Thanks WorkCompCentral! Another Amazing Comp Laude Awards & Gala!

I am still on cloud nine from last week's WorkCompCentral Comp Laude Awards and Gala. What an amazing event! What an incredible celebration of what is right in our workers compensation industry! What an astonishing showing of the most fantastic work in our industry by some of the most respected and admired individuals in workers compensation.

The Comp Laude Awards and Gala is an annual event hosted by WorkCompCentral, designed for all stakeholders in the workers compensation industry. The event is put together by the industry, for the industry. The event includes a day and a half of educational sessions, an awards ceremony and several networking events. The event was the vision of WorkCompCentral’s founder, David J. DePaolo.

David's vision was to create an event where the entire work comp industry could come together and learn, engage, speak, and recognize the amazing people and their incredible contributions to our industry. The event as it is today, including the awards component and combined with educational and networking sessions was launched in December 2014, with the mission of changing the narrative of the workers’ compensation industry to a more positive one.

David enlisted Kristen Chavez to make his dream a reality. And she did. He then brought on Yvonne Guibert to make it national in scope, to grow it and make it sparkle. And she did. Together, Kristen and Yvonne have created "the must attend event of the year," "the Oscars of the work comp industry," "the greatest show of the work comp world."

The event, when live, is held in Southern California. In 2014 the event was in Los Angeles, CA. In 2015 - 2016, it was in Burbank, CA. In 2017 - 2018, the event was in San Diego, CA. In 2019, the event moved to Huntington Beach, CA. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, in 2020 - 2021, the event was virtual.

Workers’ compensation professionals from all over the country attend the event. All are invited and welcomed. Claims professionals, defense attorneys, applicant/claimant attorneys, employers, risk managers, human resource professionals, safety industry thought leaders, physicians, nurses, nurse case managers, medical professionals, injured workers, third party administrators (TPAs), insurance carriers, judges, regulators, administrators, vendors and more. Anyone who has a role in the workers’ compensation industry and who would like to participate in making a positive impact in our industry is encouraged to attend.

Each year, there is an open call for session topics and speakers. Anyone in the industry can make a suggestion on a topic / speaker at?www.complaude.com . All sessions should fit within the overall mission of Comp Laude. Once the open call for topics has closed, a committee comprised of Comp Laude Advisory Board members reviews the sessions and votes on which topics to include in the current year’s event. The decision is based on a majority vote. Sessions that are sponsored are determined by the company who sponsors them and are identified as sponsored sessions.

Each year, there is also an open call for award nominations at?www.complaude.com . Nominations are open for a Comp Laude Award. Anyone in the industry can nominate any person or company for an award. The awards are designed to highlight individuals and companies who are dedicated to advocating for injured workers and doing the right thing in the workers’ compensation system.?There are various categories for nomination purposes.

Once nominated, a committee comprised of Comp Laude Advisory Board members reviews the nominations and votes on finalists. A different committee also comprised of Comp Laude Advisory Board members interview each of the finalists and then vote for winners in each category. It is a lengthy process that ultimately produces the most deserving Comp Laude Award winners in each of the categories.

I am so grateful to have had the privilege of calling David a friend, of getting to understand and share in his vision; but most import, in being able to work to make his dream come true, his vision a reality. Thank you Kristen and Yvonne for all you have done and continue to do to make his dream a reality for all of us, and for asking me to help and assist in such an amazing and fulfilling endeavor. Incredibly proud of both of you and all you have done and continue to do carry on this wonderful tradition and honor. Congratulations on another fantastic Comp Laude Awards and Gala!

Winners of the Comp Laude Awards include:

2014

Mark Walls, Summa Comp Laude

Marz Farms, Magna Comp Laude

Kids' Chance, Comp Laude

Dwight Johnson, Injured Worker

Marz Farms, Employer

Kids' Chance, Support Services

Sean Hermanson, Seminar Presenter

Dr. Sean Leoni, Physician

Hon. David L. Pollack, Judicial Officer

Nicholas Santilli, Claims Administrator

Nicholas P. Roxborough, Defense Attorney

Alan Z. Gurvey, Applicant's Attorney

2015

Alex Swedlow, Summa Comp Laude

Becky Curtis, Magna Comp Laude

Cedar Fair, Employer

Maureen Gallagher, Individual

Kenneth Black, Injured Worker

Artemis Emslie, Leadership

Hon. Colleen Casey, Legal

Kathryn Mueller, Medical

Ascential Care Partners, LLC, Service

2016

David J. DePaolo, Summa Comp Laude

Richard Victor, Summa Comp Laude

Mark Pew, Magna Comp Laude

Dwight Johnson, People's Choice Award

Jeremiah Bentley, Service Provider

Anabel Velázquez, Nurse Case Manager

Dawn Getchell, Pharmacist

Gina Sandoval, Physical Therapist

Michael Choo, MD, Physician

Christina Hurtado, Claims Professional

Richard Rubenstein, Plaintiff Attorney

Stuart Colburn, Defense Attorney

William Anderson, Defense Attorney

Michael McKnight, Work Comp Philanthropy

Cosentino's Food Store (Aaron Greer), Employer

Target, Employer

Isabel Bartol, Injured worker

James McConnauhhay, Industry Leader

2017

Kimberly George, Summa Comp Laude

David Langham, Magna Comp Laude

Maria Henderson, Workers Compensation Philanthropy

Carolyn Arambula, Injured Worker

Rachel Fikes, Service Provider / Vendor

Craig Hospital, Medical Facility

Julie Swan-Paez, Injured Worker

Jeremy Romero, Injured Worker

Kayla Frederick, Injured Worker

Dawn Watkins, Employer

Dawn Traverso, Defense Attorney

Robert Keefe, Applicant Attorney

Abigail Hudgens, Industry Leader

Dorothy "Dotty" Albrecht,?Industry Leader

Dr. Nick Tsourmas, Medical Professional

Becky Curtis, People’s Choice

2018

Workers' Compensation Institute (WCI), Summa Comp Laude

Tom Glasson,?Magna Comp Laude

Erin Husman, Injured Worker

Billy Parker, Injured Worker

Seth Wannamaker, Injured Worker

Daniel Brite, Injured Worker

Josh Diggs, Agent/Broker

Jake Jacobsmeyer, Defense Attorney

Geoffrey Bichler, Applicant Attorney

Jodi Loud, Medical Professional

Bill Wainscott, Employer

Steven Rissman, Industry Leader

Quality Living, Inc (QLI), Vendor/Service Provider

Kenneth "Kenny" Meniatis, Claims Professional

James Hudak, Work Comp Philanthropy

Kristy Sands, People's Choice

2019

Michele Adams, Summa Comp Laude

Rafael Gonzalez, Magna Comp Laude

WCRI Worker Outcomes Survey Team, Service Provider/Vendor

Hon. Frank R. McKay, Judge

Alan S. Pierce, Applicant/Claimant Attorney

H. George Kagan, Defense Attorney

Guillermo De La Riva, Injured Worker

Robert Holler, Injured Worker

Robert "Kent" Livingston, Injured Worker

Dana Moore, Injured Worker

Martez Covington, Injured Worker

Abraham Stubbs, Injured Worker

Les Kertay, PhD, Doctor/Physician

Nicholas Fonner, Medical Professional

Shirley Flack, Claims Professional

Starbucks/Noreen Olson, Employer

Robert "Bob" Wilson, Industry Leader

Robert M. Clyatt, Work Comp Philanthropy

Yvonne Guibert, People's Choice

2020

William Zachary, Summa Comp Laude

Claire Muselman, Magna Comp Laude

Thomas L. Holder, Applicant / Claimant Attorney

Bill Pipkin, Defense Attorney

Brigitte Becker, Claims Professional

Geralyn Datz, Medical Professional

Dr. Adam Seidner, Doctor/Physician

David Vittoria, Service Provider/Vendor

Hon. David Torrey, Public Servant

WCI E. Earl Zehmer Moot Court, Work Comp Humanitarian

Northwell Health Workforce Safety, Employer

Janice Van Allen, Risk Professional

Margaret Spence, Industry Leader

Brady Drake, Injured Worker

Adam Driver, Injured Worker

Nathan Hammack, Injured Worker

Brad Hurtig, Injured Worker

Adam Miller, Injured Worker

Sadia Prema, Injured Worker

Tess Sunderland, Injured Worker

Janice Thompson, Injured Worker

Claire Muselman, People’s Choice

2021

Rosemary McKenzie-Ferguson, Summa Comp Laude

James (Jim) Anderson, Magna Comp Laude

Kristen Chavez, Special Recognition

Victoria Kennedy, Industry Leader

Robert Robin, Applicant/Claimant Attorney

Ya'Sheaka C. Williams, Defense Attorney

Monty Sweeney, Claims Professional

Dr. Steven Feinberg, Doctor/Physician

Texas Mutual Insurance Company, Employer

Jeanine Zuckerman, Medical Professional

Hon. Kenneth Switzer, Workers Compensation Public Servant

Sheri Lawrence, Risk Professional

Steve Ehretsman, Service Provider/Vendor

Kimberly Helwig, Work Comp Humanitarian

Travis Reynolds, Injured Worker

Mark Cronin, Injured Worker?

Debra Livingston, People's Choice