2017 A-CAPP CENTER
SPEAKER
BIOS
PARTNERSHIPS SPEAKERS (CONT.)
Jason Daniels is the Senior Investigation Manager with Underwriters Laboratories’
Global Security & Brand Protection Unit. His primary responsibility is to supervise
and facilitate intellectual property theft investigations in the Americas. Mr. Daniels
has focused his efforts on combatting counterfeiting for over 14 years. He has written
curriculum that has been presented throughout the United States concerning fraud
investigations and has been a law enforcement instructor for over 18 years. Prior to
entering the corporate arena Mr. Daniels was a sworn law enforcement officer in the
State of North Carolina serving his last post as the Special Agent in Charge with the
Secretary of State’s Office. He is a graduate of Shaw University and continued his
graduate development at the University of Louisville.
Jay Kennedy is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product
Protection (A-CAPP) and School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. He
received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, where he was Graduate
School Dean’s Distinguished Fellow, as well as a Yates Scholar. While at the University of
Cincinnati Jay was awarded a Graduate Minority Fellowship from the American Society of
Criminology, and received several research grants and awards. A graduate of the MBA
program at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati,his research
focuses upon deviance within corporations. Specifically, his research and published works
explore issues of employee theft within small businesses, the multi-level antecedents of
corporate crime, and the role business ethics plays in decision-making. Prior to attending
graduate school, Jay spent just over 8 years working for a number of corporations in the metro
Detroit area, including a major non-profit organization, a family-owned automotive supplier,
and a Fortune 100 corporation.
Jim Simmons is a 20 year Brand Protection professional in the IT industry who started his
career with Compaq Computers in their Cross Border program focused on grey marketing and
discounting fraud. He identified a $25M fraudulent order which lead to criminal charges in U.S.
Federal court and indictment of seven years for grey market product diversion. Due to merger,
he continued his career with Hewlett Packard Brand Protection and expanded his investigative
experience with counterfeit cases in Europe and Asia. He expanded his BP experience by joining
Cisco’s Brand Protection team as lead for Latin America anti-counterfeit programs. He is now
the Director for Brand Protection for Qualcomm Inc. He has a BBA in Finance from the
University of Texas and a Masters in Criminal Justice from Boston University.
19
Kasie Brill is the Senior Director of Brand Protection at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global
Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) and the Executive Director of the Global Brand Council.
Kasie advocates for the protection of IP rights both online and in physical markets with a special
focus on designing public policy solutions to combat counterfeit goods. Prior to joining the
Global Intellectual Property Center, Kasie served as an advisor to private sector clients fighting
illegal online pharmacies. She also served as law clerk to The Honorable C. Ray Mullins, Chief
Judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta
Division. Kasie is a graduate of both Michigan State University and the Indiana University
Maurer School of Law. During law school, Kasie served as President of the Student Bar
Association, on the Executive Board of the Sherman Minton Moot Court, Law Alumni Board,
Admissions Committee, and 2012 Class Campaign for Excellence. Involved in various student
and volunteer organizations, upon graduation, Kasie received the honor of Outstanding
Contribution to Student Life. She also worked as a research assistant on issues of globalization
with a specialization on the global impact of counterfeit luxury goods. Kasie has a wide-range
of expertise in multiple disciplines. She worked for a national advertising agency, and in a
variety of federal government positions including work on Capitol Hill, at the United States
Supreme Court, and at the Federal Judicial Center. Kasie received her B.A. in Communication
and Business magna cum laude from Michigan State University in 2008. While an
undergraduate, Kasie was recognized by MSU faculty as Most Outstanding Senior.