SPEAKERS

Jana Barresi serves as Vice President, Government Affairs for Lowe’s, a Fortune 50 company.  In this role, Jana leads government affairs strategies for the company.  This includes working closely with company leaders, key legislative and executive branch officials, and industry and trade associations on policy issues and initiatives relevant the company’s stakeholders, including customers, associates, and communities.

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Prior to this role, she served as Head of Washington, DC office, leading the federal government affairs team.  Before joining Lowe’s, she served on the government affairs team at Walmart with increasing levels of responsibility during her tenure, most recently as Sr. Director, Federal Government Affairs.  Jana’s professional experiences also included roles in policy and public affairs at the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting and equity research analysis for Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. 

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Jana began her career in Washington, DC as a staffer for Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), serving in a range of capacities, including as a Legislative Assistant for telecommunications, banking, insurance and some tax issues.

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Jana holds a BA in politics from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.   

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She currently serves on the Board of Horton’s Kids, an organization in Washington, DC that empowers children so that they graduate from high school ready for success in college, career, and life.  She is a member of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, and the Carlton Club. 

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Jana grew up in Presque Isle, Maine, and now lives in Hyattsville, MD with her husband Ethan Watermeier and their dog Stark.

Jason C. Buckel has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2014 and has been Minority Leader since 2021. He is a member of the Ways and Means Committee, where he has worked on election law, finance, revenues, and gaming issues. He also serves on the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, the Legislative Policy Committee, the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, and the Spending Affordability Committee, among others.

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Over the years, Delegate Buckel has taken leadership roles on numerous commissions and task forces, including the Maryland Redistricting Reform Commission, the Task Force on the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority, and the Task Force on the Economic Future of Western Maryland. He has also served as House Chair of the Allegany County Delegation since 2016.

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Born in Allegany County in 1971, Buckel is a graduate of Bishop Walsh High School, George Mason University (B.A., Political Science, with honors), and the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D., with honors). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1996, he is Managing Partner of Buckel, Levasseur & Pillai, LLC.

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An active member of his community, he has served on the Allegany County Republican Central Committee and is involved with the LaVale Lions Club, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 40 (associate member), and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cumberland.

Scott Cassel, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Product Stewardship Institute, has over 40 years of experience addressing waste management issues in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In 2000, he founded the Product Stewardship Institute, (www.productstewardship.us) a policy expert and consulting nonprofit that pioneered product stewardship in the United States and has helped enact 146 extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws across 21 product categories in 34 states — the bedrock of the circular economy.

Prior to founding PSI, Scott served seven years as the director of waste policy and planning for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, where he developed and implemented solid and hazardous waste management policies and programs. As PSI’s CEO, he developed the widely acclaimed facilitation process that the organization uses for stakeholder engagement and consensus-building — a process that resulted in the nation’s first industry-run, government-mandated paint stewardship program.

In 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) appointed Scott to its Marine Debris Foundation board of directors, where he works on policy, infrastructure development, and innovative technologies to clean up and prevent pollution of our waterways and ocean.

John L. Colaizzi, Jr., PharmD, FNJPhA, is Group Vice President, Head of Enterprise Pharmacy Practice for Walgreens. A pharmacist and 27-year Walgreens veteran, he is responsible for all aspects of pharmacy practice across the enterprise community and specialty pharmacy businesses, including pharmacy quality, patient safety, compliance, and specialty pharmacy accreditation programs. He also leads the Walgreens regulatory and professional pharmacy affairs teams and is responsible for interactions with state boards of pharmacy, schools of pharmacy, key state and national pharmacy associations, clinical advocacy, and health equity organizations in advancing pharmacy practice across the industry.

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He is a member of the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Directors of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP). He is a board-certified consultant pharmacist, APhA-certified immunization trainer, adjunct faculty at Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, and serves on the Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy Advisory Board.

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Dr. Colaizzi is past president and chairman of the New Jersey Pharmacists Association and served as chairman of the New Jersey Pharmacists Political Action Committee. He was also district president of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) for District 2. He served as president of the Franklin Lakes, NJ Board of Education Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Franklin Lakes Parks and Recreation Foundation. He is a member of the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honors Society and is a Fellow of the New Jersey Pharmacists Association.

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Dr. Colaizzi is the recipient of the 2007 New Jersey Distinguished Young Pharmacist of the Year Award, the 2009 NCPA Pharmacy Leadership Award, the 2010 New Jersey Retail Merchant Association Pharmacist of the Year Award, the 2014 American Diabetes Association’s Volunteer of the Year Award, the 2016 NJPhA William McNeill Community Service Award, the 2017 NJPhA Educator of the Year Award, the 2019 APhA Bowl of Hygeia Award, and the 2022 Rosario Mannino Award for meritorious service to the Profession of Pharmacy.

Whitney Docken is the Vice President of Global Logistics & Trade at Best Buy.  Whitney has spent 21 years working in Supply Chain at major retailers, including Target and Best Buy.  Whitney’s experience includes Global Trade compliance and operations, domestic transportation, international logistics, small parcel, and reverse logistics.  Whitney has been a Licensed Customs Broker since 2005.  She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Business from the University of St Thomas and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.  She is married with three kids, ages 10, 14, and 16. 

Sage Eastman is a senior Republican strategist with more than two decades of policy, political and government experience. Steeped in political campaigns and policy debates, Eastman is a sought-after advisor to a diverse group of businesses (from Fortune 50 companies to startups), trade associations, Members of Congress and their staff.

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While Eastman is often utilized for his tax and health care expertise, his close relationships with Congressional leaders and wide respect from both sides of the aisle and on both sides of Capitol Hill make him a go-to for clients looking to affect a broad range of issues. With deep insights into Committee and Leadership thinking, Eastman has helped clients secure key victories amidst bicameral negotiations and provided guidance necessary to sustain lengthy legislative campaigns.

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Before joining Mehlman Consulting, Eastman spearheaded several tax, health and trade efforts on the Hill— leading to the successful enactment of some of the largest reform efforts in Washington, DC, including three longed-stalled trade agreements, the tri-committee rewrite of the Sustainable Growth Rate (the so-called “doc fix”) and permanent extension of critical tax policy.

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During his six years as a senior counselor to the Ways and Means Committee—serving variously as Senior Advisor, Deputy Staff Director and Director of Strategy—Roll Call named Eastman on multiple occasions to its “Fabulous 50” list, the Capitol Hill newspaper’s annual list of top Congressional staff.

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Earlier in his career, Eastman was Communications Director and Senior Strategist to Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI). He joined Rep. Camp’s staff after nearly a decade in Michigan politics, where he first worked for then-Gov. John Engler, spearheaded the state GOP’s communications and research efforts, and served in the executive office of the Michigan Attorney General.

Jonathan Gold is vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. In this role, Gold is a primary spokesperson and is responsible for representing the retail industry before Congress and the administration on supply chain, international trade, product safety and customs-related issues impacting the retail industry. While with NRF, he has been a leading advocate of the value of trade and global value chains to the U.S. economy.

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Prior to joining NRF, Gold served as a policy analyst in the Office of Policy and Planning for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He joined CBP in May 2006 and was responsible for providing policy guidance on issues surrounding maritime cargo security and trade-related matters. Gold also worked on implementation issues surrounding the SAFE Port Act and other issues within the agency including CBP intelligence reform, pandemic flu and trade facilitation.

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Before joining CBP, Gold spent nearly a decade with the Retail Industry Leaders Association holding several government relations positions including director and then vice president of international trade policy before being named vice president of global supply chain policy in January 2005.

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Gold has served on several government advisory committees including the Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, the Department of Homeland Security’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) and on the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Advisory Committee on Distribution Services.

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Gold graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in international business with a concentration in finance.

Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg is the Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe and a fourth-generation retailer who has been shaping the e-commerce landscape for nearly 30 years. After pioneering Blockbuster Entertainment’s first online venture in 1995, Jason went on to partner with over 100 of the Internet Top 500 retailers, helping them navigate the challenges of omni-channel commerce and driving billions in online revenue. Today, he serves as a trusted advisor to leadership teams at the world’s largest retailers and brands.

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​Widely recognized under his social media handle @retailgeek, Jason has cultivated one of the largest followings of e-commerce professionals. He has served as Executive Chairman of shop.org and on the National Retail Federation’s Digital Advisory Board, influencing the strategic direction of the retail industry. A sought-after thought leader, Jason co-hosts “The Jason & Scot Show,” contributes to Forbes, and was inducted into the NRF’s “The List” in 2017 for his groundbreaking achievements.

Now in his twenty-third year at the Council, Gordon serves as President and CEO. In this role, he is the point person for Ohio retail and wholesale issues in the Ohio Statehouse and Congress and manages the Council’s business operations.

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In addition to his Council duties, Gordon is the Chairman of the Ohio Industrial Commission Nominating Council, a former Chairman of the Council of State Retail Associations, and a member of the Governor’s Workforce Transformation Board.  He is also on the boards of the Capitol Square Foundation and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

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A native of Kettering, Gordon earned a B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.  He and his wife reside in Dublin with their four children.

Dave Davis is the President and Chief Legal Officer of the Utah Food Industry Association and the Utah Retail Merchants Association.  Dave joined the Associations in 2007 as their Vice President and General Counsel and was elected by the respective Board of Directors to serve as President in March of 2010. Dave serves as the chief spokesperson and advocate for the grocery, convenience store and retail industries in Utah. Immediately before joining the associations Dave spent a decade as the Director of Human Resources and Legal Counsel for Associated Food Stores based in Salt Lake City.

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Dave graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Political Science in 1994 and from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark School of Law in 1997.

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Dave and his wife Kerri reside in Draper, Utah and have three daughters, three son-in-laws and two grandchildren.

Bill Hallan is President & Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Retailers Association and Retailers Insurance Company.

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He joined Michigan Retailers in August 2011 as vice president and general counsel. He expanded his responsibilities to include oversight of the Association’s legislative advocacy program in February 2012 and overall operations in September 2013. His legislative accomplishments include playing a key role in passage of the Organized Retail Crime Act (Public Act 455 of 2012), and he was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Organized Retail Crime Advisory Board.

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Prior to joining Michigan Retailers, he was a litigator in the Dykema Gossett law firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. He is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Toledo School of Law, where he was Articles Editor for the Law Review, and a graduate of Denison University, where he played four years on the men’s golf team.

Robert Jones III is the President and Chief Operating Officer of American Sale, a family-owned retail business serving the Chicagoland area since 1960, and also oversees Jones Family Real Estate, which owns and manages the properties leased to American Sale and other tenant spaces.

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Bob began working alongside his father in 1970 at their original Roseland store on South Michigan Avenue, stocking shelves, assisting customers and handling the cash register during the busy toy and holiday seasons. After earning a B.S. in Finance from Northern Illinois University in 1983, he rejoined the company full time and drove its growth from a single location to eight specialty stores by 2006—adding hot tubs, pools, patios, spas, grills, game rooms and a seasonal Christmas décor division. In 1996, he led the build-out of a 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Tinley Park and over the next decade assembled a professional management team across marketing, human resources, IT, accounting, logistics, store operations and real estate. Since 2008, Bob has steered American Sale through economic downturns and the rise of e-commerce, opening two additional stores to complete suburban coverage and improve regional advertising efficiency.

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​Bob holds a B.S. in Finance from Northern Illinois University (1983). He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Mokena, Illinois, and have three grown daughters—each of whom works in the family business.

As President & CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), Rob brings over 30 years of experience to the Association. 

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Rob joined the IRMA staff in 1994, coordinating IRMA’s government relations efforts. 

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In 2012, Rob was named Executive Vice President and assumed the position of President & CEO on Jan. 1, 2014. 

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Rob currently serves on the Employment Security Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Advisory Board to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Illinois Attorney General’s Franchise Advisory Board, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Food Safety Advisory Committee and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program Policy Advisory Council. In 2009, Rob was appointed by then-Governor Pat Quinn to serve on the temporary Pension Systems Modernization Task Force. In addition, Rob served on the Board of the Council of State Retail Associations from 2014-2020 and as Chairman in 2019. 

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In 2024, FMI- The Food Industry Association, bestowed upon Rob the Donald H. MacManus Award for extraordinary achievements in public affairs. In 2021, Karr was recognized by United to Safeguard Against Illicit-Trade for his work in Illinois enacting a comprehensive organized retail crime law. 

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He is a graduate of Illinois State University. Rob is a native of Chicago and long-time resident of Jacksonville where he and his wife, Lori, reside. They are the proud parents of four adult children.

Ali Keane serves as the Vice President of State Government Affairs for the American Beverage Association, the trade association that represents America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry. In this role, she manages stakeholder relationships, crafts government affairs strategies, and engages with governors, state legislators, and agencies to advance policy priorities for the non-alcoholic beverage industry. 

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Ali brings government experience from her tenure in Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's administration. As Deputy Chief of Staff, she oversaw a portfolio of seven state agencies—including the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, and Human Services—managing their legislative agendas, budgets, and communications. In addition, Ali served as Deputy Legislative Officer providing strategic outreach efforts between the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly. Ali began her government service as a Legislative Aide in the Maryland General Assembly. 

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A graduate of Towson University, Ali earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science.

Connecticut State Senator James Maroney was first elected to represent the 14th District (Milford) in 2018.

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Senator Maroney currently serves as the Co-Chair of the General Law Committee.  In his time as co-chair of the committee, he has passed comprehensive consumer data privacy laws, children and consumer health data privacy laws, a law governing state government use of AI, laws modernizing and expanding the practice of pharmacy in Connecticut, among others.

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Recently Senator Maroney was named to the inaugural Leadership Council of the Future of Privacy Forum Center for Artificial Intelligence. Senator Maroney’s work on tech legislation has been recognized nationally.

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Prior to politics, Sen. Maroney founded and ran an educational consulting business in Milford.  In addition, he was a past president and founding member of the Milford Education Foundation and served on the Milford Board of Education. A proud and active participant in the community, he is a member and past president of the Devon Rotary, where he chaired the scholarship committee for years.

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Prior to a successful career in public service, State Senator Maroney attended Yale (Class of 96), where he was a 3-time varsity letter winner in both track and field and cross-country. In his senior year, he was elected captain of the track and field team and was awarded the Yale Men’s Cross-Country Award for Performance and Dedication. He graduated from Jonathan Law High School of Milford in 1992.

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Senator Maroney lives in Milford with his wife Jennifer and his son Jay.

Paul Martino is a highly regarded public policy advocate and government relations partner with nearly 25 years of experience in Washington, DC specializing in privacy, data security, artificial intelligence (AI), ecommerce, and technology policy.

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Before joining Hunton, Paul most recently served as vice president and senior policy counsel for the National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade association in the world, where he led federal and state legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts on data privacy, AI, and other consumer protection issues. Paul also led NRF’s advocacy efforts on European Union data transfer, data protection, and AI regulations.

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Paul has a distinguished background in Internet, privacy, and cybersecurity law, having co-chaired the privacy and data security practice at another global law firm, where he represented businesses and trade associations before Congress and federal agencies. His experience has earned him national recognition, including being named a leading figure in privacy law by Chambers USA.

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Before entering private practice in Washington, Paul served as principal advisor to US Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain on internet, technology, ecommerce, and privacy issues. He began his career practicing corporate and securities law with several Silicon Valley law firms where he focused on venture capital financings and initial public offerings for startup and emerging growth high-tech companies.

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Paul’s broad experience spans both private practice and government service, making him a trusted and valued advisor on complex legislative and public policy matters related to a wide range of data, technology, and ecommerce issues for US businesses, industry trade associations, and policy coalitions.

Rachel Michelin is President and CEO of the California Retailers Association (CRA), the most significant voice representing the retail industry in California’s public policy arena, at the State Capitol, in City Halls and with regulatory bodies across the state. Michelin oversees a diverse board and membership representing retail from small brick and mortar, specialty retail, national retailers and on-line marketplaces.

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Rachel has led associations for over 20 years with visionary leadership including strategic growth and engagement, increasing revenue, developing partnerships, national influence and public awareness. Rachel has demonstrated success through a strong bipartisan leadership network she has built with key influencers in the public and private sectors.

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Rachel leadership and relationships with the State Legislature and Governor’s office resulted in ensuring California’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforces, through the California Highway Patrol, remain operational when there was a threat of dissolution. In addition, not only did Rachel ensure the taskforces operational, but she negotiated an additional $300 million in the State Budget to expand the taskforces from 3 to 5, provide dedicated prosecutors for each task force, local law enforcement grants to combat retail theft and other resources for prosecutors to address the growing problem of retail crime/ORC. In addition to additional funding, Rachel spearheaded the most comprehensive retail theft bill package in modern California history, a total of 11 bills, from introduction to the Governor’s signature that became a catalyst for other states to increase their response to retail theft.

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Rachel also serves on the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility (SB 54; Allen, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2022) Advisory Board, which provides California retailers and the business community, at large, a critical voice in the regulatory/rulemaking process for implementing SB 54. Rachel also serves as Chairwoman of the CA Policy Center for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (CPCIDD) and was previously on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed).

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Rachel received several recognitions throughout her tenure as head of the California Retailers Association. In 2024, Rachel was honored by the Sacramento Business Journal with the prestigious “Women Who Mean Business” award. She is also a recipient of the Los Angeles County Business Federation’s 2023 Business Makes LA County Work Award which follows her recognition in 2021 with their Getting it Done Award. Rachel also received the Advocacy All-Star Award in 2022 from the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR) recognizing her work and partnership to combat Organized Retail Crime and Retail Theft. She has also been recognized by the California Legislature as a “Woman of the Year” for Assembly District 10.

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Rachel served on the California State Board of Optometry from 2014 - 2019 as an appointee of Governor Jerry Brown. She also served as an appointee of Governor Schwarzenegger to the Private Security Disciplinary Review Committee and was re-appointed by Governor Brown. Prior to leading the Cal Retailers, Rachel was the Chief Executive Officer of California Women Lead from 2002 - 2019. Where she worked with the Brown Administration to ensure political appointments within the administration reflected California’s population. She accomplished the goal that over 50% of Governor Brown’s appointees were women – a first in the nation. She also served as Program and Policy Director for the California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research (CEWAER), and as the Communications Director and District Director for various members of the California State Assembly, including members of the Orange County Legislative delegation.

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Rachel is a proud graduate of the California State University, Fullerton where she majored in Communications and minored in Political Science. She credits her time at CSUF for giving her the foundation for her successful career as a public policy advocate. She was recently inducted into the California State Fullerton School of Communications Hall of Fame.

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Rachel is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum - Mountain Valley Chapter and lives in El Dorado Hills with her husband and high school daughter. She is also the proud mom of a University of Utah Ute, where her older daughter attends college.

Alex Perkins brings more than two decades of experience in politics, policy, and business to the Mehlman Consulting team. Alex most recently spent nine years at Stellantis NV (formerly Fiat Chrysler), where he frequently advised senior management on important and time-sensitive policy issues and political and reputational risk, including risk associated with sourcing and investment decisions. A top expert in trade, customs, and supply chain issues, Alex developed and executed government relations and public affairs strategies to guide the Fortune 500 automaker through a wide-range of trade-related matters, including the North American Free Trade Agreement/United States Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA/USMCA) renegotiations. In fact, Alex helped lead the multi-sector USMCA business coalition of over 100 companies that successfully secured Congressional approval of the updated trade pact. And in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex managed the regulatory issues associated with the company’s purchase, manufacturing, importation, export, and donation of personal protective equipment (PPE). 

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While at Stellantis, Alex also served on the Steering Group of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a $50+ million public-private initiative working to implement the World Trade Organization (WTO)Trade Facilitation Agreement obligations in developing countries. In addition to managing the company’s trade, customs and supply chain policy, Alex directed a team responsible for internal and external stakeholder education and outreach, healthcare, labor and workforce policy, and economic impact analysis. 

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Prior to Stellantis, Alex served as a trade counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee from 2007-2012. There, he helped the Committee enact into law Trade Adjustment Assistance, tariff preference program, Burma sanctions and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill legislation, as well as pass the U.S.-Peru, U.S-Korea, and U.S.-Panama free trade agreements. Alex began his service on Capitol Hill in 2005 as counsel to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) where he managed a broad portfolio that included trade, judiciary, foreign policy, and national security issues. 

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Alex currently serves on the board of directors of the Washington International Trade Association, a non-profit, non-partisan forum for dialogue on trade policy. He previously served on the boards of the American Auto Policy Council and the National Foreign Trade Council. He is also a past chair of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Customs and Border Working Group. 

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In 2022, Alex was included in the Washingtonian Magazine’s list of “500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy”.

Curtis Picard is principal partner with PCD Collective LLC, a full-service association management company launched in 2025. He brings an extensive background in strategic planning, facilitation, and association management. He has more than 25 years of non-profit and association experience across all domains of association management.

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He continues to serve as the President and CEO of both the Retail Association of Maine, and the New Hampshire Retail Association.

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Curtis and his team also manage the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association, the Maine Pharmacy Association, the Maine Society of Health System Pharmacists, and the New Hampshire Society of Health System Pharmacists. He also launched the Business Education Partnership Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to workforce development.

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Picard currently serves on the board of directors of the New England Society of Association Executives, and on the Maine Small Business and Entrepreneurship Commission.  He is a past board member of the National Retail Federation, the Council of State Retail Associations, and the Maine Tourism Association. In 2018, he received the J. Thomas Weyant Award recognizing the State Retail Association Executive of the Year. Maine’s Governor Janet Mills appointed Curtis to the Maine Economic Recovery Committee in 2020 to help address the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine.

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He holds a Bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Vermont and a certificate in Sports and Event Management from New York University. He is a proud graduate of the U.S Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management (IOM) and earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in January of 2012.

R. Scott Shalley currently serves as President & CEO of the Florida Retail Federation (FRF). For over 85 years FRF has served as the voice of Florida’s immense retail industry. As President & CEO, Mr. Shalley maintains responsibility for all areas of FRF operations including oversight of Georgia Retailers, FRF Services, FRF Realty and other related ventures. He joined FRF in 2017 and has over 30 years of experience in lobbying, association management and private sector business management. Prior to joining FRF, Mr. Shalley served as Executive Director of the Florida Association of Counties. He has worked extensively with lawmakers and government agencies throughout Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C.  Mr. Shalley previously served as Vice President/Director of Business Management for an internationally recognized bridge engineering firm. His responsibilities included contract negotiation and business development throughout the United States as well as in South America and Saudi Arabia.  Mr. Shalley is a graduate of Florida State University.

Renée Sunde is the Chair of the Council of State Retail Associations and President & CEO of the Washington Retail Association.

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Renée is a results-driven executive with over 35 years of cross-sector leadership experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit arenas. Since 2017, she has served as President and CEO of the Washington Retail Association (WR), where she has been recognized for her collaborative leadership style, strategic vision, and steadfast commitment to elevating the voice of the retail industry across Washington State.

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Under her leadership, WR has significantly expanded its statewide influence, deepened stakeholder engagement, and advanced impactful advocacy on critical issues facing retailers at both the state and national levels.

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Prior to joining Washington Retail, Renée served as Economic Development Director for the City of Olympia. There, she led the development of the city’s Downtown Strategy—a comprehensive initiative focused on retail revitalization, community development, and economic renewal.

Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Director of the Thurston Economic Development Council, where she played a pivotal role in establishing the Center for Business & Innovation (CB&I) in partnership with South Puget Sound Community College. The CB&I continues to serve as a vital resource hub for local entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout the region.

Renée currently serves as the 2024–2025 Chair of the Council of State Retail Associations (CSRA) National Board of Directors, where she continues to champion innovative solutions and collaborative leadership on behalf of the retail sector nationwide.

She resides in Olympia, Washington, with her family.

Kevin Thompson serves as a group director on Walmart’s state and local government relations team, where he leads one of the state government affairs teams.

Before joining Walmart in 2013, Kevin held government relations roles in Washington, DC, at Philips Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS). He also served as legislative counsel for the Council On State Taxation (COST), worked several cycles for the Commission on Presidential Debates, and began his career at a national government relations consulting firm. 

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a juris doctorate from American University’s Washington College of Law. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and resides in Rogers, Arkansas, with his wife and daughters.

Sally West is the Director of State and Local Government Relations at McDonald’s, where she leads legislative, regulatory, and community engagement efforts across the southeastern United States. Based in Tallahassee, Florida, Sally has over two decades of experience in public policy, advocacy, and industry leadership.

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Sally began her career in 2003 with the Florida Retail Federation (FRF), where she championed key legislative initiatives, including expanding healthcare access by securing pharmacists’ authority to immunize—an early milestone in Florida’s healthcare evolution. She also played a pivotal role in emergency preparedness, collaborating with Florida’s State Emergency Response Team to establish a private sector reentry system for disaster recovery.

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In 2012, Sally joined Walgreens, where she managed government relations across a multi-state region. Her leadership was instrumental during the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with state regulatory agencies to expand access to testing and vaccinations. During her tenure, she also served on the boards of several retail associations, advocating for policies that improved the regulatory landscape for the industry.

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Known for her strategic insight and collaborative approach, Sally continues to be a trusted voice in shaping public policy that supports business innovation and community well-being.

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Outside of work, Sally enjoys hosting dinner parties, spending time with family and friends, and showing off her trivia skills at local pubs.