2026 Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO)

The 29th Annual Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations (WCTEO), my #1 go-to conference every year for the past 20 years, will be held in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13. You can register here. Early Bird pricing ends today (January 31, 2026). The UCLA School of Law Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits and Loyola Law School will host the WCTEO at The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities in Downtown Los Angeles.

This year’s WCTEO includes a tribute to Douglas Mancino, an esteemed exempt organizations attorney who contributed so much to our field and to the WCTEO since its inception. Read this tribute to Doug on the Congressional Record. NEO Law Group’s Erin Bradrick will be a panelist in the session Creative Structures for the Common Good, and I’ll be moderating the State Actions panel, which will focus on nonprofit transactions requiring some action by the state charities regulator.

Event Schedule

Thursday, March 12, 2026

8:30-8:35 AM:  Day 1 Welcome
Ellen Aprill, UCLA Law
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8:35-8:50 AM:  Tribute to Doug Mancino
Terri Cammarano, Cedars Sinai
Jill Horwitz, Northwestern School of Law
Ofer Lion, Seyfarth Shaw
LaVerne Woods, Retired

8:50-10:00 AM:  Power Hour Plus
Ofer Lion, Seyfarth Shaw
Jean Tom, Davis Wright Tremaine

10:00-11:30 AM  Reconsidering Bob Jones: Public Policy, Illegality and DEI
Roger Colinvaux, Columbus School of Law
James Joseph, Arnold & Porter
Josh Mintz, MacArthur Foundation
Moderator: LaVerne Woods, Retired

11:30-11:45 AM:  BREAK
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11:45 AM-12:45 PM:  Navigating the New World of College Sports
Bob Lammey, EY
Rich Schmalbeck, Duke University
Tammi Wong, UC Legal – Office of the General Counsel
Moderator: Debi Heiskala, EY

12:45-1:45 PM:  LUNCH

1:45-2:30 PM:  Keynote – “You’ll Get Through This”: Navigating Reputational Threats During a Crisis
Eric Herman, Teneo
Moderator: Jill Horwitz, Northwestern School of Law

2:30-3:45 PM:  Creative Structures for the Common Good
Erin Bradrick, NEO Law Group
Dave Shevlin, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Moderator: Karl Mill, Mill Law Center
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3:45-4:00 PM:  BREAK

4:00-5:15 PM:  International Issues Land Ashore
Rose Chan Loui, UCLA Law
Nishka Chandrasoma, Ford Foundation
Atiqua Hashem, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Ruth Madrigal, KPMG
Moderator: Ingrid Mittermaier, Adler & Colvin

5:15-6:15 PM:  RECEPTION

Friday, March 13, 2026

8:30-8:35 AM:  Day 2 Welcome
Jill Horwitz, Northwestern School of Law

8:35-9:45 AM:  Developing a Response Plan
Monique Abrishami, Levy Firestone Muse
Rachel Levy, Deloitte Tax LLP – Invited*
Andrew Schultz, Adler & Colvin
Moderator: Helen Cheng, Withersworldwide

9:45-10:00 AM: BREAK

10:00-11:00 AM:  State Actions
Mary Beckman, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, Retired
Rob Wexler, Adler & Colvin
Casey Williams, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Joseph N. Zimring, Office of the Attorney General, Charitable Trusts Section
Moderator: Gene Takagi NEO Law Group

11:00-11:15 AM:  BREAK

11:15 AM-12:30 PM:  Does Loper Bright Illuminate Freedom Path?
Ellen Aprill, UCLA Law
Amber Mackenzie, US Treasury—Invited*
Moderator: Terri Cammarano, Cedars Sinai

12:30 PM:  Closing
Rose Chan Loui, UCLA Law