Annual Meeting Featured SpeakersYou won’t want to miss your opportunity to learn valuable intel from event speakers and ask them specific questions about their field of expertise. Here are the featured Annual Meeting speakers for 2026: 
Alex Cox Alex advises clients across diverse industries on privacy, cybersecurity, and AI matters, from startups to large, highly regulated organizations. Leveraging his technical data analytics background, he provides comprehensive guidance on compliance with the North American and international patchwork of privacy, security, and other data processing obligations associated with complex data-intensive products and services. Alex has experience in advising on a broad range of data processing compliance obligations associated with processing information protected by various privacy, cybersecurity, and AI standards, with a focus in the financial services industry. Alex also has experience setting up data governance programs, negotiating contractual terms, responding to data breaches, directing forensic investigations, and handling communications with stakeholders such as insurers, customers, regulators, and affected individuals. He also counsels businesses undergoing mergers or acquisitions on cybersecurity and privacy concerns throughout the process. Additionally, Alex helps clients draft privacy policies and terms of use that comply with North American and European requirements. Alex is a CIPP/US-certified privacy professional and stays at the forefront of emerging trends and regulatory changes. He offers clients a proactive approach to regulatory compliance, which includes advising on laws such as the NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation, CCPA, NAIC Model Bulletin on AI, and GDPR, as well as industry-specific standards like HIPAA, NIST, and the GLBA. 
Rachel Friederich Rachel Friederich serves as the Business Manager for the Service Contract Industry Council, Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, and the Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association. In her role, Rachel is responsible for ensuring the trades' initiatives whether an advocacy project, the annual meeting, or organizational matter are carried forward effectively and according to schedule. To that end, she is also accountable for effective and efficient execution with state lobbyists. Rachel monitors legislative, regulatory and legal activity at both the state and federal levels, helps draft the Weekly Update, handles all member communications, and assists in shaping marketing communications deliverables. Prior to her role as Business Manager, Rachel served as the Trades’ Paralegal for almost two years. Before that, she spent time as a Litigation Paralegal for a St. Louis law firm and also interned for the Missouri State Senate. Rachel holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations, a BS in Justice Systems, an Associate degree in Paralegal Studies, and a MA in Public Administration and Policy Analysis. She resides in Collinsville, IL, home of the world’s largest ketchup bottle, which is approximately ten minutes outside of St. Louis, MO. 
Bill Gunnison Bill Gunnison serves as the Legislative and Regulatory Counsel for the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and the Service Contract Industry Council. In this role, Bill develops compliance resources for members to help them navigate the complex legal and regulatory landscape that applies to protection products. He also monitors pertinent state and federal legislative and regulatory activity, helps prepare the legislative and regulatory updates that are distributed to members on a weekly basis, and works closely with the lobbyists pursuing trade initiatives. Bill has extensive experience advising on legal and regulatory compliance matters in highly regulated industries. Before joining the three trade associations, Bill spent eight years specializing in legal and regulatory compliance within the cannabis industry. He worked with startups dedicated to providing legal and regulatory compliance support to cannabis operators before serving as General Counsel for a cannabis-infused products company. Bill holds a journalism degree and a Juris Doctor degree and has been a member of the Colorado Bar since 2015. He lives in Arvada, Colorado with his wife and three sons. 
Jack Hobaugh Jr., AIGP, CISSP, FIP, CIPP, CIPT Jack Hobaugh combines his 18-year career as a software engineer, in which he designed and built relational databases, with his legal practice to focus on AI law and governance, cybersecurity law, and privacy law. Jack is a certified iapp AI governance professional (AIGP), privacy professional (FIP/CIPT/CIPP/US/E) and ISC2 Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP). Jack is equally at home whiteboarding technical solutions with product engineers, as incident counsel, or providing legal advice to inhouse counsel. Jack specializes in guiding start-up companies through the AI, privacy, and security compliance maze. His compliance focus is guiding products to the production environment as opposed to being a naysayer. A guest lecturer and author of four books on cybersecurity law, Jack is sought out counsel for startups, and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to his legal career, Jack was a software engineer with a focus on international IT consulting and telecom (Europe / Middle East / West Africa / Brazil), writing his first artificial intelligence program in 1989 in LISP as part of his MS in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to litigating and prosecuting patents, Jack also served as a patent examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 
Tom Keepers Tom is accountable for the services delivered to the trade association members, to include effectively advocating and monitoring legislation, regulation, and litigation at the federal and state levels. The trade associations advance their members’ agenda by assuring viable markets for the products that balance the interests of providers and consumers alike. Prior to this role, Tom successfully led the Consumer Credit Industry Association and spent more than two decades in industry leading almost every facet of the member product suite. Tom holds a BA in Mathematics, an MBA, and earned the PMP, CLU and Series 7 designations. He and his wife Bridget reside in Middleton, Wisconsin with his two grown daughters living in the area. 
Chris McCannell brings more than 20 years of Washington experience and insight to the clients of GrayRobinson. His clients include Angel Capital Association, Prudential Plc., Center for American Entrepreneurship, National Association of Truck Stop Operators, Manufactured Housing Institute, 98Point6, US Travel, Etihad Airlines, and Broadmark Capital. Chris is known for his high-level engagement with House Democratic leadership on behalf of his clients. Prior to joining GrayRobinson, Chris led APCO Worldwide’s Washington financial services and government relations practice. He previously served as vice president of government affairs at Ameriprise Financial and as a director at Quinn Gillespie and Associates, a bipartisan government relations firm in Washington, D.C. Before joining Ameriprise Financial, Chris was chief of staff to Rep. Michael E. McMahon. Earlier in his career, he served as chief of staff and floor assistant to Rep. Joseph Crowley, a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and chair of the Democratic caucus. Chris was also press secretary to Rep. Steny H. Hoyer. He began his career as a press assistant in the office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg and the office of the Democratic Policy Committee. 
Summer Naquin Meenan joined Meenan, P.A. as a law clerk in 2019 and transitioned to an associate position upon receiving her license from the Florida Bar in 2021. Her practice focuses on automatic renewal contracts; home warranty, motor vehicle, and consumer goods service contracts; manufacturer service contracts; vehicle protection products; and guaranteed asset protection agreements. Prior to law school, Summer graduated, magna cum laude, from Texas Christian University with a double-major in English and Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. While in college, Summer earned the Betsy Colquitt Scholarship, which is awarded to one student for outstanding writing capabilities. It was also during college that she discovered her passion for anti-human trafficking work which led her to study abroad in India, work with several non-profits and task forces in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and then ultimately pursue law school. Summer received her Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law, cum laude, in 2021. During law school, she continued to contribute to the anti-trafficking community through her involvement with Florida State University College of Law’s Public Interest Law Center (“PILC”), which hosts the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Law Project (“HELP”). Through her work in “HELP”, Summer was able to work directly with victims, testify in the Senate on human trafficking legislation, contribute to a petition to the Department of Homeland Security, and spearhead collaborative projects with the Florida Council for Sexual Violence, amongst other things. Summer was recognized for this work through her “Distinguished Pro Bono Service” Award. Summer is a Member of the Florida Bar. 
Timothy J. Meenan is an A.V. rated lawyer in the Martindale Hubbell law directory, and has spent over 30 years as an insurance regulator and attorney representing service contract companies, insurers, managing general agents, GAP providers, and other insurance and ancillary product related industries. In his past role as the General Counsel and Executive Director for the Service Contract Industry Council, Mr. Meenan oversaw the drafting, passage and implementation of fair and balanced regulation for consumer goods, automobile, and home service contract providers throughout the United States, with laws being implemented under his watch in more than 40 states. Mr. Meenan also served as the General Counsel for the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, and in that role assists lenders, administrators, insurers, and other providers of GAP in compliance, regulatory and legislative efforts. When he served as General Counsel for the Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, Mr. Meenan worked with industry participants to authorize products such as tire and wheel, windshield protection, paint-less dent repair, key fob, appearance care, and other products across the United States. Mr. Meenan has assisted numerous manufacturers, insurers, administrators and retailers develop and implement national compliance initiatives for warranty, service contract, GAP, and retail insurance programs. Nationally, Mr. Meenan has spearheaded laws designed to streamline the provision of insurance products in the retail environment. Meenan P.A. also provides regulatory and governmental relations out-sourcing for numerous insurers in Florida and throughout the Nation. Mr. Meenan's legal practice also focuses on regulatory law before numerous state agencies, with an emphasis on insurance company, financial products and agent regulation. He has assisted insurers and other regulated entities to obtain licensure, has represented life and health insurers and health maintenance organizations with various regulatory problems, and has helped numerous property and casualty insurance companies resolve their disputes with the Florida Department of Financial Services, Office of Insurance Regulation. As a legislative lobbyist in Florida, Mr. Meenan has represented many corporations amend statutes governing insurance, service contract, financial products, and other laws. 
Sarah Mercer helps companies navigate the intersection of emerging technology, public policy, and government regulation. As co-chair of Brownstein’s State Attorneys General Practice and a shareholder in the firm’s State Government Relations Practice, she counsels her clients on legislative strategy, regulatory and legal risk, and engagement with state regulators and policymakers. By anticipating legislative and enforcement trends, Sarah helps her clients stay ahead of the political and regulatory forces shaping the future of artificial intelligence and innovate with confidence in an era of unprecedented technological change. 
Travis Moore Mr. Travis Moore serves as General Counsel for the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and the Service Contract Industry Council. Prior to his new role, Travis served as the Senior Legislative and Regulatory Counsel for the National Home Service Contract Association (NHSCA). In this capacity, he was responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and identifying and executing actions where necessary regarding legislative and regulatory changes relevant to Home Service Contract law in all 50 states. 
Dustin Taylor Dustin is a privacy litigator who helps clients navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of data privacy and security laws. His holistic approach helps clients achieve their objectives — whether that means winning in court or proactively avoiding litigation altogether. 
Jesse Wilson, Esq. Jesse Wilson, Esq. is the Managing Member of Warranty Legal, where he leads the firm’s work in legal, compliance, and regulatory risk management. He focuses on helping clients achieve their business objectives while navigating the sophisticated regulatory framework that governs insurance and service‑contract programs. Warranty Legal specializes in providing regulatory guidance, compliance support, and legal strategies for insurance, warranty, and service‑contract programs across multiple industries. Jesse earned his Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and previously practiced as a partner at a major national law firm before founding Warranty Legal.
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