Our Editorial Team
BLR® has been an acknowledged authority in covering state as well as federal law for over three decades. Our award-winning in-house legal and editorial team produces the best-in-class products and services our customers depend on day in and day out.
Media Inquiries – Call 800-727-5257 ext. 2184 and ask for Amanda Hurlbert
Human Resources, Compensation and Employment Law
Trainor, Patricia, J.D., SPHR—Managing Editor, Human Resources
Carsen, Jennifer—Managing Editor, Employer Resource Institute (ERI);
Contact: 510-764-6472; e-mail jcarsen@employeradvisor.com
Ceplenski, Chris—Managing Editor, SEO Content
Farrell, Joan, J.D.—Legal Editor
Leonard, Catherine—Editor
Prince, Susan, J.D.—Legal Editor
Quayle, Elaine—Editor
Schoenfeld, Susan, J.D.—Sr. Legal Editor
Simon, Martin, J.D.—Sr. Legal Editor
Occupational Safety and Health Compliance
Ruddy, Judy — Managing Editor, Safety; Contact: 1-800-727-5257, ext. 2122; e-mail jruddy@blr.com
Busick , Jennifer—Editor
Galt, David—Legal Editor
Environmental Compliance
Condon, Clare — Managing Editor, Environmental; Contact: 1-800-727-5257, ext. 2240; e-mail ccondon@blr.com
Czepiel, Amanda, J.D.—Legal Editor
Dickinson, Liz, J.D.—Legal Editor
Ellington, Ana—Senior Editor
Fagan, Tim—Legal Editor
Lagana, Kelly—Production Editor
Teolis, Nancy, J.D.—Legal Editor
Employee Training
Cretella, Peggy— Project Manager
Hunt, Heather—Production Editor
Human Resources and Compensation
Patricia M. Trainor, J.D., SPHR is Managing Editor of BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. Ms. Trainor has several years of experience representing employers and school districts in labor and employment matters. As an associate at Franczek Sullivan, P.C. in Chicago, she represented employers in state and federal court and before the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Before entering private practice, Ms. Trainor clerked for the Honorable Anthony Scariano at the Illinois Appellate Court. Ms. Trainor received her law degree magna cum laude from Loyola University Law School of She has a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from San Diego State University. Additionally, Ms. Trainor is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the national Human Resources Certification Institute. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, and the Illinois Bar Association, and she is admitted to practice in Connecticut and Illinois.
Jennifer Carsen, J.D. is the Managing Editor of the Employer Resource Institute (ERI), BLR’s California-specific division. She oversees the content of ERI’s print and online publications and coordinates live events and webinars for both BLR and ERI. Before joining ERI in 2005, Ms. Carsen was a Legal Editor at CCH, Inc. and practiced in the Labor & Employment Department at Sidley & Austin, LLP in Chicago. She received her law degree from the New York University School of Law and her B.A. from Williams College.
Chris Ceplenski is Managing Editor, SEO Content. Mr. Ceplenski also manages BLR’s human resources, employment law, and compensation and benefits newsletter content. He has authored hundreds of articles that have appeared in BLR print and on HR.BLR.com. Prior to joining BLR in 1999, Mr. Ceplenski worked as an editor for a book producer and literary agency and as a college writing instructor. Mr. Ceplenski received his B.A. from Eastern Connecticut State University and an M.A. in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
Joan S. Farrell, J.D., is a Legal Editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. Ms. Farrell has over 10 years’ combined experience in employment law and human resources management. As an in-house attorney for Citizens Communications Company, Ms. Farrell provided counseling on employment practices and represented the company in labor and employment matters. She later worked as a manager of Citizens’ Human Resources and Employment Law group. Ms. Farrell also represented management in employment law matters as an attorney with the national law firm of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP. Her experience includes representing management in administrative matters, discrimination and wrongful termination claims, as well as wage and hour disputes. Ms. Farrell received her law degree from Pace University School of Law.
Catherine G. Leonard is an Editor for BLR’s human resources, compensation, and employment law publications. She has written newsletter articles for BLR's HR subscribers since 1998. Ms. Leonard conducts research and interviews on the full spectrum of HR topics and strategies, as well as significant court rulings in employment and labor law. She brings to BLR many years’ experience in writing marketing and investor relations material for corporations, in journalism for business media, including the Hartford Courant, and in publishing. She holds a B.A. in English from Duke University and an M.A. in corporate communication from Fairfield (Connecticut) University. Ms. Leonard is a member of the Greater New Haven Human Resource Association, an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Susan E. Prince, J.D., is a Legal Editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. Ms. Prince has several years of experience as an attorney and writer in the field of human resources and has published numerous articles on a variety of human resources and employment topics, including compensation, benefits, workers’ compensation, discrimination, work/life issues, termination, and military leave. Ms. Prince also served as an expert on several audio conferences discussing the 2004 changes to the federal regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Before starting her career in publishing, Ms. Prince practiced law for several years in the insurance industry and served as president of a retail sales business. Ms. Prince received her law degree from Vermont Law School.
Elaine Quayle is a Production Editor and has over 30 years’ experience in publishing, including positions with the New York Times Magazine Group and publishers of scholarly texts and banking publications. She has been at BLR since 1994 and works on a variety of products including newsletters, book supplements, special reports, and articles for HR.BLR.com. A graduate of Cedar Crest College, Elaine also attended the Fairfield University Graduate School of Communications and holds a Human Resources Certificate from Gateway Community College.
Susan Schoenfeld, J.D., is a Senior Legal Editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. Ms. Schoenfeld has practiced in the area of employment litigation and counseling, covering topics such as disability discrimination, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, and general employment discrimination. She has litigated numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals, state court, and at the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition to litigating employment cases in state and federal court, she provided training and counseling to corporate clients regarding employment-related issues. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Schoenfeld was an attorney with the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., where she advised federal agencies, drafted regulations, conducted inspector training courses, and litigated cases for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Directorate of Civil Rights, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Ms. Schoenfeld received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, with honors, from Union College, and her law degree from the National Law Center at George Washington University.
Martin Simon, J.D. is a Senior Legal Editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. Mr. Simon has worked in legal publishing for over 20 years. He worked for 7 years as a legal editor for Prentice Hall, where he wrote and edited for the Pension and Profit Sharing and the Plan Administrators Compliance Manual looseleaf services. He has been a legal editor for BLR for more than 17 years. Mr. Simon has been on the Board of the Hartford Chapter of Working in Employee Benefits for 4 years. Mr. Simon has a B.A. degree with Honors from the University of Connecticut, where he was a member of the Honors Program and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from the University of Connecticut and is a member of the Connecticut Bar.
Environment, Health, and Safety
Clare Condon is the Managing Editor of BLR’s environmental publications. Before joining BLR, Clare spent many years in education and worked as a reporter, focusing primarily on environmental issues. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Herbert H. Lehman in New York City and a Master’s Degree in education from the University of Southern Maine. Ms. Condon is a member of the Connecticut Environmental Forum and the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals.
Amanda Czepiel, J.D., is a Legal Editor for BLR’s environmental publications, focusing primarily on water-related issues. Ms. Czepiel has clerked in the Environmental Enforcement Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment in New Haven, Connecticut. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an environmental educator and naturalist for the National Park Service, and also in the culinary field, with Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food and restaurant consulting firm. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts in Food Studies from the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a member of the Water Environment Federation, the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals, and the American Bar Association, and is admitted to practice in Connecticut.
Elizabeth M. Dickinson, J.D., is a Legal Editor for BLR’s environmental publications, focusing primarily on hazardous waste related topics. Ms Dickinson has covered environmental developments since 1994. Before joining BLR, she was an associate in the law firm Cummings & Lockwood and an attorney at Aetna Life and Casualty, both in Hartford, Connecticut. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University and her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she was an Articles Editor of the Connecticut Law Review. Ms. Dickinson is a member of the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals and the Connecticut Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in Connecticut.
Ana-Mari Ellington is a Senior Editor of environmental news at BLR. Ms. Ellington has been covering environmental issues since 2002. In addition, Ms. Ellington, who is bilingual, is copy editor for all Spanish-language materials at BLR, ensuring translation accuracy and consistency. Before working at BLR, she was a freelance copywriter and translator for various industries internationally. She received her bachelor of arts in English and Spanish philology (linguistics) from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Ana is a member of the Connecticut Environmental Forum, the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals, the Society of Environmental Journalists, and the American Translators Association.
Timothy P. Fagan is a Legal Editor for BLR’s environmental publications, focusing primarily on air quality related topics. Mr. Fagan has covered environmental developments with BLR since 2000. Before joining BLR, he spent 5 years in environmental consulting and was responsible for air quality permitting and compliance for a broad range of industries in both the private and public sector. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University and a Master’s degree in environmental engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the Air and Waste Management Association.
Kelly Lagana is Production Editor for BLR’s environmental and safety websites. Ms. Lagana has been covering the environmental and safety fields for BLR since 2004. Ms. Lagana has written hundreds of news and feature-length articles on a variety of environmental, health, and safety topics, including recordkeeping, pollution and waste prevention, occupational exposure to mold, and best practices for effective emergency plans. She produces BLR’s award-winning Environmental Ezine. She holds a B.S. in Agriculture and Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut.
Nancy W. Teolis, J.D., has been a Legal Editor for BLR’s environmental publications since 1993, focusing primarily on underground storage tanks, pesticides, and hazardous waste-related requirements. Before joining BLR, she worked for the law firm Rudman & Winchell in Bangor, Maine, with an emphasis on asbestos exposure litigation. Ms. Teolis also served on the Clinton, Connecticut Wetlands Commission. She received her bachelor's degree in business administration from Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island, and her Juris Doctorate from Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Connecticut bar.
Judith A. Ruddy is Managing Editor of BLR’s safety publications. Ms. Ruddy has written and edited safety publications for BLR since 1992. Prior to joining BLR in 1991, Ms. Ruddy worked for a publishing and public relations company in Connecticut. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Southern Connecticut State University and is an associate member of the American Society of Safety Engineers where she serves as newsletter editor and member of the executive board of the Nutmeg Chapter.
David Galt is a Legal Editor for BLR’s environmental and safety publications, focusing primarily on training and safety and health-related topics. He has spent 15 years in the environmental regulatory field as a lobbyist and policy analyst, and has a Master’s Degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Dave serves on the national Certified Environmental, Safety and Health Trainer (CET) Board of Certification.
Jennifer Busick earned her B.S. in industrial hygiene from Purdue University in 1992, and her Master's in Public Health from the University of South Carolina in 1994. She began writing professionally about occupational safety and health issues in 1996, as an outgrowth of her work as a consultant, and discovered that communicating health and safety is one of her strengths. In 2001, she earned her OSHA 501 Trainer authorization from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Ms. Busick has done project work in industries that include corn wet milling, metal fabrication, candle-making, pulp and paper mills, energy utilities, jet engine manufacturing, and health care; she has taught formal safety classes to kindergarten and high school students, industrial workers, healthcare workers, and postgraduate audiences. Ms. Busick, who has written for many industry periodicals and published five regulatory compliance manuals, became the editor of the Cal/OSHA Compliance Advisor in 2005.
Training
Peggy Cretella has been an Editor and Project Manager with BLR since 1993 and has developed various training products in print, electronic, video, and online format. Ms. Cretella has developed products for the EHS field, as well as Human Resources. She has trained on a variety of topics, such as office ergonomics, back safety, emergency preparedness, and building evacuation. Most recently, she spoke at the American Society for Training and Development Annual International Conference and Expo on the Topic of Sexual Harassment Training. She is an active member of the American Society of Training and Development.
Heather Hunt is a Production Editor for BLR’s training products. She has over 10 years’ experience writing and editing business training materials in a variety of formats, including newsletters, booklets, posters, PowerPoint sessions, special reports, and guidebooks. For BLR, she specializes in a wide variety of topics, including OSHA-required safety training and compliance, diversity training and antidiscrimination laws, sexual harassment recognition and prevention, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement options, developing and running wellness programs, and building effective training programs for adult learners.. She has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from Messiah College, where she spent a year at Temple University’s School of Journalism.