Sports Programs Expert Witnesses: 4

Laura Miele, PhD, CST-2, is a Sport, Fitness, and Education Expert with over 30 years of experience in various aspects of sport, fitness, and physical activity including the education, training, and supervision of athletes. Dr. Miele is a Nationally Certified Accredited Interscholastic Coach through the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) and has 14 years of physical education experience, (Pre-kindergarten-12) within multiple states across the country.  

Background Experience - Dr. Miele played Division I basketball at Arizona State; was Tight End for the Arizona Caliente, of the Women’s Professional Football League; and was also a New York Golden Gloves semi-finalist in 2004. She began coaching athletes in 1986 and has been involved as a personal exercise and fitness trainer since 1994.  She has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe as an athlete and coach and has been involved in consulting, coaching and teaching a wide range of sports including but not limited to; Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Softball, Baseball, Football, Archery, Bowling, Figure Skating, Hockey, Boxing, Wrestling, Field Sports, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Track and Field, and Tennis. 

Dr. Miele is a level 2 Certified Service Technician for the International Association of Trampoline Parks. She serves on the Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and Facilities Committee and currently serves and assists on the task force that is in the process of creating the standards for Amusement Challenge Areas. She has given numerous presentations on the topics of sport injury prevention as well as supervision and safety in Amusement Challenge Courses / Trampoline Parks Risk Management.

Litigation Support - Dr. Miele is an expert in fitness, sport and recreation with specific expertise in sports psychology, coaching, recreation, personal training, fitness facilities management/operations, and injury prevention. She is an accomplished athlete as well as an experienced trainer, coach and teacher. She provides expert witness services to attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant. Her services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Dr. Miele has relevant experience in the proper teaching standards required by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) for the:

• Proper Supervision Before, During, and After School
• Skill Progression and Instruction
• Proper Use of Safety Equipment
• Practices related to the Role and Responsibilities of Teachers and Administrators  

Areas of Expertise:

• Fitness Facility Operations including Personal Training, Supervision, Risk Management, and Injury Prevention
• Physical Education, Sport and Recreation-Risk Management
• School / Teacher Supervision
• Proper Coaching Training Practices and Procedures in Sports
• Gymnastics, Trampoline Parks / Amusement Challenge Courses
• Emergency Preparation and Response in Schools, Fitness and Sport Facilities

Mr. Nichols specializes in cases involving sexual abuse in schools, churches, camps, mentoring programs, sports organizations, and after-school programs.  From 1994 to 2016 he served as the Vice President over child safety and facilities for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (National Headquarters). In that role he shaped the organizational policies and practices that helped protect over 4 million youth at over 4,000 sites in the U.S. and abroad. In 2016, Mr. Nichols entered private practice in two areas:  as an expert witness in sex abuse-related cases involving organizations, and as a safety/security consultant for schools and other organizations.

Mr. Nichols has authored, co-authored, or contributed to over 40 publications addressing various aspects of protecting people from harm.  Most recently, he was a reviewer and contributor to the Maryland Guidelines and Best Practices for the Design, Assessment and Modification of Physical Facilities and Spaces to Reduce Opportunities for Child Sexual Abuse (2020) by the MD State Council on Child Abuse & Neglect, and co-author of a graduate-level textbook, Extreme Violence: Understanding & Protecting People from Active Assailants, Hate Crimes & Terrorist Attacks (2021) by Cognella Academic Publishing.

Mr. Nichols is a member and past president of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, a board-certified security professional (CPP) through ASIS International and holds a Master of Science in Security Administration.

Mr. Nichols has been retained or served as a fact witness in over 30 cases, involving sexual abuse and other harm within organizations.  Examples include:

• A contract school bus driver molests a student on the bus 
• A school music instructor grooms and molests his teen student  
• A organization’s screening process misses obvious red flags 
• A college ministry fails to provide oversight to prevent an accidental death 
• A disabled child is molested by another child while being transported on a bus 
• A sports organization fails to audit its child protection program 
• A church volunteer systematically grooms and molests young boys
• Two teens rape a female, special needs student between classes 
• A child is injured on a roof during an afterschool program 
• An organization fails to provide effective sex abuse prevention resources to its affiliate
• A young boy is molested by other boys at a church retreat

View Les Nichols' Consulting Profile.

Douglas Baumgarten, M.S., offers consulting and expert witness services related to Fitness, Health Clubs, Exercise Equipment, Personal Training and Sports. Mr. Baumgarten is a graduate of Harvard University and California University of Penna. (M.S. Exercise Science). He is a certified Health/Fitness Director (Amer. Coll. of Sports Medicine), Performance Enhancement Specialist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Bike Fitter, cycling coach, and baseball/softball official. 

Mr. Baumgarten has over 40 years in the fitness industry, as personal trainer, manager, consultant, equipment dealer, President of a large fitness company, and owner of SportFit Consulting. He has contributed to Fitness Management magazine, Boardroom magazine, Club Management magazine, and other publications.  

Litigation Support -  Mr. Baumgarten has over 15 years of experience as a legal expert, on cases from equipment accidents to health club employee conduct. He works with both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified in civil and criminal courts.  Douglas Baumgarten has the experience and expertise to assist in cases involving:

View Douglas Baumgarten's Consulting Profile.

The Rehberg Konin Group provides Litigation Support services in the area of Sport Safety and Reduction of Risk associated with accidents, illnesses and injuries using the most current evidence available. Their cutting edge practice and evidence-based approach ensures that their opinions are grounded in the latest scientific and professional evidence. A full-service consulting firm, The Rehberg Konin Group provides a wide range of services to the legal and insurance industries, including investigation, research and analysis, expert testimony at trial and depositions, expert reports, site inspections, document review, and on-site consulting during trial and depositions. They offer powerful and unbiased opinions and testimony for both plaintiff and defense cases. Their evidence-based approach means services grounded in the latest published research. 

Areas of Expertise Include:

Dr. Jeff G. Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, FACSM, FNATA  Dr. Jeff Konin is currently the Director of Athletics at Eastern Connecticut State University, in Willimantic, Connecticut. Prior to this role, he was an Associate Professor and the Vice Chair of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at the University of South Florida, in Tampa, FL, where he also served as the Executive Director of the Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma (SMART) Institute and the Director of the Graduate Athletic Training Program. Dr. Konin has an extensive background as a clinician, educator, administrator, author, and public speaker. www.experts.com

View The Rehberg Konin Group Consulting Profile.