Promoting and enhancing the quality of impartial workplace investigations.™
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Module 10 Participant Guide
(1.9 MB)
This is the Participant Guide for the Tenth Module: Report Writing Analysis |
25 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Module 10 Sample Analysis (88.1 KB) | 4 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Analysis and Report Writing Dimensions (60.3 KB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Carl Botterud, AWI-CH is a California attorney specializing in workplace investigations in public and private sector settings. After decades of serving clients as an advocate in state and federal courts, Carl channeled his passion for problem solving into service as a neutral. His investigation work focuses on allegations of discrimination, harassment, assault, conflicts of interest, workplace bullying and abusive conduct, and compliance matters. Carl’s practice includes investigating complex and highly sensitive matters involving high level executives and elected officials. Beyond his extensive work as an employment lawyer, Carl’s service as an investigator is informed by experience as a criminal defense and appellate panel lawyer, and as a court appointed mediator. He has served as a general counsel and faculty member in higher education. As a faculty member, Carl taught classes including evidence, trial advocacy, professional responsibility (interviewing, counseling, and negotiating skills), business law, and constitutional law. Carl is a sustaining member of the Association of Workplace Investigators. He has served as an AWI Training Institute faculty member since 2018 and currently serves as a member of AWI’s Board of Directors.
Brittny Bottorff, AWI-CH is a founding partner of Insight Counsel LLP, a law firm dedicated to conducting workplace and school investigations. Brittny serves as an impartial, independent fact-finder who conducts investigations into complaints of workplace misconduct. Brittny has personally conducted or supervised numerous investigations in a variety of industries and settings in both the public and private sectors. Brittny also helps facilitate conflict resolution in the workplace. Brittny is actively involved with the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI), and she regularly serves as faculty for the AWI Training Institute for Workplace Investigators. Brittny frequently speaks on topics involving workplace investigations for various groups and bar associations.
Liz DeChellis, AWI-CH, is a Partner and Title IX Program Director with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation. Her practice focuses on conducting workplace and Title IX campus investigations with a specific focus on sexual harassment claims. Liz frequently serves as a Hearing Officer in Title IX campus sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. She also serves as an expert in evaluating Title IX and sexual harassment matters. Liz graduated from McGeorge School of Law in 2012 and earned an undergraduate degree from UC Davis. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California, and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Liz’s practice focuses on workplace and campus investigations into such claims as sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, improper governmental activities, and Title IX allegations.? She is trained in conducting Trauma Informed Forensic interviews and serves on the faculty of T9 Mastered, a training program for college and school district officials involved in Title IX compliance and investigation.
Winter Hankins, AWI-CH, is an experienced attorney workplace investigator, licensed in the State of California, and is an Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH). She has conducted complex workplace investigations for private and public employers (sworn and non-sworn employees). In addition, Winter has over 10 years of prior experience in handling claims involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and leaves of absence under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA). She has extensive experience overseeing workplace investigations and advising employers regarding next steps in addressing investigation findings, including discipline and preserving due process rights. Winter is passionate about cultivating diverse and positive workplace culture, which is furthered by her prompt, thorough, and impartiality in conducting investigations.
Kathryn Hartrick, AWI-CH is based in Chicago, Illinois. She is the principal of Hartrick Employment Law & Investigations. The firm’s focus is on workplace investigations, executive coaching, and employment law counseling. Kathryn conducts complex workplace investigations including those crossing international borders, as well as involving C-suite leaders, Boards of Directors, and multiple complainants/respondents. Kathryn is the former Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) discrimination agency. She also serves as General Counsel and an executive coach for Robertson Lowstuter, Inc. She is a former law firm partner/litigator, and adjunct law school professor (employment discrimination at Chicago’s Loyola School of Law). Kathryn combines over 25 years of employment law expertise with extensive training in investigations, mediations, and executive coaching. She has been a volunteer mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), and the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR). Kathryn has held legal and HR corporate officer positions with global, publicly traded corporations, where in addition to providing employment law advice and counsel, she conducted and managed internal investigations. She is an elected Fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an Illinois Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine; and has a Martindale-Hubbell "AV" rating, the highest ranking in legal ability and ethical standards as determined by lawyer peers. For over 20 years, she has chaired the North Shore Labor & Employment Counsel (NSLC) group, serves on the Board of IICLE, and is former co-president and Board member for local SHRM chapters, NISHRM and NIHRC. She is a faculty member for AWI’s training institute, a sustaining member, and co-convenor for the Chicago-area AWI local circle. Kathryn frequently speaks and writes on a variety of employment law topics including workplace investigations, leave issues, sexual harassment/respect in the workplace, executive coaching, workplace violence, and other topics. Her law degree is from Case Western Reserve University School of Law where she served on the law review, and her BBA is from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business (Go Blue!).
Lynne Hook, AWI-CH is an employment attorney who has been advising and defending employers for over 25 years. She counsels human resources and operations professionals on the legal aspects of employment policies and conducts training and workplace investigations. She founded Employer Lawyer PC in 2019. Prior to starting her own practice and working as a subject matter expert at Axiom Law, Lynne served as in-house employment counsel for a Fortune 500 hotel company with 70,000 employees managing claims and litigation throughout the United States and corporate HR advice. She lived in Switzerland and worked as an employment advisor for an international supply business. Lynne spent eight years at three different large law firms in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School.
Dinamary Horvath, AWI-CH specializes in workplace investigations, related training, consulting, and mediation. She conducts impartial investigations of employment complaints into allegations of workplace misconduct including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, violence, bullying, dishonesty, ethical and policy violations. Dina provides training and conducts impartial workplace investigations in both English and Spanish. Prior to specializing in workplace investigations, Dina litigated employment law matters with Jackson Lewis LLP, where she advised and counseled employers on a wide variety of employment law issues. Dina also served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford in Connecticut and was responsible for employment matters, policy development, and litigation management. Dina obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2008 and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Long Island University in 2002. Dina is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, a member of Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) Board of Directors, as well as a certificate holder of the AWI's Training Institute for Workplace Investigators, and a Convener for the AWI New England Local Circle.
Monica Jeffrey, AWI-CH is a founding partner in JMJ Workplace Investigation Law LLP, one of the first law firms in Canada to devote its practice exclusively to conducting impartial workplace investigations in 2013. Prior to becoming a workplace investigator,?Monica?practiced in employment law for 10 years, representing and advising employees and employers.?Monica?became passionate about promoting and enhancing the quality of impartial workplace investigations after receiving a Certificate of Completion from the 2013 AWI Training Institute.? She has investigated many sensitive and complex workplace matters involving highly politicized senior executives and Boards in public and private organizations.??Monica?was integrally involved in developing the Canadian Chapter of AWI and the accredited certificate program for the Training Institute where she regularly serves as chair, evaluator and a faculty member.?Monica?also served as the Chair of the Institute Committee for several years and is the current AWI President.
Rachel Koegel, AWI-CH is a founding partner of Nearpass & Koegel PLLC, a boutique law firm in Upstate New York dedicated to providing neutral client services. Rachel has conducted and overseen hundreds of workplace and campus investigations, involving allegations of misconduct, including discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, and retaliation. Rachel provides her expertise to clients who need timely, thorough, and impartial investigations, as well as other neutral client services, including Title IX hearing officer/adjudication services, informal resolution facilitation, training, and expert witness testimony. Prior to specializing in investigations and other neutral client work, Rachel practiced law at a global employment law firm. After years of litigating employment cases in state and federal courts, Rachel joined a prestigious university as its first specialist in workplace and campus investigations and oversaw the university’s investigative team, which grew by 500 percent during her time there. Rachel serves as part-time faculty at AWI’s week-long training institute, has taught the AWI Workplace Investigations Basics Seminar, and is a co-convenor of the newly established AWI Upstate New York Local Circle.
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 more than twenty 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, 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.
Elena Paraskevas-Thadani, AWI-CH, Esq., president and founder of EPT Legal LLC, brings over 27 years of expertise as an employment attorney and EEO subject matter expert to her work in the University setting. Licensed by the New York Department of State as a Private Investigator, she specializes in conducting impartial workplace investigations, with expertise in EEO allegations such as race and gender discrimination as well as harassment and sexual assault. She has worked with various industries, including education, law enforcement and regulatory, financial, nonprofit, and professional service firms. Formerly a senior equity partner at Littler Mendelson, the largest labor and employment firm in the world, Elena represented organizations in complex classaction, wage and hour, and discrimination lawsuits and government proceedings. As a certified mediator and arbitrator, she focuses on resolving workplace tensions and disputes. In her role as a trainer and facilitator, she helps organizations create inclusive workplaces by conducting programs on EEO topics and fostering diversity, equity, and belonging. Elena's expertise extends to sensitive investigations involving senior executives, and she is a Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) Certificate Holder and a licensed Private Investigator. She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association for Workplace Investigators, serves as faculty for their Institute and Certificate program, and co-founded its NY Metro Area Local Circle. Elena is also certified in conducting investigations and hearings under the new Title IX regulations. A Fordham College and Fordham Law School alumna, she served as a senior editor of the Urban Law Journal, founded the Fordham Law Chapter of the Unemployment Action Center, and provided pro bono services at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Center during her time as a student. Elena is fluent in Greek and is admitted in New York, Connecticut, Michigan, and Washington DC (she has passed the February 2024 Nevada Bar and her admission is pending).
Christina J. Ro-Connolly, AWI-CH is a Partner with Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP. Tina has over a decade of labor and employment law experience and joined the firm after serving for 11 years at the Contra Costa County Counsel’s Office, advising departments on legal matters for a workforce of approximately 9,000 employees. Such legal matters included employee discipline, employee complaints, discrimination complaints, wage and hour complaints, alleged labor violations, and labor negotiations. Tina has conducted numerous investigations with Oppenheimer Investigations Group, many of which included allegations against elected officials and high-level executives. Tina leads AB1825 trainings, workplace investigator trainings, and bias trainings and also conducts audits of internal workplace investigations. Tina is a member of the California State Bar and the Contra Costa County Bar Association, a sustaining member of AWI, and a graduate of AWI’s Training Institute for Workplace Investigators. Tina is also an AWI Certificate Holder (AWI-CH) and has also received the certificate from T9 Mastered to conduct Title IX investigations. Tina is also a Member of the Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association, Labor and Employment Section, as well as a member of the AWI Institute Committee.
Shannon Shrewsbury, AWI-CH is a California employment attorney specializing in workplace investigations in both the private and public sectors. Before founding her investigations firm in 2019, she advised and represented employers as in-house and outside counsel in a range of labor and employment law matters, including unfair labor practice proceedings, litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination, and corporate compliance issues throughout the United States and Canada. Shannon's clients have included cities, counties, universities, health systems, and Fortune 100 companies. Shannon currently serves on AWI’s Training Institute Committee and as faculty at AWI Training Institutes. She previously co-chaired AWI’s Seminars and Webinars Committee, and has presented AWI's Basics Seminar series and Credibility Workshop. Shannon also serves on the Advisory Committee for Capital Pro Bono, a legal aid nonprofit organization in the Sacramento area.
Kate Starkebaum, AWI-CH is an employment law attorney with Kramer Workplace Investigations in Danville, California. Kate has been practicing law since 2008, when she graduated from UC Hastings. She has been an active member of AWI since she joined in 2019, and attended the 2019 AWI Training Institute in Vail, Colorado. She is an AWI Certificate Holder and a member of the California State Bar. Kate has conducted various investigations with Kramer Workplace Investigations, including investigations with allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, as well as allegations of general misconduct. She has served as part-time faculty at several AWI Institutes, as well as presenting at the AWI Investigation Basics seminar.
Shivani Sutaria, AWI-CH is an experienced employment law attorney and workplace investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the founder of Shivani Sutaria Law Office; she focuses on conducting workplace investigations, providing advice and counsel to employers and employees, and training employees on employment law issues. Prior to starting her own firm, Shivani worked at a San Francisco law firm litigating employment disputes in state and federal court as well as before administrative agencies such as the EEOC, DFEH, WCAB and DLSE. Shivani received her Juris Doctor from University of San Francisco School of Law, her Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Southern California, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from University of California, San Diego. Shivani is a graduate of AWI's Training Institute for Workplace Investigators, an AWI Certificate Holder (AWI-CH), and the co-convener of the AWI Silicon Valley Local Circle.
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 California for 13 years.
Email: vida@amyopp.com
Office Phone: 9166128432
Abby Warren, AWI-CH is a partner in Robinson+Cole’s Labor, Employment, Benefits + Immigration Group, where she represents employers in labor and employment matters. She focuses her practice on counseling private sector employers, including multinational corporations, health care organizations, educational institutions, and manufacturers, in all areas of employment law. Abby also defends employers in federal and state court and before administrative agencies. In addition to counseling and litigation, she provides workplace training for clients and conducts workplace investigations.