2026 Conference Agenda

8:00 – 8:05 a.m.

Speaker:

• John Jenkins — TheCorporateCounsel.net
  

8:05 – 8:40 a.m.

Interviewer:

• Dave Lynn — Goodwin and TheCorporateCounsel.net 

Speaker:

• Christina Thomas — Division of Corporation Finance, SEC

Tune in to this interview to hear the very latest from Christina Thomas, Deputy Director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance & Chief Advisor on Disclosure, Policy, and Rulemaking. Christina will share views on the latest developments and priorities for the Corp Fin Staff and expectations for the upcoming proxy season.

As is customary, please note that the views shared in this interview are provided by Christina in her official capacity as Deputy Director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance & Chief Advisor on Disclosure, Policy, and Rulemaking, and she is not speaking on behalf of the Commission, the Commissioners or the Securities and Exchange Commission Staff. 

There is no CLE credit available for this session.

BREAK: 8:40 – 8:50 a.m.

8:50 – 9:50 a.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Dave Lynn — Goodwin and TheCorporateCounsel.net 

Speakers:

• Michele Anderson — Latham
• Sonia Barros — Sidley
• Tamara Brightwell — Wilson Sonsini
• David Fredrickson — Covington
• Lona Nallengara — A&O Shearman

Our “SEC All-Stars” have decades of experience with the inner workings of the Commission. In this panel discussion, these former Staffers will share their practical insights on today’s most pressing proxy, disclosure, and governance issues – and answer your burning questions.

BREAK: 9:50 – 10:00 a.m.

10:00 – 10:40 a.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Ryan Adams — Morrison Foerster

Speakers:

• Allison Handy — Ashurst Perkins Coie
• Elizabeth Morgan — King & Spalding
• Geoff Walter — Gibson Dunn

The Corp Fin Staff’s late-2025 shift in administering Rule 14a-8 was met with consternation from both investors and public companies (some justified, some not). While many companies took a cautious stance on exclusions, certain decisions triggered pushback from proponents in the form of litigation, “zero slate” contests and “vote no” campaigns. 

In the meantime, Rule 14a-8 is on the SEC’s agenda for a potential overhaul. Will shareholder proposals, as we know them, survive the next few years?

BREAK: 10:40 – 10:50 a.m.

10:50 – 11:20 a.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

•  Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman — Skadden 

Speaker:

• Michele Anderson — Latham
• Lina Tetelbaum — Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

In this panel, leading defense lawyers share their views on the latest developments in shareholder activism. Walk away with a better understanding of the forces that drove proxy contests and their outcomes in 2026 so you can better anticipate shareholder concerns and position your company to avoid costly and disruptive campaigns.

BREAK: 11:20 – 11:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Liz Dunshee — Cooley and TheCorporateCounsel.net 

Speakers:

• Howard Dicker — Weil Gotshal
• Allison Handy — Ashurst Perkins Coie
• J.T. Ho — Cleary Gottlieb    

Bring your flashlight and marshmallow-roasting stick and join our scary storytellers around the digital campfire as they tell chilling chronicles from their securities law practice. Their frightening accounts of actual events are sure to send a chill down your spine. But don’t worry about losing sleep after these terrifying tales. Our experienced speakers will share all their top tips for navigating similar situations or avoiding them in the first place. 

LUNCH: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

1:30 – 2:10 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Era Anagnosti — DLA Piper  

Speakers:

• Eun Ah Choi — Nasdaq
• Reid Hooper — Cooley
• Ryan Mitteness — Fenwick 

Your initial reaction to crypto and tokenization may have been, “It’s on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t need to know.” But whether you’re skeptical or curious, tokenization is quickly moving from concept to reality, and it’s time to start paying attention.

This panel will break it down in plain English, highlighting key market developments and what they mean for public companies, boards and investors. By the end of this session, you’ll be able to speak confidently about tokenization and why it matters to your company. 

BREAK: 2:10 – 2:20 p.m.

2:20 – 3:00 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

•  Ning Chiu — Davis Polk  

• David Kern — Exxon
• Rob Main — Jasper Street Partners
• Edd Micklem — Tumelo

Stewardship, engagement and proxy analysis are evolving rapidly, shaped by regulatory developments, new technologies, shifting market dynamics and increasingly divergent investor views. This panel will explore how the landscape is changing (from the growing role of AI and pass-through voting to the evolution of proxy advisors) and what that means for companies as they engage with investors and prepare for proxy season. 

BREAK: 3:00 – 3:10 p.m.

3:10 – 4:10 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Maia Gez — White & Case 

Speakers:

• Brad Goldberg — Cooley
• Bob Lamm — Gunster
• Jennifer Zepralka — Mayer Brown

The burdens of public company reporting vary significantly depending on a company’s filer status. But the complexities associated with the many different – sometimes overlapping -- categories of public companies, and the fact that a company’s eligibility to take advantage of scaled disclosure can vary from year to year, have historically made some smaller company accommodations significantly less helpful. As Commissioner Peirce put it, “Companies, and even their lawyers, need flow charts, cheat sheets, and lots of caffeine to decipher their filer status under the current framework. Aggravating this burdensome annual exercise is the ease with which companies can fall in and out of a particular filer status.”

In May, the SEC released a proposal to simplify the rules governing filer status, update the public float threshold for companies with no scaled disclosure, and extend scaled disclosure and other accommodations to more public companies. Around the same time, the SEC also proposed rules to permit all registrants to elect voluntary semiannual reporting on Form 10-S, in lieu of quarterly reporting on Form 10-Q, and proposed reforms to make it easier for non-WKSIs to raise capital in registered offerings. Our panel will review the proposed rules and public comments and share practical implications and their key takeaways.  

BREAK: 4:10 – 4:20 p.m.

4:20 – 5:00 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• J.T. Ho — Cleary Gottlieb

Speakers:

• Jim Jenkins — Lakeland Industries
• Arden Phillips — Constellation
• David Porteous — Huntington Bancshares
• Brian Short — Ballard Spahr

We live in interesting times. Boards and management teams are navigating persistent uncertainty and rapid change. This panel will explore how boards are sharpening oversight, asking the right questions and staying focused on what matters most, even when the future is hazy. 

5:00 p.m.

Speaker:

• Meredith Ervine — TheCorporateCounsel.net

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

Speaker:

• Mandy Harvey  — Deaf Singer-Songwriter & Golden Buzzer Winner, America's Got Talent 

10:00 a.m

Speaker:

• Meaghan Nelson — Stoel Rives and TheCorporateCounsel.net

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Dave Lynn — Goodwin and TheCorporateCounsel.net

Speakers:

• Mark Borges — Compensia and CompensationStandards.com
• Brian Breheny — Skadden
• Meredith Cross — WilmerHale
• Ron Mueller — Gibson Dunn
• Jennifer Zepralka — Mayer Brown

Our “SEC All-Stars” have decades of experience with the inner workings of the Commission. In this panel discussion, these former Staffers will share their practical insights on today’s most pressing executive compensation issues — and answer your burning questions.

BREAK: 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Maj Vaseghi — Latham

Speakers:

• Sheri Adler — Troutman Pepper Locke
• Renata Ferrari — Ropes & Gray
• Brandon Gantus — Wilson Sonsini
• Ali Nardali — K&L Gates

We expect to see a proposal to overhaul executive compensation disclosure requirements to be sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for interagency review any day now. In the meantime, the SEC has already released proposed amendments that, if adopted, could make approximately 80% of public companies eligible for scaled disclosure accommodations akin to those currently available to smaller reporting companies, which include significantly reduced compensation disclosures and no shareholder advisory votes on say-on-pay. Companies newly eligible for accommodations will need to carefully consider scaling back because investors have made clear their preference for fulsome compensation disclosures, and without a say-on-pay vote, investor frustration may be felt in director support levels.  

LUNCH: 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.

2:15 – 2:45 p.m.

Moderator:

• Howard Dicker — Weil Gotshal  

Speakers:

• Bindu Culas — FW Cook
• Blair Jones — Semler Brossy
• Tara Tays — Pay Governance 

In this panel, leading compensation consultants share their views on the latest developments in executive pay. Walk away with a better understanding of compensation trends, considerations for your executive compensation program and disclosure best practices for your proxy! 

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.

Speakers:

• Mark Borges — Compensia and CompensationStandards.com
• Kyoko Takahashi Lin — Davis Polk
• Corey Perry — Sidley

More companies – especially large caps – are providing personal security arrangements for executives that meet the definition of ‘perquisite.’ While we hope the SEC proposes changes to the treatment of security arrangements (and perquisites, in general) in the near future, disclosure of certain executive security spending as a perquisite is still required for now. Our panelists will discuss the latest developments in perks disclosure and where any rule amendments might be headed. 

BREAK: 3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Moderator/Speaker:

• Ning Chiu — Davis Polk  

Speakers:

• Hannah Fasbender — Glass Lewis
• Kevan Marvasti — ISS
  

With ISS and Glass Lewis research remaining a key factor in voting decisions by institutional investors, this session is critical for anyone advising boards or compensation committees on executive compensation decisions, participating in shareholder and proxy advisor engagement processes, or working on documentation and disclosures. 

Prepare for issues that could affect 2027 support for your Say-on-Pay and equity plan resolutions — as well as compensation committee elections — including key policy changes, disclosure dos and don’ts, tips for engaging with proxy advisors and more.

5:00 p.m.

Speaker:

• Liz Dunshee — Cooley and TheCorporateCounsel.net