Commuter Tax Benefit Workshop

Speakers

Jeanine DeBacker is a partner with the law firm of Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP. She is a member of the firm's employment and employee benefit practice group. Jeanine counsels employers on human resource and employment law issues. She also defends employers in sexual harassment, race and age discrimination, wrongful discharge and other employment-related claims in state and federal court and before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also appeared many times before the California Labor Commissioner, successfully representing clients in wage and hour claims, bonus/commission and other compensation claims.

Jeanine is a member of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists and represents qualified retirement plans, 401(k) plans and multiemployer plans in litigation and before government agencies. She works with clients regarding plan administration, qualification and participant communication.

Jeanine regularly speaks before groups, including human resource professionals, regarding employment and employee benefits issues.

Stuart Baker has been passionate about promoting transportation alternatives for the past 14 years. He currently consults with companies providing transit benefits and manages a foundation dedicated to funding urban-based environmental projects (www.enviro-urban.org). As Vice President of Marketing for Accor Services USA, he worked to combine the emerging national awareness of the environment into successful campaigns to increase use of transit benefits. As President of Commuter Benefits Management, Inc., he built a user-friendly online transit-based benefit solution for Fortune 500 companies (the company was purchased by Accor). He has also managed the transit benefit program for 2,500 City/County of San Francisco employees. He has provided training programs services for Employee Transportation Coordinators (ETC) and managed numerous programs at the Bay Area’s regional rideshare organization (RIDES), including a compressed natural gas-powered vanpool fleet.

Daniel McCoy is Associate Director for Corporate Transportation at Genentech, known internally as the gRide program, which provides transit shuttles, motorcoach community shuttles, bicycle locker and towel services, cash incentives, as well as transit and vanpooling subsidies under the IRS Transportation Fringe Benefits rule.

Ross Mirkarimi (pronounced Meehr-kah-reem-E) was born in Chicago in 1961 to a Persian father and a Russian-American mother, Nancy Kolman. Ross spent most of his youth in Jamestown, Rhode Island, as well as Chicago.

As an undergraduate student in St. Louis, majoring in political science and Russian language and literature, Ross became intensely involved as president of the Missouri Public Interest Research Group, representing both Washington University and St. Louis University. Eventually, he was elected student body president.

With the aim of joining the Foreign Service, he finished his degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1984. During his first time in California, Ross was immediately smitten with San Francisco, making it his new home, starting in the Haight.

He joined the office of Supervisor Terence Hallinan and directed Hallinan's successful campaign for District Attorney in 1995 and his reelection in 1999.

Ross worked for the District Attorney's Office as an investigator specializing in economic and environmental crimes. His training includes graduating from the SFPD Academy (class president), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. As a sworn peace officer, he held an advanced P.O.S.T. certificate.

He broke one of the city's landmark white-collar crime cases that resulted in the successful prosecution against the Old Republic Title Company.

Ross took a leave of absence from the D.A.'s office in mid-2004 to run for his first elected office. In a field of 22 candidates, he won the race to become Supervisor of District 5 with encompasses Hayes Valley, Western Addition (Fillmore), Japantown, Lower Pacific Heights, Lower Haight/Haight-Ashbury, North of the Panhandle, Cole Valley, and the Inner Sunset neighborhoods.

In 2008, Mirkarimi introduced the nation's first Commuter Benefits ordinance which went into effect in January 2009. Click here for more information about the Ordinance


Federal Tax Incentives for transit, vanpooling and bike commuting

	Speakers Jeanine DeBacker is a partner with the law firm of Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP. She is a member of the firm's employment and employee benefit practice group. Jeanine counsels employers on human resource and employment law issues. She also defends employers in sexual harassment, race and age discrimination, wrongful discharge and other employment-related claims in state and federal court and before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also appeared many times before the California Labor Commissioner, successfully representing clients in wage and hour claims, bonus/commission and other compensation claims. Jeanine is a member of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists and represents qualified retirement plans, 401(k) plans and multiemployer plans in litigation and before government agencies. She works with clients regarding plan administration, qualification and participant communication. Jeanine regularly speaks before groups, including human resource professionals, regarding employment and employee benefits issues. Stuart Baker has been passionate about promoting transportation alternatives for the past 14 years. He currently consults with companies providing transit benefits and manages a foundation dedicated to funding urban-based environmental projects (www.enviro-urban.org). As Vice President of Marketing for Accor Services USA, he worked to combine the emerging national awareness of the environment into successful campaigns to increase use of transit benefits. As President of Commuter Benefits Management, Inc., he built a user-friendly online transit-based benefit solution for Fortune 500 companies (the company was purchased by Accor). He has also managed the transit benefit program for 2,500 City/County of San Francisco employees. He has provided training programs services for Employee Transportation Coordinators (ETC) and managed numerous programs at the Bay Area’s regional rideshare organization (RIDES), including a compressed natural gas-powered vanpool fleet. Daniel McCoy is Associate Director for Corporate Transportation at Genentech, known internally as the gRide program, which provides transit shuttles, motorcoach community shuttles, bicycle locker and towel services, cash incentives, as well as transit and vanpooling subsidies under the IRS Transportation Fringe Benefits rule. Ross Mirkarimi (pronounced Meehr-kah-reem-E) was born in Chicago in 1961 to a Persian father and a Russian-American mother, Nancy Kolman. Ross spent most of his youth in Jamestown, Rhode Island, as well as Chicago. As an undergraduate student in St. Louis, majoring in political science and Russian language and literature, Ross became intensely involved as president of the Missouri Public Interest Research Group, representing both Washington University and St. Louis University. Eventually, he was elected student body president. With the aim of joining the Foreign Service, he finished his degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1984. During his first time in California, Ross was immediately smitten with San Francisco, making it his new home, starting in the Haight. He joined the office of Supervisor Terence Hallinan and directed Hallinan's successful campaign for District Attorney in 1995 and his reelection in 1999. Ross worked for the District Attorney's Office as an investigator specializing in economic and environmental crimes. His training includes graduating from the SFPD Academy (class president), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. As a sworn peace officer, he held an advanced P.O.S.T. certificate. He broke one of the city's landmark white-collar crime cases that resulted in the successful prosecution against the Old Republic Title Company. Ross took a leave of absence from the D.A.'s office in mid-2004 to run for his first elected office. In a field of 22 candidates, he won the race to become Supervisor of District 5 with encompasses Hayes Valley, Western Addition (Fillmore), Japantown, Lower Pacific Heights, Lower Haight/Haight-Ashbury, North of the Panhandle, Cole Valley, and the Inner Sunset neighborhoods. In 2008, Mirkarimi introduced the nation's first Commuter Benefits ordinance which went into effect in January 2009. Click here for more information about the Ordinance