Event Information

Betsy Rader is the District Director of the EEOC's Charlotte District, which includes six offices in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. She is a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Prior to joining the EEOC in 2023, Ms. Rader was Regional Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S.  Department of Education.  She also served as Senior Counsel for a non-profit healthcare system, the largest employer in Ohio.  Her prior experience includes representing workers in her own employment law firm, running a government agency advocating for abused children, and conducting business and employment litigation at an international law firm.

She graduated from Yale Law School in 1986 after receiving a B.A. summa cum laude in Classics from The Ohio Sate University.  Following law school, she was judicial clerk for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Her volunteer work has included serving as Vice-President of the Board for the Cleveland Legal Aid Society, serving on the Board of the Ohio Employment Lawyers Association, and service as President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

 

Drew Rogers transferred from The EEOC Kansas City office where he was the Staff Mediator for Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. As a Senior Federal Mediator for the EEOC, Drew now handles all the Mediations for South Carolina out of the Greenville office for the EEOC. He mediates discrimination cases in both the Private and Federal Sector (Federal Employees) and provides training to constituents that require or request it. Drew’s belief in the mission and process of the ADR program is what inspires and motivates him to help Claimants and Organizations find resolution in difficult matters.  As a Lean Six professional, he offers Ten years of management experience with a background in Human Resources including repeated best practices in owning/operating and building successful businesses in both profit and non-profit sectors. 

Drew’s diverse background includes six years in the United States Navy where he was part of a select crew that built and commissioned a 3.2-Billion-dollar Submarine; the Nation’s only active Special Operation Submarine. In addition to receiving multiple awards, Drew received his Submarine Qualifications in 42 days; something that is allotted one year. 

Drew holds two master’s Degrees, one in Administrative Studies focusing on Human Resources and Business & the other in Social Work in which he is licensed to practice therapy. Drew also holds a Master Certification in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. Drew is State certified in Civil and Family mediation where he now acts as a coaching professional for other up and coming mediators; some who have become EEOC Pro-Bono’s and received contracts from the EEOC to mediate.  Speaking both individually and on panels at Law conferences in multiple states, SHRM events and individual training sessions for Corporations, Drew has enjoyed the opportunity to provide outreach to a variety of professionals. Drew also maintains affiliations with the MISSOURI ACADEMY OF MEDIATORS & ARBITRATORS as well as the International Mediation Institute (IMI) In South Carolina.

Mr. Matthews is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment & Labor Law.  He is also a certified mediator, and often mediates employment claims. 

From April 2000 to March 2004, Mr. Matthews was General Counsel and Deputy Director for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS).  From 1999 to 2000, he was Deputy Director for Labor at the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (LLR).  Prior to state service, from 1995 to 1999, Mr. Matthews practiced law with Kilpatrick Stockton, L.L.P. 

Mr. Matthews has previously served as the Chairman of the South Carolina Bar’s Employment & Labor Law Section, and has also served on the Employment & Labor Law Specialization Advisory Board of the S.C. Commission on CLE and Specialization.  He is a member of the South Carolina Bar and North Carolina Bar 

Mr. Matthews received a B.A. summa cum laude from Furman University, an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.  Prior to attending law school, Mr. Matthews served with the Central Intelligence Agency.  In 2019, he retired as a Captain from the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Paul Porter is a employee-side employment law and business litigation lawyer at Cromer, Babb, Porter & Hicks, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Paul is from Greenville, South Carolina. He went to college at Presbyterian College (go Blue Hose!) and law school at the University of South Carolina.

He is the current chair of the employment law section of the South Carolina Association of Justice. Paul was awarded the young lawyer award by ABOTA in 2016 in recognition of his aptitude as a young trial lawyer and he has been honored as legal elite in employment law and business litigation for both Columbia and Greenville several times. Paul is a certified specialist in South Carolina Employment and Labor Law.Paul became a fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2024. He's a "super lawyer" and also a super good guy.

Paul lives in Columbia with his wife Ashley and dog Snoopy. He loves practicing law, but would rather be skiing, working out, or drinking a cold beer in the warm sun. 

Joseph serves as General Counsel and Special Advisor to the President of Midlands Technical College where he provides legal advice and assistance to Midlands Technical College Commission, Executive Council, President, and other college officials on complex legal matters, policy questions, and operational procedures. As in-house counsel for MTC, Joseph manages outside litigation and outside counsel. He also currently serves as a lead adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Joseph was selected as the co-winner of the 2019 South Carolina Bar Young Lawyer of the Year Award, He volunteers as a Mock Trial attorney coach for his alma mater, Richland Northeast High School, and as a trial advocacy team coach at USC School of Law.

Joseph has provided advice and counsel to education sector clients on a broad range of issues, including Title VII, Title IX, Clery Act, ADA, FERPA, FMLA, employment law related issues (EEOC & SCHAC complaints), compliance, ethics, risk management, student related legal issues, and other relevant federal and state laws. He has represented clients in hearings, trials, depositions and mediations. He also has experience representing clients in administrative, state and federal courts, as well as internal investigations and evaluations.

Kathryn Long Mahoney is a partner with the Columbia law firm of Halligan Mahoney & Williams. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy from Emory University (B.A. 1989) and her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D. 1992). Ms. Mahoney was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1992. She is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of South Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. While in law school, Kathy was a member of the Moot Court Bar. Kathy is a member of the National School Attorneys Association (NSAA), and the South Carolina School Boards Association School Attorneys Association. Kathy is also a member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court. She practices primarily in the areas of school law with an emphasis on employment law, student matters, policy development, Board-Superintendent matters, and related litigation.

Mercedes Pinckney Reese is the current Executive Director of Legal Services for Lexington County School District One. Ms. Pinckney Reese has served various public educational institutions as in-house counsel at the higher education and K-12 level. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of Charleston, a juris doctor degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and a master of laws degree in intercultural human rights law from St. Thomas University School of Law.

•        2020 Matthew J. Perry Civility Award, Richland County Bar Association

•        Cochair for April 2023 Roadways to the Bench Event in Columbia, SC

•        Hilton Head Bar Association Super CLE speaker on Tips from the Bench (2/7/22)

•        Leadership South Carolina speaker on Implicit Bias: How it affects decisions (9/9/21, 9/9/20)

•        2020 SC Bar Convention panelist for Corporate, Banking, and Securities Section on Implicit Bias and How to Address it to Better Serve Your Clients (1/24/20)

•        2019 Annual Judicial Conference: Staff Attorneys and Law Clerks session panelist on Implicit Bias (9/17/19)

•        USC School of Law Employment Law Society, Inaugural Speaker on Federal Employment Practice (2/25/19)

•        Women in Law/Richland County Bar Association Panel Speaker (2/20/19)

•        2019 South Carolina Women Lawyers Association Annual Conference Federal Practice: Advice from the Bench (11/8/19)

•        South Carolina Supreme Court Institute: Teacher Training on Federal Courts (2017–present)

•        Federal Bar Association Summer Associates Seminar at Matthew J. Perry Courthouse, Presenter (2007–2019)

•        Bridge the Gap, Federal Court Practice in South Carolina, Speaker (three times per year 2010–2017)

•        Carolinas Business Litigation Year in Review: A View from the Bench (2/9/18)

•        Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Lecturer of five-part Series on Faith and Technology: Raising Families in a Tech-Savvy World (2018)

•        SC Bar Employment Law Essentials CLE, Litigating Employment Law Claims, Speaker (2014–2019)

•        SC Bar Webcast Wednesday, Speaker, A Pragmatic Approach to Federal Practice (10/4/2017)

•        2016 Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference Magistrate Judges meeting speaker, 2015 Federal Rule Changes

•        2016 Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting panelist, Emerging Issues in Electronic Discovery (11/8/16)

•        South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association speaker: Ethics and Social Media (5/1/2016)

•        USC School of Law Tech Series speaker: Blurred Lines: Social Media and Ethics (9/2/2015)

•        USC School of Law Class Reunion, CLE speaker: Ethics and Social Media (10/17/14)

•        Guest Lecturer for various classes at USC School of Law, including Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr.’s Evidence class, Professor Eichhorn’s Advanced Civil Procedure class, Professor Leonardi’s Legal Writing and E-discovery classes, Professor Durant’s E-discovery class, Professor Virzi’s Legal Writing class, Judge Lockemy’s American Legal History, and USC Honors College pre-law courses

•        South Carolina Association for Justice CLE speaker: Social Security: A View from the Bench (8/5/21, 8/7/14), Employment Law (8/2/18, 7/28/17)

•        South Carolina Law Review E-discovery Symposium panelist: Ethical Challenges in E-Discovery: Passwords, Privilege, Profiles, & Beyond (3/1/13)

•        SC Bar Law School for Journalists speaker on Federal Courts (12/12/12)

•        National Advocacy Center Federal Guidelines Seminar speaker: Ethical Issues for CJA Panel Attorneys (9/24/12)

•        E-Discovery CLE panelist in Charlotte, NC, Where Reality Meets the Law (1/18/12)

•        South Carolina Legal Services CLE speaker in Myrtle Beach, SC, Federal Practice in South Carolina (11/09/11)

•        NC/SC Labor and Employment Law Conference panelist in Charleston, SC, Insight from the Federal Bench (10/22/11)

•        Recipient, Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Outstanding Alumna of the Year Inaugural Award, Inducted graduating students into the GSSM Alumni Association (5/28/11)

•        Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Dinner in Columbia, SC, Keynote Speaker (4/26/11)

•        South Carolina Law Review Symposium panelist in Columbia, SC, Judicial Ideology: Responses to How Judges Think by Richard Posner (10/22/10)

Personal

•        Naturalized American Citizen

•        Conversant in Farsi (Persian) and Italian, some French

•        Married to employment attorney R. Hayne Hodges III

•        Cooking, reading, traveling, and sports

•        Heathwood Hall Episcopal School Lacrosse play-by-play announcer