Conferences & Webinars

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2026 Tools & Tactics Webinar: 13th Annual DMEC Employer Leave Management Survey Insights

Wednesday, Mar. 11
9:00 am PT | 12:00 pm ET

As leave management continues to grow in complexity, so do the challenges facing absence and disability professionals. If you’ve ever wondered how your organization’s leave benefits compare to others in your industry—or sought benchmarks to refine your leave management processes—this is a session you won’t want to miss!

Join us for an in-depth look at the findings from the 13th DMEC Employer Leave Management Survey, conducted in collaboration with Spring Consulting Group. This year’s survey provides a comprehensive view of evolving leave management practices, including:

  • Outsourcing trends and administration models
  • Caseload management for internal and external staff
  • Technology adoption and integration strategies
  • Process design to support regulatory and non-regulatory leaves, accommodations, and return-to-work programs

We’ll break down results by employer size, industry, and method of administration, offering actionable insights to help you benchmark and optimize your programs. In addition to analyzing 2025 survey data, we’ll explore emerging trends and future challenges shaping the absence and disability management landscape.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain tools and knowledge that will help you stay ahead in an ever-changing environment.

Learning Objectives

  • Gain practical benchmarks to compare your leave programs.
  • Learn strategies to navigate regulatory complexity and operational demands.
  • Identify insights into technology and outsourcing practices driving efficiency.

Presented by

Director of Benchmarking & Research
DMEC
SVP
Spring, an Alera Group Company
Consultant
Spring, an Alera Group Company

This session qualifies for the following CEUs:

1 ADMS, 1 CDMS, 1 CLMS, 1 PHR, 1 CPDM and 1 SHRM

TO QUALIFY FOR CEUs

  • You must attend the full duration of the webinar. Following the webinar and once attendance has been confirmed, you will receive an email with CEU reporting information.
  • You must register for and watch the webinar individually. Group participation does not qualify for CEU credit.

Exclusively offered by DMEC, the Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) program is the only professional designation of its kind that provides interactive, hands-on training to ensure your programs effectively comply with state and federal leave laws. Learn more about the CLMS program.

Registration Fees

DMEC Members

Free

Non-Members

39.00

DMEC members receive free registration for webinars.

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Deborah LaBonar, PhD
Director of Benchmarking & Research
DMEC

Deborah joined DMEC in November 2024 and brings more than 20 years of experience developing data-driven strategies for organizations in the disability and absence management field to this role. She has a deep base of knowledge and practical experience in this realm, including leave policy design, implementation of reporting platforms, and managing teams of absence analytics subject matter experts.

Karen English, CPCU, ARM
SVP
Spring, an Alera Group Company

Karen English is the Senior Vice President at Spring Consulting Group, an Alera Group Company’s National Absence Management Practice Leader.  She has over twenty years of disability, FMLA, PFML, other leave, and workers’ compensation consulting and brokerage experience.  Her areas of focus include integrated absence management for employers of all sizes and industries, strategy and product development for insurance and service providers, research and benchmarking, technology improvement, and implementation.  Prior to joining Alera/Spring, Karen was a Senior Consultant with Watson Wyatt, Practice Leader for Parson Group, Assistant Risk Manager for U.S. Bank, and a casualty broker for Marsh and Aon.  Karen has her BBA in Risk Management and Human Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her MBA in Finance from University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management.  She has earned the designations of CPCU, ARM, ACI, and AU, sits on the Board of Directors of the DMEC, and is a licensed insurance broker.

Jackie Myers
Consultant
Spring, an Alera Group Company

Jackie Myers is a Consultant with Spring Consulting Group. At Spring, Jackie provides consultative, project management, and research support for client engagements related to employee benefits, health and welfare. Jackie has an actuarial background, allowing for unique and data-driven perspectives on client projects and survey work. Prior to joining Spring, Jackie was an Operations Analyst & Safety Officer at Hogan Security Group, responsible for data reporting, OSHA compliance, vendor management, and payroll. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics and Data Science from the University of California Santa Barbara.

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Lindsay Lueken

VP, Disability & Leave Operations

BROADSPIRE

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis arcu placerat, condimentum nisl vel, mollis metus. Etiam lobortis, libero eget blandit pretium, augue ipsum pellentesque lorem, scelerisque aliquet magna enim non ligula. Proin ac imperdiet augue, non auctor ex. Aliquam felis felis, ultricies venenatis dapibus quis, elementum eget magna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Phasellus felis ex, semper vitae erat a, consequat ullamcorper leo. Donec mattis lobortis tincidunt. Nulla pulvinar ac nisl eget ornare. Aliquam elementum elit sit amet dignissim tempus. Ut sed ante vitae eros ultrices porta.

Alice Cotti

VP, Government Segment Business Solutions

AFLAC

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis arcu placerat, condimentum nisl vel, mollis metus. Etiam lobortis, libero eget blandit pretium, augue ipsum pellentesque lorem, scelerisque aliquet magna enim non ligula. Proin ac imperdiet augue, non auctor ex. Aliquam felis felis, ultricies venenatis dapibus quis, elementum eget magna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Phasellus felis ex, semper vitae erat a, consequat ullamcorper leo. Donec mattis lobortis tincidunt. Nulla pulvinar ac nisl eget ornare. Aliquam elementum elit sit amet dignissim tempus. Ut sed ante vitae eros ultrices porta.

Seth Turner, Chief Strategy Officer
Seth Turner

Chief Strategy Officer

ABSENCESOFT

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis arcu placerat, condimentum nisl vel, mollis metus. Etiam lobortis, libero eget blandit pretium, augue ipsum pellentesque lorem, scelerisque aliquet magna enim non ligula. Proin ac imperdiet augue, non auctor ex. Aliquam felis felis, ultricies venenatis dapibus quis, elementum eget magna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Phasellus felis ex, semper vitae erat a, consequat ullamcorper leo. Donec mattis lobortis tincidunt. Nulla pulvinar ac nisl eget ornare. Aliquam elementum elit sit amet dignissim tempus. Ut sed ante vitae eros ultrices porta.

Deborah LaBonar, PhD
Director of Benchmarking & Research
DMEC

Deborah joined DMEC in November 2024 and brings more than 20 years of experience developing data-driven strategies for organizations in the disability and absence management field to this role. She has a deep base of knowledge and practical experience in this realm, including leave policy design, implementation of reporting platforms, and managing teams of absence analytics subject matter experts.