KARL C. GONZALES is president of the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association and executive vice president of Gulf South Marine Transportation, Inc., a local marine towing company. Mr. Gonzales attended LoyolaUniversity and served as clerk to the Hon. Douglas A. Allen and the Hon. James M. Lockhart, Jr., Judges of the First Parish Court for the Parish of Jefferson, Louisiana. In 1981, Mr. Gonzales was hired as vice president and thereafter elected as president of RLB Boat Company, Inc. and Mid-Gulf Transportation Company, Inc., both located in Harvey, Louisiana. He is also president of River Ridge Enterprises, Inc. and vice president of Gulf South Marine Brokers, Inc., a local marine brokerage firm. Mr. Gonzales is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Waterways Operators and Shipyards (L.A.W.S.). He is a former vice president of The Mariner's Club of the Port of New Orleans, and is active in several marine-related and charitable organizations.
ALAN J. SAVOIE, Seminar Director and a past president of the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association, has been employed by Upper St. Rose Fleeting Co., Inc. as Manager since 1977. He has served in many capacities in the marine business since 1972. Mr. Savoie is coowner of Marine Centre, Inc., a marine brokerage firm, as well as coowner of Kathryn Rae Towing Co., a local towing company. He is also the owner of G.C.& S. Distributors, a lube oil distributing company. Mr. Savoie has served G.N.O.B.F.A. in numerous capacities over the years.
MAURICE C. HEBERT, JR., ESQ.,Seminar Moderator, formerly Senior Attorney with Liskow & Lewis, APLC, recently retired from the full-time, every day practice of law. He has formed Maurice C. Hebert, Jr., LLC, maintaining his license to practice law and engage in special projects, mediation and arbitration. He has joined ADR Inc., a New Orleans Mediation/Arbitration firm as a member of its panel and as the head of its Maritime, Environmental and Toxic Tort section. He graduated from LSU in 1959 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and from Loyola University School of Law in 1966. He served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Richard Putnam. Mr. Hebert is admitted to numerous state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a Proctor Member of The Maritime Law Association of the United States and a member of numerous other legal organizations. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer in Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering in the state of Louisiana. Mr. Hebert has served on numerous marine educational boards for both industry and educational institutions. He is a former member of the GNOBFA Advisory Board and of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Waterways Operators and Shipyards (L.A.W.S.). He has served as a member of the adjunct faculty of the Loyola University School of Law Skills Program teaching Federal Practice and Procedure. He has been appointed by the Loyola University School of Law to the Advisory Board of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal and was also appointed to the Loyola University School of Law Visiting Committee. He has been a speaker at numerous maritime and law related seminars, and has served as moderator of all of the prior River and Marine Industry Seminars.
JEFFERSON R. TILLERY, ESQ. is a partner with the New Orleans law firm of Jones Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre. His practice for the past 19 years has focused primarily on the areas of maritime personal injury and collision matters, general litigation and insurance coverage disputes and consumer credit law. Mr. Tillery has also served as an instructor of maritime law at the University of New Orleans, Paralegal Institute for the past 12 years. He earned his law degree from LouisianaStateUniversity in 1986 where he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. Mr. Tillery is a member a member of the La. State Bar Association and Maritime Law Association.
RICHARD A. COZAD, ESQ. is a shareholder in the law firm of McAlpine & Cozad in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Cozad handles litigation matters primarily in the fields of General Maritime Law, insurance coverage and energy litigation. Mr. Cozad received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from LoyolaUniversity in New Orleans in 1972. Mr. Cozad then received two law degrees from TulaneLawSchool, a juris doctorate in 1976 and a Masters Degree in energy and environmental law in 1997. Mr. Cozad served as a law clerk for the Honorable Nauman Scott, at that time, the chief judge for the federal courts of the Western District of Louisiana. Mr. Cozad presently is an adjunct professor of law at TulaneUniversity, co-teaching a course in marine insurance. Mr. Cozad is a member of both the Louisiana and Texas Bar Associations, the Federal Bar Association and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Cozad is a member of the Maritime Law Association and is a past officer of the New Orleans Mariners Club.
U.S. MARSHAL THEOPHILE A. DURONCELET was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies from TulaneUniversity. He also is a graduate and fellow of the Court Executive Development Program for the NationalCenter for State Courts, Institute for Court Management, in Williamsburg, Virginia. He began his career in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1966. He left the U. S. District Court after 26 years of service when he was selected as Clerk of Juvenile Court, Parish of Orleans. He served as Clerk of Juvenile Court from 1992 until 1996. In 1996, he was appointed Chief Deputy Clerk for the Louisiana Supreme Court, a position which he held until March 22, 2002. He was nominated by President George W. Bush to be United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was approved by the Senate and was sworn in March, 2002. He is a member of many organizations and serves on many boards. He has been a recipient of many honors and awards.
DARYL SOHN, ESQ. is a member of the law firm of Goldstein and Price in St. Louis, Missouri. After his graduation from law school Mr. Sohn initially served as a law clerk for Senior U.S. District Judge Roy Harper in St. Louis. He then joined Goldstein and Price where he has specialized in the practice of maritime law for more than 25 years. Mr. Sohn is admitted to practice in both Missouri and Illinois. He has litigated maritime cases, including the defense of many personal injury and death claims, in the federal and state courts of approximately 10 different states. He presently spends about 2/3 of his time handling maritime litigation throughout the Midwest and the remaining 1/3 of his time drafting marine contracts of all kinds. Mr. Sohn is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maritime Law Association, and the Defense Research Institute. He has been a GNOBFA seminar speaker on two prior occasions, in 1983 and 1990. For the past 8 years Mr. Sohn has been chosen for inclusion in the maritime law section of the publication “Best Lawyers in America.”
GERALD E. MEUNIER, ESQ. has been a partner in the New Orleans law firm of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer. He received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from GeorgetownUniversity in 1970, and his law degree in 1974 from GeorgetownUniversityLawSchool, where he was a Contributing Editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. Upon graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James Comiskey (E.D. La.) and then to the Honorable Edward J. Boyle (E.D. La.). Mr. Meunier is a frequent lecturer and speaker in CLE programs for trial attorneys, and is Assistant Examiner of the Torts Exam for the Louisiana Bar Admissions Office. He currently serves as Chair of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group for the U.S. District Court, E.D. La. He is a fellow in the AmericanCollege of Trial Lawyers. In the past, Mr. Meunier has served in numerous leadership roles with the Admiralty Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), the Louisiana Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), the N.O. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the N.O. Pro Bono project, the LSBA House of Delegates, and the Louisiana’s Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Executive Committee. Mr. Meunier has been involved as class counsel in various class action proceedings in state and federal court. He was court-appointed as “Special Master” in a class action of In re: Chippewa Street Spill, No. 450,957, 19th Judicial District Court (La.); and he also was court-appointed Special Master and Mediator in the mass tort case of Deborah Scanlan vs. Frank Bedell, et al (Custom Bus litigation), United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 99-2555 C/W 99-2557. He is the author of Elements of Recovery in Maritime Personal Injury Cases; Tulane Law Review, vol. 72, p. 805 (Dec. 1997), and a co-author of Louisiana Civil Pretrial Procedure (West). He is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward & White).
EDWIN G. PREIS, JR., ESQ. is Senior Partner and founder of Preis, Kraft & Roy, a regional defense law firm with offices in Lafayette, New Orleans and Houston. He graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with distinction in 1969, and earned his law degree from LouisianaStateUniversityLawCenter in 1972. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Nauman S. Scott, U.S. District Judge, Western District of Louisiana. He is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Texas, and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation categories. He specializes in marine and energy matters, insurance and contract law, and has frequently been a speaker at seminars on these subjects. He served as a Faculty Member for LouisianaStateUniversityLawCenter’s Trial Advocacy Training Program in 1992 and 1993, and currently serves on the Louisiana State University Law Center Board of Trustees.
MARION YAAKUB is the Marine Claims Manager in St Louis, Missouri,for International Marine Underwriters, aMember of OneBeacon Insurance Company. She attended OklahomaStateUniversity and has successfully completed many professional insurance courses. She received her "AMIM" (Associate in Marine Insurance Management) designation from the American Institute of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters. She has been a guest speaker for several classes at MeramecCollege in St. Louis. Marion set up the Central Marine Regional Claims Department for Commercial Union Insurance Company in St Louis in the late 1970's. Sheis responsible for all claims arising from insurance policies written within the Central Marine Region.The policieshandled include Hull, Protection & Indemnity, Cargo, Inland Marine, Maritime Liabilities, etc.Marion has attended many mediations and is known for her practical approach to resolve litigation cases.
JERRY YACOBELLISis Executive Vice President of McGriff, Seibels & Williams of Missouri, Inc. whose responsibilities include new business production, program design, marketing and management of marine industry related accounts. He graduated from CaliforniaStateUniversity with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Welfare. Mr. Yacobellis previously worked for two major barge lines as their insurance and claims manager pertaining to the boat, barge, fleeting and shipyard operations. For the past 25 years, he has devoted his career to the marine insurance brokerage field. During this period, Mr. Yacobellis has worked on a diverse group of marine accounts, including towboats, barges, fleets, shipyards, terminals, fishing fleets and blue water hulls. His special areas of expertise include inland river marine accounts, specializing in large boat and barge fleet operations. Mr. Yacobellis is particularly known for his technical expertise in both policy construction and complex claim issues. He has appeared at various maritime and insurance-related seminars, and has been a speaker at four prior River and Marine Industry Seminars.
DAVID B. MANION is the Midwest Regional Product Director of Hull and Marine Liabilities for Fireman's Fund Specialty Insurance, a Division of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. David resides in Chicago, Illinois, where he is responsible for Fireman's Fund’s Midwest region portfolio of primary hull, primary and excess marine liability business. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health from MurrayStateUniversity, and also holds an Associate in Risk Management from the Insurance Institute of America. David has eighteen years in the insurance industry holding underwriting and loss control positions in St. Paul, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Chicago. For the past ten years he has focused primarily in the marine insurance sector.
RONALD A. JOHNSON, ESQ. is the Senior and Managing Partner in the law firm of Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian, PLC, in New Orleans. He graduated from TulaneUniversity in 1966, and from TulaneLawSchool in 1969. Mr. Johnson is admitted to practice in all LouisianaState and Federal Courts, the United States Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. He has been an active litigator of maritime matters. His practice includes maritime and energy-related litigation, marine insurance coverage issues, as well as preparation and negotiation of charter agreements and vessel service contracts. Mr. Johnson is a member of the New Orleans, Louisiana State and American Bar Associations, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. He was the Chairman of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute in 1995. Mr. Johnson has authored several maritime law-related articles and has appeared as a speaker at a number of maritime law and litigation-related seminars, including River and Marine Industry Seminars.
JEFF KEIFERis the Human Resources manager for American Electric Power Company’s (AEP) River Operations, which include AEP River Transportation Division, Lakin, W.Va.; MEMCO Barge Line, St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Elmwood Marine Services, with seven facilities in greater New Orleans, La. As HR manager, Jeff is responsible for staffing, employee relations and providing other related HR services for these employees. He first joined AEP in July 1997 as a recruiter at AEP Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Since that time, he has worked in college relations and has served as the HR manager for the 0company’s Energy Services and Commercial Operations business units. Prior to joining AEP, he worked as an admissions counselor at HeidelbergCollege, in Tiffin, Ohio. He also held several HR positions for Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., located in Marysville, Ohio. A resident of St. Louis, Mo., Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from HeidelbergCollege and completed the University of Michigan Executive Education Program in Human Resources in 2001. He holds Senior Professional Certification in the Society for Human Resources Management. American Electric Power owns more than 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and is the nation's largest electricity generator. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP River Operations include a fleet of 2,150 barges and 50 towboats, along with a full-service shipyard and six barge repair and cleaning facilities on the lower Mississippi River. AEP is the third-largest inland barge company in the United States.
RICHARD WEI, M.D., M.P.H. is currently President of the Occupational Medicine Center of West Jefferson in Marrero, Louisiana. He is a 1983 graduate of the University of Illinois and a 1990 graduate of The Chicago Medical School. Dr. Wei remained in Chicago for his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine Residencies. He Wei has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career as an Occupational Medicine physician and Director. Dr. Wei is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at TulaneMedicalSchool where he lectures monthly to medical students on community health. He is a member of the AmericanCollege of Occupational Environmental Medicine, AmericanAcademy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Medical Association, Louisiana State Medical Society, and the Jefferson Parish Medical Society.
J. MONROE LABORDE, M.D., M.S. graduated from TulaneMedicalSchool and obtained a masters degree in Biomedical Engineering from CaseWestern ReserveUniversity. He is a registered engineer and is board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and Forensic Medicine. He has done research and published papers on arthritis, back pain, spinal injuries, workers compensation issues, biomechanics, chronic pain and foot problems. He practices orthopaedic surgery primarily at Touro Infirmary and MemorialMedicalCenter. He has teaching appointments at Tulane in Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. He is medical director of SoboloffCenter for Children, President-elect of Leadership Council of New Orleans American Diabetes Association, on Board of Advisors of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane. He was selected as top doctor by peers in New Orleans Magazine (2001) and received the National United Cerebral Palsy Outstanding Community Service Award (2000).
RICHARD W. BUNCH, PhD, PT attended the United StatesMilitaryAcademy at West Point, New York for two years of undergraduate university training as a cadet. He later transferred to LouisianaStateUniversity to enter a pre-med curriculum. In 1977, he received his degree in Physical Therapy form LouisianaStateUniversityMedicalCenter and his Doctorate Degree in Human Anatomy with honors in 1983. He served on the faculty at LSUMedicalCenter for 10 years where he was also the Director and Founder of the Industrial Safety & Rehabilitation Clinic. He left his full-time faculty position at LSUMedicalCenter in 1993 to start a private clinical and ergonomic consulting practice known as ISR Institute based in New Orleans. Dr. Bunch is currently a licensed physical therapist, ergonomic consultant, and professional speaker. In addition to being in private practice, he currently serves on faculty at TulaneUniversityMedicalCenter as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health where he teaches courses in office and field ergonomics. Dr. Bunch has published and presented scientific papers on the topics of ergonomics and clinical assessment of spinal disorders to various medical and safety conferences nation-wide and in Europe. He provides advanced in-house ergonomic training for companies such as ChevronTexaco nationally and internationally. He is the author of the book chapter, “The AMA Guide to Functional Capacity Evaluations”, and the booklet, “Back-To-Fitness” which addresses occupational wellness. He serves on the OSHA Newsletter Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Safety Council. He is a nationally renowned speaker who has been invited to numerous national medical and safety conferences. He has over 26 years of experience in the prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries. As an active industrial ergonomic consultant he has provided train-the-trainer and employee training programs nation-wide to a variety of industries, including companies such as ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Superior Energy, Amerada Hess, ENSCO, Falcon Drilling (now TransOcean) DynMcDermott, ENSCO, U.S. Department of Energy, J. Ray McDermott, Georgia-Pacific, CSX Transportation, Union Pacific Railroads, and various other industries throughout the nation. To date, Dr. Bunch has personally trained over 900 thousand employees. He speaks annually at the National Safety Conference where he has received divisional “Best Speaker Awards” on two occasions. Dr. Bunch is one of the few consultants in the country who can provide professional, practical, and easy-to-understand training to industries in an entertaining format from the perspective of one trained in both medicine and ergonomics.