Employment Certification, Coaching & Training Expert Witnesses: 6

Virginia Rhodes, EdD has an extensive background in public schooling with over 35 years of experience in duty of care: teacher, principal, hiring, supervision, evaluation and instruction in K-12 settings. Her work in research, and as a school board member in a large district grounds her expertise in school policy and district and administrative function. As principal and policy-maker, Dr. Rhodes was known for her work in reclaiming failing high schools, including moving an Ohio high school from 8% passage on the state science test to 54.5% in 2 years, collaboratively, within a contractual environment. Dr. Rhodes provides expert witness research, reports & testimony for districts and law firms, representing both plaintiff and defense. Dr. Rhodes' services are available nationally and internationally, as she is culturally competent,traveling, presenting at conferences and observing schools. Previous cases have included student injury, & death, religious/race, disability discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual abuse, administrative supervision, teacher supervision, actions of paraprofessionals including teacher assistants, security guards, and school resource officers, as well as school evaluations & recommendations for domestic cases.

Areas of expertise include:

• School and district disciplinary policy & practices
• Standards of care and duty for administrative, teacher and school staff 
• Teacher training/evaluation, administrative training
• School climate, culture, SEL (social-emotional learning), trauma-informed practice
• Diversity issues within personnel and student settings
• Urban school research & new trends in teacher leadership
• Deposition & court testimony, document review & analysis
• STEM, environmental, magnet, and other specialty programming
• Conditions Affecting Low-income Students: Mobility, Poverty, Trauma, Discrimination, Bias
• Challenges of hIgh poverty schools
• Innovative & 21st century practices 
• Academic achievement and program development
• Organizational planning & development

View Dr. Rhodes' Consulting Profile.

Alan Someck’s 42 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry as an owner, operator, consultant, and teacher has given him the in depth practical knowledge to provide highly professional and thorough expert witness reports, depositions and testimony.  For the past 14 years, he has been a full time Management Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City as well as serving as an Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management at the New York Institute of Technology.

Mr. Someck has had 25 years of experience as a full time operator in fine dining and fast casual restaurants. Through his active consulting firm, Keystone Hospitality Solutions, he has helped develop a wide variety of restaurant concepts ranging from cafes to full service restaurants, and worked as a food service operations analyst for organizations such as the U.S. State Department, U.S. Patent Office, and the F.A.A. 

Mr. Someck has been awarded 7 grants from the Environmental Protection Agency and New York State to work on sustainability issues within the hospitality industry.  He also has ownership interest in Jimbo’s Naturally, a highly successful chain of San Diego based Natural Food Markets.  

Mr. Someck has organized and presented at workshops, conferences, and training programs for the New York State Restaurant Association, and has been a national keynote speaker and author of hospitality related business articles on hospitality management strategies, food service operations, and franchising.  He has been featured in a variety of industry media publications such as Forbes.com and Full Service Restaurant Magazine. Mr. Someck is also a Nationally Certified Trainer in ServSafe Food Safety and ServSafe Alcohol.

Litigation Support - Alan Someck has been a legal expert witness in a wide variety of cases related to the hospitality field including:

Restaurant Operations  Restaurant Income and Profit Analysis Hospitality Slips and Falls Customer and Employee Safety  Restaurant Wages and Tips Issues

Food Safety / Allergies Alcohol Service Liabilities / Dram Shop Cases Hospitality Harassment and Discrimination Restaurant Training  Business Damages and Restaurant Feasibility Studies

View Keystone Hospitality Solutions' Consulting Profile.

Linnda Durre', Ph.D., Licensed Psychotherapist, (FL License #MH6058) is an expert witness, psychotherapist, family counselor, intern supervisor, international speaker, corporate trainer, author, business consultant, adjunct college professor, and a magazine, Internet, and newspaper columnist. Her four areas of court expertise are Family Law, Personal Injury Law, Employment Law, and Criminal Law. 

Litigation Support: With over 46 years of experience, she consults to attorneys and has been qualified as an expert witness in nine (9) states - Florida. Alabama, California, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, Washington, Tennessee, and Iowa - in the areas of Personal Injury, PTSD, Family and Couples Counseling, Divorce, Child Custody, Relocation, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse by Psychotherapists, as well as Age, Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination. Her 400-page doctoral dissertation and research in the latter area was cited to pass legislation in several states. 

Dr. Durre' has hosted and produced four radio shows, two of which were call-in advice shows and two are interview shows. Her current show "Linnda Durre' Interviews" airs daily for one hour on www.VegeRadio.com. at 4 PM ET, 3 PM CT, 2 PM MT & 1 PM PT.  Dr. Linnda Durre' has hosted and produced two call-in advice TV shows, including being selected in a national search of 200 applicants, to host, "Ask The Family Therapist," on America's Health Network (AHN), which was associated with Mayo Clinic and each show aired daily for two hours from Universal Studios Orlando.

She has appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, O'Reilly (twice), Today Show, Good Morning America, Canada AM, Daytime, Donahue (twice), Sally Jessy Raphael, People Are Talking, Home Show, Hour Magazine, Home and Family Show, Disney Channel, and the local and/or national news on NPR, PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, CW, and Fox.

Dr. Durre' has been interviewed, cited, and/or quoted by the NY Times, LA Times, Forbes, WSJ, IBD, Business Week, SF Chronicle & Examiner, Toronto Globe & Mail, Albany Times Union, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Orlando Business Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Parade Magazine, Alternative Medicine Magazine, CNN Online, Washington Parent Magazine, Screen Actor Magazine, Florida Magazine, Pasadena Star News, Orlando Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, and others.

View Linnda Durre's Consulting Profile.

Dennis E. Coleman, JD, MPH, has over 40 years of experience in Hospital and Healthcare Management. In 1990, he formed his own hospital administration / healthcare management services consulting firm provide healthcare management services to various healthcare provider clients in a variety of areas, including strategic planning, business development, operations management, sales and marketing, policy & procedure development, and human resources management.

Mr. Coleman's academic background includes a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles and a Masters in Public Health degree with a Hospital Administration major and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Litigation Support - As a hospital administration expert witness consultant, Mr. Coleman is an advocate for applying community standards which are relevant, based upon the time frame, subject matter and administrative practice(s) appropriate to each case. He has consulted and provided case review, expert witness services, and/or strategic litigation preparation services in more than 200 legal matters. He accepts cases on behalf of Plaintiffs or Defendants.

Mr. Coleman is willing to serve as either a work product consultant or a designated expert based upon the particular strategic litigation needs of each case.

Cases Include:

• Medical Staff Credentialing & Clinical Privileging / ELAM
• Negligent Credentialing, Negligent Supervision, Negligent Retention
• Hospital / Physician Relations-MEJIA Ostensible Agency Issues
• Administrative Community Standards
• Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules & Regulations
• Provider-Based Physician Contracting Negotiations & Contract Administration
• Administrative Policies & Procedures
• Hospital Joint Commission Accreditation, Licensing & Regulatory Compliance Issues
• Wrongful Termination / Constructive Discharge / Whistleblower Issues
• Patient rights; Informed Consent
• Patient Safety; Environment of Care
• Governance; Corporate Negligence

View Dennis Coleman's Consulting 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, has decades of experience in the field of Police and Human Resources. His foundation of knowledge and skills comes from a career in law enforcement, and being a college educator, expert witness, consultant, and trainer.

Mr. Olson's company, A.T. Olson Consulting, LLC,  is certified by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) as a Verified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); and the State of Oregon's Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) as a Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVBE) and Emerging Small Business (ESB).

Background Experience: Mr. Olson has 26 years of police experience with the Oregon State Police 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 legal team in rewriting and validating OSP's trooper and cadet applicant hiring process. 

 As a patrol supervisor, Mr. Olson directed major crime scenes and motor vehicle fatalities investigations. He reviewed and approved administrative, police, and use of force reports. He 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 his tenure he had experience in police pursuits, the use of physical force and deadly force and next-of-kin death notifications.. 

Mr. Olson is a former human resources investigator with Local Government Personnel Institute, Salem, OR. He conducted background and misconduct investigations on city and county employees and city and county elected officials, as well as city police chiefs. His misconduct investigations included sexual harassment, discrimination retaliation and hostile work environments. He wrote the investigative reports and made the findings of facts on all misconduct allegations.

Mr. Olson is a published co-writer of 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. Further, he is an adjunct college professor teaching Civil Liability in Criminal Justice courses. 

Litigation Support: Mr. Olson meets the criteria of an expert witness as outlined in the Federal Rules of Evidence. He has experience in offering expert opinions on cases involving police misconduct, police procedures, police and non-police use of force, police pursuits, and employer investigations on employees. Mr. Olson's services are available to attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants and include diagnostics, thorough reporting, depositions, arbitration hearings, and trial testimony as needed. His hourly fee is $200.00 and his retainer is $2,500 which is applied to his consultation services.

Areas of Expertise:

Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Police Practices and Procedures Police Investigations and Arrests

Government Investigations Human Resource Investigations Bias, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Investigations

View Aaron T. Olson's Consulting Profile.