RILA Retail Law Conference 2026

Walter is an industry insider and advocate with over 40 years of experience in asset protection, operations, inventory control, and strategic consulting. He works with top retailers, academics, asset protection practitioners, and industry associations in the US and around the world to advance our profession, examine key trends and issues, and support their key goals and objectives. He is a co-founder of LP Magazine, has been an invited speaker at more than 120 conferences around the globe, and has authored over 60 articles for industry and mainstream media. He currently serves as Senior Advisor for CAP Index, the leader in crime risk forecasting.

Meredith Plaxco is the Vice President of Global Asset Protection and Safety at PetSmart. She serves as Chair of RILA’s Asset Protection Leaders Council and is on the boards of the Loss Prevention Foundation and One Community Arizona and supports the AP program at the University of South Carolina College of Retailing. With over 24 years at PetSmart, her experience spans various leadership roles, including operations, corporate PR/communications, finance and enterprise asset protection and safety. Her education and experience outside of PetSmart includes a background in finance and communications, veterinary M&A and operations, mass and specialty retail, and she maintains her Loss Prevention Certification (LPC) from the Loss Prevention Foundation.

Gregg Smith is a veteran Asset Protection and Safety leader with over 25 years of experience driving profit protection strategies for top retail brands. As Vice President of Asset Protection at Five Below, he oversees safety and shrink initiatives across 1,800+ stores nationwide. Gregg’s career includes senior roles at The Children’s Place, Donna Karan/DKNY, Bloomingdale’s, and The Home Depot. He holds a bachelor’s in Criminology Pre-Law from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is pursuing his MBA at LSU. He is LPC and CFI-certified and actively contributes to the industry as a member of RILA’s Asset Protection Leaders Council, the Loss Prevention Foundation, and the Loss Prevention Research Council.

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General with 35 years of public service. Led modernization, education, and leader development initiatives that transformed organizations and influenced more than 1 million people worldwide. Proven track record in strategic planning, institutional reform, and crisis leadership reflects a career defined by impact and excellence

Graduated from LaSalle University in 1994 and The Dickinson School of Law in 1997. Worked as an Insurance Defense Civil Attorney at Wilbraham, Lawler and Buba from 1998 to 2000, and then Hecker, Brown, Sherry and Johnson from 2000 to 2001. In 2001, left Civil Defense Law to become a Prosecutor at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office working in the Major Trials Unit for 2 years. In 2003, moved back to Philadelphia and joined the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office working in the Municipal Court, Pre-Trial, Juvenile, Felony Waivers, Majors, and Economic and Cyber Crime Units, as well as being briefly assigned as acting Director of the IT Department. Currently assigned as the Supervisor of the Economic Crimes Division, which is comprised of the Financial Crimes Unit, the Insurance Fraud Unit, the Elder Justice Unit, the Unemployment Compensation/Welfare Fraud Unit, the Labor Crimes Enforcement Unit, the Organized Retail Theft and Deed Theft Task Force, the Carjacking Enforcement Unit, the Auto Theft Unit and the Cleaner Greener Enforcement Unit. Member of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Fraudulent Conveyance Task Force, Philadelphia Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Group, PA Auto Crimes Investigators Association, Delaware Valley International Association of Special Investigation Units, International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, and the Delaware Valley Financial Security Officers Group. Participant in our local Organized Retail Theft Task force with the Philadelphia Police Department as well as the newly formed collaboration between NDAA/RILA on Organized Retail Theft and a member of that Retail Theft Criminal Advisory Board.

Jen Thomason is Vice President of Stores Protection at Gap Inc., where she leads the field/stores AP strategy across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta globally. She is responsible for safeguarding people, products, and experiences while advancing modern, risk-based protection strategies across a complex, multi-brand footprint. With more than two decades of experience, Jen brings deep expertise in retail Asset Protection, operational risk, and executive leadership. Prior to Gap Inc., she held senior leadership roles at Nike, including Global Senior Director of Loss Prevention and Risk Operations, and previously served in Asset Protection and risk leadership roles at Dollar General and EZCORP. Her background also includes law enforcement and consulting. Jen is known for building and scaling industry-leading AP capabilities and high-performing teams in complex environments. A strong advocate for talent development and inclusive leadership, she aligns AP strategy with business priorities, and future-focused innovation. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of North Alabama.

Phil is co-founder and CEO of global Retail Crime Intelligence software company, Auror. Since it was founded in 2012, Phil has been focused on building Auror into a trusted company with a global outlook and helping retailers and law enforcement work together through technology to address the large scale of retail crime impacting our communities. Auror is now used by more than 85,000 retail stores and in 3,500 law enforcement agencies across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Phil is passionate about modernizing public safety by digitally enabling communities to better collaborate. Alongside his co-founders, he was named New Zealand’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022. Prior to founding Auror, Phil was a commercial privacy and intellectual property lawyer.

Sharjeel (Serge) Ahmad, serves as the Head of Global Asset Protection, Safety, and Security Operations at Wayfair, where he leads enterprise strategies focused on protecting people, assets, and brand integrity across retail and corporate environments. He is recognized for elevating asset protection into a strategic business function, building high-performing teams, and driving disciplined risk management through strong cross-functional alignment. Serge is regarded as a forward-thinking industry leader who brings clarity, discipline, and strategic insight to complex, high-growth environments.