David Anthony has a national litigation practice representing companies in highly regulated industries, including consumer financial services companies. He has significant experience in class actions and complex individual lawsuits. He has significant litigation experience defending cases under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and numerous other federal and state consumer protection statutes, with particular expertise in matters that often involve companion government investigations.
Clients rely on David to resolve their most difficult and complex legal and business challenges both in and out of the courtroom. David’s experience includes matters involving issues of first impression; bet-the-company litigation; the unique challenges of class actions lawsuits and mass litigation; cutting-edge claims under the FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA and other consumer protection statutes; Tribal law in the Native American online lending context; and the overlap between class action lawsuits and regulatory litigation by federal and state regulators.
He has served as lead counsel in more than 100 class action lawsuits and more than 1,500 individual lawsuits in courts across the country. David understands the outsized financial risks and high stakes associated with class-action lawsuits that impact how these cases are defended, tried and settled. He has special experience in handling cases in the Eastern District of Virginia (also known as the Rocket Docket), that has unique rules, risks and pitfalls for defendants.
"Kevin Bachman is The CRA Doctor and host of the podcast, Background Check Radio. With 20 years experience, Kevin is a thought leader and industry expert providing financial, strategic and operational solutions to owners and senior management to increase compliance, satisfaction and profit. He also advises private equity and venture capitalists on opportunities within this space. He is frequently invited to write, speak and present by CRAs, PBSA, employers, and vendors in our space. Kevin serves on the PBSA Background Screening Credentialing Council and the Industry Practices Committee. He is available for speaking engagements and in person training sessions."
Kerstin is the Chief Knowledge Officer for NetForce Global where she uses her more than 30 years of screening experience to help screening companies take the pain out of international background screening. She is a frequent PBSA presenter and has served in leadership positions with PBSA including Board participation and Committee leadership. Kerstin is one of the few individuals in the screening industry who is privacy certified as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (www.IAPP.org). She holds CIPP certifications for Canada, EU, and US Private Sector.
Bruce Berg is a founding member of PBSA with 31 years experience in the background screening industry. Bruce started his career with CIC Applicant Background Checks and took it from $190,000 in annual sales to an industry giant with sales reaching over $13,000,000. (CIC was later renamed and is now part of First Advantage Corp). Upon achieving business success, he sold to First American Financial and stayed on as president for a year and a half. In 2000 he launched Berg Consulting Group which is the background screening expert that delivers growth, profitability and M&A expertise to background screening businesses.
Etan Berstein is the Head of Ecosystem at Velocity Network Foundation. With over 20 years in HCM and management consulting. Until recently, Etan was Partner, People Advisory at AKT, an EMEA based leading people advisory firm and HCM system integrator. Before joining AKT, Etan held HR leadership roles at Applied Materials and Intel.
Krisy Bucher, Sr. Director, Marketing Programs, Appriss Insights Krisy Bucher leads Marketing for Appriss Insights, a technology company providing data and analytics solutions to government agencies and commercial enterprises to save lives, fight crime, prevent fraud, and reduce risk. She has over 20 years of experience in organizational leadership, marketing, training, business development, and operations across a broad range of industries. Over the past ten years she has worked in the data, software and technology industries leading nimble marketing teams in brand strategy, communications, thought leadership, digital marketing and channel marketing programs. Since joining Appriss in 2016, Krisy has developed a full-service Marketing department to provide exceptional support to Appriss partners, while leading the organization through multiple rebranding initiatives, product rollouts and the integration of five acquisitions within two years.
Krisy is a lifelong learner with a passion for developing future leaders and improving culture. At Appriss, she helps lead the Lean In Appriss employee resource group and is a member of Appriss Diversity and Belonging focus group. Krisy has also been selected by Leadership Louisville as a Class of 2021 Bingham Fellow. This year's program topic is Belonging: building a culture of inclusivity. Krisy is a business-minded artist at heart, having earned her M.B.A. from Western Carolina University and a B.A. in Art History from Emory University. She currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband, two daughters and their two dogs.
Craig is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in background screening and is a Founding Member of PBSA as well as a past Board Member. Craig was responsible for building ReferencePro, the industry's first provider of verifications and references and he wrote the original NABPS/BSCC accreditation standards for verifications and references. More recently, he has become a subject matter expert on continuous court records monitoring. Craig graduated from the Dominican University of California. He is a husband and father living in Petaluma, California with chickens, two cats, and a border collie loved by everyone she meets.
Kevin Coy is a Partner in the Washington DC office of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and co‐chair of the firm’s privacy practice. Kevin’s practice focuses on advising privacy‐sensitive organizations on U.S. and international privacy law and policy matters. Kevin also represents clients in proceedings before the FTC and other agencies. Kevin advises clients on compliance with FCRA, GLBA, DPPA and other federal and state privacy and data security laws. Internationally, Kevin advises clients on transborder data flow issues and other matters in connection with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other international privacy laws and regulations.
Bill Current is the author of “Why Drug Testing: Updated and Expanded for 2020,” as well as 9 other books on substance-related issues. He founded the Current Consulting Group in 1998 and it has become the number one recognized brand name in compliance, business development, and operations consulting in the drug testing industry. He created Current Compliance, the only comprehensive on-line subscription database on all state laws related to workplace drug testing, including marijuana and workers’ compensation laws.
"Manas Ranjan Das is the Assistant Vice President for Neeyamo Enterprises, responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of International Background Verification(BGV) LOB. As a seasoned professional with more than 15 years of Banking & BGV experience, Manas is known for driving brand growth, maximizing operational excellence, and delivering financial performance. Before that, Manas acted as Sr. Manager of Operations for Infosys BPM Ltd, where he was responsible for the multiple teams related to the banking domain. Manas holds an MCA from the Berhampur University and a Bachelor of Science degree from SGGS College of Chandigarh, Punjab."
Embarked the corporate journey by leading a team of International Screening for Verifications Inc. (now First Advantage) India Center. After 2 years, developed network of partners and expanded Neeyamo's international screening coverage to 180+ countries. Have rich experience in working with majority of the PBSA members from different chapters. Handled international screening operations for 4 years, before Pre-sales and implementation. Consulted, built and deployed solutions for Global customers across industries. With 6 years of experience, under Compliance and Product management have successfully launched multiple new screening products by parallelly upgrading existing products adhering to country specific rules and regulations.
Pamela Devata is a Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Chicago, IL. Pam leads Seyfarth’s nationwide Background Screening, Litigation and Compliance Team. She’s a national authority for all issues related to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), background screening compliance, use of criminal and credit history.. A nationally recognized counselor, Pam has participated in numerous interviews, speeches, and webinars on criminal history and credit checks. She has leveraged her niche area of expertise into a thriving class action practice.
Jose Dimas is the Government Relations Director of Public Records Access for the Professional Background Screening Association. Prior to coming to the PBSA, he was Government Relations Associate for the National Center for State Courts. He has extensive experience in state courts and government relations having worked on Capitol Hill, the federal government and the non-profit sector. Mr. Dimas has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in public policy from Baylor University.
Erin Doyle is an Associate at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and a member of the firm's Background Screening Industry Team. She advises clients on compliance with a variety of data privacy laws, including the FCRA, as well as federal, state, and local laws and regulations of interest to background screeners.
John W. Drury is a Partner at Seyfarth Shaw. John’s practice is focused on defending CRAs and end-users against class action litigation brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and state and local background screening laws, including California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA). John also defends CRAs in courts nationwide against a variety of single plaintiff claims under the FCRA. John frequently presents on these and other issues across the country.
Nick Fishman has been an executive in the background screening industry for over 20 years including 16 of which he co-founded, owned and operated EmployeeScreenIQ, a nationally recognized consumer reporting agency. He currently serves as chief marketing officer at SJV Data Solutions where he focuses on strategic growth plans with a primary focus on revenue optimization, product development, scalability and market positioning.
Elizabeth Fitzell is the Managing Director of Sterling RISQ APAC. She leads and support the talented Sterling RISQ APAC team in developing and delivering screening and identity verification solutions. She has over 15 years of experience in the background screening and verification industry and prides herself on her deep market expertise and absolute focus on doing what is right for clients She has recently been appointed to the Board of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) in 2020 and will collaborate with the PBSA leadership teams, to contribute to PBSA's mission – advancing excellence in the screening profession.
Tim Gordon, InfoMart's Chief Compliance Officer, is a seasoned, knowledgeable professional in the background screening industry dedicated to driving InfoMart's operations efficiently and profitably. Mr. Gordon utilizes his extensive history in multiple positions across the company to oversee the processing of InfoMart’s core service offerings. Mr. Gordon joined InfoMart in 2004; his tenure at InfoMart has been one of efficiency, communication, and continued innovation. With over a decade of experience running InfoMart's compliance team, Mr. Gordon is instrumental in proactively updating company regulations to keep InfoMart ahead of legislative changes. Currently, he is a board member of the PBSA. Gordon is also extremely involved in the local community and participates in various volunteer and charitable organizations, including the Cobb County Workforce Development Board.
Dror Gurevich, Founder and CEO of Velocity Network Foundation, a collaborative organization on a mission to fix the broekn data layer underlying the global labor market and deploy the world's blockchain network for verifiable career and education credentials. Dror has +25 years in HCM technology. Formerly Co-Founder and Managing Partner at AKT, one of the largest HCM system integrators across the EMEA region.
Julie Hakman has over 30 years experience in innovative business leadership. Her involvement in background screening began in 1997 when she was recruited by Total Information Services Inc. (now HireRight) to launch World Gaming Network. In 2005, Julie created AmericanChecked, Inc. a certified, women-owned business, heralded as “One of the Top 20 Business’s on the Rise.” In 2019, AmericanChecked was acquired by MinistryBrands, LLC. Julie remains an integral part of the MinistryBrands leadership teams as their General Manager, Protection Services Business Development.
Julie is a recognized leader in the screening industry, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, recent past chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, a national member of SHRM, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, executive board member of the Better Business Bureau and Tribal Gaming Protection Network, and a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law. Julie and the AmericanChecked team have received several prestigious awards, the US Chamber’s Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in business, and Fortune’s Inner City 100 Fastest growing companies in the US. She has been featured in Fortune Magazine and is a frequent speaker at numerous HR, Safety, Gaming and Education event
Cindy Hanson focuses her practice on class action defense. Cindy has handled hundreds of matters under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including over two dozen class actions. Her practice includes the representation of consumer reporting agencies, entities who furnish information to consumer reporting agencies and employers who use background check information for employment purposes. In addition, she has significant experience representing companies defending class actions under consumer protection statutes and state common law.
Consumer finance clients trust Cindy’s experience and skill to resolve their most challenging cases. Focused on class action defense, Cindy is the point of contact for consumer protection defense.
Andy has almost 20 years experience in background screening, partnering with some of the world’s largest companies to implement successful, compliant screening programs. Andy has a BA in International Economics and Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington. He also holds CIPP/E, CIPM, and Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) certifications. He is the co-chair of the PBSA US Educational Resources Committee, a member of the PBSA Finance Committee, and a former Board Member for PBSA Europe.
"Kevin is a Research Manager at IntelliCorp Records overseeing vendor recruitment for more than 10 years. He has served in leadership roles with PBSA including Government Relations and the Access subcommittee. Kevin has also participated in the Public Access Software Specifications and PACER initiatives to improve access to court records. He holds LSS Yellow Belt and PBSA Advanced certifications."
Chad is a core member of the Littler Mendelson team that handles background check matters. Chad works extensively with employers and CRAs on compliance with the wide array of laws governing the use of background checks when making employment decisions. He has served as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous putative class action cases against employers and CRAs for alleged violations of the FCRA. Chad has also worked extensively with in-house legal departments in developing background check procedures and processes in various industries, including commercial trucking and logistics, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, and retail.
Over 30 years of experience in sales and business development. Founder, President, and Chief Client Partner of a focused HR Outsourcing company leading their sales and corporate development activity. Lead a team of over 30 Sales Professionals globally to win new logos.
Some of my existing clients and Rolodex include leaders in Healthcare, HRO service providers, Engineering, and Financial Services firms.
Specialties:
Kirill Klokov is Co-founder and CEO of Citadel ID, a solution that provides access to over 100M payroll accounts in the US. Kirill has 15+ years of experience in tech industry as a founder, an early employee, and engineer. Formerly Director of product at Carta, a $7bn equity management company. Prior to Carta, Kirill built 2 tech startups that were acquired.
Rebecca E. Kuehn is a partner with Hudson Cook, LLP in Washington, DC. Becki counsels businesses on compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and other federal and state regulations. Before joining Hudson Cook, Becki was vice president and senior regulatory counsel for CoreLogic, providing advice and guidance to the company’s consumer reporting businesses on a wide variety of consumer data and privacy-related regulatory issues. Becki was formerly an assistant director for the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection at the FTC, where she was responsible for leading enforcement, policy, outreach and rulemaking activities for the FTC's FCRA program.
Michelle Leblond brings over 25 years in the background screening industry to her role as Executive Vice President, Compliance and Privacy with PlusOne Solutions®. She was previously employed as Vice President of the Fingerprint and I9 business unit and a Company Officer with another organization and prior to that, she was Canadian Operations Manager for another background screening company. Michelle brings solid strengths and understanding in technology, legislation, and operations, as well as the sales and financial aspects of managing a business in this industry.
Holding Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) designations in both Canada and the US, Michelle is responsible for all state and federal privacy and consumer reporting compliance efforts for PlusOne as well as overseeing all background screening operations. Michelle works closely with the operations and sales teams to create effective programs to ensure client needs are met, that operational excellence is maintained and new product and service delivery options are developed. Additionally, Michelle also regularly contributes to PlusOne's content publishing and client communication efforts and handles all vendor relationships for the business.
Michelle has a degree from the University of Toronto, as well as a post graduate diploma from Ryerson University, and is a current member of the HRPA (Ontario), SHRM, and IAPP. She is active on various committees of the Professional Background Screening Association including holding the position of General Council Member and Government Relations Chair for the Canadian Council, as well as sitting on the Background Screening Credentialing Council, which governs the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program. Michelle completed two terms on the PBSA Board of Directors and is currently the Chair of the Association.
John is a proven leader in the background screening industry with over 20 years of professional leadership experience. In his career, he has helped to pioneer screening methods and accuracy standards in the industry which have improved the quality of background checks.
In 2021, John became the founder of Fair Screen…a new type of background check firm which combines his knowledge of fast and accurate background checks with the tools to help employers use them more fairly. This includes assisting employers with fulfilling their regulatory obligations such as adverse action notifications and collecting additional information for the individualized assessment process.
Prior to launching Fair Screen, John built a respected screening business from the ground up, and then helped navigate it through acquisition by an industry leader. He went on to lead the global operations of the acquiring company for almost 2 years. John has consistently seen double-digit growth through his career and has built a reputation improving operational efficiency through lean & six sigma. He attributes his success to his understanding that customers need more than just raw data to make effective business decisions. In addition to accurate information, he has focused on surrounding customers with intuitive technology, compliance tools, and the expertise of knowledgeable staff.
John is a frequent speaker about background screening compliance and best practices at human resources and multi-family housing events around the country. He has achieved Advanced Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) certification from the Professional Background Screeners Association, and has achieved similar certifications through the National Consumer Reporting Association (NCRA) and the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA).
Bryance is Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. He focuses his practice on representing employers and management in all aspects of Labor & Employment law. He defends employers in litigation in both state and federal courts and before state and federal administrative agencies.
Montserrat Miller is a partner and co-chair of the Data Privacy practice and co-chair of the Background Screening industry team at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP. She is based in Atlanta, GA. Montserrat has developed a national practice advising CRAs, software providers, providers of data, and employers regarding compliance with the FCRA and state consumer reporting laws as well as Fair Chance Hiring laws. She also advises organizations on their obligations and compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Montserrat is an IAPP certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US and CIPP/E) and has been a member of PBSA for years. She is actively involved in the background screening industry through client representation, speaking engagements, podcasts, authorship of alerts, and (best of all) attending PBSA conferences.
"Zach defends financial institutions such as banks, mortgage lenders, credit card companies, auto finance companies and debt buyers/collectors in consumer lawsuits filed under various state and federal laws, including the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. While specializing in consumer finance litigation, Zach also handles numerous general commercial litigation matters. Zach serves as the Vice Chair of the Membership Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee and he is also a graduate of the TIPS/ABOTA National Trial Academy."
Rich Millisor is a Partner in Fisher Phillip's Cleveland office. He focuses his practice on representing employers and consumer reporting agencies in complex litigation, including individual and class claims asserted under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). He has broad experience defending CRAs and employers in reasonable procedures, disclosures, certifications and claims asserted by the leading members of the Plaintiff's FCRA bar in federal and state courts across the United States. Leveraging this litigation experience, Rich regularly consults with CRAs and employers in addressing real world and complex compliance issues under the FCRA. Rich's deep experience in the litigation trenches and knowledge of the obstacles facing background screening companies, enables him to fashion not only defensible, but also usable advice for CRA. Rich frequently speaks before attorneys and management groups on topical matters. He is also recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers & Partners, America's Leading Lawyers for Business and Ohio Super Lawyers.
Megan Mitchell is a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, where she is a member of the firm's background screening and employment teams. She routinely represents CRAs and end users in single plaintiff and class action FCRA lawsuits nationwide. She also helps businesses resolve various other commercial and employment-related disputes and litigation.
Jennifer L. Mora is a Senior Counsel at Seyfarth Shaw. Jennifer’s practice is multi-faceted in that she not only regularly advises employers and consumer reporting agencies on the intersection of federal and state background check laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; the Fair Credit Reporting Act; and ban-the-box laws, but she also works closely with employers on navigating the evolving landscape of medical and recreational marijuana and drug testing laws. Jennifer regularly presents on these issues at a national level and is a prolific author in cutting edge issues impacting employers and the background screening industry.
Megan Nicholls is a partner at Hudson Cook's Fort Worth, Texas office. She advises businesses on compliance with consumer financial services and consumer protection laws. She is experienced in developing and maintaining robust compliance programs that are essential to proactively comply with the myriad of complex consumer financial services industry laws. Prior to joining Hudson Cook, Megan served as the head of compliance and privacy for GIACT Systems, LLC, an identity verification and fraud prevention company, where she designed, implemented, and maintained a compliance management system to ensure compliance with federal and state consumer reporting and privacy laws.
Andres Olave is the Head of Product and Technology at Velocity Network Foundation. With over 15 years of experience designing and developing large scale systems, Andres has held multiple CTO positions leading R&D teams and addressing blockchain, security and compliance.
Scott Paler is a partner and attorney at DeWitt LLP. He serves as Chair of the Firm’s Background Screening Practice Group. Over his career, Scott has advised more than 100 background screening companies on compliance, business, and litigation issues. Scott previously served as Co-Chair of the Litigation Avoidance Committee for PBSA, led PBSA’s Insurance Task Force, and participated in PBSA’s Best Practice Steering Committee. He regularly presents on industry trends and best practices at national background screening conferences.
Jim has developed a multi-faceted legal practice. In addition to defending employers in a wide range of complex labor and employment matters, he has increasingly concentrated his practice on the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Relying on his experience in this rapidly evolving area, Jim both advises employers and consumer reporting agencies with FCRA compliance and litigates class actions and single plaintiff lawsuits asserting FCRA claims. Additionally, Jim frequently provides advice and defends single plaintiff and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and related state wage and hour laws.
Ron Raether leads the Cybersecurity, Information Governance and Privacy practice and is a partner in the Financial Services Litigation practice group at Troutman Pepper. Ron is known as the interpreter between businesses and information technology, and has assisted companies in navigating federal and state privacy laws for over twenty years. Ron's understanding of technology led him to be involved in legal issues that cross normal law firm boundaries, including experience with data security, data privacy, patent, antitrust, and licensing and contracts. This experience allows Ron to bring a fresh and creative perspective to data compliance issues with the knowledge and historical perspective of an industry veteran.
Elaine is CEO of Advanced Reporting LLC, a screening company headquartered in Oregon, USA. She has more than 16 years of experience in the industry and has been an active member of PBSA since 2005. She is a current member of the US Council's Educational Resources Committee and was a chair of the NAPBS Communications Committee. Advanced Reporting has experienced significant organizational growth under Elaine's leadership through a combination of outside sales and two strategic acquisitions. Elaine is a native Oregonian, a graduate of Yale University and resides in Wilsonville, OR with her husband, horse, dog and cat.
Jennifer L. Sarvadi is a partner in the Washington D.C. office of Hudson Cook, LLP. Ms. Sarvadi counsels businesses on compliance with federal and state consumer financial and privacy laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Graham Leach Bliley Act, and the avoidance of unfair, deceptive, or abusive trade practices. Ms. Sarvadi assists with the development and implementation of compliance management systems, new product development, and system integrations and enhancements in the financial services space. Ms. Sarvadi also defends companies in government investigations brought by federal and state agencies and consumer litigation.
William (Bill) Simmons is a lawyer at the national law firm of Littler Mendelson. He is a frequent PBSA speaker and spends most of his time working with employers and CRAs on background screening issues. He partners with companies to problem solve and avoid lawsuits in the first place, but also regularly defends employers and CRAs in litigation around the country.
Esther Slater McDonald is a seasoned litigator. Her practice includes litigation on consumer protection, financial services, and commercial disputes. McDonald also counsels employers, furnishers, resellers, and consumer reporting agencies on compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection laws, and she provides guidance in responding to requests from government agencies and navigating the agency process. Before joining Seyfarth Shaw, McDonald was Counsel to the Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Fritz is a nationally recognized authority on DOT agency and non-regulated workplace drug and alcohol testing policies and practices. For over 25 years, Fritz has regularly developed policies, training materials, and other written guidelines and counseled clients - including employers, background screening companies, and MROs - on their policies and practices to help them comply with DOT regulations, DHHS guidelines, and state/local laws and follow best practices to avoid the expense and other wasted resources associated with state and federal court litigation. Fritz was recently listed in The Cannabis Law Report’s Global Top 200 Editorially Selected Cannabis Legal Professionals 2020-2021+.
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Brent Smoyer, of Smoyer Government Affairs, serves as the PBSA State Government Relations and Grassroots Director. Smoyer’s combined 18 years of experience includes work on federal, state and local political campaigns, state level policy craft as a legislative aide and legal counsel in both the Iowa and Nebraska Legislatures and (as he calls it) “time served” in elected office as a County Commissioner for Lancaster County, Neb. While he jokingly refers to himself as a “recovering bureaucrat”, it is that experience he uses to help build relationships, craft quality policy, and dodge pitfalls often present in state government. Prior to partnering with PBSA, Smoyer was Legal Counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the Nebraska Legislature.
Bryan, Director of Sales & Account Management, is focused on all aspects to accomplish set goals and meet high company standards. His past business and life experiences, complimented by his drive to succeed, give him the tools necessary to help Wholesale Screening Solutions continue to be the leading public records research company in the industry. His significant background in the hospitality and customer service industries has equipped him with the tools necessary to succeed in any business. Bryan brings such skills as, multi-tasking, communication, customer service, decision-making, problem-solving, and a positive team player attitude to Wholesale Screening Solutions.
"Tim is a nationally-recognized expert on issues relating to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and employment background screening, as well as class action litigation. He also serves as outside general counsel for several background screening companies. In 2018, Tim was one of only five attorneys nationwide to be designated as a Law360 Rising Star in the field of consumer law, which identified attorneys whose legal accomplishments “transcend” their age. That same year and again in 2019 and 2020, he was also identified by Benchmark Litigation as one of the top attorneys under the age of 40 in the country."
Courtney is an employment litigator with strong trial experience who also provides daily counseling on employment issues related to compliance with laws governing background checks. Courtney assists clients in defending litigation, from single-plaintiff charges or lawsuits to class actions and multiplaintiff cases. In addition to defending cases alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, she also has a particular area of experience in defending claims involving background checks. Courtney focuses on defending employers and CRAs in claims brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as well as state and local "ban the box" laws and other laws governing criminal history.
Mark Sward is Sterling's Vice President and Global Head of Privacy. With nearly twelve years of industry experience, he leads Sterling's global privacy team, which oversees Sterling's privacy program, supports internal data protection compliance initiatives around the world, provides information and best practice guidance to Sterling's clients. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from McGill University and a certificate in law from the Universite de Montreal, and is designated as a CIPP/C, CIPP/E and CIPP/M by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Mark is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Robert T. Szyba is a Partner at Seyfarth Shaw. Rob finds practical solutions for clients facing litigation and various business challenges related to their workforce. He guides companies through the nuanced requirements for hiring, background checks, ban the box, Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance, as well as various issues related to compensation, retention, and separation of workers in a variety of industries. A seasoned litigator, Rob is an ardent advocate both in and outside the courtroom.
Jamie Tucker partners closely with clients to develop innovative and comprehensive strategies to achieve their federal policy objectives. He manages all facets of issue campaigns including building and leading teams to undertake lobbying, third party engagement and communications. In addition to substantive knowledge, he maintains a strong network on Capitol Hill and in the administration and closely monitors the ever-evolving political landscape in order to better advance clients’ engagement in the policy making process.
Prior to joining the firm in 1999, Jamie served as legislative counsel to Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) and also served as an aide to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich in 1996 and Sen. Paul D. Coverdell (R-GA) from 1993 to 1994.
Jamie also has significant political experience, having worked on four presidential campaigns as well as a number of Senate and congressional campaigns.
Bill Wilder, Chief Operating Officer of SJV Data Solutions- Bill led the development of and operates SJV’s Verifications suite of solutions. This product line leverages world class call center technologies, processes, and best practices, to provide customizable verification capabilities to SJV’s clients. Prior to joining SJV, Bill served as the COO for Verifications, Inc. and as EVP of Operations for First Advantage. In these roles, Bill brought his deep Six Sigma and high transaction volume experience to aide both organizations in their evolution.
