SPEAKERS

Justin Goldberger, Vice President, Technology Policy, leads RILA’s technology policy after serving more than five years in Congressman A. Donald McEachin's office—most recently, as Senior Policy Advisor handling the Congressman’s technology and telecommunications work on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Prior to working for Rep. McEachin, he worked on a number of campaigns, managing and fundraising for both congressional and state/local races.

Now in his twenty-first year at the Council, Gordon serves as President and CEO. In this role, he is the point person for Ohio retail and wholesale issues in the Ohio Statehouse and Congress and manages the Council’s business operations.

In addition to his Council duties, Gordon serves as Chairman of the Industrial Commission Nominating Council, Past-Chairman of the Council of State Retail Associations, member of the National Retail Federation’s Innovation Advisory Committee, a member of the Governor’s Workforce Transformation Board, and serves on the boards of the Capitol Square Foundation, and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

Gordon has also served the people of Central Ohio as President of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation Development Board.

In 2012, Gordon received Columbus Business First’s Forty Under 40 Award for rising business leaders, and in 2016 was named by Columbus Business First as “20 People to Know in Retail”, and was recognized in 2019 by Smart Business as one of the top executives of the 50 smartest companies in the Central Ohio region.

A native of Kettering, Gordon earned a B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.  He and his wife reside in Dublin with their four children.

As President & CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), Rob brings 29 years of experience to the Association.

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Rob joined the IRMA staff in 1994, coordinating IRMA’s government relations efforts. In that capacity, he also served as the legislative coordinator for the Illinois Food Retailers Association and the Midwest Hardware Association. In 2012, Rob was named Executive Vice President and assumed the position of President & CEO on Jan. 1, 2014.

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Since early 2014, Rob serves on the Employment Security Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Employment Security and the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Advisory Board to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Additionally, he serves on the Illinois Attorney General’s Franchise Advisory Board and the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Food Safety Advisory Committee. In June of 2020, Rob was appointed by Governor Pritzker to the Illinois Commission to End Hunger. Throughout 2020, Rob served as chairman of the national Council of State Retail Association’s.

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Rob is a graduate of Illinois State University, a native of Chicago and long-time resident of Jacksonville where he resides with his family.

Mark Mathews is Executive Director and Head of Research at the National Retail Federation. In this role, Mathews is responsible for helping develop, evaluate and direct the research initiatives for NRF.

Mathews has spent more than 20 years working in research in a variety of roles in the United States and the United Kingdom. Most recently, he headed the Market Intelligence Group (MIG) at the World Gold Council where he served as a member of the organization’s leadership team.

Prior to working for the World Gold Council, Mathews spent seven years working for a $1.4 billion AUM private equity firm based in London. As a director in the firm, Mathews ran the research team responsible for generating investment ideas and opportunities. In his time there, Mathews worked on dozens of deals in the retail sector including acquisitions in the food services, entertainment, consumer goods and Internet retail sectors. 

Earlier in his career, Mathews worked for the NASDAQ Stock Market as managing director of research and head of strategic planning for NASDAQ’s international operations. Mathews originally worked for NASDAQ in Washington, D.C., before being transferred to London to help build up the firm’s international presence.

Mathews is a Georgetown University graduate. He was born in South Korea and has lived in Japan, India, Kenya, Samoa and the U.K.

Michael Mattmiller leads Microsoft’s US Government Affairs Industry Team, which helps leaders understand how technology can help their governments can achieve more. He previously served as the City of Seattle’s Chief Technology Officer. In this role,  he led the creation of the city’s consolidated information technology  department, modernization of key enterprise systems, and migration to cloud computing services. In addition, Michael expanded the City’s digital skills education program and led a broadband program that has increased availability of gigabit broadband service throughout the city.  

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Previously, Michael was a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he helped federal agencies secure and manage their technology investments. He received a Bachelors of Business Administration and Masters of Science from The George Washington University. 

Jill McCormack is the director of state government affairs at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores with current responsibilities in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

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Jill previously worked as a government affairs associate for Malady & Wooten, LLP in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she represented the Pennsylvania Association of Chain Drug Stores and several other health care-related entities.  Prior to that, she served for 13 years as Legislative Director for the former Leader of the Pennsylvania Senate.

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Jill received her bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University and M.A. in American Studies from Pennsylvania State University.  She currently resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Rachel Michelin is President of the California Retailers Association (CRA), the most significant voice representing the retail industry in California’s public policy arena, at the State Capitol, in City Halls and with regulatory bodies across the state. Michelin oversees a diverse board and membership representing retail throughout the state and nation from small brick and mortar, to franchises to national retailers and on-line merchants.

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Rachel has led associations for over 20 years with visionary leadership including strategic growth and engagement, increasing revenue, developing partnerships, statewide influence and public awareness. Rachel has demonstrated success through a strong bipartisan leadership network she has built with key influencers in the public and private sectors.

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​Rachel was reappointed by Governor Brown to the State Board of Optometry, where she has served since 2014. Prior to California Retailers, Michelin lead California Women Lead as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director since 2002. She also served as Program and Policy Director for the California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research (CEWAER), Communications Director and District Director for members of the State Assembly.

Dee Dee Myers is Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. She brings more than three decades of experience in strategic communications, public affairs, corporate governance and social responsibility in both the public and private sectors.

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Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Warner Bros. She was a member of the company’s executive committee and advised the CEO on a wide range of issues. Prior to joining Warner Bros., Ms. Myers served as Managing Director of the Glover Park Group.

Ms. Myers served as White House Press Secretary during President Bill Clinton’s first term and was the first woman to hold the position. After leaving the White House, she worked as a political analyst, commentator and writer as well as a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. She is the author of The New York Times best-selling book “Why Women Should Rule the World” and served as a consultant on the Emmy Award-winning drama series “The West Wing.”

Before joining the Clinton presidential campaign in 1991, Ms. Myers worked on a number of local, state and national campaigns. She served as press secretary for Dianne Feinstein in her 1990 bid for governor of California and worked on the presidential campaigns of Governor Michael S. Dukakis and Vice President Walter F. Mondale. She also worked on the staffs of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and California State Senator Art Torres.

Myers also serves on Board of Directors of Wynn Resorts International, a publicly- traded Fortune 500 Company that develops and operates 5 Star integrated resorts in the United States and Macau.

She also serves on the boards of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. A graduate of Santa Clara University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Todd S. Purdum and their children.

Cassandra Walker Pye is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Lucas Public Affairs (LPA), a public affairs consultancy based in Sacramento. For more than 35 years, she has enjoyed a successful career in communications, government, politics and advocacy for corporate interests in global, national, state and local arenas. She joined LPA in November 2019.

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Cassandra has served in leadership roles in the public and private sectors in Sacramento and in Washington, DC. From 2014 through 2019, she led 3.14 Communications, LLC, a full-service communication consultancy with clients in a range of sectors. She began her career at the Food Marketing Institute and directed government relations operations for the California Grocers Association and the California Retailers Association. As senior vice president for APCO Worldwide, Cassandra co-led the agency’s global food and consumer products practice group. In 2003, Cassandra was appointed deputy chief of staff to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and served as a member of his post-election transition team. She is former political director and corporate affairs vice president for the California Chamber of Commerce, where she launched the JobsPAC, ChamberPAC and the Coalition for California Jobs. 

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Since 2016, she’s been a lead facilitator for the American Leadership Forum’s (ALF) Leading Consciously trainings, providing insights into unconscious (implicit) bias and its impact on societal structures and institutions.

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Cassandra sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and serves on the boards of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and Street Soccer USA. She is former State Board President and now a member of the Advisory Board for California Women Lead. She is a passionate professional soccer fan and was among the original group of supporters for Sacramento Republic Football Club. Cassandra and husband Kelvin have four adult sons. They reside in Sacramento.

Cassandra Walker Pye is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Lucas Public Affairs (LPA), a public affairs consultancy based in Sacramento. For more than 35 years, she has enjoyed a successful career in communications, government, politics and advocacy for corporate interests in global, national, state and local arenas. She joined LPA in November 2019.

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Cassandra has served in leadership roles in the public and private sectors in Sacramento and in Washington, DC. From 2014 through 2019, she led 3.14 Communications, LLC, a full-service communication consultancy with clients in a range of sectors. She began her career at the Food Marketing Institute and directed government relations operations for the California Grocers Association and the California Retailers Association. As senior vice president for APCO Worldwide, Cassandra co-led the agency’s global food and consumer products practice group. In 2003, Cassandra was appointed deputy chief of staff to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and served as a member of his post-election transition team. She is former political director and corporate affairs vice president for the California Chamber of Commerce, where she launched the JobsPAC, ChamberPAC and the Coalition for California Jobs. 

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Since 2016, she’s been a lead facilitator for the American Leadership Forum’s (ALF) Leading Consciously trainings, providing insights into unconscious (implicit) bias and its impact on societal structures and institutions.

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Cassandra sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and serves on the boards of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and Street Soccer USA. She is former State Board President and now a member of the Advisory Board for California Women Lead. She is a passionate professional soccer fan and was among the original group of supporters for Sacramento Republic Football Club. Cassandra and husband Kelvin have four adult sons. They reside in Sacramento.

Jim Ross is a nationally recognized expert in communication, political strategy, and public affairs, with more than 30 years of campaign, communications, and public affairs experience. His firm, Telegraph, produces media and provides political strategy for labor unions, governments, and non-profit organizations.

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Jim has managed press advance on presidential campaigns and has consulted on several statewide ballot measures. He led the campaigns to elect Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Mayor of San Francisco, to reelect Governor Ted Kulongoski (D-OR), and consulted on the effort to elect Jeff Merkley(D-OR) to the US Senate, unseating Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR).

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He is considered one of the Democratic Party’s top experts on how to increase voter turnout.

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Jim has lectured on politics and messaging at the Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Florida, and the University of California, Berkeley.

For more than 30 years, Tom has worked to elect candidates; pass ballot measures, solve complex government relations issues for fortune 100 companies and associations; and direct 10's of millions of dollars in political giving.

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Tom founded Swing Strategies in 2021 because he believes thoughtful engagement in the political process can improve communities, strengthen businesses, and create opportunities for quality jobs and a thriving economy. Tom has been involved in many of California's major political fights over the years -- passing redistricting reform, open primary, stopping shakedown lawsuits, and requiring 2/3rds vote on taxes and fees. He’s helped defeat many state tax measures along the way as well.

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​Tom serves as the Political Director of New Majority California and TEAMCAL (the major donor organization within the Republican Party). He has been a strategic advisor to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy since he was elected to the California State Assembly.

Gerry Sandusky is the play-by-play voice for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, a New York Times best-selling author of Forgotten Sundays, and the sports director for Baltimore’s NBC affiliate, WBAL-TV.

The son of a former NFL coach, Gerry has found his own niche in coaching as president of The Sandusky Group, a leadership communication company focused on helping leaders communicate their excellence in front of every audience—in front of the room, zoom, and media.

Gerry is also a three-time Emmy and two-time Edward R. Murrow Award winning broadcaster who lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife Lee Ann. Gerry and Lee Ann are grateful that their grown children have chosen fun towns like New Orleans and Nashville to call home.

R. Scott Shalley currently serves as President & CEO of the Florida Retail Federation (FRF). For over 80 years FRF has served as the voice of Florida’s immense retail industry. As President & CEO, Mr. Shalley maintains responsibility for all areas of FRF operations including oversight of Georgia Retailers, FRF Services, FRF Realty and other related ventures. He joined FRF in 2017 and has over 30 years of experience in lobbying, association management and private sector business management.

Prior to joining FRF, Mr. Shalley served as Executive Director of the Florida Association of Counties. He has worked extensively with lawmakers and government agencies throughout Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C.  Mr. Shalley previously served as Vice President/Director of Business Management for an internationally recognized bridge engineering firm. His responsibilities included contract negotiation and business development throughout the United States as well as in South America and Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Shalley is a lifelong Florida resident, and a graduate of Florida State University.

Terry Talbott, R.Ph. is the Director of Pharmacy and Retail Advocacy at CVS Health. A 1987 graduate of Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Terry began her professional career with Thrift Drug as an intern and for the last 34 years has held various positions with CVS Health. During her career at CVS, Terry has been a pharmacist and a pharmacy supervisor for CVS Pharmacy covering the Pocono and Lehigh Valley areas of Pennsylvania. She joined the Government Affairs team in 2014. In this role, she has been responsible for all enterprise business unit activity for the CVS Government Affairs team for various states on the Eastern seaboard. In her current role as Director of Pharmacy and Retail Advocacy, Terry provides support to the entire State Government Affairs team on pharmacy and retail issues.

In 2011, Terry was appointed to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy. She was reappointed in for a second term in 2018 and is currently serving as the Board Chairperson. She also has served as the Chairperson for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Advisory Committee on Examinations and other NABP committees, bringing her vast experience to this process. In 2023, Terry was awarded the NABP Carmen A. Catizone Honorary President Award which recognized her dedication to patient safety and her service to the Pennsylvania board.

A past President of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, Terry has represented CVS on the Pennsylvania Chain Drug Store Association Board. She currently is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Duquesne University School of Pharmacy and has been a guest lecturer at Duquesne University, Jefferson University, and the Wilkes University Schools of Pharmacy.

Terry lives with her husband of 36 years, Jonah, in the Poconos in Northeast Pennsylvania. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, baseball, travel, and volunteering in her parish and as part of a therapy dog team with her dog, Logan.

Bill Thorne is senior vice president for communications and public affairs at the National Retail Federation. As SVP for communications and public affairs, he is responsible for the creation and implementation of communication strategies around advocacy priorities, policy campaigns and reputational programs.

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Thorne came to NRF in 2012 from the Walmart Corporation in Bentonville, Ark. He started with Walmart as the senior director for advocacy and outreach. In this role, he was responsible for developing, implementing and growing the company’s strategic advocacy campaigns and reputational efforts. In 2009, he became the senior director of community affairs where he was responsible for helping the largest retailer in the world grow its presence in urban markets.

Prior to Walmart, Thorne served as a vice president for the DCI Group, a public affairs firm, where he worked with a range of clients such as AT&T, Verizon and Lockheed Martin on a number of public relations campaigns. He has association experience, serving five years as the director of political and legislative grassroots at the American Medical Association as well as a number of years working with successful political campaigns on the local, state and federal levels. Thorne started his career in Washington as a legislative assistant for Banking and Finance in the office of former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm.

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Thorne is originally from Savannah, Ga., and holds a journalism degree from the University of Georgia.