Personal/Professional Development Consultants: 9

Stokes & Associates specializes in Life Care Planning and Vocational Rehabilitation. Our team has a combined experience of over 20,000 case assignment engagements. As a result, they can quickly map out a plan to provide the right level of service for the task. Additionally, their detailed Request for Service interview is conducted before work begins to ensure roles and expectations are determined from the onset of their involvement. 

Areas of Experience:

Aaron M. Wolfson, PhD, LRC, CRC, CLCP, is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor, and Certified Life Care Planner who has testified as an expert witness in both state and federal jurisdictions.

Dr. Wolfson is a New Orleans native who earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colgate University, as well as a Master’s Degree and Doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He completed a doctoral internship at the University of Washington, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology.

Dr. Wolfson received specialized training at the University of Washington Multidisciplinary Pain Center, as well as multiple inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation departments, and has published in the areas of vocational rehabilitation and clinical decision making in rehabilitation populations.

Todd S. Capielano, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, LPC, CLCP, CCM, is a Licensed and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Life Care Planner who has practiced in the private sector of Vocational Rehabilitation for over 35 years. He has been in the field of vocational rehabilitation since 1985, specializing in vocational evaluations, labor market research, job placement, and working up future medical care costs for catastrophic and non-catastrophic injuries in life care plans.

Mr. Capielano has been accepted as a vocational expert since 1989 in various courts, including Federal, State, Civil District Courts, and before Administrative Law Judges for Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act claims. Additionally, he has served as a vocational expert for the Social Security Administration testifying in thousands of cases since 1992. 

Mr. Capielano is a member of professional organizations, including the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, the Louisiana Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. He has served as Board Member at Large, President, and Past-President of IARP-LA. He received his Master’s degree in Counseling in 1992 from the University of New Orleans and his Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Medical Center, School of Allied Health Professions in 1986. Mr. Capielano holds national certifications as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Case Manager, and Certified Life Care Planner.

Ashley G. Lastrapes, Ph.D., NCC, CRC, CCM, CLCP, LPC, LRC has over 9 years of experience in private vocational rehabilitation. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Holy Cross; she holds a Master of Health Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 2011; and her Bachelor of Science Degree in psychology from the University of New Orleans in 2009.  Dr. Lastrapes is a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a board approved supervisor in the state of Louisiana. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas.  In addition, she holds national certifications as a Certified Counselor, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Case Manager, and Certified Life Care Planner. Dr. Lastrapes is also a Vocational Expert with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Dr. Lastrapes currently serves as the secretary of the Louisiana Licensed Professional Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Board of Examiners. Dr. Lastrapes is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and served as a Board Member for the Louisiana chapter from 2014 to 2017. 

Dr. Lastrapes specializes in vocational rehabilitation assessment, testing, labor market research, wage and earning capacity analysis, worker’s compensation policy and procedure, case management, life care planning, and career and adjustment counseling. Aside from her work in private rehabilitation, Dr. Lastrapes also has experience providing individual and family therapy to individuals with behavioral, mental health, and substance abuse issues.

Brandy E. Bradley, MHS, CRC, LRC, CLCP is a Licensed and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who has over 15 years of experience in private rehabilitation.  She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 1997 and her Master of Health Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 1999. She also holds national certification as a Certified Life Care Planner. 

Brandy is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) and currently serves as President of the Louisiana Chapter. Brandy is also qualified as a Vocational Expert with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Brandy’s areas of expertise include vocational rehabilitation assessment, testing, labor market research, wage and earning capacity analysis, life care planning, and counseling. Aside from her work in private rehabilitation, Brandy also has years of experience providing individual and family therapy to individuals and families with behavioral, mental health, and substance use issues.

Elizabeth Peralta, M.Ed., LRC, CRC, CLCP is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, Life Care Plan Specialist, and Director of Case Management.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2005 and her Master of Education in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2010. 

Elizabeth is a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor through the LLPVRC Board of Examiners and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Life Care Planner.   

Elizabeth’s areas of expertise include assessing future medical needs and life care planning, vocational assessment, wage and earning capacity analysis, and labor market research.

View Stokes & Associates' Consulting Profile.

Virginia Rhodes, EdD has over 35 years experience in Urban School District Policy, School Development, Administration and Teaching. Dr. Rhodes' specialties include persistently failing city schools, new school start-ups, intentional school design 

Consulting Focus:

• District and individual school strategy for equity
• Replacing factory model district & school structures with highly engaging models
• Replacing punitive discipline with developmental systems
• *STEM start-ups and environmental school design 
• Innovative teacher hiring, and teacher-led school models, including in districts with collective bargaining
• Replacing toxic district or school culture with human-friendly models
• Effective school security and safety--beyond electronics to the human side
• Collaborating with community grassroots organizing partners

Background - Dr. Rhodes has provided consulting services to an international firm on certain aspects of U.S. public school practices prior to their exploration of a related market sector. She acted as a consultant to the University of Cincinnati Career Center assisting in the development of pre-service teacher hiring expectations. Dr. Rhodes was retained by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to co-investigate a study for mental health and achievement factors related to excessive student mobility. 

As a consultant on AdvancedEd School Accreditation Teams, she has evaluated high school performance. Dr. Rhodes has researched and written numerous articles on school mobility, achievement, culture, and STEM (NSF). She has conducted numerous training workshops and spoken on urban school district policy and other related topics to various community groups and national educational organizations.

View Dr. Rhodes' Expert Witness Profile.

Parallax Education is an Organization Development firm specializing in the Prevention of Employment Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation. They offer highly-specialized, distinctly effective, and specifically designed training to provide breakthroughs for teams and entire organizations

Parallax has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies, including American Express, ARCO, Sizzler Int’l, First Interstate Bank, Exxon, Jack-in-the Box, Washington Mutual Bank, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, RAND Corporation, MCA/Universal Studios, MTA, and Motown Record Company. 

Web-Based Training

Instructor Led Training

Monica Ballard, President of Parallax Education, is an Organizational Development Consultant with 25 years of experience specializing in the Prevention of Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation. She has trained over 500 Human Resources professionals in conducting investigations and trained over 10,000 persons on the subjects of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.

Monica has written over 20 workbooks and produced 4 web-based training programs on the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation  She has written 4 workbooks on Conducting Effective Investigations. She has been Interviewed on CBS News, CNN, and Fox News, and featured in newspapers including the WSJ, LA Times (8 times), US News & World Report, Time Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, New York Times, and others. 

View Monica Ballard's Expert Witness Profile.

Jon Mitchell “Mitch” Jackson, Esq. is a Social Media and Live Video Consultant. A veteran in law and business with 30+ years of jury trials, business presentations, and speaking experience, he first started to achieve success well before and then during the development of the Internet as we know it.

Beginning with his first website back in 1996, Mr. Jackson has used the internet and specifically, social media platforms, to expand his sphere of influence on a global level. Known as the Streaming Lawyer, when he’s not trying cases, Mr. Jackson enjoys combining Law, Technology, and Social Media to help professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs use social media and live streaming to disrupt, hack, and improve their practices and businesses. 

Mr. Jackson believes that developing a new mindset and disrupting industries are mandatory to ongoing success. Because of the exponential speed of change that exists today, understanding and appreciating this new dynamic has never been more important. The pace and need for change are several reasons why Mitch wrote, "Social Media for Business Owners, Professionals and Entrepreneurs" in 2018, and delivers lectures and seminars on the role of Social Media in personal and professional settings including speaking at the Tony Robbins Business Mastery Events before thousands in the audiences. In 2013, Mr. Jackson received the California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award for litigation. According to California Lawyer Magazine, the CLAY Award recognizes attorneys who have:

"changed the law, substantially influenced public policy or the profession, or achieved a remarkable victory for a client or for the public and have made a profound impact on the law."

Mitch Jackson and TheShow.Live

His firm, Jackson & Wilson, is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, an exclusive listing reserved for less than 5% of all distinguished law practices in the United States. Several earlier recognitions include Mitch being named as a “Southern California Super Lawyer” and an ability rating of 10.0 or Superb by the AVVO lawyer rating system. Mitch Jackson, and his social media legal services department, enjoy putting decades of legal expertise to work to help social media business owners, agencies, and influencers with their legal needs. Areas of practice include Intellectual Property, Business Entities, Contracts, Defamation, Consulting, Second Opinions, and Litigation.

View Mitch Jackson's Expert Witness Profile.

Beryl Vaughan draws on a combined 30 years of experience in Law Litigation Management and Forensic Psychiatry Marketing to create Medical-Legal Practice Growth and Strategy for Physicians and Psychologists to grow their practice as medical-legal experts. She provides marketing and business consulting for maximum effect and improved bottom line. 

Ms. Vaughan has been honored to present to UCSF, UCDavis, and UCLA Forensic Psychiatry Fellows about the nuts and bolts of building a forensic practice, an annual event for each new Fellowship year.  She has presented on this topic to physicians in all specialties.

Consulting Services - Any physician can benefit from the help of someone who knows "the business" of developing a practice as an expert witness or medicolegal consultant.  Ms. Vaughan has helped doctors many areas of medicine with additional expertise in Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology.  Ms. Vaughan's track record in developing focused, concrete, practice-building strategy is proven to be effective for doctors. She also uses reputation-enhancing tools to build legitimacy in the legal space.  She is also an expert in navigating retention contracts, billing, and timekeeping that will stand up in court, and even how to handle first calls from attorneys. 

Services and Process: All platforms are curated to get the word out to attorneys about the Expert's services, credentials, and unique knowledge-base. Ms. Vaughan expands and deepens client forensic work such as records review, medical-legal case consulting, and Expert Witness testimony in targeted areas of law (for example, medical malpractice or product liability) Her services include marketing, maximizing a website, and using free and paid methods to that end. 

• A plan may include helping clients decide if an expert witness directory (and which) will benefit you, websites that meet high ethical standards and get attention, even developing presentation and writing topics for attorney audiences. Social media best practices for effect. She notes it is not appropriate for everyone, but very appropriate for some.
• Interviewing physicians to get into the nitty gritty of medical backgrounds and desires, recommending a tailored plan in collaboration with your goals, and explaining why some choices are better than others, and implement.
• Business consulting is usually needed - it goes hand-in-hand with best practices and profitability. 

Michael T. Motley, Ph.D. has over thirty-five years of experience in the field of Communication, with specialization in the areas of public-speaking anxiety (stage fright), interpersonal communication, meaning, and psycholinguistics. He has developed an approach to reducing public-speaking stage fright that has been proven in several clinical trials to be the most effective therapy available. The method is successful in about 95% of severe cases and 85% of moderate cases. Dr. Motley is a Professor of Communication with the University of California at Davis. He has authored almost 200 books, articles, and research papers in communication and psycholinguistics. He has won eighteen excellence awards for his research and was recognized as among the "Top 1%" of communication scholars of the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. Areas of Expertise:

• Stage Fright Reduction
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Male / Female Misunderstandings
• Communication of Sexual Consent

Services Offered:

• Consultation and Advice in Above Areas
• Therapy for Public-Speaking Anxiety (Stage Fright)

View Expert Witness Profile.

Centennial Advisory Group is a boutique consulting firm specializing in Investment Management and Financial Services. They are a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches and hold the Certified Professional Resume Writer designation. Their goal is to enhance the career success and earnings potential of investment industry executives.

Services:

Frank Carr is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, a former Hedge Fund Chief Financial Officer, a Corporate Banker, and a 20-year executive search veteran for the Financial Services and Investment Management industries. Mr. Carr has advised thousands of junior, mid-level and senior executives on how to position and maximize their careers within the financial world. With over 4,800 investment industry connections on Linked In, his reach throughout the financial services world is extensive. He has written articles for and has been frequently quoted by publications such as Bloomberg News, CNN Money, Fund Fire, Ignites, Absolute Return, Hedge Fund Alert, and Hedge Fund Manager Week. Prior to forming Centennial, Mr. Carr had been a Managing Director in the Global Asset Management practice at A.T. Kearney Executive Search, a top 10 U.S. search firm. He began his search career at LAI Ward Howell which was later acquired by TMP Worldwide (owners of Monster.com). 

Prior to entering executive search, Mr. Carr was Chief Financial Officer of a Connecticut-based equity long-short hedge fund. He managed investor relations, accounting, and compliance, including registration with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Frank had spent eight years in commercial bank lending, initially with Citibank in their Wall Street Commodities division and later was a banker to the feature film and TV industries.

View Frank Carr's Expert Witness Profile.

Dr. Caren Goldberg, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned professor of Human Resource Management. She provides expert witness and litigation support services in employment law cases. 

Dr. Goldberg has written over 50 peer-reviewed papers and three book chapters on Diversity, Discrimination, Stereotypes, and Sexual Harassment. She has been quoted in numerous magazine and newspapers, and has appeared on Dateline, NBC, Voice of America, and numerous local affiliate news programs to discuss discrimination and harassment. 

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) honored Caren as one of 100 diversity thought leaders from business, consulting, government, and academia, based on her research contributions in this area. More recently, SHRM appointed her to a task force charged with developing professional standards in Diversity and Inclusion.

Litigation Support - Professor Goldberg has been retained by both plaintiff and defense attorneys to testify on matters such as Stereotyping and Harassment / Discrimination climates. In addition, she has testified on the extent to which HR practices are consistent with the scholarly and practitioner literature in HR and how subjectivity in HR practices such as selection, compensation, promotion, appraisal, and termination decision may introduce bias.

Dr. Goldberg provides a variety of services including:

• Assistance Preparing for Depositions and/or Trials in Discrimination and/or Harassment Cases
• Test Validation Services
• Assistance with or Outsourcing of Diversity and/or Sexual Harassment Training Programs
• Assessment and Critique of Opposing Expert's Assumptions, Conclusions, and Prior Research  

Aaron T. Olson of A.T. Olson Consulting, LLC., began as a consultant in August of 2003. His specialization is Expert Witness Opinions on Police Practices, Human Resource Practices, Private Investigations, and customized training. One of his produced training videos is Seeking Excellence in Employee Relations which consists of three parts. Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. 

Background Experience: Mr. Olson has 26 years of police experience managing assignments in communications, recruitment, and patrol. He supervised and evaluated both police and non-police employees. He was a member of the OSP Procedures and Rules Advisory Committee and worked with Oregon's Department of Justice in rewriting and validating OSP's trooper and cadet applicant hiring process. Mr. Olson had the honor of being a member of the first Oregon State Police Affirmative Action Recruiting Team. 

As a patrol supervisor, Mr. Olson directed major crime scenes and traffic fatalities investigations. He reviewed and approved administrative, police, and use of force reports. Mr. Olson also investigated allegations of police officer misconduct, conducted background checks, and participated in specialized tasks in community policing, dignitary protection with the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies. 

In reaching out to new immigrants and refugees, Mr. Olson initiated the "Police and Emergency Services" workshops at the Immigrant Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) in Portland, Oregon. 

Mr. Olson is a regular adjunct professor at Portland Community College (PCC), Portland, Oregon, and Eastern Oregon University (EOU), La Grande, Oregon. At PCC, Mr. Olson currently teaches cultural diversity and civil liability online  criminal justice classes. At EOU, he teaches an online multiculturalism in emergency services course. He established history by designing the first cultural diversity courses and curricula for PCC's criminal justice program in 2001, fire protection program in 2009, and EOU's fire service administration program in 2011.

Besides being an expert witness, Mr. Olson is a private investigator. He is insured and bonded, and licensed through the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, Private Investigator License #113509.   

Mr. Olson has experience in providing his consultation and training services to businesses, hospitals, and government at the city, county and state level.    

Mr. Olson is a published co-writer of  CARE Approach: Seeking Solutions to Human Problems, Kendall Hunt Publishing, Multicultural Law Enforcement: Strategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society, 7th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall and, Multicultural and Diversity Strategies for the Fire Service, Pearson Prentice Hall.

Contact Mr. Olson today for a free initial consultation.

View Aaron T. Olson's Expert Witness Profile.