2026 SMACNA Washington, DC Leadership Conference Speakers

Congressman Tom Emmer was sworn in for his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2015. He is currently serving his sixth term. After serving as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 116th Congress and again for the 117th Congress, Tom was elected by his fellow Republican colleagues to be the House Majority Whip. Currently, he sits on the House Financial Services Committee.

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-5)*

Since 2013, Katherine Clark has proudly represented Massachusetts’ vibrant Fifth District, which stretches from the coastal communities of Revere and Winthrop through the northern Boston suburbs to the thriving towns of MetroWest.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14)*

Congressman Guy Reschenthaler was sworn into office for a fourth term on January 3, 2025, to represent Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District, including Washington, Fayette, Greene, and portions of Westmoreland, Indiana, and Somerset counties. He currently serves as the House Chief Deputy Whip and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee for the 119th Congress.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-8)

Congressman Don Beyer is serving his fifth term as the U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 8th District, representing Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and parts of Fairfax County. He serves on Congress' Joint Economic Committee, and also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2)

Don was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 to represent Nebraska’s Second Congressional District and has served on the House Armed Services Committee since 2017. He has been appointed to every National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Committee, helping shape final defense legislation that drives major federal construction and infrastructure investment. In the 118th Congress, Don chaired the bipartisan HASC Military Quality‑of‑Life Panel, producing more than 30 NDAA reforms to improve military housing, healthcare, and family support—key priorities for union construction contractors. He now chairs the HASC Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation and also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, advancing policies that support workforce capacity and rural communities.

Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11)

He serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which oversees the federal workforce, government operations, and federal IT management—areas that are critical to Northern Virginia’s economy—and on the Committee on Homeland Security, covering areas like border/port security, cybersecurity, transportation security, counterterrorism, emergency management (FEMA), and customs.

Brendan Larkin, Deputy Chief of Staff, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY-20)

Brendan Larkin has worked in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2010. He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20), where he is responsible for managing Mr. Tonko’s legislative team and a policy portfolio focused on climate change, energy, and environmental issues.

John G. Murphy, Senior Vice President, Head of International, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

John G. Murphy directs the U.S. Chamber’s advocacy relating to international trade and investment policy. Since joining the Chamber in 1999, Murphy has led its successful campaigns to win congressional passage of trade agreements with a dozen nations and its advocacy to shape numerous other trade bills. He regularly represents the Chamber before Congress, the administration, foreign governments, and the World Trade Organization.

Roger Lau, Executive Director, Democratic National Committee

Roger Lau previously served as Deputy Executive Director at the DNC since 2021. Born and raised in New York City, Lau is a campaign veteran, working on several campaigns for U.S. Senate and House races in New England, as Deputy State Director in John Kerry’s Senate office, Campaign Manager for Kerry’s 2008 reelection campaign, and in the Commerce Department during the Obama administration.

Todd Hill, President, SMACNA

Todd Hill is SMACNA’s President and is the president of Troy, Michigan-based Ventcon. Ventcon has a long history of serving companies in the Detroit area with commercial and industrial services, including several customers in the automotive industry.

Michael Coleman, General President, SMART

Michael Coleman assumed the position of SMART General President on June 1, 2023, having been elected by the SMART General Executive Council following the retirement of former SMART General President Joseph Sellers. In all, Coleman has more than 20 years of dedicated leadership at the local and international level.

Janet Dhillon, Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

Janet Dhillon was sworn in as the 17th director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation on November 3, 2025.

Mariah Becker, Director of Research and Education, NCCMP

Mariah Becker joined the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) in 2016 as the Director of Research and Education. In this role, she works extensively to evaluate and design policy & technical proposals to protect and strengthen the multiemployer system, as well as to develop analysis to evaluate the economic impact of federal policies, regulations and industry developments.

Kendra Isaacson, Principal, Mindset

Prior to joining Mindset, Kendra served as the Pensions Policy Director and Senior Tax Counsel for the Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In these positions, she advised then-Chair Patty Murray on all ERISA and pension-related issues and managed all aspects of the committee’s retirement agenda.

Frank McCarthy, Founder & Principal, McCarthy Advanced Solutions (Moderator)

After 20 years embedded in politics, media and policy, Frank opened the doors to McCarthy Advanced Consulting in 2017 to provide his clients with the most comprehensive and effective government affairs services in the industry. He assembled an experienced, aggressive and results-driven team who have helped his firm and their clients stay ahead of the curve regardless of which party controls the levers of power in Washington.

*Although these leaders were originally scheduled to appear in person, recent changes to the congressional schedule will require them to share their remarks via Leadership video addresses.