Join us at Aramark Conference Center in Downers Grove, IL for a half day legislative and networking event. 

AGENDA 

11:30AM to 12:30 PM - Registration and Lunch

12:30 PM to 1:30 PM - Lia Elliott, Co-Managing Partner at Staffing GC - Legal Compliance in Illinois

1:30 PM to 1:45 PM - Break

1:45 PM to 2:45 PM -  Shaw Decremer and Alison Howlett - Lobbying Update 

2:45 PM to 3:00 PM - Break 

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM – Tom Gimbel, First Vice Chair at American Staffing Association - State of Staffing Industry Update

4:00 Wrap up and Cocktail Hour

Attendance at this event earns 3.0 CE Hours toward ASA Certification

SPEAKERS

LIA ELLIOTT

Co-Managing Partner at Staffing GC

Lia Elliott is an attorney and C-Suite advisor with 20+ years of boots-on-the-ground executive and legal experience in the workforce solutions and staffing industry. Lia is solutions-focused and works with clients to achieve business objectives while aligning legal compliance within risk tolerance and budget. A constant critical thinker and firm believer that “no” is seldom the answer, Lia simplifies legal complexities enabling growth in a mine-filled environment.

Areas of Specialization: Fractional GC/Executive Services • Labor, Employment & HR Support • Compliance Programs / Training • Litigation Management • In-House Legal Function Build

TOM GIMBEL

First Vice Chair at American Staffing Association

Tom Gimbel is the founder of LaSalle Network. Founded in 1998, LaSalle Network is a professional staffing and recruiting firm headquartered in Chicago. LaSalle is a 10-time Inc. 5000 company and is on Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list. Gimbel was honored on the Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, and was inducted in the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Gimbel serves on the board of directors of Ounce of Prevention, and is an active member in the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Economic Club of Chicago.

SHAW DECREMER

Principal, Shaw Decremer Consulting

Shaw Decremer is a lifelong Chicago resident and graduate of the University of Illinois with bachelors’ degrees in both History and Geography. Shaw began his career in legislative advocacy through the Illinois Legislative Staff Internship Program (ILSIP). As an ILSIP intern, Shaw was assigned to the Illinois House Speaker’s Office, where he ended up working for 12 years, eventually serving as the House Speaker’s Legislative Director. In 2013, Shaw opened his own firm, specializing in consulting and lobbying at the state level. Shaw serves a wide range of clients from nonprofits to professional associations. Shaw is proud to have served as a key strategist and point person for the lobbying effort to legalize same sex marriage in Illinois, as well as the recent advocacy effort to ban ghost guns in the state.

ALISON HOWLETT

President, Coalition Consulting P.C.

Alison Howlett has served as a key advisor and legislative counsel to the Illinois House of Representatives, the State of Illinois, as well as Illinois’ Labor leaders. After completing law school at Loyola University Chicago, Alison served as Assistant Counsel to the Illinois House Speaker. In 2012, Alison was parliamentarian and counsel to the Illinois House Revenue and Finance committee and Civil Judiciary committee.

After serving on staff, Alison clerked in the federal appellate court for the Honorable William J. Bauer in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2015, Alison joined the Chicago Laborers, working her way up to serving as Executive Director of their Labor-Management Cooperation Committee. In this capacity, Alison served as the Labor point person for the negotiations between the General Assembly and the Governor’s office for the largest capital construction program in Illinois history.

Alison continues to serve as a trusted advisor to key members of the Governor’s executive team, members of the General Assembly, and key legislative staffers. She has a unique understanding of government, having served in roles in the legislative and executive branches, and has been a point person on a number of complex legislative issues facing the state.

Thank you to our Sponsors of the 2025 Legislative Conference: