FELLOWS IN THE NEWS

  • Several 9th Circuit South College Fellows, Michael Ludwig, Marina Fraigun, Ramit Mizrahi, Marytza Reyes, Dolores Leal, Deborah Saxe and Phyllis Cheng, gathered on Sunday March 8th to enjoy a beautiful afternoon tea at The Huntington Rose Garden Tea Room in San Marino, CA. The Huntington, founded in 1919 by Henry E. and Arabella Huntington, supports research and promotes public engagement through its expansive library, art, and botanical collections. The Rose Garden Tea Room opened in 1928, having previously served as Huntington’s billiard room and bowling alley.
  • Susan Bisom-Rapp (San Diego, CA) was quoted by Bloomberg Law’s Daily Labor Report in an article about challenges facing the Trump Administration’s OSHA as it attempts to revise a proposed Biden-era heat rule which proposed temperature triggers and worker conditions. Click here to read article.
  • Judge J. Michelle Childs (US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit) has been chosen a 2026 recipient of the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. The ceremony will take place during the ABA Annual Conference in Chicago this August. Judge Childs is a past president of the Federal Judges Association and is a member of the US Supreme Court Fellows Commission and the Board of Trustees for the American Inns of Court. She was inducted an Honorary Fellow at the Annual Induction Dinner in 2024.
  • Kelly Dermody (San Francisco, CA) was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees for California State University, the country’s largest public university system with 23 campuses and approximately 500,000 students. Gov. Gavin Newsome announced her appointment, along with several others, on March 23.  The position will require Senate confirmation. Kelly earned her Juris Doctor degree from UC Berkeley.
  • Stephen Fox (Dallas, TX) has been recognized by D Magazine as a “Best Lawyer in Dallas.” The magazine annually honors exceptional lawyers who are peer-nominated on the basis that they offer unparalleled counsel in one of 39 categories.
  • Amy Moor Gaylord (Chicago, IL) co-chair of Akerman’s Traditional Labor Law Practice, was named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2026 list of “Notable Women in Law.” The recognition honors women lawyers for their professional achievements and contributions to their communities.
  • Homer C. La Rue (Columbia, MD) will be recognized as a 2026 Practitioner LERA Fellow by the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) at their 78th Annual Meeting which will take place in Minneapolis next month. Homer shared on his LinkedIn page that ‘(t)his acknowledgment reflects the collective work and guidance of many colleagues who share a commitment to thoughtful, fair, and effective labor‑management relationships. I am thankful to be part of such a dedicated and accomplished professional community.”
  • Frank Mamat (Bloomfield Hills, MI) was recently appointed president of the Private Directors Association (PDA) Detroit – Toledo-Windsor Chapter (Detroit Chapter). In his role as president, he will guide the PDA Detroit Chapter in its mission to foster high-performing and diverse boards and advance good governance.
  • Mark Pearce (Washington, DC) will also be recognized at LERA’s 78th Annual Meeting when he receives a 2026 LERA Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest honor conferred by LERA recognizing a lifetime of contributions and achievements in the field. Mark will be one of three honorees this year and will be presented with this award at the President’s Luncheon on May 30th in Minneapolis.
  • J. Heydt Philbeck (Raleigh, NC) received certification by the North Carolina State Bar as a Board-Certified Specialist in Employment Law. Being among the first, North Carolina State Bar began certification for employment law specialist in 2025. Philbeck was also recently listed by Super Lawyers as among North Carolina’s “Top 100” lawyers based on peer evaluations.
  • Cynthia Sass (Tampa, FL) recently announced that the Sass Law Firm, an employee rights law firm, has officially changed its name to Sass, Everhart & Silva, PA. The new name reflects the growth of the firm’s team and practice, with Yvette D. Everhart and Adria Lynn Silva joining Cynthia N. Sass as named partners. The firm remains committed to representing employees and individuals in employment law, Title IX, and education law, and white-collar criminal defense matters.
  • Gwynne Wilcox (New York, NY) authored an article recently featured in The Regulatory Review titled “Standing Up for the Independence of the NLRB.” She discusses the challenges to the agency’s independence following her removal from the board in January 2025 and recounts her unexpected dismissal by President Trump, her subsequent lawsuit challenging the removal and the Supreme Court’s decision to stay a lower court’s injunction to restore her to service. Emphasizing the importance of the NLRB’s independence, Gwynne argues that undermining this independence could compromise the agency’s ability to impartially enforce labor laws and protect workers’ rights. Read the full article by clicking here.
  • Kirsten Branigan (Montclair, NJ) was named to Insider NJ’s 2025 Powerful Women of NJ List recognizing some of the most influential and courageous women in the state of New Jersey. This year’s list was compiled by New Jersey Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter and highlights women advancing equity and strengthening democratic participation during a consequential year in New Jersey and beyond.
  • Barbara D’Aquila, (Minneapolis, MN) has been selected as one of Minnesota Lawyer’s Attorneys of the Year for 2025. Barbara has been recognized in the category of “Outstanding Service to the Profession” for her leadership and commitment to Minnesota’s legal community. She was recognized at an event held on February 5 in Minneapolis.
  • Kelly Dermody (San Francisco, CA) and Jenny Yang (Washington, DC) were keynote speakers at the 2026 General Justice Summit sponsored by the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law. The topic of this year’s summit was “New Developments in Discrimination and Harassment Law.” The annual conference brings together hundreds of leading attorneys and activists to discuss new developments in gender discrimination and harassment law.
  • Sarah Espinosa (Alexandria, VA) and Alan Symonette (Media, PA) were Instructors at the annual Labor Foundations of Arbitration course which took place at the Cornell ILR School in January 2026. The Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell ILR offers this opportunity to practitioners who are interested in exploring a labor arbitration practice, those who are actively planning to become labor arbitrators and newer arbitrators seeking to enhance their skills.
  • Congratulations to Gerald Maatman (Chicago, IL) on the publication of his newest book. The Employment Law Manual: A Practical Guide For Business Owners, Managers, And Executives guides “business executives and supervisors through the sticky thicket of US employment laws and the multitude of situations in which these laws impact job applicants, employees, and ex-employees.” Hardcover and Kindle editions are available on Amazon by clicking here.
  • Frank Mamat (Bloomfield Hills, MI) recently joined National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM) as a hearing officer. As a member of their esteemed panel, he will be available to arbitrate and mediate cases throughout Michigan. Frank was also named to the 2025 class of “Go To Lawyers” in employment law as determined by Michigan Lawyers Weekly (MiLW), an industry publication serving the state’s legal community.
  • Scott Mayer (formerly of Ridley Park, PA) was sworn in on January 7, 2026 as a Member of the NLRB, to a term expiring on December 16, 2029. Inducted a Fellow in 2024, Scott served as Chief Labor Counsel for The Boeing Company, where he was responsible for traditional labor relations work, including NLRB litigation, positive employee relations training and strategy, union contract interpretation and enforcement, labor arbitrations and compliance with labor laws.
  • Michael Mueller (Miami, FL) been inducted as vice president and president-elect of The Academy of Florida Management Attorneys. The nonprofit serves as a forum for the free exchange of ideas and knowledge as well as continuing education among senior members of the management labor and employment bar of the State of Florida. Mike has served as an officer of the organization since 2024 and has been a member since 2017.
  • Rosemary Pye (Chevy Chase, MD) was elected to the National Academy of Arbitrators’ Board of Governors for the 2026-2029 term. She currently serves as an arbitrator and mediator in the DC metro area and New England. Her practice spans both private- and public-sector cases. Before becoming an arbitrator and mediator in 2013, Rosemary had a 38-year career with the NLRB.
  • Gwynne Wilcox (New York, NY) was the first-ever guest speaker at Rutgers Law School’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg Women’s Rights and Gender Justice Clinic. Gwynne provided a powerful example of leadership, integrity and service to the first cohort of RBG Clinic student lawyers. The clinic, which was reestablished in 2023, honors Justice Ginsburg who taught at Rutgers from 1963 to 1972.

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