Promoting and enhancing the quality of impartial workplace investigations.™
| Fired Up Sales Organization Chart (0.07 MB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Interview Rating Dimensions (0.04 MB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Susan Arduengo, AWI-CH is a Long Beach, California-based attorney investigator. She has investigated numerous complaints of harassment and discrimination based on sex, race, disability, marital status, national origin, and religion, abusive conduct, mismanagement/negligence, retaliation, sexual assault, workplace violence, workplace sabotage, policy violations, and wage and hour violations. Susan regularly investigates allegations against elected officials, sworn personnel, as well as anonymous complaints. Susan is an active member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (“AWI”) and serves as the Convener for the AWI Los Angeles Mentoring Circle and she is a member of AWI’s Membership & Marketing Committee and helps lead the Public Sector Affinity Group. Susan is a frequent speaker on workplace investigations, and she has co-presented AWI’s Workplace Investigation Basics Seminars.
Arti L. Bhimani, AWI-CH is the founder of Axis Workplace Investigations, holds a certificate from the AWI, is a part-time faculty member for the AWI, has an educational background in critical race theory and gender studies, and spent twenty years handling legal issues relating to discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower complaints, and fraud. She has experience working with fortune 500 companies, public entities and non-profit organizations, including serving as Deputy General Counsel for a large, global healthcare provider with over 2,000 employees. Arti has questioned employees and management in all types of employment matters. As a neutral investigator and founder of Axis, Arti no longer represents clients in litigation and focuses exclusively on conducting discreet, complex, and thorough external investigations for entities in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Arti has conducted hundreds of evidence-based investigations that provide insight into compliance risks, mitigate against misunderstandings that lead to litigation, and improve the overall work environment. Investigations by Axis withstand scrutiny and provide a sound basis for making business decisions.
Lisa Bowman, AWI-CH is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. She specializes in conducting sensitive and complex internal investigations and advising clients on California’s ever-evolving employment laws, wage and hour matters, and artificial intelligence use in the workplace. Lisa regularly conducts investigations and assists her clients in working with outside investigators. Lisa also trains workplaces of all sizes on managing within the law, conducting investigations, and complying with various employment laws. Lisa’s background as an employment litigator helps her identify issues for her clients before they become a problem. Before becoming an attorney, Lisa spent nearly a decade as a journalist for news outlets including CNET News, The Los Angeles Times, and Bloomberg News. She holds a law degree from a law degree from U.C. College of the Law (formerly Hastings), a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and an undergraduate degree from Harvard. When she is not practicing law, you can find her skiing, swimming, or cheering for her three sons at their hockey, baseball, and football games.
Debbie Brown, AWI-CH is the attorney owner of Brown Law and Consulting, a firm dedicated to conducting workplace investigations regarding harassment, discrimination, and other misconduct in public and private organizations. With several decades of labor and employment law experience, she has held a variety of both HR and legal roles, including private practice labor and employment defense as well as executive level in-house HR and legal roles. She is a member of the AWI Board of Directors, a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil and County Mediator. Debbie is an AWI Certificate Holder (AWI-CH) and holds the SHRM-SCP and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certifications. She has also been recognized as a leading labor and employment law attorney in multiple publications over the years, including Best Lawyers®, Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite™, Florida Super Lawyers® magazine, and Tampa Bay Magazine’s Tampa Bay's Top Lawyers®.
Jennifer Duggan, AWI-CH specializes in employment law and litigation. She has more than 28 years of experience representing employers of all sizes. Jennifer founded Duggan McHugh in 2013 with a focus on representing employers to proactively minimize their risk of employment lawsuits, and to make sure that, in the event of a legal claim, they are in the strongest possible position to defend themselves. Jennifer and her team have successfully defended wage and hour class action lawsuits, PAGA claims, as well as individual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims of all kinds, contract and tort-based employment litigation, and unfair competition and trade secret litigation. Jennifer also works closely with clients to advise them in an effort to avoid litigation in high-risk employment disputes and in every day personnel challenges. Jennifer also conducts independent and neutral investigations for both public and private employers, as well as represents investigators when they are subpoenaed post-investigation. She has taught at both the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and UC Davis School of Law. When she's not at work, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and cheering for Oregon Ducks Football.
Kathy Eppright, AWI-CH is a partner with Andre Morris & Buttery on the Central Coast of California. She has been practicing more than 25 years with a focus on employment litigation, counseling and workplace investigations. Kathy is frequently retained as an external workplace investigator by In House Counsel or counsel for California businesses and public entities. She is a Certificate Holder from the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) and been part-time and full-time faculty at the AWI Institutes since 2018. Kathy is the Convener for the AWI Central Coast local circle and a member of the AWI Webinars and Seminars Committee.
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!).
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.
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).
Nora Rohman, AWI-CH applies over a decade of experience to deliver informed investigations for public agencies, private companies, and public and private higher education systems. Their skills span complex workplace investigations involving alleged harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation; criminal defense investigations; mitigation investigations for death penalty matters at the trial and appellate levels; Title IX and Title VII investigations involving sexual misconduct allegations; civil litigation investigations involving police misconduct, civil rights violations, and sexual assault; and assisting labor unions. Rohman adeptly manages matters with multiple allegations, extensive document review, and numerous witness statements, consulting with attorneys and clients throughout the process.
Carole Ross, AWI-CH is an experienced California attorney with Ross Employment Law. Since 2013, Carole's practice has focused on workplace investigations and employee training. Before forming her firm, Carole practiced employment law with Sheppard Mullin for almost 20 years. Carole’s experience included providing employment law advice, preparing handbooks and policies, and litigating employment law cases. In addition to litigating in state and federal court, Carole represented clients in administrative cases before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and the National Labor Relations Board. She has handled matters involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, and more. Carole has served as an equal employment opportunity monitor upon approval of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a federal court judge. Carole was the chair of the San Diego County Bar Association's Labor & Employment Section.
Carole currently serves on AWI’s board as treasurer. She also serves on the board of Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, an organization dedicated to curing Type 1 diabetes and improving the lives of those living with Type 1 diabetes.
Wyatt Ryder, PHR, AWI-CH, is the Americas Employee Relations Leader at Cisco Systems, a Fortune 100 technology company. Wyatt leads a team overseeing complex employee relations matters, crisis support, and workplace investigations across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Wyatt conducts hundreds of workplace investigations in his role and provides multilingual employee relations support to 90,000 employees globally on matters including discipline, performance, and safety. Before serving in his current role, he worked for DaVita Kidney Care as an Internal investigator, primarily supporting California HR matters and employee relations roles with Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants and the State of Colorado. Wyatt is from Boulder, CO, and holds a bachelor’s in Political Science and Russian Studies from the University of Colorado. He enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, and when not hiking or backpacking, he loves to brew craft beer—he has made more than 1,000 gallons of beer to date!
Vanessa Sisto, AWI-CH is an accomplished HR leader with over 20 years of cross-functional experience at the intersection of human resources, legal, and operations. She’s experienced at managing complex workplace investigations. Vanessa is a lifelong learner and passionate about fostering positive employee relations. Her background spans government, nonprofit, academia, and corporate environments.
Vanessa is a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP) and a Certificate Holder from the Association of Workplace Investigators. She is also an attorney admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey. Vanessa earned her Juris Doctor from Cardozo School of Law, a Professional Certificate in Human Resources Management from New York University, and her Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Christine Slattery, AWI-CH is a seasoned employment attorney who counsels Oregon and Washington employers on a wide variety of employment-related issues, including high-risk terminations, employee handbooks, wage and hour issues, family and medical leave, and compliance with state and federal laws prohibiting harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. She also has particularly deep experience conducting independent workplace investigations related to sexual harassment; age, race, and gender discrimination; FMLA or state-leave protections; retaliation; and allegations of violations related to corporate policies. Christine is experienced in providing in-depth workplace trainings for management and non-management employees on a wide range of topics, including sexual harassment in the #metoo era; comprehensive anti-discrimination and harassment practices; combating unconscious bias; diversity and inclusion; employee engagement; and maintaining a respectful workplace. Christine previously practiced as an employment litigator, where much of the litigation she handled was the result of improperly managed internal complaints, employees and company representatives who were unaware of their legal obligations, or employers who had failed to seek assistance prior to making important decisions. Christine then developed a practical, results-driven approach as she transitioned her litigation practice to focus on a proactive approach to employment advice, counseling, training, and independent workplace investigations. Christine is licensed in both Oregon and Washington and holds a certificate from the Association of Workplace Investigators, an organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing the quality of impartial workplace investigations.
Julika Weiss, AWI-CH is founding a partner of Weiss Workplace Investigations, a boutique investigations firm based in Santiago, Chile. Julika is authorized to practice law in Colombia and in Chile. She has experience conducting a wide variety of complex investigations in Latin American markets, including sexual harassment, labor harassment, fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and food safety. She also has experience training internal investigators from different industries in Latin America markets. Julika is a Certified FETI (Forensic Experiential Trauma Interviews) Practitioner. She has over 20 years of experience working for law firms and multinational companies.
Katie Wilson, AWI-CH is an accomplished Human Resources and Employee Relations Leader with over 16 years of expertise in the broadcast/media and mining industries combined. With a strong focus on employee relations, internal workplace investigations, HR management, communication, workforce planning, and leadership development.
Holding multiple advanced degrees, including a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Human Relations and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership, along with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Northern Arizona University, Katie brings with her a rich educational background.
In addition to Katie’s academic qualifications, she is a proud Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH), which underscores a commitment to maintaining ethical conduct, fairness, and objectivity in workplace investigations. She is passionate about empowering employees and leaders alike while utilizing her extensive skill set to navigate complex workplace investigations.
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.