CONFERENCE SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS
MARTIN ARMSTRONG, CPP, MBA, DBA
Vice President, Payroll Shared Services
Time Warner Cable
Dr. Martin Armstrong is the Vice President of Payroll Shared Services for Time Warner Cable,
the second-largest cable operator in the United States. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14
million customers in 43 states and pays more than 52,000 employees.
Dr. Armstrong has 30 years of accounting experience and has held positions as a Senior
Accountant, Internal Auditor, Tax Manager, Payroll Manager, and Payroll Director. He also has
extensive training in management, benchmarking, process improvement, change management,
best practices, strategic tax planning, and mergers & acquisitions.
Dr. Armstrong has been a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) since 1990, holds an undergraduate
degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a MBA degree from the
University of Maryland University College (UMUC), and a Doctor of Business Administration
(DBA) degree from Argosy University. His dissertation concentrated on employee readiness for
organizational change.
Dr. Armstrong served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and retired in 2008 as a Navy Supply Corps officer
where he was awarded five Navy Achievement awards. He currently is an Adjunct Professor for
UMUC and for the University of Phoenix where he serves as the Lead Faculty and Area Chair for
the Finance and Accounting Departments.
Dr. Armstrong is a former Vice President of the American Payroll Association (APA) and a
member of the APA’s National Speakers Bureau. Additional appointments include the APA’s
Board of Directors, the APA’s Board of Contributing Writers, the HR Advisory Committee for the
YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the Advisory Board for Bloomberg’s Bureau of National Affairs
(BNA) Payroll Administration Guide and a contributing writer for the Bloomberg BNA Payroll
Administration Guide’s Newsletter.
Professional accolades include the APA’s 2012 Prism Award for Overall Best Practices, 2010
Prism Award for Management Best Practices, 2008 Payroll Man of the Year, 2006 Special
Recognition Award, 2002 Meritorious Service Award, and the author of an Institute of
Management and Administration (IOMA) seminar book entitled “Leading and Managing
Payroll”. Dr. Armstrong has been featured in the APA’s PAYTECH magazine, Bloomberg BNA
Payroll Administration Guide Newsletter, Human Resource Executive, Accountant’s World, and
Business Finance. He has given lectures and keynote presentations on Strategic Leadership,
Management Practices, Employment Taxation, Effective Communication, Change Management,
Emotional Intelligence, Disciplined Decision-Making, Payroll Best Practices, and Mergers and
Acquisitions at the APA’s annual Congress, national and statewide conferences, and at numerous
cities around the country.
George C. Mavrantzas
Director of Special Projects
Global Cash Card
Having worked in the prepaid industry since 1996 and
specifically in paycards for the last 11 years, George
Mavrantzas is a subject matter expert on how an
effective paycard solution can truly benefit both
employers and employees. With his extensive
experience in Customer Service, Implementation, Project
Management and Sales, George provides the highest
level of integrity and dedication to his clients. George is
a prolific speaker and has had the pleasure of speaking at
local APA chapters, Statewide Conferences, and the APA
Congress Chapter Exchange. George is a graduate of the
University of North Florida and currently resides in
Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Ashley and two sons
Christos & Liam.
Kind Regards,
George Mavrantzas
Director of Special Projects
Global Cash Card
William Richardson is a former federal investigator for the Wage and Hour Division of the US Dept
of Labor. He began his career with the Dept of Labor as a Wage Hour Investigator in North Carolina and
transferred to the Jacksonville, FL district office in 2009. As an investigator, he enforced a variety of Acts
that included Agriculture, Child Labor, Government Contracts, Polygraph Protection, Fair Labor
Standards, Family Medical Leave and the H program wage requirements for Guest Worker Visas.
In 2011 he was awarded the Impact Award for his work on Task Force initiatives. Currently, he is the
Community Outreach and Planning Specialist for the Wage and Hour Division of the US Dept of Labor
and travels throughout North and Central Florida providing federal labor law training to both employees
and employers in an effort to achieve and sustain compliance.
Manan Shah is a Senior Manager with KPMG LLP based in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Manan has specialized in employment tax consulting for over twelve
years and leads a wide variety of employment tax engagements within
the practice including compliance, advisory and controversy services.
Professional and industry experience
As a Senior Manager in KPMG’s Employment Tax practice, Manan
works with clients across all industries and of all sizes. Manan is
responsible for clients located in the Southeast as well as many areas in
the Midwest and West regions. Examples of the types of payroll tax
consulting provided by Manan include:

Work with companies related to employment tax considerations with
respect to mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations.
Recover significant federal and state payroll tax refunds as a result
of the identification of overpayments of both federal and state payroll taxes.
Consult with companies on current unemployment tax positions and review savings opportunities
through various means including joint account calculations, voluntary contribution analyses, etc.
Represent clients on employment tax audits (federal, state and local) with respect to unemployment,
withholding, payroll compliance, worker classification and other issues.
Work with companies to address compensation and benefit taxation issues and remediation of prior
liabilities.
Assist companies with coming into compliance for all U.S. payroll taxes through various means,
including voluntary disclosures, payroll tax adjustments and reconciliations.
Function and specialization
Manan focuses solely on federal, state and local payroll and employment taxes. He services all industry
lines and market size.
Professional associations
Member, American Payroll Association
Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants
Education, licenses and certifications
BA degree, Accounting, Georgia State University
Masters of Taxation, Georgia State University
Certified Public Accountant (Georgia)
Michael D. “David” Clay is an Auditor with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland
Security Investigations in Jacksonville, FL.
He was awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting from the University of
North Texas. Following eleven years as a U.S. Navy Supply Corps Officer, David settled his family in
Jacksonville.
Prior to joining ICE, he was employed as a private-sector Accountant, a computer programmer and, most
recently, a Tax Auditor for the Florida Department of Revenue. David is father to two sons and
grandfather to four granddaughters, with two more on the way.
Deborah Wilkes, M.A., GMS
Director Global Consulting Services, Lexicon Relocation
In her current role at Lexicon Relocation, Deborah is responsible for providing strategic global and domestic
business support to Lexicon’s client services and business development teams, as well as holding
accountability for ongoing business process design and implementation of the complete spectrum of global
and domestic HR consulting and assignment management services and solutions. She is a strategic
thought leader adept at developing innovative programs that assures client success in meeting their global
workforce needs.
Her extensive insight into global emerging markets, global talent acquisition challenges, and strategic
assignment planning is drawn from decades of hands on experience and ongoing research of regulatory
changes, economic and demographic trending. Deborah provides Lexicon’s clients with in-depth
knowledge of not only what the latest trends are – but what the driving issues are behind the emerging
trends while offering strategic solutions, with a keen eye to regulatory compliance.
Deborah holds a Master of Arts degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, GMS and OAI certifications,
and studied International Employment and Labor Law. Deborah has acted as strategic advisor to Global
Fortune 500 corporations across all industry lines in the development of global talent management and
mobility programs, including the establishment of global offshore employee leasing organizations. Having
completed international assignments throughout the Middle East, Europe and Latin America, she has a
high degree of cultural awareness and global business acumen. Deborah serves as a training resource
and subject matter expert to both client and internal staff and has been a member of Worldwide ERC,
SHRM, World at Work, and Forum of Expatriate Management.
Pam Buchanan, GMS
Global Consulting Specialist, Lexicon Relocation
With over 15 years of extensive experience in benchmarking, developing and implementing global
assignment management and mobility policies and programs, Pam is responsible for providing global
program development and consultative services for clients across all industry lines. Prior to assuming this
role, Pam’s expertise in global compensation, human resources, payroll, and taxation were optimized as
she was responsible for the development and implementation of Assignment Management/Compensation
Services programs for Lexicon. Among her many competencies are the training, development, and
leadership of global team members to administer global compensation, payroll coordination and tax
reporting services. Pam was responsible for documenting and developing workflow processes, internal
checklists and audit processes while focused on process improvement initiatives internally and with client
management.
Prior to joining Lexicon, Pam was the outsourced International Human Resources Manager for three Global
Multinational HRO’s and Relocation Management Companies, providing the full spectrum global
assignment management and mobility services, while driving service delivery excellence, cost containment,
compliance and transparency. She has worked with multiple well-known Fortune 500 clients in finance,
communication systems, petroleum industries, auto, retail, medical, non-profit, and many other sectors in
the international industry. Pam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, with emphasis on
Public Administration of Employee State and Federal laws.
Pam’s passion for Global Multinational Relocation strategic planning comes from her desire to support
clients in their efforts to implement successful Global Talent Acquisition programs, providing strategic global
“best in class” consultative research and guidance. Skilled in building strong relationships with clients, Pam
brings a relaxed, approachable style and a wonderful sense of humor to her work as Global Consulting
Specialist.
Katie Davies oversees Radius’ advisory client engagements
across five continents. Expert in a wide variety of cross-border
issues including HR, Tax, IP and immigration consulting, Katie
provides hands-on client services to many of the firm’s accounts
with operations in Europe and beyond.
Prior to joining Radius, she served as the Finance Director and
Operating Officer of The Beanstalk Group, an international leader in
brand licensing and joint venture of The Ford Motor Company. In
the Group’s London office, Katie led internal operations ranging
from finance and legal functions to human resources and company
administration.
She was previously a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their London office where she
developed and implemented clients’ overseas expansion programs through a worldwide network of
internal PwC advisors and external independent Local Service Providers. Katie received an MA from
Cambridge University.
Kathryn Newport MA MCIPD
Kathryn is a Senior Manager in the Global Human Resources Advisory Group at Radius. Kathryn
graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA Hons in History and went on to complete a MA
Hons in Human Resource Management. Kathryn is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of
Personal Development (CIPD) which is a leading International Professional Institution for Human
Resources and People Development professionals.
Kathryn has spent the last 7 years working as a HR professional, leading and managing a number of
complex operational and strategic HR projects, in both a consultancy and internal capacity for leading
public, not for profit and commercial sector organizations operating globally.
In addition to her HR experience and expertise she is able to advise on a multiplicity of other issues that
tend to arise for both start-ups and established businesses including data protection and Health and
Safety requirements.
Patricia J. Hill is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith
Gambrell & Russell, LLP and head of the Firm’s Labor and
Employment Law Practice Group.
Ms. Hill has significant expertise and experience in employment law,
encompassing discrimination litigation, affirmative action plans, employment
contracts, employee handbooks and policies, terminations, separations, hiring
practices, wage and hour issues, unemployment compensation and other aspects
of the employer/employee relationship governed by state and federal laws. She
regularly counsels clients on compliance issues and dispute avoidance. When
litigation becomes necessary, Ms. Hill regularly represents employers in
employment litigation matters pending in state and federal courts. She negotiates
labor contracts, trains employers in union avoidance and handles unfair labor practice charges and union
campaigns. Ms. Hill’s employment law practice also includes extensive experience in litigation matters
concerning non-compete and non-solicitation agreements and other state law claims.
Her published decisions include Bryson v. Chicago State, 96 F. 3d 912 (7th Cir. 1996);Savino v. C.P. Hall
Co., 199 F.3d 925 (7th Cir. 1999); Bryson v. Chicago State, 96 F. 3d 912 (7th Cir. 1999); Johnson v.
Stone Container, 88 F. Supp. 2d 1295 (ND Ala 2000);Garcia v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., 310 F.3rd 403 (5th
Cir. 2002); Ernst v. Sunbelt Rentals, 108 Fed. Appx. 911 (5th Cir. 2004); Smith v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc.,
356 Fed Appx. 272 (11th Cir. 2009); Hardwick v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., 719 F. Supp. 2d 994 (C.D. Illinois
2010) and Smith v. AirTran Airways, Inc., 744 F. Supp.2d 1274 (M.D. Fla. 2010).
Ms. Hill is board certified in labor and employment in Florida. She is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and
was selected for inclusion in Florida Super Lawyers for 2008-2010 and Best Lawyers in America for
Employment Law; Labor Law – Management in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Ms. Hill is involved in civic
organizations throughout Jacksonville including Leadership Jacksonville, The First Coast Manufacturers
Association and the Hubbard House.
Ms. Hill is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; Sixth Circuit Court of
Appeals; U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; The U.S. Court
of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida; U.S. District Court Middle
District of Florida; U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida; U.S. District Court Middle District of
Georgia; U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois; U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois;
U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois; U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana; U.S. District
Court Northern District of Texas; U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas; and U.S. District Court
Western District of Texas. She is a member of the Illinois, Florida, and Georgia Bar Associations.
Robert L Giese, SCRP GMS
Vice President Business Information Technology
Lexicon Relocation
As Vice President, Business Information Technology, Mr. Giese focuses on creating and implementing
unique technology solutions for Lexicon’s Clients, Transferees and Internal Employees.
Robert’s broad base of experience in relocation taxation and technology stems from progressively
increasing responsibility since first entering the industry in 1987. He provided key relocation services to
transferees through a major relocation management organization before stepping into the role of
Relocation Administrator for a Fortune 500 company where he worked closely with the Payroll, Finance
and Accounting, and Technology teams. Robert’s business and technical knowledge base had a
significant impact on the development of the company’s proprietary software to manage relocation
benefits. Subsequently, he was instrumental in the creation of new relocation outsourcing services for a
relocation management company before developing and leading the company’s regional expense and tax
management service.
Upon joining the industry’s top relocation technology and tax management firm, Robert continued to lead
several major initiatives. As Product Manager, he led the design, development and delivery of the
industry’s first web-based relocation expense and tax management software. With nearly 25 years in
relocation technology, taxation and service delivery, Robert joined Lexicon Relocation in 2011.
Today, he provides leadership and strategic focus for the development and administration of Lexicon’s
technologies, integrating business process optimization with software applications to provide world-class
services for Lexicon clients, transferees and their integrated supplier network. Robert holds both Senior
Certified Relocation Professional and Global Mobility Specialist designations and has received the
Worldwide Employee Relocation Council’s Distinguished Service Award. He served as President and
Treasurer for the Rocky Mountain Relocation Council as well as Chairperson on several Worldwide ERC
committees. Robert was also a member of the Denver Chapter Payroll Association and an advisor to the
board of the Corporate Housing Providers Association. He holds degrees in both Behavioral Science and
Computer Sciences.
Sarah Plowman is a senior policy analyst in the Employment Tax unit of the Internal Revenue
Service. She has responsibility for several programs, including penalties, employment tax reporting
software, and responses to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and General
Accounting Office (GAO) audits of IRS employment tax activities.
Sarah has worked in the IRS for over 24 years and her experience includes collecting delinquent taxes,
conducting examinations involving employment tax issues, and managing an employment tax
examination group before her assignment as a senior analyst. Sarah is a proud graduate of the University
of Texas in Austin.
Anita Bartels
Instructional Skills:
During the 29 years I have been with the IRS I have both written and taught
many classes, including technical classes such as RA Phases I, II, and III and
Basic Employment Tax. I have also taught Classroom Instructor Training and I have presented many
workshops on subjects such as Worker Classification, the trucking industry, Subchapter S Officer
Compensation, and partnership taxation. I am one of the approved speakers for Employment Tax and am
approved to speak at various venues, including the APA’s annual Congress and the IRS Tax Forums.
Technical Skills:
As a revenue agent, I began examining individuals and finished my career as a revenue agent examining
large cases. As a manager, I reviewed and approved cases, settled disputes with taxpayers on both
income tax and employment tax issues, and assisted my revenue agents with their issues as necessary.
I have a degree in accounting, and I have had all possible phases of training as a revenue agent (RA IIV), partnerships, Basic ET, Advanced ET, and classes in international issues.
Course Development:
After spending four years with IRS’ corporate education developing, writing and delivering course material
for the Office of Penalties and Employment Tax, I continued writing and rewriting Basic and Intermediate
Employment Tax. I also participated in developing the classes I taught in income tax - Basic RA I, II, III,
TCO III, CITC, MSSP workshops, and classes rolling out three computers within IRS.
Elizabeth Hendry is a Senior Relationship Manager with Wells Fargo. She has been
with Wells Fargo for 24 years. She lives in the Jacksonville Market and partners with
many local companies and Nonprofits to help support financial education in her
community.
Donna Padgug is an economic development specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration's
North Florida District Office in Jacksonville, Florida, where she focuses on the business and economic
development needs of the district’s 43-county territory. Ms. Padgug presents workshops on a variety of
business-related topics, holds one-on-one counseling sessions and reaches out to the community to ensure
small business owners are aware of the programs and services available nationwide through the U.S. Small
Business Administration.
Prior to joining the SBA in 1983, Ms. Padgug was employed by the Battelle Memorial Institute and the
Inter-American Defense College in Washington, D.C. where she contributed to the successful
implementation of international development programs.
Ms. Padgug is a member of the American Business Women's Association, Women Business Owners of
North Florida, Enterprising Women's Leadership Institute, the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce, GlobalJax and Sister Cities of Jacksonville.
Ms. Padgug earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park
Donnie Wells graduated from the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO in 2000 with a double
major in Business and History. In 2002 Donnie began his career in Federal Law Enforcement as an
Inspector with the Department of Treasury in the United States Customs Service. In 2003 Donnie
became a founding member of the Department of Homeland Security when the U.S. Customs Service
was merged into Customs and Border Protection. In 2004, Donnie was hired by the newly formed
Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security as a Special Agent
/Criminal Investigator where he a be employed for 10 years. The ICE office in Jacksonville is comprised
of ICE Office of Investigations and ICE Detention and Removal. The office of Investigation has about 25
agents and Detention and Removal has about 40 officers. The ICE office’s responsibility covers 19
Northeast Florida counties to include officers that report to each county detention facility. ICE Office of
Investigation also is responsible for all criminal prosecutions from applications that are filed in
Jacksonville from Southern Georgia and all of Northern Florida south to Orlando. Donnie’s primary
investigative case involves Critical Infrastructure protection for select areas in our area of responsibility
that requires special attention to include the international port of entry, Jacksonville international airport,
and the Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. The ICE office in Jacksonville annually
performs about 800 administrative arrests and about 150 federal criminal prosecutions.
Mike Butler has more than 20 years experience working in the UK,
France and US as a European HR executive and consultant working
with such companies as Disneyland Paris, United Airlines and Corus.
Mike has for the last 4 years worked for Radius Worldwide
(International Business Expansion consultancy). He advises US
companies setting up remote Sales / IT teams outside the US on all
aspects of International HR. Prior to this role, Mike did assignments
for two international Facility Management providers setting up their
HR and payroll operations for new contracts outside the UK.
Mike has a US HR qualification, Global Professional in HR (GPHR) as well as an MBA from Surrey
University in the UK.
Elizabeth Herrera, APA’s Chapter Relations Manager joined the APA in March
2005 as Fulfillment Team Lead in Membership Services. She was promoted to
Chapter Relations Manager in January 2011.
Elizabeth has had the privilege of working with many members in her role as
Fulfillment Team Lead in Membership Services and looks forward to continuing these
relationships through the Chapter Relations department. In addition to managing all
aspects of the Chapter Relations department, Elizabeth helps write the monthly
chapter columns in PAYTECH, PAYTECHonline and the National Chapter News
email broadcasts. She oversees all chapter contests, including seven National Payroll
Week chapter contests, the APA Chapter of the Year, Best Chapter Website, Chapter Pictorial, and Best
Statewide or Regional Meeting. In addition, she is responsible for the Chapter Exchange, the Costume
Contest and assists in organizing several events during the APA’s Annual Congress.
Elizabeth serves on APA’s Chapter Recognition Committee, she is a Congress Speaker and works
closely with the APA’s Board of Advisors.
Richard Bate, Assistant Director/USERRA Investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans’
Employment & Training Service (VETS).
VETS is a small agency within the Department of Labor that provides nation-wide over 160 million dollars
in grants that is focused on assisting veterans in their employment/reemployment needs.
Mr. Bate served in the United States for over 30 years after retiring from the Navy in 1993, Mr. Bate
worked for the state of Florida as a Local Veterans Employment Representative for six years before
joining VETS in July of 2000.