Navigating and Surviving an IRS or DOL Audit of Your Benefit Plans

Lynda M. Noggle is Associate General Counsel and Director for Lockheed Martin Corporation in Bethesda, MD. Ms. Noggle is responsible for employee benefits and executive compensation legal advice, and serves as the lead lawyer advising the corporation on its health and welfare plans and programs.

Ms. Noggle works with Lockheed Martin’s human resources, tax, labor relations, benefits finance and accounting departments on compliant administration of employee benefit plans and wellness programs, executive compensation arrangements, incentive plans, severance plans, and qualified and nonqualified retirement plans. Ms. Noggle also supports Lockheed Martin’s corporate development department on the executive compensation and benefit plan elements of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other corporate transactions. Ms. Noggle also manages employee benefits litigation. Ms. Noggle joined Lockheed Martin in December 2013.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Ms. Noggle worked as an associate at several major law firms in Washington, DC, also practicing in the fields of employee benefits and executive compensation.

Ms. Noggle earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2003, and her Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University in 1998.

Anne K. Kyzmir is the Assistant General Counsel at National Fuel Gas Company specializing in ERISA, tax and employment benefits. Prior to joining National Fuel in 2003, she was a Manager at Deliotte & Touche.

Susan Szafranski is the in-house benefits counsel at PSEG. Prior to joining PSEG in 2011, she was a partner at Day Pitney in the Employee Benefits/Executive Compensation Practice.

At PSEG, Susan provides counsel on all aspects of employee benefits, executive compensation and payroll. She collaborates with the employment/labor attorneys on benefit matters. She is counsel and secretary to the administrative and investment fiduciary committees. Recently, Susan has become involved with the accommodations review process.

The benefits arena is ever changing, especially now. To stay connected with other benefit attorneys on these issues, Susan is a member of the American Bar Association, Taxation Section, Employee Benefits Committee. For approximately 8 years, she has been the Chair of the Employee Benefits Group of the NJ Bar Tax Section. This group meets regularly to share their viewpoints and learn from the other members. She also belongs to the In-House Benefits Counsel Network.

Susan is the Secretary of the Board of Directors of La Quinta Aruba. The board has oversight for all matters of the resort. Specifically, she is involved with personnel matters, contracts and vendor management.