SPEAKERS

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Paul Martino is a highly regarded public policy advocate and government relations partner with over 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.

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.