Save the Date: 31st Annual N.C. Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference

The North Carolina Industrial Commission has announced that the 31st Annual North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference will be held October 14-16, 2026, at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel.

This year’s agenda features a strong lineup of timely medical, legal, and practical topics, including:

• • Workplace Head Injuries: Medical and Legal Issues
  • Using AI Effectively in Workers’ Compensation Legal Practice
  • New Medicare Set Aside Requirements in Workers’ Compensation Cases
  • Diabetes and Workers’ Compensation Injuries
  • Occupational Diseases: Medical and Legal Issues
  • Workers’ Compensation Appellate Case Law Update

• • You Be the Judge!, an interactive analysis of actual workers’ compensation scenarios
  • A View from the Bench, featuring a panel of Deputy Commissioners
  • Ethics presentations tailored to attorneys, adjusters, mediators, and rehabilitation professionals
  • Industrial Commission Section Updates

Participants may be eligible for up to 12 hours of continuing education credit, including ethics, technology, and professional well-being credits for qualifying professions.

Leadership Changes at the Industrial Commission

The Commission announced several notable personnel developments as noted below.

• Tyler Younts Recommended for Full Commission Appointment

Speaker of the House Destin Hall has recommended Tyler Younts for appointment to a six-year term as a Commissioner of the North Carolina Industrial Commission, subject to approval by the General Assembly.

Younts brings extensive workers’ compensation experience to the position, having previously served as:

• • Law Clerk to the Full Commission
  • Deputy Commissioner
  • Private practice workers’ compensation attorney
  • Deputy General Counsel for Litigation at the North Carolina Department of Labor

His experience spans litigation before Deputy Commissioners, the Full Commission, and North Carolina appellate courts. Tyler Younts will take Wanda Blanche Taylor’s seat as she has stepped down from her position as a Commissioner.

• New Deputy Commissioners Appointed

The Commission has also welcomed three professionals to the Deputy Commissioner ranks.

Gina E. Cammarano

Gina Cammarano has been appointed as a Deputy Commissioner in Raleigh while continuing to serve as General Counsel and oversee rulemaking activities. She is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law and a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

Kendra D. Roberts

Kendra Roberts joined the Charlotte regional office as Deputy Commissioner on August 3, 2026. Roberts brings experience representing both employers and injured workers and adds a diverse professional background that includes service as a public-school educator prior to entering the legal profession.

Josh D. Smith

Josh Smith has been appointed as a Deputy Commissioner in Raleigh. A Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law, Smith has more than a decade of litigation experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in workers’ compensation matters.

New Industrial Commission Website Launched August 7.

The Industrial Commission announced that its redesigned website launched on August 7, 2026.

According to the Commission, the new site offers:

• • Improved navigation
  • Streamlined access to key resources
  • A more modern and user-friendly interface

Practitioners, employers, and claimants should expect easier access to forms, decisions, rules, and agency resources once the new platform goes live.

Remembering Deputy Commissioner Mark Hullender

The Commission also shared the sad news of the passing of Deputy Commissioner David “Mark” Hullender.

Hullender served the Industrial Commission with distinction for more than eleven years after joining the agency in 2015. Prior to his service as a Deputy Commissioner, he practiced law in Kings Mountain and was active in public service throughout North Carolina’s legal community.

His dedication to the Commission and the citizens of North Carolina leaves a lasting legacy within the workers’ compensation system.