Soldier, combat-burn-survivor and life-motivator, J.R. Martinez, has been named the keynote speaker at the 2015 California Workers' Compensation & Risk Conference in Dana Point, Calif.  J.R. Martinez is a retired soldier, actor and spokesman. Long before J.R. Martinez won legions of fans as the winner of Dancing with the Stars, he was inspiring audiences of all kinds with his remarkable story.

His motivational presentation being sponsored by Sedgwick with OPUS Telehealth, is part of the three-day conference that features 120 industry expert speakers and leaders from the California workers' comp system. The conference runs September 29th – October 2nd at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point. There also will be networking events, including a Casino Night and an autograph session with J.R. Martinez.

New to the agenda is the pre-conference “Women Executives in Workers’ Comp” meeting on September 29 with featured keynote speaker Ronnie Caplane, Commissioner of Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and several other industry experts.

The opening keynote session will focus on the California reforms for 2016 and include a cross-section of voices and perspectives. The moderator for this discussion is Mark Walls, who started the Work Comp Analysis Group on LinkedIn, the voices on the panel include:

Q&A Employer & Stakeholder Panel: The Current State of California Workers Compensation and What’s on the Horizon for 2016

Moderator:
Mark Walls (Vice President Communications & Strategic Analysis) Safety National

Speakers:
David North (CEO) Sedgwick
Kevin Confetti (Director W/C) University of CA
Monica M. Lichtenstein (Director of Claims Operations, Claims, Global Risk Management) Aramark
Ann Schnure (VP Risk Management-Claims) Macy’s
Dawn Watkins, AIC, PHR, ARM (Director Integrated Disability Management) LA Unified School District
Julius Young Boxer & Gerson, LLP
Richard M. Jacobsmeyer Shaw, Jacobsmeyer, Crain & Claffey PC

Twenty continuing education credit hours are available for California claims professionals, attorneys and insurance brokers.

A charity golf tournament benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is scheduled for September 29th.  Email Kristi Hanson at kristihanson@cwcriskconference.org to register for the tournament.

Conference and hotel pricing are available at www.cwcriskconference.org.