Speakers

	Daniel Colson, Executive Director, AI Policy Institute Daniel Colson is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the AI Policy Institute. AIPI is a think tank that researches and advises policymakers and the media on AI governance with a particular focus on public opinion polling. Prior to AIPI, Daniel co-founded several companies including Reserve, a fintech company offering financial services in high-inflation currency regions, and the personal assistant company CampusPA.
	Ian Fillinger, President and CEO, Interfor Mr. Fillinger has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Interfor since January 2020. Since joining Interfor in 2005, he has accepted progressively senior roles with the Company. Mr. Fillinger was appointed Head of Operations in December 2015 with responsibility for all of the Company’s manufacturing, woodlands, timber procurement, and capital projects activities. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in February 2018. He has more than 30 years of experience in the lumber industry, including at Pacific Forest Products, Riverside Forest Products, and Canadian Forest Products. Mr. Fillinger holds a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University and a Diploma in Wood Products Engineering from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
	Mike Hachtman, CEO, Relogisctics Services (48forty Solutions) Mike Hachtman serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 48forty Solutions, the nation’s largest pallet recycler. Hachtman was appointed CEO in 2021, following the acquisition of Relogistics, the pallet and container management services company he founded in 2011, by 48forty. Hachtman entered the supply chain industry in 1997, holding roles with Fraser Industries, PalEx, and IFCO Systems, where he last served as senior vice president of business development. These companies were the predecessors of 48forty. Hachtman previously served under former Texas governors Rick Perry and George W. Bush in positions including chairman of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission and chief of staff for the Texas Railroad Commission. Hachtman is the past chairman of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association and has served in various other leadership positions for the association over the past 15 years, including chairman of the Government Affairs Committee and PalletPac. He is also a past chairman of the Reusable Packaging Association. He holds two degrees from Texas A&M University.
	Shawn Hicks, CEO, CPS Wood Products Shawn Hicks is the Chief Executive Officer at Canada Pallet Source based in Cobourg, Ontario.
	Brian Luoma, President and CEO, The Westervelt Company A native of Fort Bragg California, Mr. Luoma received his bachelor's degree in Forestry from Humboldt State University in 1986 and has been a Registered Professional Forester in California since 1990. Prior to joining The Westervelt Company, Mr. Luoma held multiple positions over a 29-year career with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation ranging from forestry and procurement to structural panel manufacturing and business general management at the executive level. Over the course of his LP career, he lived and worked in Eureka California, Hayden Lake Idaho, Hayward Wisconsin, and Nashville Tennessee. Mr. Luoma joined The Westervelt Company, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as President and CEO in March 2017. He recently retired on December 31^st, 2023. The Westervelt Company is a 140-year-old company in its fourth generation of family ownership. The company owns and manages 600,000 acres of commercial timberland, two large lumber manufacturing facilities, an ecological restoration and mitigation business, covering seven states in the US, and an agricultural/recreation business on the North Island of New Zealand. The Westervelt Company has been known for its commitment to excellence in land stewardship, sustainability, and innovation throughout its history. Over the course of his career, Mr. Luoma has served on many Industry Association boards and committees including The American Wood Council, The Wood Products Council, Forest Resources Association, and the National Association of Forest Owners. He is the current Chairman of the Softwood Lumber Board and Working Forest Initiative. Mr. Luoma and his wife Nancy have been married for almost 40 years and are now living in Murfreesboro Tennessee.
	Brent McClendon, President and CEO, NWPCA Brent has been the President & CEO of NWPCA since February 2013. He has spent the last 30 years in the forest products industry, serving as a forester, sales manager, lobbyist, and CEO in various private, public, and non-profit organizations. Brent has an MBA from George Mason University, two undergraduate degrees from North Carolina State University in forestry and business, and is a Certified Association Executive.
	Claudia St. John, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President, The Workplace Advisors (previously Affinity HR Group) Claudia St. John, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and the Founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors™, a leading HR consulting, recruiting, and training firm specializing in equipping businesses with the consulting support and people skills they need to grow. The Workplace Advisors™; are NAWLA's endorsed HR partner. She is an SPHR (Senior Professional in HR), SHRM-SCP (SHRM Senior Certified Professional), and Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst who empowers organizations with evidence-backed insights, so they can navigate the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, engagement, and retention with confidence and foresight. Known as The Workplace Advisor™, she helps organizations zoom out, shift their mindset, and build businesses that lead their industry.
	Howe Wallace, President, PalletOne Howe Q. Wallace has served as President of PalletOne since its inception in 2001. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for IFCO Systems North America, Chief Human Resources Officer for PalEx, Inc., and Director of Human Resources for Ridge Pallets, Inc. Beginning in the pallet industry in 1983, Wallace has served on the Board of Directors of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association and on Virginia Tech’s Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. A member of Leadership Florida, he served for six years as Chairman of Leadership Bartow and serves as Chairman of the Mayor’s Prayer Luncheon. He is a board member for the Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity where he led the group as president in 2018. Wallace holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from the College of Education at Michigan State University. Since 2005, he has been sharing his thoughts on the organization, leadership, and communication in an online daily note to teammates called Daily with HQ.
	Ali Wolf, Chief Economist, Zonda Ali Wolf is the Chief Economist for Zonda, the largest new home construction data company in North America. As head of the Economics Department, Ali manages and analyzes the content for Zonda, runs special research projects, strategizes with the nation’s largest homebuilders, and presents nationwide covering topics across the housing market and wider economy. Ali is the creator of Zonda’s proprietary indices, including the New Home Pending Sales Index and the New Home Lot Supply Index. Ali has focused much of her career on understanding prior recessions and led the charge on ‘Millennials discussing Millennials’ in the homebuilding space. Highly regarded as an industry expert, Ali is quoted frequently in national publications including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Yahoo! Finance, and has also appeared on national and international TV and radio programs such as Bloomberg TV and Marketplace. Further, Ali serves as an advisor to the White House, providing data and insights on the U.S. housing market. Prior to joining the Zonda team, Ali worked for another consultancy firm and was a researcher for both the Canadian and UK Parliaments. Ali holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University in Economics and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics in Real Estate Economics and Finance.