SUPERINTENDENT AND EXECUTIVE
LEADER SEMINAR SERIES
Collective Bargaining, Discrimination
Complaints and School Finance
SPEAKER BIOS
co-sponsored by
the University of Delaware’s
Institute for Public Administration
and
Delaware Academy for School Leadership
Speaker Bios
William W. Bowser, ESQ.
Partner
Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP
Bill Bowser represents both private and public employers in labor negotiations, union campaigns, binding-interest
arbitration, and employment discrimination and wrongful-termination lawsuits. Bill regularly represents
employers in administrative proceedings before the NLRB, the Delaware PERB, the EEOC, the Delaware
Department of Labor, and other government agencies.
Mr. Bowser also regularly counsels employers on issues relating to employment agreements, restrictive covenants,
trade-secret agreements, employee discipline and termination, and the FMLA and ADA. He assists employers on
avoiding litigation by developing effective employee handbooks, policies, and procedures, and he provides training
to in-house counsel, human-resource professionals, supervisors, and employees.
Mr. Bowser was selected by Best Lawyers in America© as the 2012 Delaware Management Labor Lawyer of the
Year. He is also listed as a top employment lawyer in the 2011 edition of Chambers USA: America’s
Leading Lawyers for Business.
As an editor of the Delaware Employment Law Letter, Mr. Bowser has written dozens of articles on labor and
employment law. He is a frequent speaker on labor and employment law in Delaware and across the country,
including the annual meeting of the Delaware SHRM and the National Public Employment Relations Association
(NPELRA).
Mr. Bowser received his J.D. degree cum laude from Villanova University. He is a member and past chair of the
Delaware State Bar Association’s Section of Labor & Employment Law and is treasurer of the Candlelighters
Childhood Cancer Foundation of Delaware. Since 2000, Mr. Bowser has served as the Governor-appointed Chair
of the Delaware Cancer Consortium.
Wendy L. Cannon
Uniserv Director
Delaware State Education Association
Wendy Cannon has been a Uniserv Director with the Delaware State Education Association for four years. Before
that, she was a middle school educator in the Woodbridge School District for ten years. For five of those years she
served as the President of the Woodbridge Education Association. Currently, she works with the local associations
of Indian River, Milford, Sussex Technical, and Woodbridge School Districts.
Allyson Britton DiRocco, ESQ.
Associate
Morris James LLP
Allyson DiRocco focuses her practice on employment law, education law, and professional-liability litigation in
state and federal courts. In her employment counseling and litigation practice, she defends the interests of
employers in allegations of discrimination, wrongful discharge, and constitutional claims in the case of public
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Speaker Bios
employers. In her education law practice, Ms. DiRocco provides counsel to private and public schools regarding
matters such as benefits, employment and student/parent matters. In her professional liability litigation practice,
Ms. DiRocco represents the interests of Delaware healthcare providers and professionals in general matters.
Ms. DiRocco joined Morris James LLP in 2007. She graduated cum laude from Widener University School of Law.
She clerked for The Honorable Myron T. Steele of the Delaware Supreme Court in 2006-2007. She received her B.S.
in psychology from Washington College in 2002.
In 2009 Ms. DiRocco was named in the Delaware Volunteer Legal Services Pro Bono Honor Roll for her volunteer
work for The Office of the Child Advocate, Delaware, as guardian ad litem on behalf of abused and neglected
children. She is also an executive committee member for Girls, Inc. of Delaware and is the Chair of the
Professional Networking Group of Girls, Inc. of Delaware. Ms. DiRocco is the Vice Chair of the Labor and
Employment Law Section of the Delaware Bar Association.
Mark Dufendach
Business Manager
Polytech School District
Mark Dufendach is a Delaware native, born in Milford and currently residing in Milford. He serves as the Business
Manager for the Polytech School District and is responsible for all district fiscal operations and has supervisory
responsibilities for district transportation, technology, maintenance and child nutrition functions. Mr. Dufendach
received his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware; his Master’s Degree in
Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration
from the University of Delaware. He has consistently worked in the area of public finance during the course of his
career, having worked for the State Office of Management and Budget, the Delaware Department of Education as
well as the Indian River, Smyrna and Milford School Districts. He is married with two children and enjoys all
varieties of sporting activities.
Jerry Gallagher
Finance Director
Smyrna School District
Trina R. Gumbs
Acting Administrator
Delaware Department of Labor Office of Anti-Discrimination
Trina Gumbs joined the Delaware Department of Labor in 1996 as the sole representative for the Office of AntiDiscrimination in Kent and Sussex counties. In recent years, she has been a key player in positioning the
Kent/Sussex office to meet the increasing demand for services due to rapid population growth.
A certified mediator since 2005, Mrs. Gumbs has also been instrumental in developing, implementing, and
managing the Office of Anti-Discrimination Mediation Program.
Mrs. Gumbs is a recognized subject expert in the field of employment discrimination. She also regularly speaks to
a wide range of groups about the various ways in which to resolve complaints as well as the complaint and
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Speaker Bios
investigative process. Groups include the Delaware State Bar Association, a number of business groups and
associations, and advocacy groups.
Mrs. Gumbs is a University of Delaware alumna. She resides in Milford with her husband and children and is
active in many community organizations.
Val Hoffman
Uniserv Director
Delaware State Education Association
Val Hoffmann has been a Uniserv Director with the Delaware State Education Association for seven years. Prior to
DSEA, she was a special-education teacher in the Caesar Rodney School District for 15 years, and in Waco, Tex.,
for five years. She served as President of the Caesar Rodney Education Association for five years and as DSEA
Vice-President for two and a half years. She currently works with the local associations in the Appoquinimink,
Caesar Rodney, and Polytech School Districts.
Jeffrey M. Taschner
General Counsel
Delaware State Education Association
Jeffrey Taschner is the General Counsel for the Delaware State Education Association where his primary
responsibility is the representation of local education associations and their members in employment-related
matters. Mr. Taschner received his B.A. degree from Dickinson College and his J.D. degree from the Dickinson
School of Law. He is a former Deputy Attorney General, having served both as a criminal prosecutor and counsel
to the Delaware State Police. He has also served as the Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Public Safety for the
State of Delaware.
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