Spring Meeting

LPA Spring Meeting
April 20-22, 2026
Francis Marion Hotel
Charleston, South Carolina

View a list of registered attendees here.

Registration is open for the 2026 LPA Spring Meeting, taking place April 20–22 at the Francis Marion Hotel in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

Enjoy ample networking opportunities during receptions & dinners, group outings, and throughout our focused education program, all designed to spark collaboration and actionable insights. Surrounded by Charleston’s charm and hospitality, this is the perfect setting to recharge, reconnect, and reimagine what’s next for your business.

Program Highlights Include:

A venture capital panel exploring how AI can be leveraged to accelerate and enhance product design and manufacturing.
A hands-on AI session focused on real-world applications.
An update from our government affairs consulting firm on the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape.
Insights from scientists at a local university offering a laboratory perspective on AI, funding, and research.
An optional Ghost Walk Tour through downtown Charleston.
And much more…

Additional program details will be available soon.

Schedule
Monday, April 20
6:00-8:00 PM Welcome Reception

Tuesday, April 21
6:00-7:30 AM Morning Meet-Up, sponsored by the Women's Forum Committee
7:30-9:15 AM Breakfast/registration
9:15-10:30 AM Venture Capital Panel: AI in Product Design & Manufacturing
10:30-10:45 AM Break
10:45-11:30 AM AI for Leadership: A Guide for 2026 and Beyond, Rich Brooks
11:30-1:00 PM Networking Lunch
1:00-2:00 PM From Mitochondria to the Marketplace: Emerging Science, Funding, and Technology in the Modern Research Lab, Jessica Hartman, PhD
2:00-2:15 PM Break
2:15-3:45 PM Government Affairs Update, Venable LLP
5:00-7:30 PM Reception & Dinner
7:30-10:00 PM Ghost & Cocktails Historical Walking Tour

Wednesday, April 22
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
8:30-11:00 AM Integrating AI into Sales & Marketing Workflows, Rich Brooks
11:00-11:15 AM Break
11:15-12:00 PM Connecting and Adapting to Accelerate Growth, and to Save a Life — My Own, Chris Champlin
12:00 PM Meeting Adjourns

LPA Registration rates
1st Member Attendee $1,165
2nd Attendee $ 995
3rd Attendee $ 895
Non-Member $1,300
Spouse/Guest $ 250 (Spouse/Guest fees include all receptions and dinner)
Ghost Tour $ 120

Register Here or Download the PDF

About the Hotel
Francis Marion Hotel
387 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 606-5730
LPA Member Rate: $289
Reservations: (843) 722-0600 or 1-877-756-2121
Check in: 4pm
Check out: 12pm
Reserve Your Room Online

ABOUT THE OPTIONAL OUTING
Guests will enjoy a 2.5-hour walking tour focusing on Charleston ghost stories, legends, burial practices, and prohibition history.

We will visit two bars for a craft cocktail at each location, as well as visit the oldest graveyard in the city! The tour guides will provide narration throughout the tour, which is provided by Bulldog Tours. Wear comfortable shoes and enjoy a stroll downtown with your colleagues!

About the Speakers

Rich Brooks
Founder & PResident
flyte new media

AI for Leadership: A Guide for 2026 and Beyond
AI is evolving fast—and so are the expectations on your team to keep up. In this session focused on managers, supervisors, and leaders, Rich Brooks will demystify where AI stands today, where it’s heading, and what business leaders need to understand to guide their teams through it.

You’ll get a clear, hype-free view of the AI landscape, including:

•   Real-world use cases in sales, marketing, and operations
•   The hidden risks and ethical landmines (job loss, data security, and beyond)
•   How to roll out AI without freaking out your team
•   Practical ways to turn AI into a competitive edge—no matter your size or budget

Whether you're leading AI conversations or just trying to catch up, this session will give you the clarity, confidence, and context to lead smarter AI decisions in 2026.

Integrating AI into Sales & Marketing Workflows
Time to bridge the gap from parlor tricks to actual workflow enhancements.

This half-day workshop is designed to do just that. It’s not about theory or buzzwords—it’s about how you and your team can integrate AI into your actual workflows to drive efficiency, improve outcomes, and stay human in the process.

Whether you're in marketing, sales, or leadership, you'll walk away with a clear sense of how AI can help you think smarter, create faster, and deliver better results—without losing your brand voice or your sanity.

What You’ll Learn:
•   How (and where) to integrate AI into your marketing & sales workflows
•   How to protect and project your brand voice in an AI-assisted world
•   Where AI adds the most value (and where it doesn’t)
•   The impact of AI on SEO and how to stay relevant and visible
•   How to stand out when AI is writing everyone’s content
•   How to maintain human connection in automated communication

Whether you’re using AI every day or have yet to dip your toe in the water, you’ll walk away for this Spring Meeting with actionable lessons that you can put to work for you and your team.

About Rich
Rich Brooks is founder and president of flyte new media, a digital agency in Portland, Maine, that’s been in business for over 28 years. He is a nationally recognized speaker on entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and social media.

He founded The Agents of Change, an annual conference and weekly podcast that focuses on search, social & mobile marketing.

Rich is the author of The Lead Machine: The Small Business Guide to Digital Marketing, a popular and well-received book that helps entrepreneurs and marketers reach more of their ideal customers online.

He appears regularly as the “tech guru” on the evening news show, 207, which airs on the NBC affiliates in Maine. He has also appeared in Inc. Magazine, The Huffington Post, FastCompany.com, CNN.com, the Social Media Examiner, and many other news sources for stories on digital marketing.

Chris Champlin
Keynote Speaker & Motivator
Retired Vice President & General Manager
Laboratory Equipment
Thermo Fisher Scientific

Connecting and Adapting to Accelerate Growth, and to Save a Life — My Own
In this powerful and deeply personal keynote, Chris Champlin draws on 25 years of global leadership at Thermo Fisher Scientific and his own life-altering health journey to explore how connection and adaptability drive success—in business and in life. A retired Vice President and General Manager with extensive experience leading through change, global integrations, and acquisitions, Chris shares practical insights on uniting teams, navigating uncertainty, and accelerating growth. Blending real-world leadership lessons with hard-earned personal perspective, this talk inspires audiences to lead with purpose, resilience, and humanity—when it matters most.

About Chris
Chris Champlin retired from Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2025. Chris is recognized for his strategic vision and ability to unite diverse teams toward common goals, particularly during periods of organizational change.

Throughout his career, Chris advanced through a series of leadership roles, including Vice President of Global Corporate Accounts and Vice President & General Manager for the Laboratory Equipment Business. His international experience spans Hong Kong, Kansas City, Asheville, NC, Gaithersburg MD, and the UK, reflecting a truly global perspective.

Chris has been an instrumental player in numerous acquisitions and divestitures, with an area of expertise in the integration of global commercial organizations.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and Graduate School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Chris is now a keynote speaker and motivator, known for his ability to inspire. His speeches draw from his extensive experience in the life sciences industry and his recent personal health journey, providing valuable insights into leadership and motivation, in both business as well as a pursuit to kick cancers ass.

Jessica H. Hartman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology
Medical University of South Carolina
https://www.thehartmanlab.org

About Jessica
Dr. Jessica Hartman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MUSC. Dr. Hartman completed her Ph.D. in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the lab of Dr. Grover P. Miller, where she studied cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) enzyme kinetics. In her F32- and, K99-funded postdoctoral position in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University working with Dr. Joel Meyer, she extended her research to include in vivo models (cell culture and Caenorhabditis elegans), with a particular focus on metabolic influences on mitochondrial function and toxicity.

Venture Capital Panel: AI in Product Design & Manufacturing

This unique venture capital presentation featuring Bob Crutchfield of Good Growth Capital and Dennis Sacha of IAG Capital Partners will:

Explore how companies are implementing AI today to improve their workflows and R&D processes

Explore how AI can be leveraged to accelerate and enhance product design and manufacturing.

Showcase cutting-edge AI applications under development for diagnostic and clinical tools.

And more.

About our panelists

Robert Crutchfield
Good Growth Capital

About Bob
Bob is a senior executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare services, healthcare IT, and surgical devices with major international companies, as well as entrepreneurial startups and venture capital. He is currently a venture partner with Good Growth Capital, a venture capital firm in Charleston, SC. He the executive chairman of the board for OrbitalRx, a pharmacy shortage supply chain software company in Winston Salem, NC, a strategic advisor and operating partner for Bronze Valley, a CDFI focused on investing in companies founded and/or led by diverse entrepreneurs in Birmingham, AL, is a member of the board of directors for AllerVie, an asthma and allergy practice rollup company in Dallas, TX, is an executive in residence for HealPros, a HEDIS Stars gap closure company in Atlanta, GA.

Prior to this work, he served as the founding managing director for the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Fund, where he built the back office, hired the initial team, led the first five investments, and realized an early exit in Castle Biosciences. Before BrightEdge, he was a partner at Harbert Growth Partners in Birmingham, AL. He led investments in WellCentive, IngagePatient, Caresync and Shipt. He also served as the board observer for nContact, MaxCyte, OpenQ and WiserTogether.

Bob also served as the senior vice president/ general manager of the Pharmaceutical Services Division at US Oncology, a privately held, vertically integrated cancer care provider network with cancer clinics in more than 440 sites of service and a physician network consisting of over 1200 medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. Bob is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and Chemistry and resides in Charleston, SC.

Dennis Sacha
Partner
IAG Capital Partners

About Dennis
Dennis Sacha is a partner at IAG, a family office based in Charleston SC. He focuses on the evaluation of prospective investments, financial analysis, and diligence reviews. Previously he was a Director at Sherman Financial where he evaluated and priced portfolios of consumer debt, built and maintained predictive models, and managed portfolio analytics.

Prior to Charleston, Dennis served for 20 years in the United States Navy as a Pilot and Aviation Engineering Duty Officer. He has held operational positions as well as Information Warfare Assistant, Flight Research Scientist, Avionics Systems Program Manager, and Director of Production for P-3s and Aircraft Engines.

Dennis graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering. He is a member of Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi.

REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE UPDATE from Venable LLP will include:

Deepti Loharikar
Senior Policy Advisor
Venable LLP

About Deepti

Deepti Loharikar is both a trained attorney and an accomplished healthcare policy strategist with deep experience guiding clients on federal regulatory strategy, agency engagement, and emerging health policy trends. Deepti brings a cross-HHS perspective shaped by her work at both the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), where she led Affordable Care Act implementation efforts for rural communities, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where she developed oversight and compliance strategies for the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program.

Before joining Venable, Deepti served in senior leadership roles at national healthcare associations. She directed federal regulatory strategy for a leading national association focused on behavioral health and substance use disorder policy, where she founded and chaired the organization’s Policy Council, led its regulatory platform, and represented members in high-level engagements with federal agencies and coalitions. She also served as director of federal and state public policy for a major national healthcare trade association, where she guided multi-state advocacy initiatives, shaped federal legislation, and developed policy positions across pharmacy practice, privacy, and healthcare access.

Drawing on experience as a former healthcare attorney, a federal health policy official, and an association leader, Deepti provides clients with strategic, forward-looking guidance to help them navigate regulatory change, shape agency priorities, and advance their policy objectives.

Aaron Muench
Senior Legislative Policy Analyst
Venable LLP

About Aaron

Aaron Muench is an experienced advisor who brings several years of health policy and foreign government experience to clients. Aaron provides a variety of clients with strategic analysis of legislative policy developments on Capitol Hill. Since graduating from Lafayette College and prior to joining Venable, Aaron has advised leading global pharmaceutical companies on strategies to increase vaccination uptake rates in a variety of markets and various foreign government ministries on a variety of geopolitically focused public policy strategies.

Jim Twaddell
Senior Policy Advisor
Venable LLP

Senior Policy Advisor of the Government Affairs consulting firm Venable LLP, Jim will provide a robust, bipartisan presentation with political insights and strategies on how to navigate the federal government.

About Jim
Jim Twaddell leverages an in-depth understanding of the processes and politics that drive decision-making in Washington, DC to develop and execute effective government relations agendas and campaigns. An experienced lobbyist at the federal level and a former senior staffer in the U.S. Senate, Jim skillfully navigates legislative issues related to healthcare policy, federal appropriations funding, grassroots initiatives, and advocacy training.

In the healthcare space, Jim represents the interests of hospitals and health systems, nonprofit voluntary health organizations, physicians, and allied health professional societies, and provides strategic counsel on legislative, regulatory policy, political, and advocacy issues. He directly engages members of Congress and their staff to advance authorization legislation, secure increased federal appropriations funding, and work with federal agencies on regulatory policies. Jim previously worked as the associate director of government affairs at a national organization for academic nursing. He acted as the lead lobbyist for appropriations, healthcare policy, higher education, and veterans’ affairs issues.

Jim also served as the deputy director of communications and a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), playing a key role in shaping the senator’s legislative and political strategy. He managed daily communication and coordination of policy issues with Senator Specter’s personal office staff; the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittees; and the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, on which Senator Specter served as chairman.

Tim Ursprung
Policy Advisor
Venable LLP

About Tim

Tim Ursprung is a skilled advisor who brings nearly a decade of Capitol Hill and government relations experience to his clients. Tim develops and executes targeted advocacy and lobbying strategies to help his clients adjust to public policy developments and comply with ever-changing regulatory requirements. Prior to joining Venable, Tim worked as the vice president of federal legislative affairs at a lobbying firm, where he represented client interests before members of Congress and administration officials. Before the private sector, Tim worked in Congress for six years, where he advised then U.S. representative Peter T. King, who served as a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Not sure what to expect? Click the picture below for pictures of past LPA meetings on our Facebook Page.

Can't wait to see your colleagues again? Click the picture below for pictures from past LPA meetings on our Facebook Page.