NAFUSA board at the home of Jay & Julie Stephens

The annual Spring NAFUSA board meeting was held in Naples, Florida, on April 6, 2019. President Terry Flynn announced that the annual conference will be held at the Westin St Francis in San Francisco on September 25-27, 2019, and will feature FBI Director (and NAFUSA life member) Chris Wray as the keynote speaker.

Flynn stated that the conference planning committee is working on the program, which will begin with an opening evening reception at the St Francis on Wednesday, September 25, sponsored by Guicepost Solutions. The Thursday and Friday morning CLEs will include a panel on artificial intelligence/technology with Tony West, general counsel & chief legal officer of Uber; a dialogue with EOUSA and the AGAC with James Crowell and Jessie Liu; a presentation on the United States Supreme Court by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky; a presentation by Professor Jennifer Eberhardt on “Unconscious Bias in Law Enforcement”; and an ethics presentation by NAFUSA member Chuck Rosenberg on “The Korematsu Story-Duty of Candor to the Court”.  Registration for the conference will open in June.

Ken Wainstein

With the resignation of NAFUSA Treasurer Don Washington, due to his having been sworn in as the Director of the U.S. Marshall Service, the board appointed Ken Wainstein to fill the treasurer vacancy. Wainstein served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, 2004-2006, and as the first Assistant Attorney General for National Security, 2006-2008. During his illustrious career, he has also served as the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, General Counsel of the FBI, Chief of Staff of the FBI, and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrosim. He is currently a partner in the Washington office of Davis Polk & Wardell.

John Brownlee

The board also selected John Brownlee (WD Virginia 2001-2008) to fill the Wainstein vacancy on the board in the class of 2020. Brownlee is currently a partner at Holland & Knight, where he chairs the firm’s National White Collar Defense and Investigation Team and a member of the firm’s Directors Committee. He served on active duty in the U.S Army in the infantry and in the Judge Advocate General Corps, and is a graduate of the Army’s Airborne and Ranger programs. He recently represented former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell during the investigation, trial and appeal and won a unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court vacating the convictions.

Executive Director Rich Rossman reported that organization is financially sound, mainly thanks to the support of our sponsors. We would not be able to hold our annual conferences without our sponsors. The collection of dues is lagging, however. Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty stated that several members have failed to pay their dues by the February 28 deadline. Reminders have been sent.

President Elect Paul Coggins announced the 2020 conference will be held in New York City on September 30-October 2 at the New York Hilton.

The board enjoyed a social evening at the home of Jay and Julie Stephens (photo above) and a dinner on the beach (photo below).  As is our custom, NAFUSA board members paid their own travel and hotel expenses. A good time was had by all.

Board dinner on the beach at Naples