March 20 & 21, 2014
Embassy Suites Convention Center Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Program — Brochure


Thursday, March 20, 2014

8:30am
Welcome

Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America

8:45am
The Consumer Priorities of Public Policymakers
Introduction

Ellen Bloom, Senior Director of Federal Policy
Consumers Union

Speaker

The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
United States Congress

9:15am
The Consumer Priorities of Americans
Introduction

Katie Smith Sloan, Senior Vice President & COO
LeadingAge, Inc.

Speaker

Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research
Pew Research Center
View Presentation

10:00am
How Social Media Can Empower Consumers
Introduction

Ed Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director
U.S. PIRG

Speaker

Alan Rosenblatt, Partner
Turner Strategies
View Presentation

11:00am
Deceptive and Unconscionable Auto Sales Practices
Moderator

Ellen Taverna, Senior Legislative Associate
National Association of Consumer Advocates

Panelists

Rosemary Shahan, President
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Bob Nealon, Regional Vice President
CU Direct Corporation

Chris Kukla, Senior Counsel for Government Affairs
Center for Responsible Lending

Jack Fitzgerald, President/CEO
Fitzgerald Auto Malls

11:00am
Should Consumer Data Brokers be Regulated?
Moderator

Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Christopher Olsen, ‎Assistant Director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection
Federal Trade Commission

Pam Dixon, Executive Director
World Privacy Forum

Rachel Nyswander Thomas, Executive Director of the Data-Driven Marketing Institute and Vice President of Government Affairs
Direct Marketing Association

Jennifer Barrett-Glasgow, Chief Privacy Officer
Acxiom

11:00am
Pitfalls and Successes of Government Databases with Consumer Incident Information
Moderator

Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and Senior Counsel
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Sean E. Kane, Founder and President
Safety Research & Strategies, Inc.

Ruth Susswein, Deputy Director
Consumer Action

Scott Michelman, Attorney
Public Citizen

Ami Gadhia, Senior Policy Counsel
Consumers Union

12:30pm
Luncheon and Keynote
Introduction

Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America

Speaker

Norm Ornstein, Resident Scholar
American Enterprise Institute     

2:00pm
How Prepaid Cards Can be Made Even More Consumer Friendly
Moderator

Tom Feltner, Director of Financial Services
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Lauren Saunders, Managing Attorney
National Consumer Law Center

Michelle Scales, Consumer and Community Banking Product Innovation Director
JPMorgan Chase

Thaddeus King, Senior Associate, Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project
The Pew Charitable Trusts

Christina Tetreault, Staff Attorney
Consumers Union

2:00pm
Mandatory Arbitration and Other Seller Restrictions on Consumer Remedies
Moderator

Ira Rheingold, Executive Director and General Counsel
National Association of Consumer Advocates

Panelists

F. Paul Bland, Jr., Senior Attorney
Public Justice

Andrew Guzzo, Attorney
Kelly & Crandall, PLC

Scott Michelman, Attorney
Public Citizen

2:00pm
The Role of Government in Ensuring the Safety of New Technologies and Products
Moderator

Jack Gillis, Director of Public Affairs
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Nancy Cowles, Executive Director
Kids in Danger

Tom Neltner, Senior Attorney
Natural Resources Defense Council

Sarah Wilson, Partner
Covington & Burling LLP

Shaun Kildare, Director of Research
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

3:30pm
How Improved Energy Efficiency Can Reduce Consumer Energy Use and Costs
Moderator

Mel Hall-Crawford, Special Projects Director
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Ursula Schryver, Vice President, Education and Customer Programs
American Public Power Association
View Presentation

Nic Lutsey, Program Director and US Co-Lead
International Council on Clean Transportation
View Presentation

Jennifer Thorne Amann, Buildings Program Director
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
View Presentation

Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America
View Presentation

Friday, March 21, 2014

8:30am
SEC Priorities
      
Introduction

Barbara Roper, Director of Investor Protection
Consumer Federation of America

Speaker

Mary Jo White, Chairman
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

9:00am
Consumer Protection Challenges and Priorities
Moderator

Eric Friedman, Director
Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection

Panelists

Jessica Rich, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection
Federal Trade Commission

John Sours, Administrator
Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection

Brian Stiger, Director, Department of Consumer Affairs
County of Los Angeles

10:00am
Building the Broadband Network Compact
Introduction

Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America

Speaker

Tom Wheeler, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission

10:45am
Public Interest Obligations in a Digital World
Moderator

Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America

Panelists

Harold Feld, Senior Vice President
Public Knowledge

Robert Quinn, Senior Vice President-Federal Regulatory and Chief Privacy Officer
AT&T

Olivia Wein, Staff Attorney
National Consumer Law Center

11:45am
Will the Proposed EU/US Trade Agreement Jeopardize Consumer Protections?
Introduction

Katherine McFate, President and CEO
Center for Effective Government

Speaker

Robert Weissman, President
Public Citizen
View Presentation

12:15pm
Adjournment