Wiggins
CLARKBURG -- U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently named Kevin Wiggins, an attorney in Jackson Kelly's Clarksburg office, to serve on the Department of Labor's Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans.
The Council, established by the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), is charged with lending advice to the U.S. Secretary of Labor on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans managed by ERISA. The entire panel consists of 15 members hand-picked by the Secretary of Labor. By law, only those who are qualified to appraise programs instituted under ERISA may be appointed.
The Council is divided into interest groups, with three members representing employee organizations, three representing the general public, and one each representing insurance, corporate trust, actuarial accounting, investment management, and accounting.
Mike Foster, managing member of Jackson Kelly and manager of the firm's Employee Benefits Practice said the firm is happy to see Wiggins acknowledged.
"We are very pleased that Secretary Chao recognized Kevin's knowledge and experience," Foster said. "In this role, he will serve with some of the nation's leading employee benefits and pension professionals. This is another example of one of the firm's lawyers being called on to serve the public in a critical leadership role.
"I have no doubt that his work on the ERISA Council will enable him to provide even more effective representation to our clients."
Joining Wiggins on the Board this year are David Evangelista, a principal with MSPC Certified Public Accountants and Advisors; Mary Neil Billings, manager of retirement plans, governance and strategic planning at FedEx; Mark LeBlanc, the fund administrator and general counsel of the Sheet Metal Workers' National Pension Fund; and Sanford Koeppl, vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs at Prudential Financial.
Wiggins' practice at Jackson Kelly focuses on employee benefits, pensions, executive compensation and ERISA litigation. His clients range from start-up enterprises to mature publicly traded companies.
Jackson Kelly provides legal representation to global corporations, large companies, entrepreneurs and individuals. The firm's 165 lawyers represent clients from offices across West Virginia and in Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
For more information about the Firm, visit www.jacksonkelly.com.