2026 Meet the Speakers: ADAO Conference Opening Ceremony & Session I — Two Decades of Advocacy: Progress, Challenges, and the Path Forward

Register Today | Conference Details | “Meet the Speakers & Honorees” 7-Week Series 

Posted on July 27, 2026 

ADAO is proud to launch our 2026 “Meet the Speakers & Honorees” seven-week blog series in celebration of ADAO’s 21st Annual Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference, taking place September 25–26, 2026, in Arlington, VA. Each week, we’ll introduce the distinguished speakers, honorees, sponsors, and ADAO leaders whose expertise, leadership, and dedication continue to advance asbestos awareness, prevention, and the law.

We are deeply grateful to each of them for generously sharing their time, knowledge, and commitment with our community. Their work strengthens our collective efforts to protect public health, support patients and families, and move the United States closer to ending asbestos exposure.

Follow along each week and meet the remarkable individuals shaping this year’s conference as we work together to advance awareness, prevention, and lasting change. Register today and be part of the movement. 

Speaker information for the Opening Ceremony & Session I — Two Decades of Advocacy: Progress, Challenges, and the Path Forward

Raja M. Flores, MD — Opening Perspective: Two Decades of Advocacy—Progress, Challenges, and the Path Forward

Raja M. Flores, MD, is the System Chair of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System and ADAO Science Advisory Board Co-Chair Member.

Raja is a recognized leader in the field of thoracic surgery for his pioneering efforts in the treatment of mesothelioma. Dr. Flores’ research interests include numerous past projects relating to the multimodality management of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

He helped pioneer the use of intraoperative chemotherapy for mesothelioma and led a multi-center trial designed to improve patient outcomes. He changed the surgical management of pleural mesothelioma cancer with a landmark study comparing extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication.

An expert in his field, Dr. Flores has appeared on many national and local television news reports to discuss mesothelioma. With over 300 related publications to date, his energies and commitment to the plight of mesothelioma patients remain paramount.

Penny Jo Major — Warrior Perspective: Two Decades of Advocacy, Courage, and Community

Penny Jo Major is a longtime supporter of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and a dedicated advocate for families affected by asbestos-related diseases. Her commitment to this work is deeply personal: her father died from mesothelioma, a preventable cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Transforming grief into action, Penny has devoted her time and energy to raising awareness, supporting the mesothelioma community, and advancing ADAO’s mission to prevent exposure and eliminate asbestos-related diseases. A resident of Illinois, Penny serves as captain of ADAO’s Ban Asbestos Team for the annual Miles for Meso race in Alton. Through her leadership, she brings together family members, friends, advocates, and community supporters to honor loved ones, raise critical funds, and amplify the call for prevention. Penny’s compassion, perseverance, and steadfast commitment embody the power of advocacy rooted in love, remembrance, and hope for a future free from asbestos exposure and disease for every family.

Linda Reinstein — From TSCA Reform to Today: How Advocacy Changed the National Asbestos Conversation

Linda Reinstein is a leading public health advocate and serves as the President & CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). Her journey into advocacy began in 2003 when her husband, Alan, was diagnosed with mesothelioma — a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. In response, she co-founded ADAO in 2004, focusing the organization on increasing awareness about the hazards of asbestos, advocating for a global asbestos ban, and providing support to those affected by asbestos-related diseases.

ADAO has grown into the largest independent nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, eliminating asbestos-related diseases, and pushing for regulatory reform. Focused on evidence-based advocacy, Reinstein has been a vocal presence, frequently testifying before Congress and other governmental agencies, and influencing national and international policies related to asbestos.

Reinstein’s work has significantly contributed to asbestos awareness and the protection of public health around the world. She continues to be a key figure in advocating for a global asbestos ban and supporting individuals and families affected by asbestos-related diseases. Currently, she is involved in organizing the 21st Annual ADAO Awareness and Prevention Conference and advancing the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act (ARBAN).

Richard Lemen, PhD, MSPH — Lessons from the Front Lines: What Two Decades of Advocacy Have Taught Us

Richard Lemen, PhD, MSPH is a retired Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and also served as the Acting Director and the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health before his retirement.

He has been a practicing epidemiologist for more than forty years and has taught graduate-level courses on environmental and occupational health issues, including asbestos, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He has also testified on behalf of asbestos victims. Dr. Lemen is a world-renowned author, speaker, and lecturer on this topic.

 

Arthur L. Frank, MD , PhD — The Next Decade: Advancing Prevention, Public Health, and Justice

Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD is a physician board certified in both internal medicine and occupational medicine and currently serves as a clinical Professor of Public Health and Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia. He is also a Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary) at the Drexel College of Medicine. He also holds a position at Drexel as Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering.

A life-long academic, Dr. Frank has previously taught at Mount Sinai, the University of Kentucky and in the University of Texas System. He has served many governmental agencies in the US and has carried out research and has been a governmental advisor internationally. He has been interested in the health hazards of asbestos for more than 50 years.

He has published extensively on the hazards of asbestos, and clinically cared for asbestos-affected patients. He has lectured internationally about the problems of asbestos and worked in many settings looking at the diseases caused by this material. His research interests have been in the areas of occupational cancers and occupational lung diseases, as well as agricultural safety and health.

For thirty-seven years, he held a commission in the U S Public Health Service (active and inactive) and served on active duty both at the NIH and at NIOSH.

Brent Kynoch — Legacy Asbestos: Preventing Tomorrow’s Exposures by Addressing Yesterday’s Hazards

Brent Kynoch is the Managing Director of the Environmental Information Association, headquartered just outside of Washington, DC in Chevy Chase, MD. He has been the Managing Director of the Association since 1996, but previously had served EIA in other volunteer roles on the Board of Directors as an officer, and ultimately as the President of EIA in 1988 and 1989. EIA has spent 40 years at the forefront in providing its members with the information needed to remain knowledgeable, responsible and competitive in the environmental health and safety industry.

When Mr. Kynoch changes his hat to his “paying job,” he is the President of Kynoch Environmental Management, Inc., (KEM) an environmental engineering and industrial hygiene firm and he is the CEO of Clearity Environmental – a firm specializing in moisture control and mold prevention during multi-family construction.

Mr. Kynoch is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering. He is called upon frequently as a speaker, as a writer and as an expert regarding environmental contaminants. He has testified before both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate regarding asbestos, and has written numerous articles on asbestos, lead and mold. Most recently, Mr. Kynoch was presented with the Snider Lifetime Achievement Award by EIA.

Ellen Costa – Session Moderator 

Ellen Costa is an ADAO Board Member and volunteer.  She has been with ADAO since 2009 and is honored to be of service to the organization, its mission, its founders, and its supporters.

Professionally, she has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years and has served various firms in marketing, communications, product management, strategic planning, and regulatory policy impacts.  Ellen has leveraged her communication and event planning experience at ADAO’s events over the years.

Inspired by ADAO’s commitment and passion for making change, influencing political policy, and advocating for practical issues on a global level, led to her involvement with the organization. The awareness, family support, and leadership ADAO provides in creating the change needed in this world is truly powerful.

 

Tune in next week for Session II’s speakers. Register today and join the movement towards an asbestos-free future. 

 

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