkship in the New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division for the Honorable Douglas K. Wolfson and the Honorable Yolanda Ciccone.

Johnny DeStefano
Board of Directors (open to ALL attendees)

Johnny DeStefano helps clients navigate Washington, D.C.’s complex political landscape, drawing on years of experience in government, politics, and data strategy. He served in the Trump Administration as Assistant to the President, first leading Presidential Personnel and later overseeing Intergovernmental Affairs, Public Liaison, and Political Affairs. Previously, he was President and CEO of Data Trust, the premier data firm on the right, which provided the foundational voter data behind President Trump’s 2016 victory and Republican congressional majorities .DeStefano also served as a Senior Advisor to House Speaker John Boehner and held leadership roles at the NRCC and House Republican Conference. He managed the successful re-election campaign of House Conference Chair Deborah Pryce in 2006,securing a key GOP leadership seat in a challenging political climate. He serves on the board of the National Park Foundation and previously served on the Fulbright Scholarship Program board as a presidential appointee.

Jordan Karem
Board of Directors (open to ALL attendees)

Jordan Karem has over 15 years of experience in national politics, public affairs, and government relations, advising Fortune 250 companies in energy and tech. He served in senior roles at the White House under President Trump, including Director of Oval Office Operations and Personal Aide to the President. Previously, he was White House Trip Director and Deputy Director of Presidential Advance. President Trump praised his loyalty and contributions to the administration upon his departure. Karem was also Press Director for Governor Mike Pence during the 2016 campaign and Communications Advisor during the transition. Before that, he spent four years at Pinnacle West Capital Corporation/APS, Arizona’s largest electric utility, ultimately serving as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO. With experience spanning five presidential campaigns and key state races, Karem has built a career at the intersection of politics, communications, and operations.

Sean McMaster
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
General Session

McMaster – who holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from George Mason University – previously served as deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as deputy assistant secretary for Congressional affairs from 2017 to 2019.

Prior to joining USDOT, McMaster served with the professional staff for the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2011 to 2017.

He also worked as deputy chief of staff for former Rep. John Mica (R-FL), a longtime congressional leader in transportation policy and infrastructure development, including as chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

His career also includes roles at the International Trade Administration, where he worked as senior policy advisor, and at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he served as congressional liaison.

Brian Montag
K&L Gates LLP
Breakout: Environmental Justice

Brian Montag is a practice group coordinator for the firm's global Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice group. He represents clients in regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters in various industries and manufacturing sectors, including construction, quarry, asphalt, cement, telecommunications, glass, paper, and chemical operations. Brian has served as outside counsel to leading State and Federal trade and business associations. He also has extensive experience representing clients in administrative, State and Federal court proceedings, as well as before the US Department of Justice, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Transportation, and State transportation and environmental agencies regionally and nationally. Brian has served in leadership roles and as lead counsel in landmark environmental regulatory and litigation matters, including settlements involving environmental justice, Superfund, air, water, and solid and hazardous waste matters, as well as products liability and toxic tort litigation.

Brian is named in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers to Business and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Administrative/Regulatory and Environmental Law since 2005.

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Professional Background

Brian has served as lead regulatory and litigation counsel for numerous mid-size and Fortune 500 clients throughout his career. He served as lead counsel in a complex federal environmental litigation in which the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, ruled in favor of his client on precedent setting environmental justice issues. Brian also served as lead counsel for a group of 65 companies in a nationally recognized solid waste litigation in which he successfully negotiated a global resolution with the government. Brian has taken leadership roles in representing clients at several of the top ten Superfund sites listed on the National Priorities List. He has also provided advice and counseling to companies in matters involving new facility construction and modifications, where he has managed complex permitting and compliance issues in all phases of these projects. Brian has also advised companies in developing community advisory panels and outreach projects to gain local support for manufacturing operations and related environmental permitting; he has developed a national network of liaison groups and organizations to assist in communications, as well as environmental and economic development support for these projects.

Malory Pascarella
K&L Gates
Breakout: Environmental Justice

Malory Pascarella is an associate in the firm's Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice group. Malory engages in regulatory compliance work, as well as related environmental litigation, focusing her practice on CERCLA, the Clean Air Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. She also assists in representing clients before state environmental agencies as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, regarding various permitting, enforcement, and compliance issues.

Malory’s extensive environmental knowledge proves highly valuable to clients in corporate and real estate transactions, where Malory advises on environmental and sustainability risks and compliance related requirements, including the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA). Malory also supports clients on how to integrate environmental justice considerations into their operations and address environmental justice issues as they arise. She frequently writes and presents on state and federal environmental justice issues. Malory has also counseled clients on environmental issues in order to facilitate corporate and real estate transactions.

Malory is also committed to diversity and inclusion and serves on the K&L Gates firmwide Women in the Profession committee. She also actively participates in pro bono matters and serves as the associate pro bono liaison for the Newark office.

Jim Tymon
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
General Session and Environmental Awards

As AASHTO Executive Director, Tymon oversees a staff of over 130 professionals who support their members in connecting America with the transportation system of today and tomorrow. AASHTO is now in its second century of service to state departments of transportation and their highly skilled employees.

Prior to his appointment, Tymon was AASHTO’s Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Policy and Management from 2013 to 2018, working closely with state DOTs in the development of AASHTO’s transportation policy positions and overseeing the monitoring of legislative, administrative, and regulatory activities relating to transportation. As AASHTO’s COO, Jim also oversaw the management of the Association’s internal operations.

Tymon previously served as the staff director of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As staff director, Tymon managed the subcommittee responsible for writing legislation for the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Jim was the Committee’s lead staffer for the development of MAP-21 — the surface transportation bill signed into law in 2012 and SAFETEA LU – the surface transportation bill signed into law in 2005. And, Tymon served in the Office of Management and Budget, where he worked as the program examiner responsible for overseeing the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Tymon graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science, along with a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy.