Speakers

Peter Kirsch is a nationally recognized transportation and airport infrastructure advisor with more than 35 years of experience representing airports, local governments, and private entities. He provides counsel on land use, environmental review, and federal transportation law, and advises on major airport development projects, litigation, and innovative revenue strategies, including public-private partnerships.

Subash Iyer advises airports, cities, and transit agencies on major infrastructure projects and complex regulatory and litigation matters. He brings senior leadership experience from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration, where he worked on national rulemaking and project delivery, along with a strong appellate background that includes work before the Supreme Court and federal courts.

Sarah Wilbanks focuses her practice on representing airport clients, advising public and private entities on a range of federal regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. She has particular experience with dispute resolution, negotiating lease and use agreements, and counseling clients on federal compliance, and has also been involved in litigation related to airport operations.

Katie van Heuven is an environmental and land use attorney focused on airport and transportation projects, advising clients on NEPA reviews, FAA compliance, and airport planning and development. She combines litigation experience in federal appellate courts with regulatory counseling on environmental cleanups, land use, and natural resources, drawing on prior policy roles in the U.S. Senate and Department of Justice.

Eric Smith advises airports nationwide on aviation, labor, concessions, and bankruptcy matters, counseling on operating agreements, federal funding, and airport improvement grants. An experienced litigator, he handles disputes before DOT, the FAA, and in state and federal courts, and is widely recognized for his work on complex airline bankruptcy matters.

John Putnam is a transportation, environmental, and energy law expert with senior leadership experience at both the federal and state levels. A former General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation and Senior Advisor to the Governor of Colorado, he advises on major airport, rail, and infrastructure initiatives and navigating complex regulatory frameworks.

Eric Pilsk has over 20 years of experience representing clients in disputes involving public entities, focusing on airport, transit, and land use issues. He handles complex federal and constitutional matters, has served as lead trial counsel in state and federal forums, and brings strong appellate experience, while also advising clients on regulatory and prelitigation issues such as FAA compliance, airport expansion, and rail corridor access.

Steven Osit represents public entities nationwide on the development and operation of airports and rail transit systems. A former U.S. Department of Transportation official, he advises on federal regulatory matters, complex airport transactions, and frequently handles administrative and judicial litigation involving compliance, disputes, accidents, and agency actions.

Slone Isselhard advises airport operators nationwide on complex transactions, regulatory compliance, and policy matters, including FAA grant requirements and DOT policies. She guides major airport development and concession projects and counsels clients on navigating relationships with federal agencies such as TSA, CBP, and ICE, drawing on prior in-house experience with the City of Chicago.

Stephanie Griffin Mateo is a seasoned attorney specializing in transportation and airport law. With a comprehensive practice focusing on the development, operation, and legal aspects of public transportation and infrastructure projects, she brings extensive expertise to the field. Her work in airport law is focused on emphasizing airport development, including through public-private partnerships (P3s), and regulatory compliance.

Tracy Davis brings over 30 years of experience helping airports, transit agencies, and public-sector clients deliver complex projects while complying with federal and other legal requirements. She advises on governance, major transactions, and infrastructure matters, including procurement, construction, financing, and public-private partnerships, and draws on prior in-house roles with the City and County of Denver and Denver International Airport.

Sara Mogharabi is an environmental attorney who represents public and private clients nationwide on project development, site contamination, remediation, and brownfields. She advises on regulatory compliance under federal and state environmental laws, with particular expertise in CERCLA, RCRA, SDWA, and emerging contaminants, including PFAS, and also litigates environmental matters before courts and agencies.

Laura Kilgarriff advises clients across transportation and other highly regulated industries on navigating complex regulatory processes. A former Assistant Chief Counsel at the Transportation Security Administration, she brings a decade of experience overseeing legal issues related to security regulations, directives, and policies across all transportation modes.

Caroline Jaschke is a litigator focused on environmental, transit, and energy matters before federal and state courts and administrative bodies. She has represented federal agencies, nonprofits, and state, local, and tribal governments, and advises clients on regulatory compliance and pre-litigation issues, drawing on prior experience as an honors attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.