The American Arbitration Association® (AAA®) welcomed 23 new professionals to its Construction Panel between January and July 2026, expanding its roster of experienced panelists with deep knowledge of the construction industry. The new panelists bring a broad range of legal, technical, and industry-specific experience, including backgrounds in construction law, engineering, architecture, project management, and related fields.
Why Experienced Arbitrators Matter in Construction Disputes
The combination of legal and real-world experience our panelists bring is particularly important in construction disputes, where issues often turn on the project’s dynamics. Delays, design and engineering questions, changes in scope, differing site conditions, defects, costs, and other project-specific issues require an understanding of both the legal questions and the practical realities of the construction industry.
The AAA’s addition of these 23 professionals reflects its ongoing commitment to maintaining a Construction Panel with the knowledge and perspective needed as the industry and nature of construction disputes evolve. Construction panelists handle disputes across public and private projects, ranging from two-party matters to complex, multi-party and multi-jurisdictional disputes involving significant legal, technical, and business considerations.
How AAA Construction Panelists Are Selected
AAA panelists are selected through a rigorous review process that considers professional accomplishments, subject-matter expertise, and dispute resolution experience, among other qualifications. The AAA routinely evaluates and strengthens its panelist selection to make sure that parties have access to neutral decision-makers with experience appropriate to the matters before them. AAA panelists are independent neutrals and not employees of the AAA.
Introducing the New Construction Panelists
AAA is proud to welcome the following 23 professionals to its Construction Panel:
- Jason Ebe, AZ
- Joshua (Josh) Marks, AZ
- Hon. David Shakes, CO
- Michael Jaffe, DC
- J.R. Rothstein, FL
- Jeremy Baker, IL
- Kenneth (Ken) Roberts, IL
- Eric Singer, IL
- Kendall Woods, IL
- G. Dwayne Maricle, LA
- Philip Watson, LA
- Tony Starr, MA
- Kafi Linville, MN
- Stephen (Steve) Schemenauer, MN
- Jennifer Therrien, MO
- Stephen Bialkowski, NJ
- Joseph Cooke, NY
- Teresa Santin, OH
- Tarek Abdalla, PA
- Zach Torres-Fowler, PA
- Aaron Capps, TX
- Robert Lovein, TX
- Jerry Negrete, TX