Conference On-Demand 2026 (RBR 3; RBR 9)

Bethany is a senior manager in the Consulting division of Maner Costerisan's Accounting and Outsourced Solutions department. She began her career as an intern with the firm's Audit team in 2015 and was hired full-time shortly after. Bethany's passion for helping her clients strengthen their internal controls and operations as an auditor led her to a new focus, providing consulting and advisory services to clients of all industries. In this role, she helps organizations plan for the future and achieve their goals. She also offers investigation services to organizations that have been victimized by or have suspicions of fraud, helping determine any losses and implementing controls to prevent loss and mitigate risk in the future. Outside of Maner, Bethany has served as the Vice President of the Lansing Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and joined the Women in Public Finance - Michigan board in 2022. In 2023, Bethany was named to Lansing Symphony Orchestra's Board of Directors.

Heather Farmer is a senior manager in the Accounting and Outsourced Solutions department at Maner Costerisan. She works closely with Maner's government clients, providing accounting and consulting support to municipalities across the state. Prior to joining Maner, she served as the deputy finance director and deputy treasurer for the City of Auburn Hills.

Seth Koches is an attorney and Partner at Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman & Koches, P.C. Prior to joining the firm, Seth worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney for 7 years in the Oakland County and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s office prosecuting cases from simple retail fraud to criminal sexual conduct and assault with intent to murder. Seth’s primary practice encompasses nearly every aspect of municipal law including annexation, ordinance enforcement, planning and zoning, and amicus writing. 

After receiving his law degree from Cooley Law School, Robert Thall joined the law firm of Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman & Koches, PC, in which he is now partner. With extensive experience in municipal law, Rob serves as general or special counsel to many general townships, charter townships, as well as sewer and water authorities throughout the state. Rob is also lead counsel for MTA and is a frequent author and speaker for MTA and other municipal groups around the state. 

Laura Genovich practices commercial law, bankruptcy law, and municipal law at the Grand Rapids office of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC. She works closely with municipal clients on issues related to many aspects of township law, including zoning, real estate transactions, public finance, and much more. She handles complex property tax appeals and has special expertise in property tax exemptions and special assessments. Laura also works with both public entities and private clients (including developers) on land use matters, including development agreements, annexations, Act 425 agreements, and zoning approvals, and is a regular presenter for MTA and other organizations around the state.

Michael Bila is an attorney with the Kalmazoo-based firm Bauckham Thall Seeber Kaufman & Koches, PC. He joined the firm in 2022 after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, where he also gained government law experience working for the City of Ann Arbor, the Michigan Department of Attorney General Criminal Trials & Appeals Division, and the Michigan Department of Attorney General Corporate Oversight Division. In addition to his government work, Michael also served as a defense attorney with the University of Michigan’s Juvenile Justice Clinic representing underserved youth.

Adam Frost joined Maner Costerisan in 2019. In his role as a manager in the Accounting and Outsourced Solutions department, he specializes in providing accounting and financial support to Maner’s government clients. As a previous audit associate, Adam is able to use his knowledge when helping clients with audit preparation.

Tyler Baker is Principal in the audit department at Maner Costerisan, where he works exclusively with local units of government focused on providing advisory and compliance services for clients.

Mike is the Co-Founder of 2 The Rescue, which offers training and educational programs to provide field-tested safety techniques and emotional wellness strategies for those who face life-threatening conflicts and risks on a daily basis. Mike has over 25 years of law enforcement experience combined with 18 years as a firefighter and nearly 5,000 hours of classroom and practical skill instruction. His experience includes years of training, instruction and real-life application in de-escalation techniques, violence recognition indicators, effective communication skills and emergency responder safety and wellness. 

Laura Genovich is a partner in the municipal group at the firm of Foster Swift Collins & Smith. She represents townships across the state in a variety of legal issues, including litigation, contracts, zoning and land use, labor and employment, Open Meetings Act and FOIA, special assessments, and property tax appeals. Laura also specializes in handling “hot topic” township law issues, such as medical marijuana and wind and solar energy.

Trent Cunningham is an Associate Attorney at Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes, serving and assisting as general counsel for many townships around Michigan. He has a broad range of experience in many areas of municipal law, but primarily specializes in land use and zoning matters, FOIA and OMA matters, and code enforcement. He enjoys presenting on creative zoning solutions to provide a new perspective on complicated zoning matters, such as housing shortages. 

Wayne Beyea is a senior attorney with Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC and a highly regarded expert in municipal law, zoning, and land use planning. With more than 35 years of experience, he combines legal expertise with practical planning insight as an AICP-certified planner and former faculty member at Michigan State University. Known for helping communities navigate complex development and regulatory challenges, Wayne brings a strategic, real-world approach to advising municipalities on growth, infrastructure, and policy. His work focuses on aligning legal frameworks with community goals to support sustainable and effective local governance.

Kathryn Zoller Stegink is an associate attorney at Mika Meyers in Grand Rapids. Ms. Stegink began her legal career by spending one year as a Research Attorney at the Michigan Court of Appeals and has been practicing municipal law since she began working for Mika Meyers in 2021. In addition to somehow enjoying work on Freedom of Information Act projects, Ms. Stegink is also unusual because she is a fan of the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (her alma maters).

Greg Bennick is a dynamic keynote speaker and team-building expert who helps organizations reconnect with purpose, focus, and meaningful collaboration. A bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and humanitarian, he brings over 30 years of global experience studying what motivates people and drives performance. Greg's goal is to inspire audiences to recognize that their work matters and help fuel collective impact and help teams translate inspiration into action.

Joshua Cook is a partner in Prince Lobel's Data Privacy and Security practice group. Josh has been practicing law for more than 20 years, including 12 years in-house at a Fortune Global 500 company where he served as the first global cyber counsel and launched its cybersecurity legal function. He has commanded dozens of critical cyber, privacy, and fraud incidents, guiding C-suites and boards through crises such as data breaches, ransomware attacks, large-scale fraud investigations, and government inquiries. He is the author of Cyber Resilience by Design: The Executive's Guide to Managing a Cyberattack.