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:  Rachel Friederich
Business Manager, SCIC, MVPPA & GAPA 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 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.  Tom Keepers
Executive Directors, SCIC, MVPPA & GAPA 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
GrayRobinson 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. Sarah Mercer ensures clients overcome challenging and entrenched legal issues by guiding clients through the complex political landscape. She combines her litigation background with her experience navigating state and local government to develop creative political and administrative solutions for complicated legal issues. In short, Sarah helps her clients efficiently achieve their goals. She’s a connector drawing on her close ties with elected officials and bureaucratic staff at all levels of local and state government to form connections and bridge relationships among diverse stakeholders. No stranger to high-profile policy matters, Sarah is at the forefront of some of the hottest regional and national issues—the Paycheck Protection Program, campaign finance, ballot initiatives, gaming and sports betting to name a few. Whether advising on navigating the regulatory environment of sports betting or representing a client in a lawsuit challenging a governor’s executive order, Sarah brings passion, grit and ingenuity. She gets results in situations where others have failed due to her ability to find fresh solutions and align conflicting stakeholders. Sarah’s determination and passion extends beyond her client work. She is a steadfast community volunteer serving as a board member for the National Sports Center for the Disabled and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She also has a roster of pro bono lobbying clients helping Denver’s underserved communities.  Travis Moore
General Counsel, SCIC, MVPPA & GAPA 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. Travis has an appreciation for the overlap and intricacies between home and vehicle service contracts, having drafted and offered testimony, and developed and maintained legal compliance resources for members, while supporting association management. He has an entrepreneurial spirit, having co-founded Torn Label Brewing Company and serving as its Brewmaster. Travis resides in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and 2 children. Travis can be reached at [email protected], and on his cell at 913-634-8001. 
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. |
