AWI - Workplace Investigation Basics On-Demand Seminar Series

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson

Partner

Robinson & Cole LLP

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson, AWI-CH, a partner in Robinson+Cole's Labor and Employment Group, counsels boards of directors, senior management, and human resources professionals in all areas of employment law, with a focus on sensitive, high-risk personnel issues, workplace investigations, compliance, training, and U.S. market entry initiatives for international organizations. She represents a wide array of employers, ranging from Fortune 500 Companies and publicly-traded companies to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and manufacturers. Britt-Marie has been ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the state of Connecticut in the area of Labor & Employment since 2014 and in Connecticut Super Lawyers® since 2013. Most recently, she was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Employment Law - Individuals and Employment Law - Management for 2024.  Britt-Marie is a trained workplace investigator, and regularly serves as a speaker for the Association of Workplace Investigators. Robinson+Cole is an Am Law 200 firm serving regional, national, and international clients from 14 offices throughout the Northeast, Florida, and California. 

Eli Makus

Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation

Eli Makus, AWI-CH, is an employment attorney whose practice is focused on conducting impartial workplace investigations. Eli is the Managing Partner of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation. With thirty attorneys, Van Dermyden Makus is one of the largest law firms in the country devoted to providing neutral legal services, including conducting workplace investigations. Drawing upon his extensive employment law background, Eli conducts complex and sensitive investigations involving a variety of workplace complaints for public and private employers throughout California. Eli regularly trains on employment law topics, including training internal and external investigators on how to conduct impartial workplace investigations. Prior to focusing on workplace investigations, Eli served as in-house employment and medical staff counsel for a large healthcare provider. There, in addition to providing employment law advice and counsel, he conducted and supervised investigations and helped develop an internal investigations program. Before that, he worked for a large Northern California law firm representing employers in a variety of employment law matters.  Eli is the Immediate Past President for the AWI Board of Directors and regularly serves as Faculty for AWI’s Training Institute. Eli earned his law degree from King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis.  

Oliver McKinstry

DaVita Inc.

Oliver McKinstry, AWI-CH, is the Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Labor, Employment, and Investigations at DaVita, a Fortune 200 healthcare company. In this role, Oliver leads a team of 55 lawyers and HR professionals in providing labor and employment advice, employee relations, and investigations.  Prior to joining DaVita, Oliver practiced employment law at two AmLaw 100 law firms.  Since joining AWI in 2017, Oliver has served as full and part time faculty at AWI’s Training Institute, chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and been a member of the Organizational Membership Task Force, the Nominating Committee, the Conference Committee, presented various Seminars and Webinars, and is currently the Vice President.

Reuben A Mjaanes

Sr Legal Director - Employment Law

Medtronic

Reuben Mjaanes, AWI-CH, is a Senior Legal Director at Medtronic, Inc., where he has served as in-house counsel in Medtronic's Employment Law Group since 2006. In his role at Medtronic, Reuben provides advice and counsel to Human Resources (HR), Employee Relations (ER) and Managers on a wide range of employment related issues. He also conducts training for HR, ER and Medtronic managers and employees on employment related topics, respect in the workplace, performance management and investigations. Reuben coordinates Medtronic's Employment Law Group's workplace investigation process and team. Prior to joining Medtronic, Reuben was a partner at the Minneapolis, MN law firm of Lindquist & Vennum where he worked in the Employment Law area (handling litigation and advice and counseling). While at Lindquist & Vennum, Reuben was named a Minnesota Lawyer Rising Star. Reuben is a current AWI Board Member and has served as part and full-time faculty at AWI Institutes since 2017. Reuben is a Madison, WI native and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Reuben taught for three years before attending law school.

Vida L Thomas

Partner

Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP

Vida Thomas, AWI-CH, has conducted well over 200 workplace investigations and is experienced in complying with Title IX, Title 5, the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights, and the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights. She has considerable experience investigating matters within a union setting and is particularly adept at investigating complex matters involving high-profile employers and individuals. Vida frequently trains attorneys and human resources professionals on how to conduct legally effective workplace investigations. Vida has practiced employment law for more than two decades, with years of experience in advising employers on all aspects of employment law and human resources management. She also serves as an expert witness in state and federal employment lawsuits, and mediates litigation and non-litigation matters. Vida assists parties and attorneys in resolving employment claims, including but not limited to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims; wrongful termination claims; failure to accommodate and statutory leave violations; whistleblowing claims; wage and hour violations; and invasion of privacy claims. Vida also routinely conducts sexual harassment prevention training (including AB1825 compliance training) for state agencies and private companies. She teaches human resources professionals and EEO officers how to conduct effective workplace investigations, and teaches managers and supervisors how to implement legally effective performance reviews. Clients have complimented Vida’s knack for making the law accessible, explaining complex legal concepts in a way that is both thorough and easy to understand. She believes training is most effective when it provides concrete, useful tips for navigating today’s complicated and highly regulated workplace. She has advised clients and conducted dozens of seminars on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, employee drug testing and sexual harassment investigations. Before joining the Oppenheimer Investigations Group, Vida was an of counsel attorney with Stoel Rives LLP and Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation. She began her legal career as an employment litigator at Kronick Moskovitz and then co-founded Carlsen Thomas, LLP, a boutique employment law firm that offered workplace investigations and employee training throughout

Nick Slabaugh

The J.M. Smucker Company

Nick Slabaugh, PHR, AWI-CH is a native Ohioan, and has been conducting internal workplace investigations for nearly 15 years. In January 2023, he joined The J.M. Smucker Co. in Orrville, Ohio as Manager of Investigations. At Smucker, Nick has oversight of the design and implementation of the investigations program that covers approximately 7,000 employees at Smucker’s corporate offices, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers across North America. He also conducts regular investigation training for the Smucker Human Resources and Ethics & Compliance teams. Prior to joining Smucker, Nick was the Manager of Internal Investigations at Signet Jewelers in Akron, Ohio, overseeing workplace investigations for Signet’s 18,000 retail and corporate employees throughout North America. Nick is a 2005 graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and a 2008 graduate of the Duquesne University Paralegal Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed the 2022 AWI Training Institute in Niagara, Canada, and served on the AWI Nominating Committee in 2023. A diehard Cleveland Browns fan, Nick lives in Northeast Ohio with his wife, Rachel, and elementary aged daughters Cecilia and Hattie (both of whom enjoy his employee discount on JIF peanut butter and Uncrustables).