Professor Susan B. Apel is a professor of law at Vermont Law School, where she has taught since 1982.  She specializes in family law and gender issues, and is also the director of Vermont Law School's nationally recognized General Practice Program. She holds a position as clinical professor at the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, NH, where she teaches a course in law and medicine, with a concentration on artificial reproductive technologies. Among her publications are "Cryopreserved Embryos:  A Response to Forced Parenthood and the Role of Intent," 39 Fam. L. Q. 663 (2005), "Privacy in Genetic Testing:  Why Women Are Different," 11. So. Calif. Interdisciplinary L. J. (2001), "Genetic Testing:  Speaking Up for Women's Privacy Interests," J. Gender-Specific Med., Vol 6, No. 2, 1 (2003) and "Disposition of Frozen Embryos:  Are Contracts the Solution?", Vt. Bar. J, March 2001.  Her article, "Access to Reproductive Technologies" will be published by the Michigan State Law Review. Professor Apel received her B.A. in 1974 from the Pennsylvania State University and her J.D. in 1977 from Northeastern University School of Law.

Professor Tracy Bach specializes in three areas: 1) legal research, analysis, and writing; 2) health care law and policy; and 3) international human rights, especially genocide. The courses she has taught at Vermont Law School include Appellate Advocacy, Legal Writing in Environmental Health Law, Health Law, Health Law and Public Policy, Genocide, Professional Responsibility, and Dispute Resolution. Professor Bach received her B.A. degree in history, cum laude, from Yale University in 1984 and her M.A. degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota Hubert Humphrey Institute in 1994. In that same year, she earned her J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was article editor for the Minnesota Law Review and director of the 1992 Jessup International Moot Court Competition Team, and where she received the Steven M. Block Prize for Best Paper in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. From 1984 to 1990, Professor Bach worked in health care finance and management for a mid-sized New York City consulting firm, a large midwestern hospital chain, and as a self-employed consultant. Before joining Vermont Law School’s faculty in 1996, Professor Bach interned for the trial and appellate courts of the Non-Removable Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians and clerked for the Honorable Harriet Lansing of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Professor Bach is a member of both the New Hampshire and the Vermont Bar Associations and serves as the Co-Chair of the VBA’s Health Law Committee.

Jessa (Block) Barnard was the policy specialist for the Vermont Medical Society from 2002 to 2005. She graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 2002 with a major in Anthropology and minor in Neuroscience. She is currently attending Stanford Law School.

Alison J. Bell has been a partner at Langrock Sperry & Wool since January 1990. Before joining Langrock Sperry & Wool as an associate in September 1987, she was an associate at Choate Hall & Stewart in Boston, Massachusetts from 1983 to 1987. Her practice areas are general civil law, with particular emphasis on employment law, commercial litigation, the hospitality industry, and alternative dispute resolution. She is a member of the Vermont Bar Association, the Vermont Trial Lawyers Association, the Vermont Employment Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She received her J.D. degree from Boston College Law School in 1983, cum laude, and her B.A. from Harvard College in 1979.

Ritchie E. Berger is an attorney with Dinse, Knapp, & McAndrew, P.C., in Burlington, Vt., and has more than 20 years of experience in complex litigation and health care law.  He enjoys a statewide reputation as one of Vermont's premier trial lawyers. Mr. Berger represents hospitals, physicians, and other health care professionals throughout Vermont in all state and federal courts and before administrative boards.  He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, of which he is past-president of the Vermont Chapter, and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He regularly lectures and conducts seminars before legal and health care organizations, and is co-author of Vermont Jury Instructions, published in 1993 by Butterworth Legal Publishers.

Eileen M. Blackwood practices law with the law firm of Blackwood & Danon, P.C. in Burlington, Vermont. Her practice concentrates in the fields of employment, education, and non-profit law, and in the preparation of wills and other estate planning. She graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. degree in Women and Education and from Cornell Law School with a J.D. cum laude. Following law school, she clerked for the Hon. Franklin S. Billings, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the State of Vermont and then practiced law with Paul, Frank & Collins, Inc. in Burlington until opening her own firm in 1992. She has authored many papers and regularly presents programs on various topics of education and employment law.

Kathleen M. Boe is a partner in English, Carroll, Ritter & Boe, P.C., a Middlebury law firm. Her practice involves the representation of small businesses and nonprofit organizations, commercial lenders, and estate and tax planning for individuals. She frequently advises her clients on entity matters, employment matters, and intellectual property matters. She received her B.S. degree in finance from Miami University in 1982 and her J.D. degree from Boston College Law School in 1985. She is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of banking law, corporate law and real estate law, and she is recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers in the field of corporate law.

Angela R. Clark is an attorney with Dinse, Knapp, & McAndrew, P.C., in Burlington, Vermont where she practices exclusively in litigation, with an emphasis on professional malpractice. She has served as a clerk to the Rutland County trial courts in Rutland, Vermont as well as to the Cumberland and Kennebec County Superior courts in Maine.  A graduate of Trinity College of Vermont and Vermont Law School, Ms. Clark is a member of the American and Vermont Bar Associations.

Anne Cramer, a partner in the law firm of Primmer, Piper, Eggleston & Cramer, P.C., serves as counsel to hospitals, nursing homes, community mental health agencies, physician groups and other private health care interests in Vermont. Anne and her firm have long served as counsel to the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and also provide counsel to the Vermont Health Care Association, and the Council for Developmental and Mental Health Services. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association. In her health law practice, Ms. Cramer emphasizes compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements, including fraud and abuse prevention, HIPAA regulations on privacy, antitrust compliance and employment law. Ms. Cramer lectures frequently on health law topics generally, and she has been cited in Best Lawyers in America for her health law related work for over ten years. 

Beth A. Danon is a member of the law firm of Blackwood & Danon, P.C. in Burlington, Vermont. Her practice concentrates in the fields of employment, education, non-profit, personal injury, Social Security disability, and civil rights law. Prior to her employment with Blackwood & Danon, P.C., Ms. Danon was the supervising attorney at Vermont Protection & Advocacy, Inc., which is a non-profit corporation federally and state funded to advocate for and protect the rights of persons with mental disabilities.  Prior to her employment with VP&A, she was with the law firm of Mickenberg, Dunn, Kochman, Danon & Smith for two years and with Mickenberg, Dunn, Sirotkin & Dorsch for ten years prior wherein her practice concentrated in the fields of employment, Social Security disability, workers’ compensation, real estate, affordable housing, personal injury, and civil rights law. Ms. Danon received her B.A. degree from CUNY Hunter College and her J.D. degree from CUNY Law School at Queens College. After graduating from law school in 1987, she clerked for Honorable Frank G. Mahady in the Vermont Supreme Court. She is a member of the Vermont Bar Association and serves on its Disability Law Committee and is a member of the Vermont Employment Lawyers Association.  

Eileen I. Elliott is an attorney focusing on health care and human services legal issues with the Burlington law firm of Shems, Dunkiel, Kassel & Saunders, PLLC.  She was the deputy secretary of Vermont’s Agency of Human Services from 2003-2005 and the commissioner of Vermont’s Social Welfare Department from 1999-2003. From 1993 until 1999, she worked for the Office of the Attorney General, serving as chief of its Human Services Division, and before that as counsel to the Agriculture Department. She spent the first decade of her professional career in private and corporate practice. Eileen graduated with distinction from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Environmental Conservation (1978) and she has a J.D. from the University of Denver (1981). She serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Chittenden County.

Jo Ann Beatrice Fiorito Hertford, MD, FAAFP, received her medical degree from UMDNJ- Rutgers Medical School, completed her family practice residency at The Medical Center, Beaver, Pa., and is currently attending Vermont Law School. Over the last 15 years, she had maintained an active family practice with obstetrics in Pennsylvania, where she also was a faculty member at The Medical Center, Beaver’s family practice residency program; in Maine; and most recently in Vermont. She has published “A Manual of Baby Care” and authored a medical review article for the American Family Physician. Dr. Hertford’s interest in physician liability and risk management topics led her to attend law school with the goal of becoming a legal representative and advocate for health care providers.

Donna Izor is the Vice President of Medical Group Practices and Community Health for Central Vermont Medical Center. She began her career in nursing then obtained her undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Vermont in 1990. She received her master’s degree in administration from St. Michael’s College in 1996 and certification as a medical practice executive from the American College of Medical Executives in 2004. Donna has enjoyed a progressive career in practice management including strategic planning, business and operations oversight, physician recruitment, physician productivity system development, facility planning, and quality.  Donna also functions as a senior consultant for practice management services and leadership to local and regional not for profit and private practices. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Washington County Mental Health Services, Central Vermont Substance Abuse Services, and the People’s Health and Wellness Clinic as well as other professional associations.

William B. Miller, Jr. practiced with a large law firm in his native Philadelphia before joining Langrock Sperry & Wool in 1980. He has developed an active litigation practice involving a wide range of issues, and has been recognized as a leading business litigator in The Best Lawyers in America. During the past ten years, much of his practice has been devoted to claims of substandard care by the families of elderly residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. He has lectured on these issues at continuing education seminars and is a member of numerous organizations advocating enhanced care for the elderly. He also regularly trains large non-profit agencies, such as mental health agencies, on risk management. Another aspect of his practice involves commercial transactions. He has represented buyers and sellers of businesses throughout Vermont, and routinely provides counsel to manufacturers, construction companies, restaurants, and health care professionals. He has published on Vermont lien laws. He is a contributing author on Vermont construction law, and the Vermont contributing editor for www.lienlawonline.com.

Madeleine Mongan is counsel and vice president for policy for the Vermont Medical Society, representing the interests of the physicians who live and practice in Vermont.  She works with the Vermont Legislature, state agencies and insurers on health care policy and provides education and technical assistance to Vermont physicians on legal issues.  Her practice addresses a range of health law issues including confidentiality, licensing, managed care, public health, contracting, and fraud and abuse. She represents Vermont physicians on the steering committee of the Vermont Bar Association Drug Policy Committee, the Area Health Education Centers Advisory Board, and the Vermont Health Resource Allocation Plan Board.  She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Vermont Bar Association where she co-chairs the Health Law Committee.  She received her B.A. from the University of Delaware, M.A. from Stanford University and J.D. from the University of California at Davis. 

Carl Olson graduated from Brown University with a BA in History in 2002. From 2002-2005, he worked as a Project Associate at John Snow, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, working on various public health projects including family planning training assistance and health information technology implementation. Carl is currently a second year law student at Case Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Wanda I. Otero joined Langrock Sperry & Wool in 2005 after clerking for the Hon. James T. Giles, chief judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and then spending two years at another Vermont law firm. She has a general litigation practice with a special emphasis on employment law. She also handles appeals in both state and federal courts. She has successfully briefed and argued cases before the Vermont Supreme Court including Summits 7, Inc. v. Kelly, 2005 VT 97 (2005) and Systems & Software, Inc. v. Barnes, 2005 VT 95 (2005). The Summits 7 decision established the rule in Vermont that continued employment is sufficient consideration for a covenant not to compete in the at-will context. She serves on the Board of Directors of Kids on the Block-Vermont, a Burlington-based non-profit that uses life-size puppets to teach children about disabilities, diversity, children's mental health, social and safety issues, substance abuse, and AIDS.

Chesley Thurber worked for the Vermont Medical Society in 2006 as a policy specialist. He supported VMS's policy efforts on several issues including mental health, tobacco use, and the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug program. Before joining VMS, Chesley graduated from Middlebury College in 2004, and worked in legislative affairs for United Parcel Service in Washington, D.C. He currently works as the legislative aide to Vermont Senate Pro Tem Peter Welch.

Jon Jeffrey Tyzbir is an attorney with Dinse, Knapp, & McAndrew, P.C., in Burlington, Vt., where he practices civil litigation with emphases on professional malpractice and commercial litigation. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, University of Richmond School of Law (JD), and the Georgetown University Law Center (LLM).  He is a member of the American, Vermont, and New York Bar Associations and the American Society of International Law.

Bill Wargo, an Assistant Attorney General, has been the Health Department’s legal counsel for over 15 years.  After graduating from Columbia College, he obtained a Masters in Social Work degree from Hunter School of Social Work.  As a social worker, he worked with foster children in New York City, counseled disabled veterans and began a creative writing group for them, provided individual and family counseling to recovering drug addicts, worked with Bowery alcoholics and began a softball league for them, and provided emergency therapeutic services for people in crisis.  He has a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.  As a lawyer, he has managed two legal services offices (one providing services to poor people on New York City’s Lower East Side and the other providing services to prisoners), was the sole Winooski City Attorney for 10 years, and has taught law for about 20 years at St. Michael’s College.  He also teaches non-law courses, such as courses on Shakespeare and Vermont History, for Community College of Vermont.