Fall Conference

Registration is now open!

Click here to register online! / Click here for Prospectus PDF

Join MASI members and industry leaders as we celebrate 30 years of self-insurance success – 90s style. Set against the beautiful Gulf Coast, this year’s conference brings together education, networking, and a touch of nostalgia and fun for a milestone event you won’t want to miss.

This year’s theme celebrates the decade when MASI was founded and honors three decades of success in Mississippi’s self-insurance industry. The conference features insightful education, valuable networking, and plenty of throwback fun as we reflect on where we started and look ahead to our future. This is one conference you will not want to miss, even if your dial-up modem is still buffering.

• 8 Hours of Totally Rad Continuing Education
• $1,500 Grand Prize at the Throwback Drawdown Party! A Prize Worth Rewinding For!
• Sunrise Devotions on the Gulf Coast
• “This is how we toss it” Cornhole Tournament
• Breakout Sessions – Workers’ Compensation Track and Health Benefits Track
• Cash Prizes Every Day. Exhibitor Door Prizes. Don’t Miss Your Chance to Win!

Who should attend?

Employers, HR and risk professionals, claims and safety personnel, healthcare providers, attorneys, TPAs, and anyone involved in self-funded workers’ compensation or health plans.

Event Cancellation Policy

To adequately prepare for a successful event, please review and understand that cancellations made 30 days or more in advance of the event date will receive a 100% refund. Cancellations made within 14 and 29 days in advance of the event date will incur a 50% fee. Cancellations made within 13 days of the event will not receive a refund.

 Special Needs and Accommodations

If you require special needs or accommodations, including food allergies, please contact MASI Executive Director Wendy Powell at (601) 749-6274 or wendyp@masiweb.org so that plans can be made accordingly.

Click here to register online! / Click here for Prospectus PDF

Hotel Information

The Lodge at Gulf State Park
21196 East Beach Boulevard
Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542
(251) 540-4000

Online Hotel Reservations are now available for the MASI 2026 Fall Conference by using the link below. Only contracted room nights (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night) will be available to book through the link, all pre- and post-night room requests will be call in only.

https://group.hilton.com/ev9mv1

Central Reservations Department for Call-In
(800) 618-4350
Group Code: 948

All reservations must be guaranteed with a major credit card. Individual guests are required to cancel or revise their reservations five (5) days prior to arrival to avoid one night’s room and tax penalty.

Any special requests regarding sleeping rooms are based on availability at the time of arrival. Hotel reservations must be made by August 26, 2026, to receive the Conference Rate. Any reservation made after this time will be priced at the prevailing hotel rates.

If rooms are requested prior to check-in time, the resort will make every effort to accommodate your specific requests based upon availability. Luggage storage is available for early arrival and late departure.

Press Play: Attendee and Exhibitor Registration
Ready to join us? Here’s everything you need to secure your spot.

Choose Your Pass: Registration & Pricing

Your conference pass includes access to eight hours of continuing education, along with all sessions and networking events. Lock in your pass and join us for a full lineup of learning, connection, and fun.

Click here to pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Bonus Tracks: Extra Networking and Engagement

Looking for even more ways to engage and be part of the experience?

Click here to Register and pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Boom Boxes, Bean Bags & Bragging Rights!

Join Us for the “This is How We Toss It” Cornhole Tournament!

 Think you have got the skills to rule the playground? Grab your partner and get ready to toss like it’s 1999 at our 90s-themed cornhole tournament happening Thursday afternoon, September 24 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Cash Prizes:
1st Place – $100 per player
2nd Place – $75 per player

Registration:
$100 per two-person team
$50 solo entry — we’ll match you with a teammate!

Whether you’re bringing serious skills or just here for nostalgia and networking, this is your chance to compete for prizes and ultimate bragging rights. Come toss like a pro or just chill and watch the action

Spots are limited to the first 16 teams, so don’t wait. This is one game you don’t want to press pause on.

Click here to Register and pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Looking to connect with attendees and showcase your organization?

Welcome to The Networking Arcade

Click here to pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Inspired by classic 90s arcades, our Exhibit Hall will serve as the central hub for connection, giving exhibitors prime visibility with attendees throughout the conference.

Exhibitors are encouraged (but not required) to incorporate 90s-themed elements into their booths. Participation in the Neon Nostalgia Booth Contest adds to the fun with the winner receiving a complimentary booth at next year’s conference. So dust off the neon colors, rewind those cassette tapes, and bring your best 90s creativity to the Networking Arcade!

Booth Specifics

The exhibit fee includes two complimentary registrations, signage, reception tickets, lunch, general sessions, and access to the Drawdown party. Each exhibitor will have a curtained 8 x 8 space with a six-foot covered table and two chairs.

Booth assignments are based on sponsorship level and the date MASI receives the application and payment. While we strive to accommodate preferences, MASI reserves the right to adjust booth locations for an optimal event experience. For shipping details, please contact MASI.

Note: Sponsorship packages that include a reduced exhibit booth fee still receive a maximum of two complimentary registrations.

Set Up and Take Down

Your booth can be set up on Wednesday, September 23 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. or on Thursday, September 24 prior to 7:15 a.m.  Exhibit takedown will occur Friday, September 25 between 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m., but please not before!

Take the Stage: Sponsorship Opportunities

Want to take your visibility even further? Sponsorships play an important role in making the MASI Fall Conference a success. Your support helps fund the conference’s educational programs, networking opportunities, and special events while allowing MASI to keep registration rates affordable for self-insured employers and industry professionals across Mississippi.

Think of our sponsorship levels as the greatest hits of the conference, each offering unique opportunities to showcase your organization, connect with attendees.

Click here to pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Bonus Tracks: Extra Networking and Engagement

Looking for even more ways to engage and be part of the experience?

Click here to Register and pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Conference Program Advertising

MASI is turning 30 in 2026! What better way to celebrate than with a little 90s nostalgia and a lot of appreciation for the partners who have been part of the journey? As part of our 2026 Fall Conference, we are inviting sponsors, members, and industry partners to leave their mark by purchasing an ad in the official conference program. This is your chance to:

• Celebrate MASI’s 30-year milestone and share a congratulatory message
• Showcase your organization to highlight your services
• Be seen by conference attendees throughout the event

Whether you have been a part of MASI since the days of dial-up or just joined the party, we want you to be part of this milestone moment.

Click here to Register and pay with a Credit Card / Click here for Registration Form and Check Payment

Beth Harkins
Commissioner
Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission

Beth Harkins is a physical therapist and Commissioner representing the employee interest of the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. She attended Mississippi State University from 1995 to 1997 and received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Mississippi School of Health-Related Professions in 1999.
She has been a licensed physical therapist for almost 18 years in a variety of health care settings including outpatient clinics, hospitals, long-term care and skilled nursing rehab facilities, assisted and independent living facilities, and school systems. She was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant in 2013 to the Mississippi State Board of Health and served until 2015, when she went on to serve in her current position as Commissioner at the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Christina Johnson
President
JMS Consulting

Christina Johnson is currently serving a President for JMS Consulting. She has a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and is a certified case manager. While in nursing school she started with JMS Consulting in an administrative role. As she gained the medical knowledge behind the cases she saw play out in her clerical role, Christina fell in love with the Workers’ Compensation field. After obtaining her nursing license, Christina worked in Central Arkansas as a nurse case manager and developed the southern territory for JMS. In 2020, she moved to the role of President to oversee operations at JMS.

Gerald Gordon
Vice President/Director Safety and Loss Control
Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi

After graduating from Jefferson City High School (Jefferson City, Missouri), Gerald Gordon went to Mississippi College and Ole Miss where he earned degrees in Criminal Justice and Chemistry.  In 2005 he moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, to start dental school.  While waiting on dental school to begin, Gerald took a job working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on mooring vesicles. In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and temporarily closed the LSU dental school.  Once it came time for school to reconvene, the decision was made to stay in the oil field and that choice led to a 12-year career covering operations and eventually the safety functions of multiple oil and gas corporations.  In 2016, Gerald moved back home to Jackson Mississippi, to begin a new venture working in the electric power world.  He began as an instructor at the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi (ECM) and then became the Vice President and Director of Safety and Loss Control for ECM in 2018.

Gerald is married to Lauren Gordon, who is a nurse in the Pediatric ICU at the University Medical Center, and has a son, Nicholas, who is an E4 in the Naval Nuclear Engineering Program.

Mark Formby
Chairman
Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission

Mark Formby served 24 years in the Mississippi House of Representatives as a member of the Committees on Insurance, Energy, Public Utilities, Marine Resources, Oil and Gas, Education, Rules, Revenue and Expenditure, Ways and Means, and Interstate Cooperation. Chairman Formby has served as Chairman of the Insurance Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Revenue and Expenditure Committee.
He was recognized as one of the top five “pro-economic development” legislators 24 years in a row and was ranked by liberty.org as the number one supporter of individual rights in the Mississippi Legislature.

From 1987 to 1990, Commissioner Formby served on the Washington, D.C. staff of United States Senator Trent Lott as his Economic Development and Small Business Legislative Assistant and then returned to Picayune to serve as Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. He has been in private businesses in Picayune for over 25 years.

He graduated from Picayune Memorial High School and attended Pearl River Community College before receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University.

He has been active with numerous civic and volunteer organizations and served as State President of the Mississippi Jaycees and National Vice President of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Commissioner Formby is still active in community service and serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church.

He and his wife Rita have two children, Rebekah and Eli.

Preston Williams
Director of Self Insurance
Mississippi Worker’s Compensation Commission

Preston Williams brings over 40 years of wide-ranging workers’ compensation experience to the table. He is the former President and CEO of the largest worker’s comp carrier in the State of Maryland, which boasted over one billion dollars in assets. Companies have included the Aetna, the largest financial institution in the world (at that time), Royal, St. Paul and USF&G insurance companies, as well as the National Council on Compensation Insurance, the licensed rating organization for most states.

His unique experiences include active participation in the rebuilding of USF&G; where he was responsible for the second most profitable division in the company. He was an original member of the MS Assigned Risk Pool Board. His years of experience with multiple carriers, working through numerous reorganizations and re-engineering business processes and strategies, as well as working with various TPAs, consultants, agents and regulators has resulted in a unique understanding of operational efficiency and profitability. But most important was the opportunity to work for and with some of the top insurance leaders, such as Steve Lilienthal, former President and CEO of CNA, Marita Zuraitis, current President and CEO of Horace Mann, Jane Frank past President and CEO of Zenith, Jim Lewis former head of CNA’s US operations, and the newly appointed President and CEO of Hanover Jack Roche.

As the Director of Self Insurance, Mr. Williams is responsible for both individual and group self-insurers for the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. The Commission approves rates, establishes solvency requirements, audits groups, and approves both individual and group self-insurers in Mississippi.

Mr. Williams is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he majored in Business with areas in Finance and Insurance. In 2005, three weeks before Katrina, he and his family returned to Mississippi.

Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAPA, DFASAM
Chief Medical Officer
Pathway Healthcare

Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAPA, DFASAM is Chief Medical Officer of Pathway Healthcare and President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the nation’s leading professional society dedicated to addiction treatment and prevention.

Board-certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, Dr. Taylor brings more than 30 years of clinical experience treating adolescents and adults with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.

Previously, Dr. Taylor served for 16 years as Medical Director of the NBA and NBPA Player Assistance and Anti-Drug Program. A nationally recognized leader, educator, and advocate, he is a Distinguished Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association and ASAM. Dr. Taylor is committed to advancing evidence-based addiction treatment, improving access to care, and shaping the future of addiction medicine nationwide.

T. Stewart Lee, Esq.
Administrative Law Judge
Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission

Before being appointed to serve as an Administrative Judge in 2022, T. Stewart Lee, Jr. had worked for one of Mississippi’s largest law firms, had been a partner in two small firms and had maintained a solo practice. He represented both businesses and individuals in a wide variety of lawsuits, including complex commercial and mass tort litigation, personal injury and wrongful death litigation, construction cases and workers’ compensation matters. He represented clients that were plaintiffs and clients that were defendants in civil matters. He represented clients in every circuit court district in the state of Mississippi as well as in federal courts. Further, Judge Lee represented hundreds of clients in matters before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Judge Lee served on the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Conference Steering Committee in 2009 and 2010, the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors of Jackson Young Lawyers. He has been a member of the Mississippi College Alumni Board and served as a University of Mississippi Law School Alumni Board Member.

Judge Lee obtained his undergraduate degree from Mississippi College in 1998 where he served as President of the Student Body and played shortstop on the MC baseball team. He was named to the Academic All American baseball team. In 2017, he was inducted into the Mississippi College Sports Hall of Fame. Judge Lee obtained his J.D. at the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2001 where he was on the Moot Court Executive Board and served as Mississippi Law Journal Associate Articles Editor. He graduated Magna Cum Laude.