Mike Aitken has worked at SHRM since 2003 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining SHRM, he served for 14 years as associate director for Governmental and External Relations at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Previously, Aitken worked on state public policy issues at Bonner & Associates, a public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Currently, he is based in Alexandria, VA.

David Lusk joined the SHRM Government Affairs Team as the Senior Associate for Member Advocacy in 2010.  Lusk oversees SHRM’s traditional member advocacy efforts.   He is also responsible for the development of the Advocacy Team, a SHRM initiative that will elevate the visibility of the HR profession by establishing a strong member presence in each of the 435 congressional districts.

With over 15 years of policy experience, Lusk most recently specialized in grassroots and grasstops internet engagement with Capitol Advantage -- now a part of the CQ-Roll Call Group. He also focused on health policy as a staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and in the state affairs department of the Health Insurance Association of America. He is based in Alexandria, Va.

Alison Marshall is an active litigator who has extensive experience handling complex employment litigation matters including employment discrimination class actions, FLSA collective and state wage and hour class actions, and Sarbanes-Oxley/whistleblower claims. She also routinely counsels employers on sexual and racial harassment policies and investigations, OFCCP compliance, ADA compliance, wage and hour law developments, early retirement programs, and reductions in force. She is a frequent speaker on employment and civil rights issues and the author of a number of published articles on EEO issues.

Alison also represents colleges and universities on employment matters, as well as on Title IX issues, with particular emphasis on issues of gender discrimination in intercollegiate athletics. She is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Alison is a Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. She is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Employee Relations Law Journal and the Equal Employment Opportunity and the Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committees of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association. In addition, Alison is a member of Jones Day's Diversity Task Force.

Allison West is an employment attorney by background and for over 20 years has assisted employers in creating and maintaining safe and respectful work environments.

She focuses her practice on delivering customized workplace training, conducting workplace investigations, coaching executives/managers concerning performance or disciplinary issues as well as leadership topics, and serves as an expert witness. Allison also specializes in using her mediation skills to help individuals and groups to work through conflicts and create more collaborative work environments.

Allison is a top-rated speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference as well as other HR/diversity conferences, and is a national expert on harassment, discrimination and investigations. She has appeared on PBS, CBS This Morning and in O Magazine discussing workplace harassment issues.

She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds her SHRM-SCP certification and AWI-CH (investigation) certificate.