ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
Tentative Agenda
Sunday, November 5, 2023
​
8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration Open
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Exhibitor Hall Open
​
1:00 pm – 1:30 pm Opening Remarks and Welcome
Grady L. Beard, Esq., President, SCWCEA; Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, Columbia, SC
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm 10 Years of Mediation: Where Have We Been & Where We Are Now
Derrick L. Williams, Esq., Williams & Roche, Columbia, SC
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm The Life Expectancy Changes in Workers’ Compensation Injuries
Jennifer Doble, MD, Paradigm, Walnut Creek, CA
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Networking Break
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Panel Discussion: Rising Cost of Catastrophic Claims
Daniel Hayes, Esq., Hayes Firm, PLLC, Asheville, NC
Danny Vega, Esq., Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega, LLC, Columbia, SC
Erin Farthing, SC State Accident Fund, Columbia, SC
Barbara Cullum, Eastern Alliance Insurance Group, Charlotte, NC
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Keynote Speaker: 3 Decisions That Create Resilience
Dale Murphy, Former MLB Player, 2 time MVP, 7x All-Star
My road to the Major Leagues was not easy or straight. But I made some decisions along the way that
directly impacted my ability to achieve my goal–a long career in the Major Leagues. You can do the same.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Kids’ Chance Silent Auction Reception
Monday, November 6, 2023
8:00 am Complimentary Embassy Suites Breakfast
8:30 am – 5:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open
9:00 am – 4:45 pm Workers’ Comp Academy
​
9:00 am – 10:00 am What Does MMI Really Mean?
Vernon Dunbar, Esq., McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC, Greenville, SC
Dewana Looper, Esq., Atkins Law Firm, Columbia, SC
Dr. William Greer, Tidelands Health, Murrells Inlet, SC
10:00 am – 11:00 am VOC Assessments & Labor Market Surveys
Casandra Townsend, MEd, LPC, CRC, IPEC, CEAS FOCUS Resources, LLC, Charleston, SC
Vickie Hyman, MS, CRC, LCMHC, CEAS Southern Rehabilitation Network, Inc., Raleigh, NC
Ellen Adams, Esq., Ellen Mercer Law, Columbia, SC
Peter Leventis, Esq., Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega, LLC, Columbia, SC
11:00 am – 11:30 am Networking Break
11:30 am – 12:30 pm What Makes a Valid Functional Capacity Evaluation
Christopher Torres, DPT, OCS, CEAS Regional Manager WorkStrategies, Charlotte, NC
Rusty Whitten, Benchmark, Myrtle Beach, SC
Sam McKelvey, XRTS, Charlotte, NC
Robert Townsend MS, CEAS II, CSCS, Bardavon Prevention & Recovery, Overland Park, KS
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm Lunch
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm Professional Tracks
​
​
​
​
​
​
9:00 pm – 12:00 pm Reception & Dance
​
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
8:00 am – 900 am Complimentary Embassy Suites Breakfast
8:30 am – 11:30 am Exhibit Hall Open
9:00 am – 9:30 am 2023 Inspiration Award
Commissioner Scott Beck, SC Workers’ Compensation Commission
9:30 am – 10:30 am Gig Economy & the Impact on Employers (HR & Safety Implications)
Sourav Batabyal, Economist at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC
10:30 am – 11:00 am Networking Break
​
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Provider Availability Issues
Dr. Patricia Myers, Neurology Specialists of Charleston, Charleston, SC
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Commission Update
Gary Cannon, Executive Director, SC Workers’ Compensation Commission, Columbia, SC
Commissioners from the SC Workers’ Compensation Commission
​
12:30 pm Closing Remarks
Grady L. Beard, Esq., President, SCWCEA; Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, Columbia, SC
​
12:30 pm Annual Business Meeting
Election of 2024 Board of Directors
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
​
​
​
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
​
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
​
​
​
​
​
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
ADJUSTERS
Commissioners Session
​
​
Networking Break
​
Adjuster Ethics
Hal Willson, Esq., Willson, Jones Carter & Baxley, Greenville, SC
Ashley Kirkham, Esq., Willson, Jones Carter & Baxley, Greenville, SC
​
Best Practices for Communication between Adjusters & Nurse Case Managers
Cindy Carlton, Strategic Comp, Charlotte, NC
Larisa Benson, State Accident Fund, Columbia, SC
Billie Clarke, Carolina Case Management, Raleigh, NC
Anastasia Settle, R.N., C.C.M., Carlisle Medical, Inc., Mobile, AL
ATTORNEYS
​
Ten Things You Need to Know about Conflicts of Interest
Barbara Seymour, Esq., Clawson & Staubes, LLC, Columbia, SC
​
Networking Break
​
What Resilient Lawyers Do Differently
Stuart Mauney, Esq.Gallivan White Boyd, Greenville, SC
​
​
​
Commissioner Session
Attorneys practicing less than 12 years will meet with Commissioners from
4:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Attorneys practicing more than 12 years will meet with Commissioners from
5:00 pm to 5:30 pm
NURSE CASE MANAGERS
Commissioners Session
​
​
Networking Break
​
Ethics
Steve Yuhas, InQuis Global, Inc., Mt. Pleasant, SC
​
​
​
Best Practices for Communication between Adjusters & Nurse Case Managers
Cindy Carlton, Strategic Comp, Charlotte, NC
Larisa Benson, State Accident Fund, Columbia, SC
Billie Clarke, Carolina Case Managers, Raleigh, NC
Anastasia Settle, R.N., C.C.M., Carlisle Medical, Inc., Mobile, AL
EMPLOYERS/SAFETY/
HUMAN RESOURCES
Commissioners Session
​
Networking Break
​
OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping with Updates
Angie Baldwin, Training & Development Director,
Outreach & Education, Division of S.C. OSHA
​
Emerging Issues in Employment Law
Jonathan Lane, Esq., McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC, Charleston, SC
'