Employee Benefits Institute of America

Editor/Contributing Author

Gita K. Sharma (since July 2008). Ms. Sharma is a Senior Editor at Thomson Reuters/EBIA. Prior to joining Thomson Reuters/EBIA, Ms. Sharma practiced law for 15 years in the employee benefits field with leading law and consulting firms in the New York/New Jersey area. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at the Rutgers Business School. She received her law degree in 1993 from Albany Law School of Union University and her LL.M. degree from New York University School of Law in 1997.

Contributing Authors

John R. Hickman (since June 1997). Mr. Hickman is a partner in the Employee Benefits Practice Group with Alston & Bird in Atlanta. His practice focuses upon health and welfare benefit plan matters, representing employers, insurers, and administrators. Mr. Hickman is on the Publications Committee of the Self Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) and is chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC). He received his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1989, and was awarded the Order of the Coif. Mr. Hickman wishes to thank Amy Heppner, Counsel in the Health Benefits Practice at Alston & Bird, LLP for her assistance with certain portions of this manual.

Andrew Ky Haynes (since Dec. 1998). Mr. Haynes is a Shareholder and Director of Haynes Benefits PC in Kansas City, Missouri. He practices primarily in the area of employee benefits, representing private and governmental plans, tax-exempt organizations and service providers. Mr. Haynes has served as Chairman of the Missouri Bar Employee Benefits Committee and the Missouri Department of Insurance Liaison Committee. Mr. Haynes received his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1982, where he was Research Editor of the Emory Law Journal.

Cheryl Musselman-Brown (since Feb. 1999). Ms. Musselman-Brown is a Vice President and Publisher at Thomson Reuters/EBIA. Before joining EBIA, Ms. Musselman-Brown practiced employee benefits law for nine years in one of Seattle’s largest law firms. She received her law degree in 1990 from the University of Washington, and was Executive Editor of Operations for the Washington Law Review.

Rebecca L. Williams (since Sept. 2000). Ms. Williams is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Seattle where she is co-chair of the HIT/HIPAA Practice Group. Ms. Williams graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a B.S. in nursing and received her J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law where she was the editor of Women’s Law Reporter. Ms. Williams wishes to thank Davis Wright Tremaine and the DWT HIT/HIPAA Practice Group for the use of material from Davis Wright Tremaine advisories and alerts (which can be found at http://www.dwt.com/hipaa.htm ).

John L. Barlament (since Dec. 2002). Mr. Barlament is a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Milwaukee where he practices in employee benefits law. He advises employers, administrators, brokers, and benefit consultants on all aspects of employee benefits law. He has spoken nationally on a variety of employee benefit topics and is a frequent author on these topics. Mr. Barlament received his law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1997.

Howard D. Bye (since June 2007). Mr. Bye is an attorney, of counsel with Stoel Rives LLP in Seattle. Mr. Bye, a past editor of this Manual from 2007-2008, has practiced law for more than 20 years focusing on employee benefit matters for health, cafeteria, and welfare plans. He serves on the editorial board of the ABA’s The Health Lawyer. Mr. Bye graduated summa cum laude from Wartburg College and received his law degree with high honors from the University of Texas in 1985, where he was awarded the Order of the Coif.

Past Contributor

Thomas P. McCormick (1997-1999). Mr. McCormick is the Founder of EBIA and, from 1988-2007, was its Chairman and President. He is currently an attorney-mediator with BenefitsVoice LLC.